No title

CASE STUDY• INDOOR/OUTDOOR Made of martne grade sta•nless steel Official outdoor furmture of the 2007 GARDEN DESIGN LIVEI exh1b1llon

modem.ca net

rur~lture

contents

MAY 2009

FEATURES 46 Once Upon a Time Twelve miles south ofTorino, Italy, Tenuta Banna revels in its past as much as it looks toward the future. The estate's gardens, restored by Paolo Pejrone, are home to roses blooming from summer into fall. BYPAULA DE LA CRuz

56 Park Life Mara Seibert's Sho~t Hills, New Jersey, home and garden became the perfect setting for her son's high school gradu· ation party last spring. The result of many years of design collaborations, the garden is much more than a backdrop. BY DONNADORIAN

64 Green Gallery A Pennsylvania garden shows the power of outdoor art to connect with nature, to seem to spring natw:ally from the earth and to draw people in deep, intuitive ways that can go beyond the experience of viewing art in a gallery or even in a home. BYBILL MARKEN

72 Bijou de Normandie After training at the Gembloux school oflandscape architec· ture in Belgium, Alexandre Thomas wenl on to transform the plot around his childhood home in Normandy into a major showcase garden called Agapanthe, after his favorite flower. BYLOUISAJONES 4 GARDEN DESIGN

MAY09

ON THE COVER Located in the Main line suburbs of Philadelphia and designed by Charlie Gale and his son, Chuck, of Gale Nurseries in Gwynedd, this garden is sited with an outstanding modern-sculpture collection. St01y on page 64. PHOTOGRAPHYBYRos CARDII w

contents

32

:;

15

0 :I

z

0

X <(

DEPARTMENTS 8

"'vi 36

FROM THE EDITORS

12

CONTRIBUTORS

15

FRESH Marcel Wanders exteriors for the Mondrian South Beach; treehouses for Sting, Donna Karan an d julianne Moore; Way Hot cutti ng garden; hot n ew b irdh ouse

38

SWATCH WATCH All the rage in outdoor fabrics. bold modern prints infused wi th glorious green- from lime to keUy to pine - set a fresh. mood in the garden this spring. GARDEN GOURMET Special outdoor gadgets and gear for seafood preparation mean your next garden party could be a high-style, low-hassle lobster boil.

86

88

GROUNDBREAKER The Spanish -born, Milan -based Patricia Urq uiola has emerged as the exhilarating new diva of con temporary design - an d we're in love with everything she's doing. SOURCEBOOK A Listing of the products and services mentioned and shown in our pages.

96 ON DESIGN 24

PLANT PALETTE Newer varieties of hardy perennial euphorbi as have richly colored leaves and Bower heads, in burgundy, copper, ueamy-white striped. eggplant purple an d icy blue-gt·een. Feast yow· eyes on these!

42

STYLE The kitchen and living room have moved outside, and now the office is foUowing suit. Het·e are our favotite products for setting up sho p in the garden.

Sasha Tarnapolsky of Dry Design in Los Angeles has been creating sustainable gardens for years. Her approach becomes more sophisticated with each new project.

<(

"'"'0 z <(

"' ~

:3 j "'

"'>-

..."'"' "'0:::> u

0

"'"':::> ,.. ~

>-

"'0:::> u

For more, go to gardendesign.com. 82

32

LIVING GREEN An existing Ron Herman landscaiPe at a res idence in Woodside, Californ ia, meets its match with a n ew meadow designed by grasses guru john Greenlee.

"'z Q

LANDSCAPE Derek Fell's new book, The Gardens of Frank Lloyd Wright, sh ows how Wright's design s are right at home in the contem porary context, given his use of local materials and native plants.

,:..-

~

0

,.. u

"'>-w

"'0:::> u

;.: ~

~ 0.

0

POSTAL INFORMATION Gardoo Oes;gn, Number 159 QSSN 0733-4923). Published 7 times per )"lar (January/February, March, April, May, JUly/August, September/October, Novemberll>e<:embef) by Bonnier Corporation, P.O. Box 8500, Winter Park. FL 32790. CCopynght 2009, aU nghts feserved. The contents of th•s publ1cat1on may not be reproduced in whole or in part w1thout consent of the copynght owner. Periodicals postage paid at W.nter Park, FL. and additi0<1al mailing offices. SUBSCRIPTIONS: U.S: $23.95 for 0<1e year, S39.9S for two )"lars. Ca<1adran subscribers add S6.00 per yea<, foreign subscribers add $21.00 pe< year. For subscrrptioo rnformation. ptease call 800·513-0848. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Garden Design, P.O. Box 421145, Palm Coast, Fl 32142·1145. FOf faster service. ptease enclose your cunent subscnpbon labeL OccasionaUy, we make portions of our wbsr:riber list available to carefully screened companies that offer prO
6 GARDEN DESIGN

MAY 09

>~

0

e: "'"' ~ u"' g u

JANUS

e t

c

•

1

THE BEST FURNITURE TO SUN IN, DINE ON , OR SIMPLY LOOK AT ... INDOORS OR OUT® CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS · 8687 MElROSE AVENUE , SUI TE 8 193 , WES T HOLLYWOOD , CA 90069

310.652 . 7090

NEW YORK 2 12.752. 1117 ·BOSTON 6 17.737.5001 ·CHICAGO 312.822.0460 · MIAMI 305.438.0005 • DANIA BEACH 954.923 .3350 DAlLAS 2 14 .7 12 .0003 ·HOUSTON 713.621.5950 · SAN FRANCISCO 415.551 .7800 ·WASHINGTON D. C. 202.333 . 811 1 HIG H PO I N T 336 . 884.0114 ·M EXICO CIT Y +52 .55.8995 .2509 · CORPORATE SALES OFF ICES · CO LUMBUS 6 14. 266 8279 DENVER 303.6 18.0810 ·ORLANDO 786.457.6733 • PHI LADELPHIA 215.439.3606 · SAN DIEGO 6 19 .341.2955 • SEATILE 206.427.56 16 800.24 .J ANUS FOR M ORE INFORMATIO N AND DEALER NEAREST YOU • WWW.JANUSETC IE.COM

from the editors THE AIR OUT THERE VARIEGATED GINGERS TO THE LEFT, palms to the right. Cool, blue pool1o feet in front of me as 1 relax in a cabana on a chaise. No, lam not on vacation. Yes, it is a work day. Motivated by our columnis~ Damaris Colhoun, whose Style story this issue covers the best products for the outdoor office, the Garden Design editorial staff is working outside today, armed with laptops, JBlackBerry smartphones, Dr Pepper and Doritos. After years of being envious of our Bonnier colleagues who spend their days on lakes and beaches testing boats, boards and underwater gear, we woke up to the fact that we at Garden Design have a place in the sun as much as anyone. Living irl a world of gardens, what better place to write and edit than in a garden? Since work takes up more time than any other activity, and the urge to be outside is universal, outdoor office space is a logical next step for those of u s whose jobs offer such flexibility. An outdoor office can be as simple as a desk and laptop in the backyard, or as fussy and divine as a beautifully decorated conservatory from whose windows the garden is visible in every direction (see p. 34). Each has its advantages: The former is immediate and inexpensive, the latter is better irl the rairl. Workirlg outside proves to be less distracting and more inspiring too. The sights, smells and sounds of the garden are relaxirlg, and put you in a frame of mind to think clearly and do your best.

Garden Design's purely experimental exercise today is proofl Just days away from shipping our next issue to the printer, we've been able to make our final edits to stories and layouts without a slowdown. Tomorrow we'll be back inside. l will enjoy the calla lilies on my desk and the view of palms and fluffy clouds t hrou gh my sliver of a window. But it won't be the same. I'm already planning the next outdoor work day.

