Lacey – Page 9

Fleur de Jour: Black Lace Elderberry {Sambucus nigra ‘Eva’}

August 27, 2012 by Lacey Leave a Comment

Let’s talk texture. Landscape texture is not solely limited to the feeling of the foliage. It encompasses so much more. Landscape texture can vary with light, shadow and viewing distance. A combination of textures is best. An abundance of either fine or bold textures will become overwhelming.

I love the texture of lace-leaf Japanese maples. The foliage is unique, light, and airy. In addition to the finely cut leaves, Japanese maples are available in bright greens, reds, and dark purples. These slow-growing trees aren’t for every garden though. They can be fairly tender here in my zone, making them susceptible to winterkill and they’re leaves can burn in the scalding summer sun. Also, Japanese maples are acid lovers, and require soil amendments.

So, I’d love to share with you a more maintenance friendly version of lace-leaf texture: the Black Lace Elderberry. Unlike a Japanese maple, the elderberry will thrive in full sun. It prefers a moist soil, but will tolerate drier conditions as well. In addition to the delicate, dark purple leaves, this elderberry will flower with creamy pink blossoms each spring. Yet another bonus, if the blossoms are left they will produce fruit in the fall, perfect for harvest and a batch of elderberry jam.

Although this elderberry can reach up to 8 feet, it can be heavily pruned for a more formal garden setting. This shrub can be treated like a perennial and be cut clear the ground every fall, however heavy pruning could compromise the number of blossoms. For more texture, check out last week’s Japanese forest grass post.

USDA Zones: 4-7
Height: 6-8’
Width: 6-8’
Exposure: Full Sun
Water Requirements: prefers moist, well-drained soil

photo: Monrovia

Cucumber Salad Dressing, . .

August 23, 2012 by Lacey Leave a Comment

If you are looking around your abundant garden and wondering what you might do with those extra cucumbers, I have a great little recipe for you! This cucumber salad dressing is ridiculously fresh tasting and a wonderful little twist on the old stand by of “ranch”. You will love it best on any lettuce other than iceberg, but hey, I love it on that as well. Get the lettuce and croutons out…lunch is served!

Plant of the Week- Golden Japanese Forest Grass {Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’}

August 20, 2012 by Lacey Leave a Comment

Have you ever noticed that sun-loving plants usually get the spotlight? But for those of us with maturing landscapes full of large shrubs and trees, 5+ hours of direct sunlight may be hard to come by. I’d like to take a minute and introduce you to one of my favorites for not-so-sunny spots. Let’s take a minute and focus on the shady side of things…

Golden Japanese forest grass {Hakonechloa marca ‘Aureola’} is the perfectborder plant for shade gardens. Growing to just 18’’ tall, it’s a perfect companion for heuchera, hostas, and astilbe. The airy texture is a must, and the bright golden foliage brightens up dark corners.

This grass is a slow grower, so you don’t have to worry about constant division or overgrowth. Also, Japanese forest grass is insect and disease resistant and not generally favored by deer. Maintenance for this shade lover is at a minimum. Simply cut it to the ground in late fall or wait until early spring {dry grasses add interest to winter landscapes}.

USDA Zones: 5-9
Height: 12-18”
Width: 12-18’’
Exposure: Part Sun/Shade
Water Requirements: prefers moist, well-drained soil

Photo: Dancing Oaks Nursery

www.dancingoaks.com

Making Your Own Topiary

August 13, 2012 by Lacey 1 Comment

Summer is in the early stages of its farewell. As gardens are offering their full bounty, pumpkins and gourds fatten on their vines, and summer blooms begin to fade. This is the time of year, after a summer full of coneflowers, daisies, and zinnias, that I ponder on how to add interest to a landscape that can become barren and stark in winter months. I drew inspiration from my summer in Europe, and specifically a wonderful day trip to the palace of Versailles, just outside of Paris.

Evergreens add year round structure to your landscape, and if implemented in a topiary form, will add additional interest. Topiaries can be purchased at any garden center, usually in varying sizes and shapes. As topiaries are more costly than their un-sculpted counterparts, creating your own can be extremely cost effective as well as fun.

1. Choose Your Plant

Its easy to start your topiary with a juvenile shrub. These are more simple because a smaller shrub can be molded as it grows. However a topiary can be accomplished with a grown & established plant as well.

If you have chosen to topiary a new shrub you might want to check out a topiary form. Wire forms can be purchased in a variety of shapes, everything from swans to giraffes, giving you the option for many unique topiaried forms to add interest in your garden. Although it might take a season or two for the plant to fill in the form, you will have a guide to fallow when pruning which makes keeping the shape much easier.

If your plant is established, adding a form might be difficult. Instead begin by clipping your shrub into a rough outline, then create your own guide out of thick wire. Topiary spirals, cones, and balls can easily be sculpted this way.

2. Training

The first thing to remember when it comes to homemade topiaries is that its a process, a slow {but gratifying} process.

Remember that when working with a growing shrub, no more than one inch should be pruned off in areas that need to be filled in. This pruning will encourage additional bushy growth.

For larger, more established shrubs three inches is the limit. More pruning than this will cause die back, and will ruin the topiary. By only taking three inches at a time, your sculpture will begin to take shape, and you wont have to worry about any burnt-looking, dry areas.

