December 2005 Archives

We receive several design and garden magazines in the office (Sunset, Pacific Horticulture, Horticulture, Garden Design, Landscape Architecture and Fine Gardening just to name a few) They are great places to get ideas and see what is new and avante garde in terms of plants and hardscape features. After reading through this month's Sunset and looking at some of the Beautiful garden samples, a reoccurring thought struck me- the garden I was looking at in the photographs probably only looks this good 15 days out of the year.

This is a good thing to watch for when looking through these magazines. That beautiful plant in the featured article looks great, but is it evergreen or deciduous? Does it require low or high maintenance? Is it something that deer find to be equivalent to caviar? Often the planting compositions are complex blends of grass, perennials and annual flowers, that look great but require heavy maintenance.

The same can be said for hardscape. It is my experience that expensive, large projects photograph for print publication the best. Before you set your heart on that 1000 square foot travertine patio with vanishing edge pool and outdoor kitchen, take into consideration what it would take to install these type of elements for your project.

A good example was a client who wanted Golden Barrel Cactus, similar to the distinctive garden at the Getty Center, until we priced them out, and found that the cactus alone would exceed their planting budget.

At several hundred dollars a piece these golden barrels might break the bank

While perusing through Borders Books for a gift for a colleague I stumbled upon Mick Hales, Gardens Around the World: 365 Days a wonderfully photographed and comprehensive volume of gardens from, as the title says, around the world. The book has distinctive photographs of gardens, which, as the introduction points out, capture each garden's essence well. As anyone who has photographed gardens will know, this is not an easy task, especially in small spaces. This book would be especially useful for those looking for inspirational images to use for establishing a style of garden design, or as inspiration for travel plans.

Plus, at the size of an oversized brick, this compact yet dense volume can serve well if the reader is accosted by a dinner guest who has had a bit too much wine.

Cover Image Courtesy Amazon