SARAH KINBAR/ EOITOR

ON. THE WE If you liked our story Blissed Out about t he

and products for the home spa garden. Also,

world's best spa gardens or the Spa Indulgence

keep checking my Editor's Blog for behind-the-

Style column, both in the Jan/Feb 2009 issue, you'll love t he new feature on our website (gardendesign.com} showcasing great ideas

scenes footage from phot o shoots, exciting events, Q& />Is with designers, opportunities for garden lovers and more. - SK

A lifetime of moments

However you choose io use your Hartley greenhouse. whether rt's growtng organic frurt and vegetables. caring for tender plants or stmply your own place of refuge you can be sure ofth1s. tt Will last a lifetime and provide many memorable moments. • Exclus1vely Endorsed by the Royal Botan1c Gardens Kew • Established Over 70 Years • Made to Order or Bespoke Quality Structures

Handmade in Greenfield. England • Competitive Prices

• All Products Manufactured by Hartley • Excellent Customer Service and Care • Range of Colors

Nothing else 1s a Hart I ey or details of our Spring Offers AND A COPY OF OUR LATEST BROCHURE CALL

7 8 I

9 3 3

9 9 3

gdus@hartleybotan•c com

hartleybotanic.com

HARTLEY BOTAN I C

EDITOR

Sara/1 Kinbar FEATURES EDITOR

Je•my Andrews SENIOR EDITOR

Megan Padilla MANAGING EDITOR Leigh AM Ledford

ART GROUP CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Dove Weaver ART DIRECTOR

Donna Reiss DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Larry Nighswonder PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Chelsea Stickel STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS

jon Whittle, Henry Fec/Jhnan

COPY COPY EDITOR

Cindy Elavsky HORTICULTURE FACT CHECKER

www

.com

888.636.3015

Dora GaUtzki FACT CHECKER

Rebecca Geigr.r EDITOR EMERITUS

Bill Marken EDITOR-AT-LARGE

joanna Fortnam CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Adam Arvidson, Cl•arlts Birnbaum, jason Cl1ompion, Ruth Chivers, Damaris Colhoun, Davis Dalbok, Donna Dorian, Ken Druse, Flora Grubb, Lauren Crymes, Emily Young

PRODUCTION & DESIGN PRODUCTION DIRECTOR

j eff Cassell PRODUCTION MANAGER

Courtney Janka DESIGN SERVICES DIRECTOR

Suzanne ObtriJOitzer GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

julia Arana, Mike Rettew, Shannon Mendis, Sommer Hatfield Coffin

CUSTOMER SERVICE & SUBSCRIPTIONS BUSINESS & EDITORIAL OFFICES

460 N. Orlando Ave., S11ite iOo, Winter Park, FL 32789 PUBLICATION AGREEMENT NUMBER: 40612608 CANADA RETURN MAIL: P.O. BOX 25542, LONDON, ONTARIO N6C 6B2 BLEUCHIP INTERNATIONAL FOR SUBSCRIPTION·RELATED QUERIES: 800-513-08 48 P.O. BOX 420235, PALM COAST. FL 32142-1145 FOR EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE, P.O. BOX 8500, WINTER PARK, FL 32790; [email protected]: FAX: 407-628-7061

~

?EFC noc pOpo.."rw;o~ 1(.1 1t1d lnlfjUi:'lf~;~ from Ct'rtillo:d lfxt.s~ tlu.t &Ill fl:;Uilljil'd I.IU lill.~t.lllliil* ""liY m mt'd d or.J;OCial

l'I'C>IWini•

l.lldf'l!o;irofto

mcr~,al nl'('(l~vrpr~n• and f~rt~t110bt'4'1$

PUBLISHER

Diane Turner, 407-57•·4883 [email protected]

ADVERTTS ING SALES/MARKETTNG SENIOR ADVERTISING MANAGER

Mesl.ele Conley, 407-571·4616; mt<[email protected] FURNISHING AND DESIGN MANAGER

Jodi Becll, 407·571·46oo; jodi.becl•@bonniercorp.com WEST COAST SALES MANAGER

Tracey Hugl•es,Jt0·227·8946; trat ey.hugl•[email protected] ADVERTISING REPRESEN TATIVE

Noella Darragh, 407-571·4937; notlla.darragl•@bonnierwrp.com ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE

Laurie Sanders, 407·571 ·454•: [email protected] MARKETING MANAGER

Valeriej o,.e.<, 407·571·4994; valtrit.jones@ bonniercorp.com

ADVERTISING SALES ASSISTANT

Megan Heffner, 407·G]7·J62J; [email protected]

LIFESTYLE & SHELTER GROUP GROUP PUBLISHER

j a·y McKen-zie SENIOR DIRECTOR, DIGITAL PRODUCT DEV. Bill Crosby

SENIOR ONLINE PRODUCER

Brent Scl•mierbacl• ONLINE PRODUCER

David Sl•owers DESIGNER

Mike Sl•ipley ONLINE AD COORDINATOR

Amanda Harris

CORPORATE ADVERTIS ING SALES VICE PRESIDENT, CORPORATE SALES & MARKETING

Pete Midaalsky, 212-779 ·5112 CORPORATE NATIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER

Jared Kranz, 212-779·52 14 LOS ANG ELES

Steve Thompson, Media Centric Inc., 415-435·4678 CARDEN DESIGN IS A DIVISION OF

B'1NNIER C ORPO R A T I ON

CHAIRMAN jonas Bonnier CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Terry Snow CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Dan Altman CHIEF FINANCIAL OF FICER Randall Ko14bek VICE PRESIDENT, CONSUMER MARKETING Bm ce Miller VICE PRESIDENT, PRODUCTION Lisa Eiarlywine VICE PRESIDENT, E·MEDIA Bill Allman VICE PRESIDENT, ENTERPRISE SYSTEMS Shawn Larson VICE PRESIDENT, HUMAN RESOURCES Cathy Hertz VICE PRESIDENT, CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS Dean Thrcol BRAND DIRECTOR jol~n Miller PUBLISHING CONSULTANT Martin S. Walker CORPORATE CO UNSEL j eremy Thompson

rc·':'\ @

fMP LOVMf H 1' OPPOIHUHirti!S AT WWW.80 tUHUCOitP.COM

Exceptional design. Unsurpassed quality USA Office: 1-8 0 0 -360-6283 www.oakleafconservatories.com

contributors CLASSIC BEAUTY We asked our contributors, which gardens - anywhere in the world- are the ultimate in classic style?

~ Allan Pollok-Morris, photographer, Once Upon a Time, p. 46: "For me, the words 'classic style' evoke Italian gardens, the terraces of the Tuscan villas, t he Venetian courtyards and more-modern classics like the gardens of lakes Maggiore and Como. But there are well-kept secrets t o be discovered elsewhere in Italy, like the classic, contemporary-styled garden at Tenuta Banna near Turin."

~

DAVID HARBER sundials • sculptures • water features

Paula de Ia Cruz, writer, Once Upon a Time, p. 46: "The garden of Aberglasney, set in the Tywi valley of Carmarthenshire in Wales, is a great example of simple structures set against magnificent plants. Aberglasney's design lies on its history, dating back to the 13th century when it was a battlefield, later a laundry facility during World War II, and then restored in the 1990s."

tel: (888) 472 1815 www. davidharber.com ;;: ~ Jerry

Rose, floral designer/stylist, Park Life, p. 56: "In addition to the gardens I have visited in Europe, I enjoy the Brooklyn Bot anic Garden -for its classic beauty and convenience. I spend a lot of time there in the spring when the gardens come a~ve. The ornamental cherry trees and tulips are my favorites. The garden is a peaceful oasis that warms my heart and captures my senses."

"'03: z

<

.,"'<

...,. 0

z

<

...

ti )(

<

...:s:

"<

!

w

~

,.ci 0

5:'

Donna Dorian, writer, Park Life and Groundbreaker. pp. 56 and 86: "Created for Louis XIV of France by Andre Le Notre, the gardens at Versailles are the epitome of classic style. Almost four centuries after they were designed, they still take my breath away. With allees formed by rows of tall, clipped hedges and scrolled parterres outlined by low boxwoods, its t imeless beauty has influenced gardens t hroughout the West ever since." ~

"'< :s: 0

"',.. 0

"'< :1::

...~ < u :s:

...... 0 0

.,

........

0 0

safety solar winter

A MORE ENERGY-EFFICIENT POOL.

EVERY DAY.

