Spring has sprung! Outdoor Living begins.
I’d love to work with you to design your dream landscape. Back Dining PatioWelcoming Entry GardensA Pollinator Meadow GardenA Flower Garden that invites friends to your backyard.Walkway GardenNew Entry StepsEntertaining Pergola & DiningA Bench Swing Beckons You Create special places to gather with family and friends like an outdoor dining patio that seats 10! And, a welcoming entry garden that invites friends to your backyard cookout. Or, perhaps a pollinator meadow garden to help the environment. Maybe it’s a new flower...
read moreLay-out Design begins with Creating the Winter Garden
The Role Lay-out in Your Winter Garden The Winter Garden creates the bones or shapes the spaces you linger in or stroll by. It sets the stage for your spring, summer, and fall flower garden. The art of lay-out design to create drifts and masses, or crowds and individuals. Garden visits in winter offer a visual and spatial refresh. Texture and color contrasts soothe the human soul in need of renewal. Renew your senses. Take a winter stroll in your Garden. Stroll, meander, linger to experience what I call “Garden Bathing”. A...
read moreStress Busting–Gardens do that. Empower yourself–Learn How
Winter Planting_Bressingham Garden_Massachusetts Horticulture Society Come learn with me! Design Your Winter Garden for Yourself. Below follows the catalogue description for my virtual workshop- type class via the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. (masshort.org) February 10 & 17th with a Bressingham Garden site visit February 11th. Empower yourself as you learn about how to make planting lay-outs and plant choices to make a winter garden design lay-out that will add visual interest to your front or back gardens. Later, the winter...
read moreMake Gardens You Love & Give You Joy
To make gardens you love start by using plants that give you joy! For me, the abundant way the purple “Roxanne”, a perennial geranium, floats over the wall makes me happy. The contrast of its’ pale green rough edged leaves with the smooth variegated blades of the Iris adds textural and visual interest. Additionally, the perky contrast of the orangey-red coneflower adds vibrancy. Love the bold happy contrast of the pink mass of coneflower coupled with the long drift of white Shasta daisies. And, the filigree ornamental grass...
read moreGarden Design Love Story
Love the stone steps into my back shade garden. (Design & Photo C Maria von Brincken) Use What You Love I love gardens. All kinds of gardens. And, I suspect that if you’re reading this, you do, too. Garden Design is more than my profession. Creating gardens that my clients love and that adds to their lives is my design intent. Recently, after pausing in my own garden to savor my rock steps in back shade garden, I found myself wondering what exactly do I love in gardens? And, what (beyond certain plants) do my clients love in...
read moreLearn the Art of Planting Design using the Plants You Love this July
“The Art of Planting Design, Designing with the Plants You Love” will be explored on three virtual Wednesdays, July 15, 22, 29 (10am-2pm) with a site visit on Thursday, July 16. In this four-session tutorial course Maria von Brincken, landscape designer, will teach you the art of lay-out, plant combinations using color, and creating waves of bloom.
read moreGarden Design in the time of Covid-19
Staring out your windows and walking around your yards during our Covid-19 hibernation can be depressing. If you’re wondering if I’m available to help you with your aggravating landscape problems. The answer is Yes! I’m creating landscapes and gardens plans. I’m available for design planning and coaching over Chime, Zoom, or FaceTime. I can work with you to create small gardens or borders remotely. I’ve done a few now that the clients have measured and photographed. See the kinds of plans here that I can work...
read moreFirst Spring Flowers in my Garden
Yesterday, I took my own prescription and did some ‘Garden Bathing’ *. It’s an amazing way to reduce the stress of the corona-virus home stays. Inject a little wonder in our lives. Just before the spring snowstorm I meandered to my back garden. Two flower treats were ready for discovery. Just emerging are a burgundy colored Hellebore (Helleborus ‘Ruby Wine’) and blue Russian snowdrops (Puschkinia libanotic). Ruby Wine Hellebore goes about 22′ tall and about a 24″ spread. It likes part shade. Right...
read moreTake a Moment with Your Garden-Relieve Stress
Enjoy today’s garden image from my drive/street garden. It’s a summer blooming ‘False Sunflower’ (Heliopsis helianthoides ‘Midwest Dreams’) and a variegated Ornamental Grass (Miscanthus sinensis variegatus). Cheerful and long lasting combination. Take a moment with you garden or with a photo from mine. Really look, take a deep breath and exhale slowly and long. Let the garden soothe and heal. I call this ‘garden bathing’. It’s inspired by the concept”Forest bathing: That’s...
read moreGardens Help Relieve Stress-Consider “Garden Bathing”
Consider a new take on “Forest bathing”–I call it “Garden Bathing”. “Forest bathing is taking time to unwind and connect with nature to improve your health. Simply put: Forest bathing is retreating to nature to immerse in the forest atmosphere. The practice originated in Japan in the late 1980’s and was coined by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries as “Shinrin-yoku,” which roughly translated means “forest bathing.”” So “Garden Bathe” with these garden images from...
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