Boston Roof Garden
Since a picture is worth a thousand words we’ll let these photos do the talking.
Just know that this was a new client in Boston who wanted a lush, “wild” garden that incorporated blues, purples and reds with a healthy dose of edible plants.
We used hydrangea Cityline ‘Rio’, caryopteris, nepeta and verbena bonariensis to bring in the purple pow. We contrasted the purple with rosa ‘Popcorn’. Added structure with boxwood and ornamental grasses and a punch of red with various annuals.
For the edibles we used many different herbs, as well as cucumbers, tomatoes and beans which climbed up the obelisk that we used as a design element to mimic the Old North Church.
We often joke with the client who says she has so many vegetables she could start a CSA in her condo building!
Of course installation was on the hottest day in May but with a great crew, it all got done!
Enjoy these photos of the transformation process:
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.
Spot the Galvanized Metal Container Garden
This was one of my favorite displays as I had the opportunity to showcase some of my favorite galvanized metal container garden creations. Can you spot the galvanized metal?
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My Apologies to Mary
Years ago, a very wonderful friend of mine was espousing the virtues of hostas. Conjuring up an image in my mind of the cemetery variety, I replied that they were nothing but slug bait.
Thankfully my friend did not slug me! As a former president of the New England Hosta Society, she must have looked at me as a challenge and over the years kept pointing out unusual varieties. Her persistence paid off, and now I’m hooked. Having already mentioned that my favorite color is green, hostas already have one thing going for them. And the more I use them the more I love them.
There are really only three problems when growing hostas:
Bambi. Thumper. Slugs.
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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
Philadelphia Flower Show 2017
The PHS Philadelphia Flower Show is the nation’s largest and longest-running horticultural event, and features stunning displays by the world’s premier floral and landscape designers.
Started in 1829 by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, the Show introduces the newest plant varieties, garden and design concepts, and organic and sustainable practices. In addition to the major garden displays, the Flower Show hosts world-renowned competitions in horticulture and artistic floral arranging, gardening presentations and demonstrations, special events, a mammoth indoor Marketplace, and the Bloom Philly Festival in the weeks leading up to the Show.
The Philadelphia Flower Show has been honored as the best event in the world by the International Festivals & Events Association, competing with events such as the Kentucky Derby Festival, Tournament of Roses Parade, Indianapolis 500 Festival, and other international celebrations.
Enjoy some of my own photos from my incredible experience at this year’s event, which carried a Holland theme, celebrating the flowers and culture of The Netherlands.
Want to know more? I’d love to tell you all about it.
The Secret Ingredient.
I was at a Speaker’s Bureau recently and was meeting with various garden clubs. I had created a container to have on the table that would showcase my work. A woman stopped and admired it, “Dear, that is just beautiful. But it doesn’t go outside?” I assured her that all my containers were meant to go outside. “But, that’s a houseplant” she gasped, pointing at the sansevaria. I thought for a bit and said, “It’s time for summer camp!”
Which leads me to an often overlooked component in great container gardens. Houseplants.
The Browning
This has been, according to the meteorologists here in Boston, a pretty warm winter.
Despite a few cold days and a bit of snow, it hasn’t been horrible. And while this may be good news for us, it’s not necessarily good for our winter containers. Driving around town I notice that many greens have “browned” with the warm temps and sun.
Many beautiful containers, once the pride of the neighborhood, have given up the ghost.
Read More»Are You Dressed for the Holidays?
It’s that time of year.
People are beginning to plan their holiday/winter containers.
I want to encourage you to not forget about your door.
After all, with the exception of Santa, it’s how most people enter your home. A wreath, or a beautiful door topper such as this, is a wonderful way to welcome friends and family while also continuing whatever theme you are doing in your pots.
Contain Yourself
Did you know that, in addition to residential clients, The Captured Garden has many commercial clients as well?
Having commercial clients comes with its own unique set of challenges. We are tasked with creating beautiful one-of-a-kind window boxes or containers that must look good 24/7. On top of that, they need to stand up to an often tough urban environment and lack of regular watering.
One of our favorite commercial clients is Pine Straw in Wellesley, and more recently, Waban. Pine Straw features a great collection of items that you don’t see everywhere from clothing and jewelry to decorations and home goods. I’ll admit it’s often hard to plant outside because I am distracted by all the cool stuff I see in the windows! Despite a tough environment, we often find the window boxes at Pine Straw are the best-looking in the neighborhood. Hats off to Tracy Cranley and her crew for doing such a great job!
Why not visit PineStraw and check out The Captured Garden’s work yourself?
I had so much fun creating containers last year that I am doing it again. “Contain Yourself” is a mini-demo where I will plant some of the neat containers at the shop (think galvanized metal…sigh). Pick up some container gardening tips and enjoy some wine and cheese at the same time. Sounds like a win-win, right?
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