The Cover-Pools® Save-l"® automatic pool cover acts as a safety, winter and solar cover combined into one to protect your pool year round. At the touch of a button, you can conveniently cover your pool whenever you're not swimming. • Reduce the risk of drowning • Reduce energy and water consumption • Save up to 70% on heat, chemicals, water, and operating costs • Save time maintaining your pool

Want to know more about exclusive design options for covering your pool or spa? Call for a free brochure or DVD about Cover-Pools custom covers or view the online photo gallery for ideas from Cover- Pools, the Inventor of the Automatic Pool Cover.

lc 0VERll1j1jlj Save-r- Pool Covers

1-800-447-2838 1www.coverpools.com

Kalamazoo has been bringing gourmet lifestyles outdoors for more than 100 years. Today we offer everything you need to build the ultimate outdoor cooking and entertaining retreat. Hybrid grills that cook with charcoal, wood and gas. Outdoor refrigerators, wine chillers, ice makers and keg tappers. Pizza ovens, wok cooktops and lobster boilers. Weather-tight kitchen cabinets. Even design support from our outdoor kitchen experts. You and your garden deserve a custom outdoor kitchen from Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet.

~

KALAMAZOO OUTDOOR GOURMET

1.800.868.1699 KalamazooGourmet.com

res

SOUTH FLORIDA DESIGN $ ONE TO WATCH: ANDREA LECUSAY . WAY HOT . GROWN-UP TREEHOUSES

wanders' wonder

StandingonWest Avenue in the South Beach area of Miami Beach, Dutch designer Marcel Wanders looked up and saw a "beautiful square" - a q-stmy, Splenda-white structure with its back to Biscayne Bay. This wasn't a hotel, thought Wanders, but "a castle for sleeping people." In that moment, the concept came to him. The narrative for the interior and exterior decor at Mondrian South Beach would be Charles Perrault's

fable from Tales ofMother Goose, about the princess who p1icked her finger on a spindle and snoozed for 100 years. "It was Sleeping Beauty that inspired us," says Wanders, who was commissioned by Morgans Hotel Group, the hospitality Above: An arched steel framework filled with faux foliage forms a cuttingedge cabana at the Mondrian South Beach in Miami. Marcel Wanders designed every element, from the teardrop-shaped lighting fixtures to the furnishings. MAY 09 GARDEN DESIGN

15

fresh

conglomerate behind Delano and Shore Club in South Beach, in fall 2oo6 to design the Mondrian. The hotel debuted during Art Basel Miami Beach this past December, setting a new standard for cutting-edge outdoor decor. Wanders, who regularly captures the zeitgeistwith his product designs for Moooi, Droog and Poliform, had no hotel-design experience stateside. Not to mention he was making his debut in South Florida, where the hospitality scene has already been Philippe Starck-ed (Delano), and Jacques Garcia-ed (Hotel Victor). As a result, postmodem touches like life-size chessboards, tiber-pruned hedges and jellyfish tanks are considered passe. Wanders met the challenge by creating something that is, in his words, "romantic, fun and human." And hue to the project's fairy-tale muse, Wanders stuffed it with a century's worth of dreamlike decor. While there are plenty of interior oohs and ahhs (Bisazza murals of douds in the guestroom showers, onyx jewel-cut stools in the Sunset Lounge), the outdoor-pool area is the most captivating. Cubed frames with gossamer curtains provide semiprivacy around poolside daybeds. And don't miss the larger-than-life topiary cabanas: arched steel frameworks filled with faux foliage. "The cabanas are made from artificial materials for practical reasons," explains Wanders. uThey had to be hurricane-proof" Tn a market of design one-upmanship, Mondrian South Beach already has fresh competition. Last December, Miami greeted ICON Brickell and in March, the Viceroy Miami. ICON Blickell, the $1.3 billion, 1.6so-u nit luxury-residence complex, features a massive outdoor fireplace made from French limestone and a h undred 22-foot statues mimicking Easter Island's cryptic busts. It shares a 2-acre pool deck featuring Japanese blueberry trees with Viceroy Miami, the new downtown hotel (a part of the ICON complex) with inte1ior and exterior design by L.A.-based Kelly Wearstler. But forget about today's fleeting buzz. Wanders hopes that his hotel, like Perrault's story ofa sleeping princess, will prove timeless instead of trendy. mondriansouthbeach.com - SHAwN c. B EAN 16 GARDEN DESIGN

MAY09

Above, left: A det ail of the concret e floor inlaid with the Dutch d esigner's flora-meets-fleur-
MEET THE COMPETITION ).. Designed by Herzog & de Meuron, the Pritzker Architecture Prize-winning Swiss firm behind the Bird's Nest (t he National Stadium at the 2008 Olympic Games) in Beijing, the future Miami Art Museum will be an indooroutdoor space set on extensive lawns and feat uring a mult idimensional garden and plantings, and t hanks to French botanist cum plant-wall artist Patrick Blanc, a vertical garden with hanging vegetation. Completion is slated for 2012. miamiartmuseum.org Kelly Wearstler's second South Florida project is Viceroy Miami, a 16B-guestroom hot el on Brickell Avenue. Unveiled in March, it featu res t he L.A. designer's trademark mix of textures and styles (here, it's art deco meets chinoiserie). Take t he elevator to t he 50th floor, and find the cozy pool area f ramed by sharp, geometric hedges. viceroymiami.com French designer Philippe St arck and mega-developer Jorge P~rez have t eamed up for several ICON-branded project s, including ICON South Beach and ICON Vallarta. The latest installment is ICON Brickell, a three-tower residence and boutique hotel complex in downtown Miami complet e with a 2-acre "outdoor living room" with thermal hot tub and Olympic-size pool. iconbrickell.com ).. The Fontainebleau, Morris Lapidus's MiMo mast erpiece, completed a $1 billion overhaul last November. While rnany are talking about t he Bleau Bar'.s t ranslucent floor, Ai Weiwei's chandeliers and the freshly preserved Staircase to Nowhere, t he lushly landscaped bow-tie pool was and always will be the hot el's centerpiece. fontainebleau.com

>-

>-

fresh One to Watch

ANDREA LECUSAY

Andrea lecusay travels between Hawaii, the Mainland and Bali to service her clients, who include Pixar animation direct or1 editor lee Unklich and Nike Brand President Charlie Denson. Her boundless energy is expressed not only by creating dramatic landscapes replete with custom-designed furnishings, lighting and accessories, but now her company, Lakshmi Interiors, is launching a line of outdoor furnishings as well, ensllling that good design that is also affordable and sustainable is available to everyone, even if you aren't responsible for finding Nemo. - MEGAN PADU.l.J\ Q: What is your approach ro design? A: 1 design with the culture. T like to work with local people and local resources. Together, we are teaching the heritage and

culture of the place. My work allows me to teach respect for the Earth through art. Q: How did you end up in Hawaii? A: I moved to Kauai from Fort Lauderdale in 2003 after I'd visited for a wedding and was so inspired by the beauty. I felt it would be a great place to design harmonic, peaceful environments. Q: What prompted your Kahu line ofoutdoor .fUrniture? A: I've been designing furniture for clients since 2001, and I wanted to make sustainable products with good design more readily available. The first collection, which I designed with James Antony, has 12 pieces and is called Kahu, meaning "keeper of the Spirit" (the spirit being Earth). Q: You've been creating eco·conscious products all along, such as using siding remnants re· claimed from a wo·year-old boat. In what ways will Kohu be an example ofyour mind-set? A: All of Kahu's pieces are made from reclaimed/recycled or plantation-grown teak hardwood, and our finishes are all nontoxic. All orders will be made to order. We are doing everything we can to make the furnishings affordable to stay true to our philosophy on sustainability. More infonnation at Lakshmiinteriors.com

Outdoor Living

SOLO PERCH

The Buddha is often depicted in artworks as seated on a lotus flower, likely achieving a state of Zen. Inspired by similarly pattemed centudes· old Chinese garden stools, Lotus Stool designer Ilan Dei says, "I felt that if you could just escape to your little garden for even five minutes to meditate, then it would be the perfect place to sit." The Limited Edition (500 pieces) Lotus Stool comes in white plaster, $5oo, or molded fiberglass (in five colors), $790. ilandeistudio.com - MP

18 GARDEN DESIGN

MAY 09

Andrea Lecusay (above, left) of Lakshmi Interiors is always on the go. Her worldview of bridging humanity and design informs her work, ranging from t his poolside retreat on Kauai (above, top) to her company's new line of sustainable furnishings (above).

