Biophilic Design. Duh.
You may have heard the newest buzzword in design circles: biophillic design. If you haven’t heard of it chances are you have seen it in use. Biophilic design seeks to connect our inherent need to affiliate with nature with the modern built environment. Currently 54% of the world’s population lives in urban environments. That number is expected to rise to 66% by 2050. Generally humans spend 93% of their time inside, separated from natural elements.
To me, this sounds sad. I am grateful that my business allows me to be outside for so much of my day. During the busy season I am out the door at 7 and not home until after 6. All that sunlight, vitamin D, birdsong and breezes means that most days I am in a pretty good mood. And guess what? Being out in nature does that to you. That’s why “forest bathing”, which started in Japan and encourages quiet time spent in the woods, is so popular. Biophilic design is just another way of bringing nature inside (where unfortunately we spend so much of our time). Houseplants, green walls, and water features can make a sterile office environment feel more like the outdoors. Biophilic design can also be used indirectly – by hanging a large naturescape on an office wall, for instance. Using natural wood elements is another hallmark of biophilic design. During a recent trip to Miami I was blown away by the way this whole concept was incorporated into 1 Hotel in South Beach. (See gallery below)
By using natural elements in our environments we can reduce stress, improve cognitive function and enhance mood and creativity. Who knew? Well, apparently my mother, who must have been way ahead of her time. After all wasn’t she constantly telling me to, “Go outside and play”?
Notecards
Every so often I come across a product I can’t help but share. Growing up I was always taught to send a thank you note if I had been the recipient of something nice. Not an email or text but a real, genuine written response. So I still send thank you notes. And as a gardener, I have finally found the perfect ones.
From MercedesHarris | Graphic Design comes a range of wonderful and visually fun ways to let people know you appreciate what they did.
These thank you notes are perfect for gardeners and I will be buying in bulk since I have so many people to thank!
To purchase, visit Mercedes’s Etsy shop:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/mercedesharrisShop
No need to thank me, save those notes for someone else.
Galvanized metal…sigh.
For some girls it’s diamonds or gold jewelry. For me it’s a gift of something made of galvanized metal that gets my heart beating.
I have always loved things that evoke a feeling of history. I like pieces that tell a story and in my home you will find galvanized metal in just about every room. The old watering can in my office reminds me of past gardeners. The galvanized cups hold pencils in the kitchen and the galvanized florist buckets corrals pussy willow next to the fireplace in the living room. Galvanized letters in my office spell out P-R-A-Y, reminding me of the best way to start the day.
Read More»Color
When designing a garden or container, don’t underestimate the importance of color.
Colors can help you set the mood, attract attention or make a statement. Colors can convey a style, whether elegant and traditional, or playful and fun. Color is a very powerful design element and learning to use it properly is not always easy.
Read More»The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
I have a distinct memory last summer of enjoying a meal with a friend in her newly constructed screen house. I kept thinking it was raining due to the incessant pitter patter on the metal roof. When I later realized that it was gypsy moth poop, I had two thoughts. First, gross! And second, thank goodness for a roof! Gypsy moths seemed to be everywhere.
If you thought last year’s invasion of gypsy moths was of biblical proportions hold on to your hat. According to experts, this year could be just as bad, if not worse.
Read More»Chocolate Plants! A New Trend in Gardening
Valentine’s Day is right around the corner — if you haven’t seen the numerous red and white colored flyers, ads, billboards for the last month you’ve been out of the country!
I know one of the go-to Valentine’s Day presents is chocolate. I, however, do not need any more real estate on my thighs so I’ve been looking to get my chocolate “fix” in a low-cal way — and I think I found it! Using “chocolate” plants is one of the newest trends and I have jumped on board. Plants can smell like chocolate, have foliage or flowers that look like chocolate, and even sound like chocolate.
Imagine coming home after a long day and being greeted with the fragrance of chocolate as you walk through the gate. You might think there’s some Toblerone left in your purse but no, it’s the climbing akebia, aka chocolate vine, scrambling over the arbor. The chocolate smell is indescribable. I had an akebia in my old house and since moving last fall I have been looking for a place to plant one on my new property. This vine not only smells delicious, it’s beautiful (see the picture above). Before you get to the back door you might stop to smell the chocolate cosmos, their maroon-brown daisy shaped flowers swaying in the breeze. Sure they’re only annuals, but easy to replace and they self sow. The chocolate mint in a pot by the back door is begging to be added to your afternoon tea. It’s kind of like a junior mint without the calories.
Other chocolate plants will appeal to your eye: Dahlia ‘Chocolate Sundae’, nicotiana ‘Chocolate Smoke’, foxglove ‘Milk Chocolate’ and columbine ‘Chocolate Soldier’ remind me of varying shades of melted Hershey bars. Brown is a complimentary color in the garden; it can glam up pink or tone down blues. Of course, it is very much at home with other earth tones.
Finally, there are the plants that sound like chocolate. Chocolate chip bugleweed, dark chocolate coleus, chocolate mint coleus. Yummm …
This Valentine’s day why not try a chocolate that will not melt, go bad or make you hate your scale! You order the chocolate plants I’ve mentioned or get a gift certificate for the plants at online nurseries such as Chocolate Flower Farm and Plant Delights Nursery.
This article was originally written for Pine Straw, an apparel and home goods store in Wellesley, MA.
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