A Slight Departure

With fall here and gardening winding down for the winter, I get to turn my attention to other creative endeavours and one of my favourites is working with wood. I recently made this coffee/media table and am very pleased with the results.

Laminated pine was used for the entire table and the 1.5" thickness of the pine gives the table a very solid look even though the design is very simple and open. Casters were also used in place of solid feet to give the table an interesting design element and you can view these as modern or vintage, your call. All joints were glued and connected with wood screws and all screws counter sunk and wood plugs used for a finished look. The overall size of this table is 17' high, 54" long and 23'5" wide and the open storage space is 10" high.

The wood was initially stained with a lovely grey minwax product but after I discovered the Japanese technique of Shou sugi ban, I was hooked an tried my first application of this 'wood burning' technique on the table. The technique did not turn out as intense as shousugiban typically does due to the wood having already been stained, but I absolutely love the effect I was able to create. Check out these links to see the kind of effect you can create with shousugiban. Materia Designs, shousugiban inspired furniture. Houzz.com Japanese burning technique.

The silvery stain in combination with the burned look of the wood is soft and beautiful and the lustre brought even more after 2 coats of tung oil and lemon wax.

If you are interested in having a custom build table similar to this one built for your home we do take orders and you may contact us directly at Lush Landscaping. These beautiful tables can be built in a range of colours and sizes to suit your decorating needs.

Don't Throw Those Cuttings Out!

Not everyone like to be 'crafty' but with a little effort you can take the trimmings from your evergreen trees and turn them into a beautiful wreath for your home.

Stores like Beverly's or Ben Franklin crafts have inexpensive wire wreath frames that you can use as the base for your wreath. Many of these craft stores also have great deals right now on decorative ornaments, plants, ribbon, wire and lights.

For this wreath, cuttings from a redwood were used to created the basic wreath and these branches were attached to the wire frame with very thin florists wire. The branches were over-lapped and layered around the frame to give the wreath a nice 'full' look and the over-lapping helps hide the end of the previously attached branch.

A string of tiny 'rice' lights was draped through the branches and attached where necessary with the florist's wire. These lights are perfect for this application as they run off batteries and there is an easy to access, on/off switch. The next step was to attach the gorgeous purple poinsettia leaves and silver ornaments (plastic for safety) evenly around the wreath, again using the florist's wire to secure them.

Finally, a hook on the back of the wreath so that it could be proudly hung on the front door!

So before you start throwing all your trimmings in the compost bin, take a step back and think of the beautiful, natural displays you can make for your home.

Fall Garden Clean-Up Tips

As it's 'that time of the year', most of us are getting or have gotten our gardens prepared for the winter. If you haven't quite gotten to everything and are not sure what other chores you may have to get your garden ready, take a look at our check list.

• Plant spring bulbs and lilies.
• Divide and replant perennials.
• Transplant summer and fall blooming shrubs and prune shrub roses when they go dormant.
• If not done last month, cut perennials back to 3 to 4 inches.
• Fertilize spring bulbs and lilies when planting.
• Pull annuals when plants cease blooming or are dead.
• Spread compost or other organic matter over garden.
• Mulch trees and plants for protection from the cold.
• If necessary, water newly planted ground covers.
• Clean up plant debris from beds and borders (before mulching!)
• Take down stakes and trellises to clean and store them for next season.
• Take down grapevines and climbing roses, lay on the ground and mulch before the temperature dips.
• Clean up leaves and place them in your compost bin if there are lots of them but go ahead and leave some in the flower beds and on the lawn to become wonderful compost.
• Once the garden is cleaned up sit back with a fresh cup of coffee, admire all your hard work and think about how wonderful your garden will look in the spring!

A Petite Alameda Patio

Having a very small space to work with and a client that wants a very low maintenance  garden may seem like a challenge but this is when you really have to listen to what your client wants and provide the best outcome.