3. More Training & Pruning

Topiaries are never “finished”. A growing sculpture needs constant upkeep. If you have a finished product, or are still working on the training and shaping part, its the same: prune every 3 months.

Kate’s Quotables

August 10, 2012 by Lacey Leave a Comment

Plant of the Week- Espalier Fruit Trees

August 7, 2012 by Lacey Leave a Comment

Are you jealous of all your friends’ delicious fruit harvests? Would you love a peach, apple, pear, apricot, or plum in your yard, but don’t think you have the space? Why not try one of my favorites, espalier fruit trees.

With horizontal branches, these trees can be planted up against walls or fences {providing they still get some good direct sunlight} and provide maximum delight with minimal space. Although you can prune and train your own young fruit tree, many espalier fruit trees are available at your local nursery, all shaped and ready to go. Many of these espaliered trees have multiple varieties grafted on to one tree. Six espalier branches = six different varieties!

Keep your tree growing in the right direction with the assistance of some stakes and heavy

gauge wire. Be sure to prune off any rogue shoots in early spring, the perfect job

for a pair of Felco pruners.

Lemon Blackberry Bars

August 2, 2012 by Lacey Leave a Comment

As promised, here is the lemon blackberry bar recipe I referred to last week. This recipe alone is a great reason to grow blackberries!

A few notes about this recipe. I like a thin crust on a lemon bar, so if you like a thicker one then go ahead and double the crust portion of the recipe.(I have been known to double the batch for the crust and refrigerate the other half so that I have a head start the next time I want to make this) Secondly I like it to have a very strong lemon flavor because I am not crazy about that many eggs in one place at the same time, so there is a lot of lemon zest in this recipe. Many recipes for lemon bars tell you to put foil in the pan and “lift” it out when it is done. I haven’t had any problems lifting my bars out, if you do—use foil to create a cradle for your bars. Lastly, when I add the blackberry part of the filling (or raspberryJ) I like to drizzle it after the bars have been in the oven for about 10 minutes. The filling starts to set and when it does then the heavy blackberry filling doesn’t sink all the way to the bottom, oh… and I don’t strain out the seeds. Who cares if the seeds get to stay around for the main event? It all sounds more intricate than it is. Give it a try, the payoff for this recipe is more than worth it. Every time I make this dessert someone will stop by the table and pick up one—then they head back with a small plate to pick up three more. Some recipes are just like that.

Echinacea- ‘Big Sky’ Series

July 31, 2012 by Lacey Leave a Comment

For bright, bold, late-summer color you cant beat the ‘Big Sky’ coneflower series! Available in a wide variety of colors, you’ll be sure to find the perfect shade for your perennial bed. In addition to their striking hues, coneflowers are deer resistant and drought tolerant once established. The dedicated removal of spent blossoms will keep them blooming until the frost. Try snipping a few blossoms before they have faded and arrange them in a vase indoors, coneflowers make a great addition to a cutting garden.

Design Tip: Pair coneflowers with Carradonna salvia or Catmint for a striking contrast, or plant with delphiniums and foxgloves for a cottage garden feel. Try mass plantings for bold blocks of color.

USDA Zones: 4-8
Height: 24-30”
Width: 18-24”
Bloom Time: July- September
Exposure: Full Sun
Water Requirements: regular watering until established

Photos:
Sunrise- soonerplantfarm.com
Harvest Moon- gardening.about.com
Solar Flare- tgreenhouses.com
Twilight- itsaulplants.com
Sundown- skinnergardenstore.com
Sunset- georgeweigel.net
After Midnight- parkseed.com
Summer Sky- botanicalshots.com

Mapping Sanctuary

July 30, 2012 by Lacey Leave a Comment

While at the UNLA Green Conference earlier this January I attended a class taught by San Francisco artist and landscape designer Topher Delany. The class was entitled “Mapping Sanctuary”. This title intrigued me and instead of attending a discussion on drought tolerant landscaping I curiously ventured into the discussion of sanctuary. Delaney taught the idea of sanctuary in outdoor spaces, and how these spaces can be found both publicly and privately. We discussed the concept that sanctuary is found where a geographic point intersects with any kind of cultural or spiritual values, creating a place of refuge and reflection. It was a somewhat mystical discussion, but I identified with the main idea. We grow gardens and landscapes to enjoy the beauty and refuge of the private space that they create. Other such places can be found anywhere in a natural environment, where the importance or level of beauty differs from person to person. In order to create {or add to} our own garden spaces its important to identify the aspects of outdoor spaces that add to reflection or refuge.

I always look for opportunities to expand my understanding of sanctuary and influence my design. While in Spain last week I discovered such a place. In the small village of Navajas, just outside of Valencia, there is a small spring hidden in the hills. I was inspired by the sound of moving water, the texture of native grasses, and the warm, red earth tones.

Make your own garden more of a sanctuary by bringing a notebook with you to your favorite outdoor spaces. Sketch or write down the hardscape and plant materials that are present there. Pay attention to sounds and smells. Let the outdoor spaces you love inspire you and transform your garden into a place of refuge and reflection

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Kate’s Quotables

July 27, 2012 by Lacey Leave a Comment

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