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Looking Inside
If you tire of the beautiful winter wonderland, look closely at your friend’s or your own indoor plants. P.S. Wondering what this plant is? Echeveria gibbiflora. My friend Marylyn–a horticultural diva– grew this succulent. It’s in the same family as the jade plant. “Echeveria gibbiflora ‘Carunculata’ is quite distinctive. This cultivar has very blue colored leaves with… Read more
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Stunning December Combinations
Rock, Tree, Grass, Conifer, Sky The sun, low in the sky late in the afternoon in early December, cast long light and shadows in the Adrian Bloom Garden at Massachusetts Horticultural Society at Elm Bank, Wellesley, MA. Seeking winter compositions I found many. Here are my favorites. See how form and color work in the… Read more
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Mid-November Tapestry
Mid-November and much in the perennial garden has been cut back or left lingering for the shapes created by the first snows. A casual stroll finds many lovely aspects in the garden in a season many consider without charm. Taken a few days ago, the photograph reveals a combination revealed through an intricate pattern of branches. A similar photo could have been taken… Read more
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Tree Museum
Joni Mitchell’s lyric rolled through my mind..something about paving paradise with parking lots and creating tree museums….and here I was strolling in Boston’s Arnold Arboretum late afternoon in mid October. Struck by the shape of the trees, I realized how I see trees–shaped by suburban lots and streets. Crammed into the sidelines, pruned for power lines, and … Read more
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When Fall Comes to New England
Inspiration comes too. Fortunately my life finds me immersed in New England’s autumn colors. Each morning the deepening color of the forest outside my window greets my first waking sight. Daily treks down multicolored leafy roads quiet my mind and call me to attention. This year I beheld the glory of “peak color” in Rangeley, Maine. (That’s right, Rangeley– it’s located… Read more
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Using the Colorwheel to Create Beautiful Plant Combinations
When most gardeners think about plant combinations, they rarely refer to a color wheel. And they should. It’s a tool that can be vastly helpful. Maybe you saw one in kindergarten and remember the primary colors of red, blue, yellow. Secondary colors–the ones between. Those terms are useful but not important for the designer. A… Read more