Plant collector or garden designer?

Boy, am I late finding this thread... Hmmm, designer or collector? I think I'll say designer, but that's nearly too embarrassing because my garden looks awful. I'll stick with designer, though.

Thanks for the encouragement everyone. Noreaster - that is a beautiful container!! Is it copywrited? Harper - I've never seen a garden that looks awful!! Flowers in any design are beautiful. Maybe you've got a design in progress and you're not finished with it yet!! Don't be so hard on yourself!! If you love what you're doing that's the important thing! Eleanor

Noreaster - Your container is lovely. I'm a fan of the "moon" series of Torenia, too. Such nice robust plants that just don't quit blooming.

Eleanor - I have seen many awful gardens but maybe Harper just says it about her own because not everything is in place yet or she hasn't moved plants around, driving herself crazy. While I can enjoy all gardens it's the neglected ones or those where the people want the gardens but not the work (and it shows) that make me wish they'd throw in the trowel.

I've used torenia and like it a lot. Bloomed non-stop. I had a gorgeous blue one from Mischel's Greenhouse.

I deleted this whole post because people are getting the wrong idea of how I feel. I was trying to justify having never seen an awful garden and I haven't. I love to see flowers growing in anyone's yard. I sure made a mess of trying to explain how I feel and I've made several people think they have a mess of a garden. I applaud everyone's efforts at gardening and if what they are doing makes them happy, wonderful. My daughter is one I was talking about - she buys a couple of conatiners of flowers and puts them on the porch where they don't even get rain and never waters them and you know what happens. She doesn't think of herself as a gardener though, she just wants to add curb appeal. This statement applies only to my daughter and no one else!!!!! But she has worse problems than dead flowers - roof shingles are blowing off, window frames are all rotted, garage door is broken, and she finds it hard to get time to mow the lawn with working 12 hour days (includes driving time), being away from home on business trips a lot, snow and ice removal from her driveway and steps, and taking care of a toddler. But some day she may get the hang of it so I will encourage her. I really don't care if my neighbors have great gardens or not cause I'm too busy to notice what they are doing trying to grow things in my yard. We live in a lower middle class neighborhood so things aren't that great to look at anyway!! I started at step #1 not knowing anything about gardening and maybe I've made it to step #1.25 by now. All I started with was a love of watching things grow and lots of help from DG. I'm very sorry for not explaining myself very well and hope none of you think your gardens or gardening skills are lacking because of what I said. Eleanor

This message was edited Jan 13, 2008 9:17 PM

Victor, I love those crapes, a plant (shrub) I know nothing about. I will be reading about them today. That is a better than nice drive. Mine is in serious need of some working. I have a boat to deal with that is a giant eyesore, but much loved. I am getting DH to move it this spring as it is on the Victor List. I have the spot almost cleared.

I have a few areas that Eleanor would find lacking, but sometimes that happens even to the most passionate of gardeners or wannabes. Could be a "Work in progress", or an area that "just isn't working" and has been "put on hold", or "out of sight, out of mind" or the "plate is just too full" or a real illness or tragedy that has made a garden turn into a tangled weed patch. I have experienced all of those and at the moment I have a few of these areas. Guilty. But I will address them when I get a round toit.

Here is my major eyesore. Please imagine it gone with a nice view into the woods behind with maybe some ? once I clean up the edge and widen the drive a bit and figure out if I need to or want to take down a choke cherry. I can't even ponder the space until "Little Joe" is moved to a new spot that is not so visible. Plus there is another small sailboat behind her which will also be moved. Patti

Patti - I would not find anyone's garden lacking. Did I say something to make you think I judge other people's gardens. I was the one who said I had never seen an awful garden and I haven't!! Originally I was trying to make Harper feel good about her garden cause she said it looked awful which I'm sure it doesn't!! I'm not a very good gardner myself but I enjoy it. Eleanor

Wow - a list named for me?! Thanks, but no need to - don't want dh using my name in vain! Crapes should do fine for you since you are in the next warmer zone. There are many greats to choose from. The light pink one way down at the start of the driveway is 'Hopi'. Not sure of the more fuchsia colored one that is closer in the photo. I lost my info on it. Similarly, the large ones I have in front of my house, which I have posted in other threads, is a noid. Too bad, since that one gets incredible fall color. 'Sarah's Favorite' is a nice white flowered variety that also gets spectacular fall color.

Here's a photo of that one in front.

Hey pollyK.

I just read your post back on January 9th. I have been so busy with our future new house and baby daughter. Our settlement is on the 18th (next Friday).