Call for Entries

2007 Winning Design by Wi lli am Jonathan van Al len, Landscape Architect

The 2009 Oasis Award for Outdoor Kitchen Design

The

OASIS 'AWARD www.OasisAward. com

Eac h yea r t he b est outdoo r d esig n pro fessio nals submit their work to b e judged in the only national competition focused ex cl usively o n recog nizin g excelle nce in outdoor kitc he n design . The w inner is f eatured in Garden Desig n magazine, in other national p ublicat ions and o nline. Share your vision for o utdoor kit chens. Submit a conceptual desig n fo r an ext erior resid ential room focused on cooking and entertaining.

The deadline for the third annual competition is August 3, 2009. Don't miss out. Register to receive more information abo ut t he 2009 p rogram, including this year's roster of expert judges, at www.OasisA ward.com.

Sponsored by:

fresh Way Hot Plants

KINDEST CUT What could be more gratifying than collecting beautiful blooms from the garden and bringing them indoors, or sharing an arrangement of homegrown flowers with a friend? While cutflowers can be found even at local grocery stores, if you want real variety (and a sense of satisfaction), plant some cutting flowers in your perennial border or vegetable garden. There are countless choices avaiJable, tailored specifica11y for th e bouquet minded. - Jr:NN Y ANDR ews

1 'Crane Red' Kale One of the most-striking and long-lasting cut flowers isn't even a flower. The foliage of'Crane Red' ornamental kale forms a tight cluster, rose veined with a rosy-purple center, at the end of a long, sturdy stem, looking like an oversize rose blossom. The Crane Series (which comes in several colors, including bicolor and white) was bred specif. ically for cutting, taking the popular cool-season annual kale to new heights, up to 2 feet tall, with heads up to 7 inches wide.

2 'Blue Glitter' Sea Holly Sea holly is a powerful texture for the vase, whether fresh-cut or dried as an everlasting. Eryngium planum 'Blue Glitter' has shimmering blue pincushion flowers perched on spiny ruffs, produced in abundance on pewter-colored stems. 1t also makes a sparkling perennial for the border. For fresh bouquets, cut when the flowers are halfopen; for drying, cut when flowers are in full glory.

3 'Champion Pink' Bellflower An award-winning collection of Canterbury bells (Campanula medium), the Champion Series includes pink, blue, light blue, white and lavender. Though the spedes is biennial, this selies can be grown from seed as an annual, blooming the first year, with upward-facing bell-shaped flowers more than an inch long. Each plant can have up to 10 stems, 2 to 4 feet tall.

4 'Mon Amour' Gladiolus Glads are a classic cutflower. And there are hundreds to choose from (even dwarf varieties), available usually as bulbs (actually corms} in the spring. For flowers over a longer period, plant groups of them at two-week intervals from early spring through June. 'Mon Amour' is a romantic mix oflavender-pink, cream and yellow, and is one of the Biltmore Estate Bulbs offered by Ametican Meadows.

5 'Bodacious' Dahlia Want your bouquet to really pack a punch? How about a fiery redand-yellow dinner-plate dahlia up to u inches across! Dahlias can take a little eff01t (staking, pinching, storing tubers over the winter in cooler zones), but the results are worth it, and anyone who loves to make floral arrangements has them on the list of m ust-haves. ' Bodacious' can produce flowers midswnmer into fall.

6 'Jade' Sunflower Your typical sunflower (Helianthus annzms) is one huge flower on a towering stalk- not exactly vase material. But breeders have selected a host of cultivars that produce multiple smaller flowers on shorter, branching stems, perfect for cutting. 'Jade' is a unique color - pale green - which goes with everything in a bouquet. Each 4-to-5-foot plant produces loads of 4-to-5-inch flowers. SEE SOURCEBOOK FOR MORE INFORMATION, PAGE 88

20 G A R 0 E N 0 E S I GN

MAY 09

LEFT PAGE, TOP TO BOTTOM : CHELSEA STICKEL, VISIONS PICTURES; RIGHT PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LE FT: COURTESY GREAT GARDEN PLANTS, CHELSEA STICKEL; COURTESY BURPEE; COURTESY VAN BOUGONDIEN

:s: )>

-< 0

I.P Cl )>

;o 0

m

z

0

m VI

Cl

z

.... "'

fresh Design

OUT ON A LIMB

just In

AVIARY REAL ESTATE Midcentury architectjvisionary R. Buckminster Fuller's geodesic shapes have turned up everywhere, fi·om sports arenas to hippie communes, but the great man never got around to designing a birdhouse. So L.A.-based multimedia artist and designer Kelly Lamb has now filled that gap. "Birds and Buckminster- it just clicked for me," says Lamb of her Fullerinspired Gee-Birdhouse. "The shape is so easy to nest in!" ln a nod to Fuller's psychedelic '6os popularity, Lamb dangles her white ceramic birdhouses from a neon-pink string. "The contrast against the natural environment is so beautiful," she says. The houses have a trapdoor for spring-cleaning, and Lamb reports they'll attract a variety of small warblers, finches and sparrows. "I love the playfulness of small birds," she says. "Watching them interact with the geodesic sphere is really cool!" This aviary real estate is now on the market. $95. areaware.com - LC 22 GAR 0 EN 0 E SIGN

MAY 09

Tree forts aren't just for kids anymore. Asked 12 years ago to contribute something to an outdoor art exhibition, artist(musician Roderick Romero answered whimsically that he'd like to build a nest high irl a tree. So he did- a fantastic pyramid-shaped apparition 30 feet up a maple in Yelm, Washington. Sting was his first big-name supporter, and it was word of mouth from there. He mentioned his treehouse to Donna Karan, who mentioned

hers to Julianne Moore, who talked hers up to Val Kilmer - and so a business was built. Today Romero finds he's pretty much a fulltime treehouse designer, creating inhabitable art all over the world, anywhere a great tree and a vision collide. Romero uses onJy reclaimed lumber and scavenges niceties like stained glass from salvage yards. The load-bearing supports he uses are artificial limbs insetted into the trunk without harming the tree. "It's so much better than pounding a bunch ofnails into the tree." Also, Romero says, "As the wind moves the tree, the house gives and it won't pull apart." Last winter he revisited one of his old treehouses in Southampton, New York, one that's usually invisible behind the dense foliage of a 25o-year-old lirlden. "With the leaves gone, it looked like the nest of some giant bird or dinosaur, not a treehouse. And that," he says, "made me so happy." romerostudios.com -

USA CREGAN

tn

0

0

::> ....
"'wl:

.. 0

>

tn

...w "'0::> u

:i

0

Above: Looking at the interlaced saplings forming t he railings of a Romero treehouse, you quickly see his projects are sculpture first, folly second. left: A lamp he admired in a Moroccan souk, for inst ance, inspired Lantern House, located in the Santa Monica Hills.

.... .... 0

Ill 0

....

.... :X:

.."'"' 0

t-

WESTMINSTER LUXURY

OU T DOOR

LIVING

SIMPLE SOPHISTICATION ... TIMELESS ELEGANCE BUilT TO CONTRACT Ql)AI ITY SPECI FICATIONS W ITH PREM IUM QVAIITY TFAK FROM RFN FWABLF PLANTAT IONS.