In this case the client had a front yard that was literally nothing but dirt and they wanted a simple space to sit and relax in the mornings with a cup of coffee or in the evening with a glass of wine. The client is also a very busy professional and low care, desert scape plants were high on their list.

The area was made level and a base of sand put down to accommodate the grey Italian lava rock tiles that the client had chosen. Washed rock was then added between tiles and along the borders to add another level of texture and avoid the need of watering and maintaining lawn. Kangaroo paws and fountain grasses were planted to fill one corner, lavender in another, multiple types of aloe vera and hen n chicks planted and multiple containers planted with agave, aloe vera and a delicate fern.

In another summer or two after plants have matured the area will have a lovely, cozy feel and be just perfect for those quite moments!

Garden Fun

I always find it very fun to see what whimsical figures people like to have in their gardens. Whether it be something as meaningful to the garden owner as an angel or saint or something as fun as a garden nome, everyone has their own special reason for adding these points of interest.

There is nothing like gazing out over your garden and seeing these bits of whimsy that bring back fond memories and make you smile.

Here are some of my recent favourites from clients gardens.

A Home for Buddha

A client contacted me to discuss creating a garden bed for her beautiful 3.5 foot Bali lava stone buddha. The client wanted a variety of flowers and tall grasses to fill the area in and create a peaceful, softly moving environment full of summer colour.

Grasses, flax, shasta daisy's, echinacea, kangaroo paws, lupine, russian sage and a butterfly bush were planted around the buddha and a black lace aka smoke tree and jasmine planted behind the buddha along the fence. Hen and chicks, fescue and ground cover was then planted along the front of the bed and the grassy along the bed re-seeded.

This lucky buddha will be surrounded by beautiful colour and soft flowing grasses for many years to come and I can't wait to see how the garden bed looks as the plants mature!

Nothing like a Dash of Colour

Faded dead plats and flowers once fought for space with the weeds in these planters and it was such a simple fix to bring them all back to life with beautiful colour.

The brilliant red of the geraniums, the purple from the lavender and trailing lobelia, pretty pink armeria, lovely green hostas in the centre row, delicate ornamental grasses along the back and beautiful hydrangea made this container garden something to be proud of and show off.

And while a project like this may seem quite daunting, with a little coaching you can accomplish a look like this on your own. Of course we are always here to assist and are happy to complete any project in it's entirety so you can stay relaxed and simply enjoy the natural beauty after a long day in the office.

Before and After; A Front Yard in Desperate Need of Help

As much as we all like instant gratification, in the garden we often have to wait for mother nature to do her part and provide sun and rain to our new plants so that after a season or two they mature into their full, wonderful selves. Case in point below...

When the new owners moved into this home the front yard was a weedy, muddy mess with just a few plants struggling to survive under the window and the monster english ivy on the front fence 6' high and 3' wide.

The first task on hand was to clear out all of the weeds and cut back the over grown ivy. The decision was made to clear the ivy back to show off the incredible old vine growing through the fence and just leave growth along the top of the fence. The homeowners say the old vine woven through the fence has since become a neighbourhood conversation piece and people often stop and ask if they did that; um no, that would be mother nature's handiwork! Cutting back the ivy then allowed the sun to fill this once dark, weed laden no plant's land and give plants in this area a chance to thrive and grow.

Hostas, ferns, grasses, desdemona and helebore were added to the bed under the window and grasses, russian sage, pansies, black bamboo, spirea and a beautiful rosebud forest pansy planted in the newly created bed along the side fence. Ground cover was installed along the edges of both beds and sod was installed in the centre area to complete the interior yard design. Lavender was then planted along the front of the newly revealed fence and two ornamental flowering plum 'street' trees planted in front of the house.  Through this process the soil was amended and each plant installed with a dash of bone meal to help them along.

By the second summer the plants were coming into themselves and the home owners (and I) were all very happy with the beautiful end result. This makeover is absolutely among my favourites and I love seeing the plants fill in and this area becoming even more beautiful!