Midwest Modern Landscaping

This is an example of the mid-century modern landscape I am trying to create. Unfortunately this is not going to happen in my zone. I know that there is New Zealand Flax, Bananas and Bird of Paradise in this photo. The Flax may be difficult but is possible here I think. If I use Musa basjoo banana I am fine with hardiness as long as a properly mulch during cold. The Bird of paradise I realize will be brought inside during the winter or cold. I would like and ideas as to what any of the other plants could be and if they would be hardy here- probably won't be, this photo is of a SOCAL home. I am going to use the plants mentioned above and will bring in what i need to during cold. These are just highlight plants and I need to know what these other plants are or what I can substitute to get this look in my zone 6.

The plant in the red box looks like a Japanese Aralia.

Did you find that picture over the internet?

I want to say they used photography tricks to make that house look like that it won't look like that in real life. Ask for a picture of that house at sunny noon time to see what it will really look like (pictures at noon always look worst). Same as looking at flower catalogues (there's a reason almost all photo's of flowers are taken when overcast).

Anyway I can't help you identify the plant, but can identify the tricks they used to take that photo. They used the lighting trick called the "golden hour", angle tricks with the entrance way to cause your eye to lead to the door, they used the rule of 3rds, and the golden mean to pull that picture together... it's a very complicated photo whoever took it is very experienced at making things more interesting in pictures than they are in real life. Just want to warn you even if you imitate it exactly, only for a few hours of the year will it have a chance of looking something like that (again, probably better in a picture than in real life). Like an actress is better looking in magazines than they are in movies or real life.

This message was edited May 7, 2008 9:35 AM

Funny you mention the photography of it. I am an architectural photographer and quite simply put, this is a very bad picture of this house for architectural photography standards. Actually I am pretty sure that the real estate agent for this property took this photo. I don't see any "angle tricks" that lead us to the door. The angle tricks that should have been done are parallax correction so that the parallels in the structure are perfectly straight and parallel. Also, the photographer was not "complicated" enough to use a wide enough angle lens to include the entire architectural structure in the photo. Generally the rule of 3rds does not play a part in basic photography like this and. If they had wanted to used in "lighting tricks" they would have used back lighting to spray some light on that front porch/ door area- not left in dark. Also, as far as the "Golden Hour"- this is just shooting it within the first or last hour of sunlight in the day. This concept applies better with sunsets or landscape photography, although there are certain times of the day that are good for lighting on a structure. I however think the "Golden Hour" to soft of lighting for my taste. The idea or goal of the photographer was to simply capture or photograph the front of this home. The only photography trick I know of that the photographer could have done to make this home look better than actuality is to photoshop the plants into the photo. I can almost guarantee that this was shot with a point and shoot and that the real estate agent that took it has never taken a photography class in there life. I just would like to know what plants in this would work in my zone or what plants that are hardy in my zone could I use to create this landscape design.

I don't think the Phormiums are going to be hardy for you although you're only a zone off so if you can find a good price on them it may be worth trying. There are some Yuccas that are hardy in your zone that could give a similar look, or else you could always use a large ornamental grass instead--it'll be a little softer look but could still work. Musa basjoo should give you a similar look to the bananas in this pic. Instead of the Jap. aralia you could try Tetrapanax papyrifer, it has similar leaves but is hardy to zone 6. Although to be honest, both it and the plant in the picture get 10-12 ft tall, the one in that pic isn't full grown yet. I'm not sure if you can prune to keep it that size or not.

Well OP I hope you didn’t spend too much time on your response, I recommend staying on topic this is a garden forum, my post emphasis was warning you about trying to make your garden look like a garden in a picture as, a new garden is a lot of effort, time and money. It’s another to critique a picture step by step telling gardeners who didn’t ask how to turn it into one most suitable for an architect to turn into a blueprint or something. You talk about wide-angles, hiding flashes in the porch, etc. I don’t see how hiding flashes in the porch applies to gardening. I did chuckle out of you implying the picture can’t be good because it was taken by a real-estate agent using a point & shoot, you must think Ansel Adams a joke being a piano teacher using a camera considered a toy. How could a piano teacher using a toy camera ever take good pictures :)

This message was edited May 9, 2008 2:19 PM

Well, we can't live too far apart, so I can tell you what works for me to create a tropical effect. I have lots of banana trees. They are so easy and they give the whole yard and very tropical look right off the bat. In addition, I have oleander trees that do overwinter in a garden shed without supplemental heat, Tropicana cannas that stay in the ground because they are planted near the foundation in a southern exposure, orange trees (overwinter in basement with no light and little water), yucca trees, banana leaf ficus, elephant ears, duranta, ixora and mandevilla (all come in for the winter). Houseplants fill in the rest for me - cylindrical aloe, adenium obesum, canela, earth star and any large, shiny leafed plant look tropical. I wish the house above was mine. I love the look of tropical plants against a white house, preferably stucco.
Chris

If you would like a banana or two from my garden, let know. I started with 1 plant 8 years ago. Well over 100 come up every year now. I don't know if ours are typical, but most are over 20 feet tall (some over 25) by the end of the season. The leaves are bigger than my husband. Every year I think they died during the winter. There's no sign of life in the ground around them. Then all of a sudden, little green leaves start to poke through. In less than a month they are over 10 feet tall. They are truly amazing plants.

This message was edited May 9, 2008 6:25 PM

I agree. Let's stay on topic. This is a gardening forum. The reason that we did not stay on topic was because instead of simply stating that you could not help identify the plants in the photograph you decided to give me insight on the photography tricks used to make this photo look the way it did. Had this insight been correct and if any of your "photography tricks" applied to gardening I would have simply said nothing. Seeing as you completely strayed off topic discuss the photography tricks instead of gardening I think that your previous post was however hypocritical. Anyway, from now on I will continue only discussing gardening issues and suggest that in the future you look to a photography forum when wanting to discuss that topic.

Wow.

If anyone is still interested in the original question please look at Brian Williams thread about pushing zones. http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/828480/ It should be a big help to you.

Very helpful, terichris. I am always trying to "push my zone". Actually, mother nature seems to be doing the same for me lately. I can grow things now that I had no luck with 20 years ago. I'll never have a Naples climate, but I have learned to recreate the tropical look pretty effectively. The info. you sent is of great interest to me .... thanks!
Chris
How's your yard shaping up. I remember the pictures you posted before you even started. I loved the look of your landscape then. I can only imagine the improvements you've made.