DEALER OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE

800-750-1595

www.teakfurniture.com/gd

plant palette EUPHORBIA EUPHORIA Foliage plants extraordinaire, hardy euphorbias are titans of texture STORY BY JENNY ANDREWS

THEIR LYRICAL LATIN NAME (EUPHORBIA) and gutteral common name (spurge) are indicative of the dual nature of euphorbias - elegant yet tough. The ones discussed here are the hardy perennial types, but the genus also includes succulents like pencil cactus, tropicals like poinsettia and shrubs with wicked-sharp spines. Hardy spurges have become hugely popular in perennial borders across the continent and in Europe, their stout mounds of leafy stems, like so many oversize bottlebrushes, filling a shrubby role, though with predictable sizes and tidy forms. Newer varieties have richly colored leaves and flower heads, in burgundy, copper, creamywhite striped, eggplant purple and icy blue-green. The Bowers are an unusual arrangement and one of the commonalities of the euphorbia family. Most obvious in the flashy display of poinsettias, the showy parts are actually not flowers but modified leaves called bracts. The real blooms are tiny and distinctly nonfl.owery looking. One benefit of having bracts is that the floral heads continue to be showy long after the flowers themselves have done their thing. Another common factor among euphorbias is the milky sap that runs through their veins, which is poisonous and a skin irritant. But what makes them toxic also makes them deer resistant- a big bonus. Add to that drought and heat tolerant, long blooming and low maintenance, and you've got a nonpareil perennial. ~ 'BLACKBIRD'

Compact mounds of deep-purple leaves on reddish stems with bright-yellow heads of flowers- talk about a dramatic color combo! Euphorbia 'Blackbird' keeps to a neat 1 to 2 feet tall and wide, making it a fit for small borders and containers. The rich foliage color is darker (almost black) in full sun and stays strong all season; in warmer zones it can even be evergreen. Clusters of densely packed blooms appear in spring. Zones 6-9. 24 GARDEN DESIGN

MAY 09

plant palette

A 'DIXTER' We have noted British garden writer Christopher Lloyd to thank for this fiery spurge. There's never a dull moment with Euphorbia gri(fithii 'Dixter' (named for Lloyd's home Great Dixter). Coral shoots emerge in spring and segue into reddish-bronze stems and darkgreen foliage flushed with coppery red. Burnt-orange heads of flowers sizzle all summer. This spurge likes a bit of shade and moist soil. Zones S-9.

A 'CHAMELEON' Maroon-purple leaves form a mound 1 to 2 feet tall, making a snappy backdrop for the yellow-green flowers. Euphorbia dulcis 'Chameleon· can seed itself about the garden, so as a preventive it can be cut back hard after flowering, which also promotes a flush of new foliage. Older plants can get leggy, but division is easy in early fall or spring. Sometimes called swamp spurge, 'Chameleon' is partial to moist, rich soil. Zones 4-9. ~ MEDITERRANEAN SPURGE

A shrubby species found in the Mediterranean region on rocky hillsides, open woods and along roadsides, Euphorbia characias comes by its drought and heat tolerance naturally. Blue-green leaves spiral up reddish, downy stems. The foliage is denser toward the tops of the stems, leaving the bases bare, giving the plant an architectural vibe. Big clusters of chartreuse flower heads last from spring to summer. Tlhis is a short-lived perennial, but it reseeds. Zones 7-10.

~

..."':z:

......

g

.

0

:z:

V3ring beauty into your life with a Private Garden Victorian Glasshouse, tbe essential growing environrnent chosen by passionate gardeners around tbe worldjust like J'Ou . . )/~your growing settsonne11er end.

PRIVATE

GARDEN

Private Garden Greenhouse Systems • A Division of Hampden ~rrucLUral ~yslems, Inc. • www.privare-garden.com Corporate Office: .36 Commercial Drive • P.O. Box 600 • Hampden, MA 01036 • 413-566-0277 • Fax: 413-566-8806

plant palette

A ' BONFIRE' Aptly named, Euphorbia polychroma 'Bonfire' bursts onto the scene in spring with foliage that mixes green, yellow and orange. changing to crimson, burgundy and mahogany for the summer-through-fall show - a great contrast for the chartreuse-gold blooms. Its neat, mounded form lends itself to the front of the border or a container. Takes full sun in the North, part shade in the South. Cushion spurge benefits from a late-summer cutback and from division every few years. Zones S-9.

A 'GOLDEN GLORY' A cultivar of wood spurge, Euphorbia amygdaloides, 'Golden Glory' sports chrome-yellow flowers atop 1- to 2-foot domes of reddish-green foliage and red stems in the spring. Leaf color can hold true even through the winter in warmer areas. Full sun keeps the foliage nice and dark. Zones 6-10.

>- ROBS' S SPURGE Ask any gardener to name the toughest site, and the answer will be dry shade. But Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae can solve the problem. Slow to spread, it forms an evergreen groundcover 1 to 2 feet tall of deep green, lustrous leaves. Chartreuse flower heads appear in late spring and last for months. In moist, rich soil it spreads faster. Zones 5-7.

28 GARDE N DESIG N

MAY09

TIMELESS BY DES IGN .

KINGSLEY--BATE'M E L EGANT OUTDOOR FURNITURE

t

7200 Gateway Court, Manassas. Virginia 20109 USA 703.361.7000 f 703.361.7001 www.kings1eybate.com

KB1110

j

plant palette

A 'TASMANIAN TIGER' Discovered as a seedling of Euphorbia characias in a garden in Tasmania, this phenomenal spurge has both variegated leaves and flowers, combining blue-green with creamy w hite. Upright stems are a forest of linear leaves, forming a dense shrubby mound.ln spring through early summer, large heads of flowers hover on 2- to 3-foot stems, pale yellow and cream, with small green bow-t ie centers. Evergreen where w inters are mild. Zones 6·9. ~ 'TINYTIM'

Wit h the tongue-twisting official name of Euphorbia martini Waleutiny', it's no wonder this cushion spurge has acquired a m uch cuter appellation. Looking like a Koosh Ball, 'Tiny Tim" forms a perfect 1-foot dome of narrow blue-green leaves and a cloud of greenish-yellow bracts cupped under little red flowers. Unlike many spurges, this one continues to bloom t hroughout the season. Zones 6-8.

NATURE, NURTURE Care: Euphorbias are easy and tough, with

few problems. Some are short-lived (even so, totally worth growing) and should be divided or propagated every two to three years, either in early fall or spring. Many benefit from being cut back hard, at least by one-third, after Flowering is finished. This keeps any free-seeders from gaining the upper hand and encourages a flush of new fresh foliage. Wear gloves when handling euphorbias, and quickly wash off any milky sap that gets on your skin, as it's a strong irritant The sap also makes spurges poisonous, so be aware if you have children and pets, though rve had euphorbias and garden cats

30 GARDEN DESIGN

MAY 09

coexist for years without incidentperhaps the plants' skunky smell keeps them from seeming like a tasty treat. Zones: Perennial euphorbias vary in hardiness, particularly as concerns their northern edges. so check individual entries for the plants covered here. Some types are evergreen in southerly zones but are only root hardy farther north. Exposure: Euphorbias in general are sun lovers, though some will tolerate partial shade. Those with deep-purple or reddish foliage will have more-intense coloring if planted in full sun. A very few types actually prefer at least dappled shade, while others can thrive in bright sun in

the North but need part shade in t he blind1ng light of the South. Soil: One of the main benefits of growing spurges is their drought tolerance, so good drainage is key, though a few, such as E. gri(fithii 'Dixter' and E. dulcis 'Chameleon'. do prefer more moist ure t han others. Euphorbias are also not picky about soils, and most can handle sandy and average situations. For those types that tend to run and spread. fertile soils could encourage them to expand beyond their boundaries. so keeping things lean lends control. But 1f you want your E. amygda/oides var. robbiae to cover more ground faster. rich organic soil will kick things off.

If you've never considered shrubs a brilliant garden option, consider this: ColorChoice flowering shrubs are a new generation- bred and selected by expert horticulturists to give you lots of color without all the work. They bear the Proven Winners ~ seal by meeting rigorous standards for color, health, hardiness and ease of care. A colorful yard can be easy. Just look for the white Proven Winners pot at better garden centers. FLOWERING SHRUBS Visit www.provenwinners.com to learn more.

