Blog Awards

I am very excited to have been chosen as the featured blog on the GardeningBenches UK Blog Awards.

A bench offers a relaxing spot to enjoy your garden.

My tortoise bench sits under a fig tree. In the summer it is fully shaded by the tree.
 

Bring Spring Indoors..

 Tired of the dreary days of  winter?   Add some flowers for a burst of spring.

I love watching the Iris buds open. They last a good week in fresh water and bright location.

A simple way to display your favorite tulips. 

Put that old crock to good use. I put two vases inside the crock and filled them with Stargazer Lilies, Snapdragons, twigs and Hydrangeas.  You can smell the Lilies as soon as you enter the house. 

Welcome Spring!!

Celebrate The Season!

 Happy Holidays to you and yours.. May the coming year bless us with good health, happiness and peace on earth...

Garden Sculpture

 The geometric shapes of this garden sculpture seem Wright influenced. It reminded me of the rug that was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for my Grandfather's house, David S. Wright. 

Fall in Chi-Town!

Fall was in the air on a recent visit to Chicago. I love the feel of the towering buildings, the hustle and bustle of downtown, and the quaint corner restaurants with patios to sit and relax, and enjoy the colors of fall.

Corner Bakery. Best cinnamon rolls!

Hanging planters such as these adorn the streets. Baskets filled with Begonias, pectoranthis and vinca spill down the light post.

Planters are filled with an assortment of Chrysanthemums, cabbage and kale with corn stalks wrapped around the tree trunks.

The architecture is magnificent!

So many Chrysanthemums...

Invasion of the spiders!!

I Love Chicago...

Faux Plants - Yuma Endodontist Office

In collaboration with theStudio for Business Environments in Phoenix, I created several faux plant arrangements for an Endodontics office project located in Yuma, Arizona. The plant arrangements where designed to compliment the art and furniture that was installed. The faux plants included succulents, agave, aloe and grasses. 

  

Succulent containers sit at the check-in and check-out desk.

Copper containers with Aloe and Agave plants sit in the corners of the exam rooms.

Tall grasses in zinc containers adorn a narrow niche in the hallway.

Small ceramic pots filled with dry grasses sit atop a stone table in the entry of the office.

For more on theStudio for Business Environments visit them on the web at www.thestudio.co

A Hot, Hot Wall!

The west facing wall of the house gets intense heat in the afternoon from the summer sun. This makes for a very warm room. I needed shrubs that can take the heat of the hot Arizona summer. Tacoma's work very well in our heat. I used the Tacoma Stans "Gold Star" for height on either side of the window. They will reach a mature height of around 8 feet. That will give good height coverage to the open wall. 

I added TacomaXS "Sierra Apricot", a dwarf variety under the window. These will reach a height of around 4 feet. I alternately planted Desert Ruellia. Again these will only reach about 4 feet. In front of these I mixed in Ruellia carpet for a ground cover. It has a dainty blue flower. 

Although they have only been in for a few weeks, they have already grown. They are on their second bloom cycle. By next summer I am sure this hot wall will not be so hot anymore.  The decorative blocks were placed in front of the bubblers and the tortoises and turtle like to burrow behind them.