Anyway, I have tons of pictures of Longwood Gardens, but they are on a computer about to be packed up. I have some photos of projects that I designed for my company. I think it's okay to post them because of the copyright. Here is one photo. The field / embankment in front of our client's house was bare. They wanted to use all of their Spruce and Oak in the backyard to eventually grow into a natural screening and 'peek-a-boo' their home. I designed the project so that each plant seemed to have naturally grown in the spots they are in the picture. The client mows the field once a year (for control and rejuvenation) and the trees have grown about 3-4' since this picture.

This message was edited Jan 11, 2008 9:57 AM

Looks nice shrubbs. Will still be a number of years before it will screen. Which oaks and spruces did you use? My Norways have grown more than 2 feet per year.

grammyphoeb, Not that you were being critical of anyone but that your post made me review my garden and I could think of lots of times and places where it looked lousy. Not the garden it could be and at times parts have been just a group of plants or flowers and not a garden as you said. I agree. I have no gardener friends here so it is nice to have some one on DG make me think about all my less than good spots not from your eyes, but from mine.

I think the people that purport to have a garden that drive me nuts are the ones that they have spent big bucks putting in one and then assume it is a done deal and don't water or care for any of it. It makes you cry to see so much plant material slowly dying. Or the people who water constantly while it is raining with their irrigation systems. The house next door has not been occupied for 3 years during a renovation and while it was on the market, but the lawn guys are there way too often. A big waste of money and water. The house has been sold, so I am dying to see what they plan to do with the landscape. I am madly planning on planting more scrubs and trees if needed.

Victor, I am loving the idea of a 'Sarah's Favorite' and I may have a perfect spot for it. Patti

Norway Spruce, Red Oak, and Pin Oak

When larger plants are installed you get slower initial growth. The plant focuses on root growth and surviving.

This message was edited Jan 11, 2008 10:21 AM

Here was another blank slate that I had fun with:

The hardscaping did not allow for more plantings, but room was left for the client to have some fun in the garden.

This one is my favorite. The client wanted an 'authentic' Japanese garden. I designed it after reading a slew of books and found out he wanted it 'authentic' with tons of knick-knacks. Also, my design was double the cost he hope for so it was scaled back by half. This is before...

after...

before...

shrubbs, great circular bench, but does anyone really use those fire pits? I would love one if I didn't think that I would be eaten alive by mosquitoes or is there a solution to that? I have sat around many a roaring campfire and still been plagued. I would love the Japanese garden without the lamps and stone pagoda thing, but that is just my taste. Love the standing stones and plant material. Nice work. Rule of thumb when doing a budget is to plan the garden or house, count your funds and then double them. Patti

Japanese garden is very nice. I like the bamboo 'animal chaser' that some have. Very soothing sound along with the water. What's the significance of the broken line of path stones?

Really nice designs shrubbs. Very restful and I like the rocks too. I like the before and after views so we can see all the changes, great work.

Thanks.

The clients has had parties around the fire pit and puts out custom pillows for the bench.

I agree with the knick-knacks on that job, bbrookrd. The homeowner came in and added the lights, tons of extra standing stones, and a plastic bamboo fountain. You can't see it in the pictures, but there is a 3' waterfall into the pond. It was a great transformation.

In my original design the pond was bigger (customers original request) and I had a large 7' x 3' piece of flagstone as a bridge.

I really like the idea of the large piece of flagstone as a bridge!

Eleanor - when I posted I was referring to two locals who hold themselves up as the standard and not their poor design concepts (if any) and not their non-maintenance. They want to be glorified as gardeners but put roses in total shade, expecting miracles, and plants like Oakleaf hydrangeas in the right environment but the wrong spot. By summer the path is blocked due to the size of the hydrangea. Their work area is a hideous mess and it's the view from inside but also in their short driveway so it stands out like a sore thumb. It's of no use to point to various plants by name and expect people to gush (as they'd wish) if the areas are surrounded by weeds that detract from the plants.

I doubt the day will come when I can appreciate the particular entrance to one house with a few dozen plants of various colors that clash and totally unrelated plant materials. No thought was given to just how big that sweet little Alberta Spruce can get when they planted it, no thought that the clematis will never perform as it should without any sun or any food or any pruning and that just because the marigolds were on sale it doesn't mean they go with the plantings any more than the untended tall grasses in the same area. It's the old mish-mash of plants.