-

Pm PROVEN

WINNERS

,.. ...... . ·· ·"''

COLOR , ICHOIC£

,,

style OUTSIDE JOB Get fresh air all day, working in the garden STORY BY DAMARIS COLHOUN

A LIGHT ANYWHERE Made of silicone rubber, the Uto by Lagranja Design/Foscarini is flexible lighting at its best. The Uto can stand up, hang down or snake along the floor (and into your garden). $573. SUITE New York, NYC, 212-421-3300, suiteny.com

A INVISIBLE OFFICE The concept behind B-uro, from the Belgian design firm Colect , was to create a piece of office furniture t hat didn't feel Uke office furniture. B-uro's Etch A Sketch form has an abstract, decorative quality; that one might slip int o its seat to polish off some paperwork seems secondary. Made from powderlacquered MDF, it works indoors and out. $8,015. Through Glottman, Miami, 305-4383711, glottman.com. Colect, 011-32-51-4083-37, colect.be. Through ABC Carpet & Home, NYC, 212 -473-3000

>- SPACE IN A JIFFY Need to build an outdoor office in a hurry? Call kitHAUS; t heir insulated, prefabricated structures -made from aluminum, glass and ipe wood feat ure a propriet ary clamping system that allows t hem to be installed in a mat ter of days (no heavy equipment required). Allow four to six weeks for delivery. Starting at $32,450. kitHAUS K3, through Design Within Reach, 4 15-676-6648 or 800-9442233, dwr.com. More models available at kitHAUS, 415-676-6648, kithaus.com 32 GAR 0 EN 0 E SIGN

MAY 09

o International _ _ _ __

.~CASUAL Accessor ies - - - - -- -- Mar kef"

SEPTEMBER 21-24, 2009 M- W : 8:30AM - 6PM. TH: 8:30AM - 4PM FLOORS 15, 16 & 17 M- W : 9AM - 6PM. TH : 9AM-4PM FLOORS 7 & 8

THE MERCHANDISE MART IN CHICAGO

Register at casualmarket.com I 800.677.6278

Ill

... -~~~11•· ·· ••

nn:i

,, _ PI

~

DRY UNDERFOOT

Danskina's Knot rug might have a t rad itional, loomlike feel (it is hand-knotted), but the t echnology is top-notch. It's this mix of old and new that makes Knot transitional; it pairs as easily with lacquer finishes as it does with wooden ones. Woven from 100-percent polypropylene yarn, Knot is waterproof and can be hosed down for clean· ing. Also available in coral, white or silver. $93 per square foot. Karkula, NYC, 212-645-2216, karkula.com

Y DREAM OFFICE If prefabricated-building kits lie on one end of the spec· trum, Tanglewood Conservatories, a Maryland-based atelier that specializes in custom garden rooms, lies on the other. Whether it's a conservatory you're after, or a 19th-century copper dome to cap off an existing structure, Tanglewood's designs are the stuff dream offices are made of. 800·2292925, tanglewoodconservatories.com

(STYLE NOTES) "We created a series of garden meeting rooms for the California Endowment with bamboo 'walls' for privacy, and wooden benches built into the planters along with movable cafe seating and tables to create flexible seating configurations." - Samantha Harris, ASLA, senior associate, Rios Clementi Hale Studios, Los Angeles "People are working from home more. We have two lawyer cl.ients in Los Angeles who were tired of commuting, and their home-office space was too cluttered and trampled by the kids. With kitHAUS, they have a separate, self-contained space where they can lock the door. They feet they are more productive." - Tom Sandonato. designer, president and co-founder, kitHAUS, Los Angeles "The outdoor stainless-steel grill and refrigerator setup brought the kitchen outdoors. The living-room environment is now being extended into the outdoors with furniture that is soft, comfortable and upholstered, fluffy pillows included. The office is following suit." - John Erik, owner and creative director, Karkuta, NYC

A TOUGH TECHNOLOGY Panasonic's Toughbooks are not designed to be house cats. This F8 model is categorized as "business-rugged," which means it will survive being dropped or spilled upon. And, wit h its global mobile Internet. this lightweight model let s you access real-time information from j ust about anywhere. If you plan to seriously rough it, try t he Toughbook 30, which comes with a sunlight viewable screen and 40 percent more battery power. Toughbook F8, $2,600; Toughbook 30, $3,600. 888-223-1012 or 800·662·3537, panasonic.corn ~

MUSICAL CHAIRS

Made from lightweight aluminum, the stackable Ice Chair by Kasper Salta makes it easy t o move between indoor spaces and outdoor ones. Available in nine colors, the Ice Chair is also a surefire way to inject a shot of color into any environment. $787. SUITE New York, NYC, 212-421-3300, suiteny.com 34 GARDEN DESIGN

MAY 09

-

-

swatch watch SCULPTURAL STATEMENTS Make yours with these bold, modern, green fabrics STORY BY MEGAN PADILLA• PHOTOGRAPHY BY JON WHITTLE STYLING BY CHELSEA STICKEL & JASON CHAMPION

you d0 n't have to

commission a contemporary artwork to make a statement in your modern garden room. There is a dizzying array of bold outdoor fabrics to help you set the stage. In our version (shown at left), the architectural shape ofDedon's Phoenix lounge chair (shown with the Zofa side table) and Dedon's line of bold textiles are the perfect complement to the giant timber bamboo (Bambusa o!dhamii) sculpture by David Young of D\VY landscape Architects in Sarasota, Florida. All Dedon fabrics are produced by the best mills and manufa.cturers in Italy, including Arazzo (solid fabric) and Rubelli (leaf pattern). "Fashion is made in Italy and so are our fabrics," says Nicola Rapetti, design director ofDedon Worldwide. SEE SOURCEBOOK FOR MORE INFORMATION, PAGE BB

Opposite: Go for bold with JANUS et Cie's Leaf print in Green by Dedon {456-03-075-51-00), a yarn-dyed jacquard weave available in several colorways, including Champagne and Silver. $181 per yard. Use with t he complementing solid weave. shown in Solid Green (45621-075-51-00). $92 per yard. 800-245-2687, janusetcie.com. Above f rom left: (1) The contemporary stripes in Kravet's Escher in Grass (28101-130) is part of t he indoor / outdoor Wat erworks collection of high-performance and low-maintenance fabrics. $145 per yard. To the trade. 800-645-9068, kravet.com. (2) Ka likia is woven t o mimic dyed canvas wit h a Fijian color palette. such as lush greens wit h a pop of ruby chenille. $173 per yard. 205-987-3100 or 888-868-4267, summerclassics.com. (3) Osborne & Little's Monserrat (color 02) is a reversible tropical-leaf print, abst ract in its composition. To t he trade. 877-322-7420, osborneandlittle.com. (4) Moroccan-inspired Tang ier in Parrot, by Nomi, features the same arched, curving lines found on buildings throughout t he ancient capital city. The fully reversible woven fabric creat es a built-in coordinate. To t he t rade. 831-728-4335, nomiinc.com. See additional swatches at gardendesign.com/swatchwatch MAY 09 GARDEN DESIG N

37

rden gourmet LOBSTER BOIL Spring is the time for refined seafood dining STORY BY LAUREN GRYMES

For a classic garden-party menu, nothing says highstyle elegance like lobster. ln the modern outdoorkitchen realm, appliances available for lobster and other shellfish preparation are rising beyond the tried-and-true grilL 'Ober-powerful side burners and compact grills speed things up. And when the openair dinner is presented on hard-wearing furniture with stylish tableware, suddenly setting out a beautiful, succulent spread is as carefree for the hostess as slipping on her favorite little black dress.

A MAINE COURSE Dining on lobster needn't be intimidating when you've got handy tools like these from Williams-Sonoma. The Lobster Picks are $49.95 for a set of four, the Lobster Pliers are $49.95 each (only at select stores), and the Mauviel copper ~uart butter warmer is $99.95 (only at select stores). The Flipper bamboo cutting board, $49.95, was designed by chef and author Curtis Stone; flip the board in its tray (not shown) to keep your meat and veggie chopping surfaces separate. 877-812·6235, williams-sonoma.com. The woven and stain-resistant out door fabric, Coordonnee by DelGreco Textiles is from the Paule Marrot Editions collection; shown in Nuit. To the trade. 866· 485·4080, delgrecotextiles.com ~

ROOM IN THE VIEW

The best table in the house is outside the house when your party gathers around Gloster's dignified Halifax dining arrangement. Formal without being fussy, the furniture is made of finely crafted teak; the longest of the two extending tables ($5,236 for the small table and $5,880 for the large table) reaches to an impressive 126 inches. The dining chair is $868 with arms and $784 without arms. 434-575·1003, gloster.com

BARTLETT. BECAUSE EVERY TREE IS A FAMILY TREE.

