Learn 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...
read morePause, Savor & Breathe with Long Exhales–Garden Bathing
Consider a new take on “Forest 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 landscapes I’ve lovingly designed....
read moreLighting Our Way
March roars in like a lion and leaves like a lamb. Prickly pear hail storms batter us. While the next day, gentle sun caresses our skin. One moment black clouds, while another cerulean skies give way to contented sighs. Meteorological spring has sprung. Daffodil stems from grocery stores now cheer up our counters and tables. We look forward to bright cheer and light of bright yellow flowered Forsythia and in ground daffodils. First to bloom, while gardens are still bare. Beautiful lighting fixtures also cheer and brighten a gloomy night....
read moreCome Learn with Me! Designing the Winter Landscape
Sign-up Now! Designing the Winter Landscape, a two session workshop, at the Massachusetts Horticultural Society in Wellesley, MA Wednesdays, January 22 & 29, 10 am to 2 pm Come learn how to design a Winter Garden as part of a four-season Landscape. I’ll introduce you to the techniques of plant lay-out of drifts, masses, and individuals. You’ll see slides of examples and the plant lists for the lay-out examples. You’ll learn how to create an outdoor space that uses texture, color, and mass planting to create visual...
read moreWhat’s Beauty Anyway?
To some, it’s a well organized sock drawer, or the roll of a perfect putt, or the gurgle of a remote canyon stream. Or a garden. To me, its not “either–or, but “and”. Our home landscape and gardens have to potential to offer a place of retreat, play, welcome, and beauty. A designed landscape and its gardens could be a pollinator meadow, a comfortable place to eat outdoors with family and friends, a way to get from one part to another, or a place to merge with flowers and reawaken our senses. Our home landscape...
read moreCharming Patio Makeover Seats 10!
Back yard makeover transforms this back patio from ugly to Charming, Beautiful, and Functional. Before: Nasty steep slope with miscellaneous plants to old ugly back patio. After: the newly installed landscape design transforms the back patio area. The back patio makeover includes wide easy to use granite steps and landings that lead to the new enlarged patio that seats 10. The new Bluestone patio features a stone “carpet” that reuses “old but still good” bluestone pieces with new pieces that frame and create a stone...
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