Monthly Archives: August 2011

Galvanized Stock Tank – Safe for Veggies, YES.

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There was a comment to one of the posts showing Galvanized Stock Tanks for veggie gardens questioning if they were safe for planting. The reader read that there could be some chemicals from the Galvanization process that could leach into the soil, etc. The tanks we purchased (Tarter) are rated safe for cattle and are made in the USA, so knew they had to be tested and considered safe for planting use. I did email the company to see if they had any additional information. I received a prompt phone call back from Tarter explaining that yes their product was safe for veggie gardens and for animal use. They also called out that their tanks are used to gather maple syrup and they had no risk of contamination. I feel safe to continue recommending stock tanks for veggie gardens, but if you have a concern you can always plant in cedar containers.

Urban Crop – This is genius!

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Bulbs, Flower Truck
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Forget the food trucks, for something unique check out the Urban Crop Truck from Melbourne Australia that toured streets back in 2010. Created by Joost Bakker, Urban Crop is a vintage truck that serves live spring tulips, hyacinths, irises and herbs bagged within nutrient rich, organic soil. The live flowers enforced the benefit of living plants providing clean air purification and were seen in stores all over Melbourne as well as select locations in the flower truck. Joost’s real goal with Urban Crop was to spread the word on organic compost over fertilizer. The special soil mix he used consisted of composted waste (80%), worm castings (10%) and BioCher (10%),which blended to create healthy, vibrate flowers rivaling those commercially gown using fertilizers.  

The website for Urban Crop is currently not up, but follow the links on images below for local Melbourne stories on both Joost and Urban Crop.

Image from here.
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The flowers will keep for over a week and when the blooms are done can be composted and bulbs saved for the next year.
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Garden Hedges with Doors

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Green wall, Hedge
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Walls of tall, dense hedges within the garden create the ultimate garden room. With the addition of a door, you really have the sensation of entering a private green space. Tall hedges with doors invoke the curiosity of what is on the other side, and from these images I am totally intrigued.

This and the image above are from The Inspired Room.
I love how the door is set back from the hedge to even create a hallway. 

Depending on what area of the country you live in, there are different types of shrubs that will work well for you in hedging (Taxus (Yew) and Boxwood (Buxus) are just two examples that we can use in Central Ohio). Besides picking the right plant, you need time. Areas with longer growing seasons (Southern Zones) will have faster luck with training hedges, while here in Ohio you will need to invest years training your hedge.

Image from Flickr
Image from Flickr
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Image from Flickr.
Image from Flickr.
Image from Flickr.
This is the world’s oldest Yew Hedge in Cirencester Park, Gloucestershire, England. Planted in 1720, it stands nearly 50 feet tall. I think it would be amazing to cut a door in the hedge to play on the scale, but not sure if you would really want to mess with a masterpiece.
Image from here.

Favorite Garden Stores – Petersham Nurseries, England.

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Garden Stores
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Petersham Nurseries have been on my stalking list for a few years, but a visit waits until I can make at trip to England again. The nursery is located at the edge of the owners home (Petersham House) and was purchased and restored to its current glory in 2004. Petersham includes a nursery, garden shop, tea house and cafe, along with garden tours of the beautiful Petersham House (image directly below).

Image from here.

From the images collected below it is not hard to wonder where Terrain was inspired, even down to the tree stump table, bicycle wheel carts and cafe. I know last week I listed Terrain as a Favorite Garden Store, and now I am calling them out on borrowed ideas. Yeah I know. But England is more passionate and prolific in gardening compared to us on the other side of the pond, I totally credit Terrain with its part in inspiring the gardening bug stateside. Petersham will remain the forefront of gardening trends and one to keep an eye open for endless inspiration.

Image from here.
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Favorite Garden Stores – Terrain at Styers

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Garden Stores
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The next great garden store is Terrain at Styers. Almost all bloggers know about Terrain and frequently post of their visits and how they have been inspired by the merchandising. Terrain has made visiting a garden center an experience and whole afternoon affair. I have not been able to make the trek to Philly myself to visit, and my last visit to the Philadelphia Flower Show was one month before the store reopened (from the renovation of Styers to Terrain at Stryers).

Here are some images of the reasons why I think Terrain is great, but for first hand experiences please visit Flair for Design, Honey and Jam and Katy Elliot.
Ledge stone pillar with the very cool Terrain logo.
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Interesting concept of a green wall. Only heads up – make sure you remember to water daily. The small pots will dry out quickly in the heat and with the overhang will not get much rain water.
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Entire building covered in WoollyPockets. This looks like it is planted recently, overtime those plants will grow over the pockets and you will just get the bands of green and weathered cedar.
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A very smart way to showcase soils, stones, mulch and moss and explain use and benefits.
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Herbs arranged under the shade of a large tree. I am sure after dining at the cafe on the great food, this section gets a lot of visitors to create their own herb gardens.
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Willow branch structures and boxwoods mix to create a very inspiring view of materials.
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The green house includes a large selection of Tropical and 
Terrain also has a selection of antique/vintage garden items. They have smaller items compared to Detroit Garden Works, which I would recommend looking at first if you really want something unique.
Image from Terrain

Favorite Garden Stores – Detroit Garden Works

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Garden Stores
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I thought I would share with you my favorite garden stores. These are my favorite stores for a few reasons, The unique merchandise, inspirational the shop environment, and impact on the gardening world. For the first post, I am focusing on Detroit Garden Works.

Located outside Detroit, MI in Sylvan Lake, Detroit Garden Works is the creation of Deborah Silver. Deborah is a gifted landscape designer that has stocked her store with European antiques, custom designs from her Branch Studio and everyday garden items reinterpreted in unique ways. Greeted often by her corgis, you can lose time wondering the indoor and outdoor spaces for endless inspiration. Shop Manager Rob Yedinak shares also the passion for the garden and unique items, and is always willing to chat with visitors, answer questions and share stories. Voted one of the top 25 garden stores by Garden Design Magazine, I think Detroit Garden Works is the top 1-2.

Here are some photos from my last visit earlier this year.

The famous moss wall.
This is so impact-full in an interior, sun drenched space which includes a antique fountain. 

 My favorite items from online you can order -

Concrete dog, example of the work done by Branch Studios.
Vintage watering cans.
A little more costly than a new plastic container, but the perfect gardening gift for a new homeowner etc. 
If I could take one thing home, well maybe besides a concrete dog, it would be these large spheres. 

I also found this great post of the interior spaces on Happenstance Home from 2010.  I think it is easy to see how easy it is to fall in love with Detroit Garden Works.

Green, Purple and Black Containers

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This year we did a lot of planters combined with green, purple and black foliage and flowers. Over the summer the plants have really thrived. 
These are the containers at the front of my house. To the left of our front door is a blank wall, so the height and width of this planter balances with the green front door to the right. Also the color of the planter is similar to the house color, so the plants really stand out. 

Plants: Mothers-in-law tongue,
Sweet Potato vine

Must see in Columbus Monthly

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I am going to skip a landscape post today to share my friends Jen and Todd’s library that was featured in Columbus Monthly this month. It is an amazing transformation from a dull dining room to an amazing library. You can spot some McCullough’s with the terrarium on the center table.  Congrats to Jen and Todd, it is a great room that is totally cover worthy.