PRU NI NG . FERTILIZATION . PEST & DISEASE MANAGEME NT . R.EMOVA L PLEASE CALL 877 BARTLETT 877 .227 .8538 OR VISIT BARTLETT. COM

(

-<(

BASIC BLACK

Le Creuset's new Black Onyx collection makes its classic cookware all the classier. The 5'12-quart enameled cast-iron Round French Oven is so gorgeous, it can go from its work on the grill or side burner to the dinner table without changing a thing. $230. 877-273-8738, lecreuset.com

A BOILING POINT The Lynx gas-fired Power Burner is a dinner accessory worth donning. It has a dual-ring cast-brass burner that can be ramped up to an extreme 46,000 BTUs. The grate is made to hold subst antial stockpots - Low Country boil, anyone? Other features include easy-to-see controls lit w ith blue LEOs, a fully extendable drip pan and a removable stainlessst eel cover. $1,991. 888-879-2322, lynxgrills.com

A BOLD OVER Add a splash of citrus to the tablescape with the sublime Sumo two-handle bowl in lime by Ekobo. The practical, versatile pieces can be used for salad or as a catchall for cast off seafood shells. Green isn't just the color of the bowl: Each one is handmade by Vietnamese artisans out of their local, and sustainable, bamboo. $125.866-7559079, conranusa.com

>- SURF & TURF The Fuego Electric Grill makes quick, clean and oh-so-stylish work out of meal prep. The compact design (planned wit h apartment balconies in mind) and electric power are contemporary enough to keep this version of the classic barbeque on the cutting-board edge. Made of st ainless steel, with slat e and t eak countertops and cast-iron grill grates. $1,799. 800-940-1170, smithandhawken.com

40 GARDEN DESIGN

MAY09

Designer Style ... on a do-it-yourself budget. The 4"x 8" Harvard Paver,. from Oldcastte•. A classic shape plus a touch of natural stone textures. Rich color blends that complement any style of decor or architecture. Create Intricate or simple patterns. The possibilities are endless.

c-_. .,

www.MyOidcastle.com • Shown wiUI the Brennan• StoM WilL ........li
0

Oldcasttti

Available at

li•IWiit

~- s-o~~oot-..-·

living green CREATIVE CONTROL Grasses guru John Greenlee and landscape architect Ron Herman join forces at a Mediterranean-style estate in California STORY BY JENNY ANDREWS• PHOTOGRAPHY BY SAXON HOLT

THE WORD MEADOW HAS A ROMANTIC AURA ABOUT IT - billowing grasses, dancing wildflowers, flitting butterflies. Jt all sounds so dainty and ethereal - and simple. But a meadow is also complex, durable and the epitome of all that is earthy. And John Greenlee has been utterly seduced by them. Owner ofGreenlee Nurseries near Los Angeles and widely acknowledged master ofornamental grasses, Greenlee has been in love with meadows since they towered over his head as a boy growing up in California. Now, after decades of working with meadow ecologies, he also understands their unique design potential, which is the inspiration for his upcoming book, The American Meadow Garden: Creating a Natural Alternative to the Traditional Lawn (Timber Press), due out this fall. While he has been honing the concept of "designed meadows" for the past 15 years (Greenlee prefers the word meadow to praitie, feeling thatprame implies vastness while meadows have more sense of place), a perfect chance for Greenlee to put his ideas into practice presented itself when Carole Marks contacted him looking for a way to complete 42 GARDEN DESIGN

MAY

09

Above: Part of John Greenlee's "Mediterranean meadow madness" at the Marks home in Woodside, California, a mix of grasses and bulbs surrounds a fire pit designed by Ron Herman. The stone wall doubles as a bench, making a perfect spot to sit within the meadow and look back at the house. her garden at her Mediterranean-modern-style home (designed by Stephen Arnn of AGG Design) in Woodside, California. And Greenlee was additionally excited that he would be complementing an existing garden designed by noted landscape architect Ron Herman. Marks had been searching for a solution to the 2-acre-plus unfinished part ofher landscape, which included a wild area and drainage swale along a small creek. When she and contractor Mick Fox of Fox landscape and Irrigation Inc. saw Greenlee's designed meadow at the 2007 San Francisco Flower &Garden Show, Marks remembers, "I saw John's garden, and immediately fell in love with the concept." Greenlee refers to the situation as a best-case scena1io- an exquisite house set on property large enough (8 acres) and close enough to nature to do something really interesting, Herman's solid design, and a team of

I

-.:#;--

living green client, contractor and designer who were immediately on the same page. The lofty goal was to make the meadow "look like God did it" and be the connective tissue between Herman's more "naturalistic formal" plantings near the house and the surrouncling Califomia landscape. Greenlee set about installing 50 or so varieties of grasses and grassy plants, to which he added hundreds of what he calls "meadow sweeteners" -those plants that groove with grasses and add that certain something, whether it's flowers or seedheads, when "drizzled" through the meadow. For the sweeteners, he turned to perennials like lupines, kniphofias and yarrow, and bulbs like daffodils. (While most of us think of bulbs as isolated clumps or sweeps in a formal border, most are actually native to meadow ecologies.) The sheer variety of plant matelial on call for the Marks garden made a detailed plan on paper impossible, but Greenlee is accustomed to designing on the spot (he likens it to weaving fabric but in three climensions). The end result is what he calls "Mecliterranean meadow madness." But Greenlee points out that it would not have worked if there weren't already good bones to wrap the fabric around, and he gives full credit to Herman for that. In fact, Greenlee felt some pressure at the prospect of adcling to a Ron Herman garden: "The bar was raised pretty high." But Greenlee has worked with a roster of notable garden designers Andrea Cochran, Nancy Powers, Robett Itwin, Jack Chandler - and he was honored to add Herman to the list. Though th.e two designers have distinctly different modus operandi, Herman feels that the contrast between his garden and Greenlee's "only enhances our work." The merge was made seamless in part because both designers had

Above: A planting of lupines is part of the perennials component of Greenlee's designed meadow. Left: With its russet tones and swordlike leaves, Phormium makes a good companion for wispy Mexican feather grass, Nassella tenuissima. Bottom: One of several t erraces in the Marks garden becomes a nexus where the Herman part of t he landscape (foreground) meets the Greenlee meadow (background). Opposite: At t he entry to t he guesthouse, Herman used pavers as a permeable, "implied" patio, and a drought-tolerant combination of Phormium, Rudbeckia, Perovskia, fVIiscanthus and black mondo grass.

sustainability in mind. Herman's landscape, completed in 2007, has a dry stream for runoff cachement, drought-tolerant plants, a sloped lawn for efficient water use and permeable pathways of natural materials. While sustainable ideas have been around awhile (one example is the use of clay tiles to channel rainwater in Hollywood in the 1940s), the real push dming the past 10 years h as touched everyone. Herman notes that all his new projects have elements ofsustainability. Greenlee's meadow is as green as it gets, with its drought tolerance, species diversity, lack of chenlical dependency and magnetic attraction for wildlife. As one of the most vocal proponents for finding replacements for the standard lawn, Greenlee sees meadows as an obvious solution. One of the key aesthetic components that connects the work ofboth designers is the view - from the house looking out as well as from the meadow looking back. The organized arrangement near the house of grasses like Miscanthus and blue fescue, and p erennials including black-eyed Susan, lavender, Russian sage and Phonnium, finds 44 G AR 0 E N 0 E SIG N

MAY 09

counterpoints and echoes in the grassy, wildflowerdotted meadow beyond, and vice versa. An oversize fire pit designed by Herman affords a cozy spot to sit in the midst of the meadow (what better way to enjoy a Zen moment or eyeball wildlife). For Greenlee, being in a meadow, as opposed to just looking at it from afar, is critical- Herman calls the immersion experience an "unexpected delight." The concept ofsequencing also found its way into both Greenlee and Herman portions of the landscape. Herman created a garden oflayers, employing a series of terraces and walkways and 90-degree turns, partly hiding one area from the next. The pathways continue to meander through Greenlee's meadow, which has fingers that extend through the property. The meadow is itself the embodiment of sequencing, moving in and out of sun and shade, with swathes ofshorter and taller grasses and perennials, and a strong connection to seasonal change. Strolling among the waving grasses, as Carole Marks often does, stopping to sit on a bench "and just take in the beauty and peacefulness," it's easy to connect to Greenlee's early days oflying in a field watching douds float overhead, and to understand why, for him, meadows are magic. ,.

