Champagne, anyone?
During the holidays bling is certainly appropriate.
Not only for you but also for your containers.
In fact, I think winter containers are even more beautiful with a little sparkle. Especially since days are short and the dark is long.
We see lots of silver and gold but this year decided to celebrate with…champagne.
This unexpected color is an elegant bridge between cool silver and warm gold. Champagne goes well with everything and we’re not talking about the liquid variety (although the same could be said).
Champagne in a recent windowbox picked up the variations in bark color and was used as an accent in dried mushrooms and picks.
By spraying the brown of the fresh magnolia leaves silver we created a beautiful champagne color.
Champagne was a beautiful, elegant player in this composition.
Botanical bling…understated elegance.
We even snagged some gorgeous ribbon and can hardly wait to use it for the next client with a taste for champagne.
Could that be you?
Blurred Vision
“When you have a chance can you give me a call about the window boxes?”
Not necessarily the kind of message you want to hear when returning to the office after a particularly long day. Immediately the ominous tone got my stomach churning. What I thought was a great day was suddenly turning into a not-so-great day.
The morning had started very early. Said client had window boxes on a very busy street and we needed to get in and out before there was lots of traffic and parking spaces were at a premium.
I always love to use unexpected and unusual plant material in my designs. And with this client I was particularly excited about the potential of a new color palette.
Love For The Garden
Read More»Hello Deborah,
Thank you for the gorgeous container garden that you created for me at the Country Living Fair in Rhinebeck.
I picked it up at the end of the day on Saturday and in the half hour that I was making my way back toward the parking lot with my daughter, so many people came up to me to say, “Wow— that’s so beautiful. Where did you get that?”The love for the garden continues now that it is sitting on my front porch; people walking by, as well as my neighbors, have commented on it.
Flower Show Presentation Review
Imagine my delight to have had this lovely testimonial forwarded to me straight from the president of the Philadelphia Horticultural Society.
“I am a Philadelphia Horticultural Society member and always look forward to the Philadelphia Flower Show. This year’s show was truly outstanding. I like to preview the Gardener’s Studio presentations online to decide the best day for me to attend the show. A container garden seminar by Deborah Trickett was scheduled for Thursday at 11:00 AM so I made my plans.
I felt compelled to send my first review ever about The Flower Show.
I design garden containers and have attended many container seminars near and far for the past eight years. I am always looking to expand my horizons. Deborah Trickett from Westwood, MA gave the best container presentation I have ever attended. It was a text book perfect Five Star event. Every seat in the Gardener’s Studio was taken and an overflow crowd stood and watched from the outside aisles. More than just prepared and informative, Deborah was witty, engaging and remarkably creative. She started with an out-of-the-ordinary shallow square metal container and steadily filled it with a variety of unusual plants. Everyone payed close attention while Deborah composed a striking garden container. She offered real-world tips with each addition and generously answered many questions along the way. Deborah’s theme of “Jaw Dropping, Traffic Stopping, Get Your Neighbors Talking Containers” was not at all overstated. I highly recommend PHS have Deborah back next year.”
John Drexel
LandArt Garden Studio, LLC
“Pockets” Make Easy Fall Containers
This time of year I feel like that kid from the movie The Sixth Sense. Remember the one who saw dead people? That’s me. Only I see dead windowboxes. Containers. Urns.
Ghosts of gardens that were undoubtedly the pride of their owners now left to die.
I can’t help but wonder why the people who delight in designing their summer containers don’t keep the beauty going into fall. After all, fall windowboxes are not difficult to create. The key is planting “pockets”.
Start by planting evergreens in the container to act as the “bones” of the design. Boxwood and dwarf arborvitae are great choices for bones. In between the evergreens, the “pockets”, plant seasonal material. Even if you choose to plant only in summer your evergreen “bones” mean you have a decent looking container during the other three seasons. You can make a great looking fall windowbox without planting a thing, just add simple embellishments. For instance, gather some interesting gourds or seed heads and use branches for height. Just make sure you NEVER use bittersweet vine as it is highly invasive. A simple combination for your fall container could incorporate an ornamental grass, a cabbage or kale, and some pansies. Even though the days are colder don’t forget to water your container. Until the soil freezes the plants still require moisture.
If you are not planting anything in your winter boxes remove fall material before it becomes frozen in place. Cutting off plant material at soil level is a good option if Jack Frost catches you unawares and helps you avoid the “ghosts of containers past” syndrome.
Fall in New England is a beautiful season with spectacular colors and interesting details. It’s the perfect opportunity to plant something in your containers that will take your breath away – before winter does.
This article was originally written for Pine Straw, an apparel and home goods store in Wellesley, MA.
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