In these times when it's so easy to plant a small area just by looking in books or magazines, and online, I don't see the point of creating a mess when grass alone would look nicer. Both of the people should throw in the trowel! Not Harper, not anyone here, but definitely those two people I mentioned.

Patti is right. The people spend the money and then believe they're done. That's not gardening at all.

You are also 100% right about not considering the people who ignore the plants are not gardeners at all. My point was that they hold themselves up as supreme gardeners and look down on other gardens as not having the quality they have. That's terrible in my eyes. (And their gardens are awful!) :-)

I'm not sure Pirl, spending money on a good garden designer, and then paying for maintaining may not be hands on gardening, but it sure keeps some good gardeners and designers employed. I'm okay with the idea of partrons of the gardening arts - its been going on for centuries over here - George III's wife, Queen Caroline did exactly that (we are talking 18th C, and a lot of royal residences) - she was a marvellous designer, and had a huge gardening staff - was also a great plant collector.

Shrubs, looking at your oak plantings (I have to say I am absolutely crazy in love with Pin Oak! I have some growing from seed I collected in Regents park last year -) I found myself thinking what it must have been like to see some of the plantings of Capability Brown when he set up the early naturalistic landscaping at some of the grand houses here. Now we look at them and they have these beautiful mature settings - but they would have been saplings then. wonderful to think about.

I think this link will take you to a photo of Bleinheim Place gardens - one of Capability Browns biggest gardens - this is slightly bigger scale than your Oak planting, but I think there is a distinct similarity - full marks! Scroll down and click on the photo of Bleinheim Palace and it will enlarge - stunning place.

http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.gumbopages.com/festivaltours/images/4_BLENHEIM_PALACE.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.gumbopages.com/festivaltours/britain2007.html&h=795&w=584&sz=199&hl=en&start=51&tbnid=WnSiJZB-OJ5RsM:&tbnh=143&tbnw=105&prev=/images%3Fq%3DBlenheim%2BPalace%2BGardens%26start%3D40%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D20%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN

This message was edited Jan 11, 2008 7:40 AM

I'm all for employment, Laurie, but the question Victor posed of us was about choosing either design or collecting plants.

Collecting, but I'm very picky, and I prefer them to be outdoor plants. ☺

Cute!

Laurie, sorry I couldn't log in earlier, but wanted to say your pic of your path was lovely--and your peonies lasting all that time! Mine are done in a week or so. The town that I live in is home to Cricket Hill Gardens, growers of Chinese peonies. I went a few years ago, & saw cute little paper umbrellas shading the plants. They've been very generous to the town, donating lots of peonies to the parks--just hope the town vandals don't know their worth--or the plant collectors, either.

I like the look of a well planned out garden but I am a hopeless plant collector. my yard is like an experiment I love plants and I just can't resist a new cultivar when I go to the nurseries . I do have a 3 strikes your out rule . any plant that fails to please me 3 times is out! It took a long time to come to that conclusion but who has time/space to coddle a unruly plant?

Victor - is the crape a dark or medium fuchsia? (hard to tell from the picture)
I have the darker one - it's 'Zuni', grown as a very short standard. For those who like Crape Myrtles, there is a stunner called 'White Chocolate': reddish-purple foliage with creamy white flowers - quite striking, and recommended if you have room for it.

I would love to have a crape myrtle, for my area. My mom always loved them, and she exposed me to gardening as a child.................digging things up in the woods, etc.

Katye - it's not 'Zuni' and it's a medium fuchsia, I would say. I have 'White Chocolate', but it's still small.

Alice, there should be one that will be okay for your area. What color and size are you interested in?

mmm. white chocolate. yum.

oh great. now i'm hungry.

Shrubbs, thank you for the pictures. I love Japanese gardens. What a pleasant job you have.

The homeowners, if they are any sorts of outdoor people will someday be sorry they cut the size of the pond. And that flagstone would have been glorius.

Designing takes away the very reason I garden.too tense and uptight.nature will just redesign everything anyway.if nature dislikes my plant choice she just kills it or
creates so much stress and work for me that I'll finally relent.but I didn't say that I won't take the credit for the design in a few years after mother nature designs my garden, after all I picked and bought the plants.if I really had any say in the design I would have a very lush tropical garden here on the prairie. So I guess I'm a collector.

Noreaster - I would like to copy the container design and use it in one of my containers and no it is not a silly question. (I have a habit of not making myself very clear) Eleanor

NOREASTER...........I too have an eye of envy on that container. Did you make it? What was the form over which you worked? There will be one similar or like that in my patio arena this spring.

Thanks for sharing.