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House of Hipsters and Jojotastic both just finished up their patio makeovers, and now I’m inspired to get outside and do a bit of sprucing up! I’ve worked on the front porch before, but there are two small porches in the back that could use a little love too.
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Looking again at Jenna Lyons’ garden, a lot of the magic was in the photography but man does that overhead shot continue to inspire.
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Are you doing the 31 Day Flower Drawing Challenge?
“It will only take a lily bit of time to become an expert at flower drawing.” (Gotta love the pun-filled intro video!) -
Where did I read about climbing hydrangeas recently, was it Martha Stewart Living? I was at Jayson Home yesterday looking at the plants, and they said people have been buying them like crazy this year. I wanted to pick up a plant or two, but I should probably make a plan first.
Those foxgloves though! Too bad they’re so toxic because they would look amazing in front of my house. -
I’m currently rereading my copy of Charlotte Moss’ Garden Inspirations, and Bunny Williams’ On Garden Style is next. Any gardening books I should add to my list?
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You know what I want? I want a garden planner kind of like those anatomy books for kids with the transparent overlays of the body where you can peel away the layers of skin, muscle, organs, and blood vessels until you’re left with the skeleton. I want to see full-sized plants, suited for our garden zone and sun exposure, that I can layer together so I can figure this whole thing out. I had high hopes for the BHG Garden Planner but it’s not actually all that practical. Is there a book, kit, site, or app like this that you would recommend?
Katie J
May 13, 2016 at 12:07 pmyou just came up with the best garden book idea – ever! Run, Run to a publisher!
Making it Lovely
May 13, 2016 at 1:57 pmRight? I would buy that book in a second!
E E Faris
May 13, 2016 at 12:30 pmThere is a good book called Right Plant, Right Place http://www.amazon.com/Right-Plant-Place-Indispensable-Successful/dp/0671523961 that is very helpful. I would also request the White Flower Farm catalog, they have fantastic horticultural information and advice for all of their plants http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/.
Making it Lovely
May 13, 2016 at 12:34 pmThank you! Looking into both.
40daysof
May 13, 2016 at 12:41 pmI was very inspired by this book. You live in an area of the country and have a style of house, that I think could make this a great fit:
http://www.amazon.com/Classic-Plant-Combinations-David-Stuart/dp/1850299943/ref=sr_1_1_twi_har_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1463160978&sr=1-1&keywords=Classic+plant+combinations
joanna // jojotastic
May 13, 2016 at 1:02 pmthanks for including our patio makeovers, Nicole!
Giulia
May 13, 2016 at 1:58 pmI wish I had a garden planner that would execute my vision that I have in my head as well as a magic fairy wand to pay for it ;). I find planning, executing and maintaining a garden even harder to do than work on interiour renos while holding down a full time job. Plus it can quickly add up and all of it is covered in snow for at least 6 months up here. Sigh.
Kyla @HouseOfHipsters
May 13, 2016 at 2:28 pmYou are the absolute sweetest for the mention! Thanks you =)
Michelle
May 13, 2016 at 3:44 pmIf you are planning on any sort of renovation to your gardens, I would suggest hiring a landscape architect and then you do the heavy lifting and plant. From my own experience, gardening can be more complicated than you expect and this approach, if I had attempted it in the first place, would have saved me a lot of money. An experienced person will take into account soil, light and growth habits of plants/trees/bushes for your home and lot as well as following your vision. Yes, there is more cost up front but you’ll skip all the experimenting that I went through and the expense of replacing dead plants. If it’s just a matter of adding in annuals to bring color and life back for spring and summer, then have at it. The library is a great place to start. My local library has a huge selection of books that are relevant to my specific growing zone.
Val
May 13, 2016 at 4:14 pmAnd we’ve now met the new Bob Ross, but with better hair.
Maureen
May 13, 2016 at 4:40 pmI have been a serious gardener for years and put the best perennial garden ever in my Chicago backyard using this book: The Ever-Blooming Flower Garden: A Blueprint for Continuous Color Paperback, by Lee Schneller. Highly recommend for a garden that is always in bloom, in the staggered heights and colors I wanted. Not the World Book Encyclopedia infographic, but really good!
Julie N.
May 14, 2016 at 1:41 amI didn’t realize climbing hydrangeas have become so popular. I love mine and just posted a pic of some clippings I brought inside on Instagram @jnathome They’re so beautiful!
carpie
May 14, 2016 at 1:00 pmI am an avid gardener. i use/used local gardeners as a resource when i started redoing our yard. Garden Clubs, Master Gardner meetings/listservs etc. That has helped tremendously.
easymichigan@wordpress.com
May 14, 2016 at 10:05 pmOn the climbing Hydrangea – they are cool, I noticed them years ago, but they take a long time to get established and there isn’t much pay off at first. They are best inherited from the previous homeowner! Also, a book I loved that was also fun to read was Allen Lacy’s The Garden in Winter. Some of those gardening books are horrible to actually read, they are only good for the pictures. Come to think of it, some design books are the same.
Janine
May 16, 2016 at 10:46 amYou are SO RIGHT about that garden book! And what’s more, I want it to include a sense of timing. My garden flowers in spring AND IS BORING AS HELL in late summer. I need help with the timing of the flowering of plants!
Actually, I need help with everything. #badgardener
kate
May 16, 2016 at 1:03 pmFunny, I just went on a gardening spree and then sat down to search for an app that would let me make a plan of what I did, record the varieties I planted, and then check in with notes next year to see what worked, etc. I suppose I’ll just have to go old-school in a notebook, which feels so weird these days!