MEADOW MAKING SELECT There's more than one way to plant a meadow. Sowing seeds can be cheaper, but installing plants can bring it to fruition faster. Or you can do both- plant some grasses and perennials as anchors, and sow seeds in between. Annuals (regionally appropriate ones) can be used to give immediate gratification the first year, t hough over time most will disappear as the perennial plants gain ground. Beware of overly aggressive plants, native and not, or you will wind up with a monotonous mass of limited species. And keep weeds under control.

SITUATE There's more than one type of meadow. You can tailor your approach to t he dist inctive plant life of your region, your soil type, moisture conditions and hardiness zone. Prairie Nursery in Wisconsin even offers seed mixes that are low growing, deer resistant, clay happy and butterfly friendly. Take stock of your conditions first: If you have a great location for a moist meadow in Ohio, a Mediterranean meadow is not the best idea.

SATISFY There's more than one way to maintain a meadow. Remember, however, that any meadow or prairie planting is a long-t erm commitment and does require regular input. Some people do controlled burns every two or three years [Install fire breaks and keep the fire department info rmed), but mowing once a year in t he spring works also. Both burning and mowing keep woody plants from getting a foothold, enrich the soil and stimulate new plant growt h.

SEE SOURCEBOOK FOR MORE INFORMATION, PAGE 88

M A Y 0 9 GA R0 EN 0 ES I GN

45

The Tenuta Banna castle, wiTHTHETALLEsT TOWER IN PIEDMONT, ITALY, BELONGS TO ONE OF THE REGION'S MOST BEAUTIFUL ESTATES, AND ITS SETIING IS THE STUFF OF FAIRY TALES. IT PRESIDES OVER A LAKE THAT reflects the pale-yellow intonaco - a spedal kind of plaster that turns any surface into a canvas - and many small gardens where infinite roses bloom from summer through fall. Tt is the very evocation of a Titian painting. Twelve miles south of Torino, Tenuta Banna (ten uta means "estate" in Italian) revels in its past as much as it looks toward the future. As bucolic as ever, though infinitely more democratic these days, the Banna estate was a fief in medieval times. Then, in 1785, along with its surrounding villages. Banna was named a principality that was sold many times until its present owners, the Spinola family, acquired it in the early 2oth century. "The garden ofBanna is a place where both Marchese and Marchesa Spinola express their love for beauty. flowers, trees and architecture," says Paolo Pejrone. a renowned Italian landscape architect and founder of the Piedmontese Garden Academy, who in 1995 redesigned and res tored the gardens ofTen uta Banna. "The enclosed gardens are organized like a Persian carpet," says Pejrone. "I picked a very childish manner of doing the garden: simply, and a little whimsically." The landscape is organized into five walled gardens arranged into an L-shape around a larger rectangular courtyard, flanked by the castle and the tower on one side, and 691 acres of farm on the other, where hay is left growing tall in the fall and daffodils announce the arrival of spring in sweeping masses. There are white and red oaks, cypresses and clumps of bamboo so well adapted that Above: The Tenuta Banna castle reflecting on one of Banna's four lakes. Some parts of t he castle date back to the 11th century; the estat e has been in t he Spinola family since t he early 20t h century. Opposite: An arch heavy with roses shades a slate path planted with irises and lavender in one of the enclosed wall gardens.

48

Opposite: Yew hedges flank the entrance to one of the intimate walled gardens featuring an antique square fountain in the center. "No matter where you are in t he garden, you are always in a cozy room;• says Pejrone. Below: All of the roses chosen for the garden were selected for their f ragrance and repeat blooming.

they look as if they grew naturally from seeds planted centuries ago. A secret garden and potager grace the estate's medieval church, near the castle. The darling of the five walled outdoor rooms is the rose garden. "The most important aspect in choosing the roses," says Pejrone, "was their fragrance. They ali had to have a strong scent and repeat blooming." On balmy nights, douds of attar seem to form above the bubblegurnpink 'Queen Elizabeth' and white 'Iceberg' pa1t erres. Each of the planted squares bursts with blooms, enclosed by geometrical box hedges. Rosa 'Paul Neyron' forms a thid< dark-pink layer above the plants with their 6-inch-wide blooms. When the garden was being created, Guillot, a nursery based in Lyon, France, that has been dedicated to the creation and marketing of new roses since 1834, made a hybrid just for Tenuta Banna and named it Rosa Orsola Spinola® after its owners. The Orsola Spinola® hybrid (a shrub rose with blossoms of silve1y-pink) is part of Guillot's Generosa® collection of "new old roses," which have an abundance of perfume, blooms, form and color variety. The backdrop to the rose garden is the large-flowered Rosa 'Mme Alfred Carriere', which is white when first open, then acquires a pink blush as the blooms age. The abundance of roses in the garden includes those that open quicldy and reveal their essence too soon; those which are perfectly spherical at the center with some outer oval petals just flattening out; and others that seem to come from the tulle ruffles of a can-can dancer. "Like a timed performance, the roses finish just before the first snow arrives in November," explains Pejrone. Growing these plants and making them bloom in abundance involved many years of horticultural failure. The soil at Banna is solid clay, and nothing except lindens and London planetrees prospered. But with the dedication of many local gardeners working on the estate through the years, the soil improved and new species have been introduced. Beside the rose garden is another enclosed garden featuring a square stone fountain at the center of a lawn, surrounded by magenta begonias and the crabapple Malus 'Red Sentinel'; it could be the perfect enclave to fine-turte a sonata. In fact, each year since 2004, the Spinola Hanna Foundation has offered young music and contemporary-art students a residency where

Above: Beds filled exclusively with Rosa 'Iceberg' in the rose garden. Opposite: Pejrone redesigned what was once the priest's kitchen garden off the annexed church adjacent to the castle into the secret garden. He turned an old cistern into a fountain. Behind it , a Clematis 'Viola' brings color to the back wall.

54

they can use the gardens as their muse to create new works. "All the parts of the garden are very sheltered, so despite being in a huge estate, you are always in a cozy room," says Pejrone. The other three enclosed gardens are designed on a straight line, with au tumn-flowering perennials in the English-cottage style, an herb garden and an outdoor room with four linden trees shading a round stone table. There is a purposeful contrast between the umbra of this last room and the large sunny courtyard beside it where an upright and rather stiff bladdernut shrub (Staphylea colchica) with dangling white panicles presides over a bed of white irises and lavender. From the courtyard. one can smell the scent from the blooms of the Southern magnolia in the rose garden perfuming the crisp mornings of spring, while the many apple trees along the walls blossom in shades of pale pink and white. To the side of the castle is a large, medieval brick structure with an annexed church. Pejrone turned what was once the priest's kitchen garden into a "secret garden," planted with Chinese and Japanese wisterias. The collection ranges from the common white and purple Wisteria sinensis to lilac Wisteria jloribunda along the wall, with panicles reaching almost 3 feet in length. The wisteria is a great complement to the languorous peonies growing in the beds below, used in flower arrangements around the house. Next to the secret garden, tarragon, rosemary, tomatoes and leafY greens grow in an organic potager, neatly hedged in a diamond pattern. Pejrone turned an old cistern into a fountajn, where red, pink and white rose blossoms float across the surface. The back wall of the fountain is covered with a dark-purple clematis, adding vibrancy to the otherwise placid scene. There is a wilder look to the space between the castle and the church. Here, long, heavy limbs of old trees lean toward the ground, and the grass grows tall. A weeping beech and a 300-yearold London planetree shade a carpet of winter aconites and Scilla siberica, planted some 50 years ago. Jn ways, this mix of old and newer plants mimics the contrast between the antique buildings and the modern areas of the garden. "Tenuta Banna is a place full of peace," says Pejrone. "There are only a few gardeners working quietly in the garden at any given time, never with mototized equipment, so that it almost seems like another century. Banna is a forgotten place, with no sense of time." ,.

56

he morning ofher son's graduation party, Mara Seibert walked out onto the terrace of her Short Hills, New Jersey, home and gazed out over the wide, gentle slope of the lawn. The sun was streaming its yellow tendrils through the trees, and she could see the pond in the distance. After days of attending to plans and details, it was time to celebrate. Her son, Nick, would be graduating from Millbum High School this week. ln truth, preparations for this day had gone on for years, in the raising of her son, but also in the making of the garden - which was to be the setting for the party. The English Arts and Crafts house, which Mara and her family moved into in 1993, when her son was little and just before her daughter was born, was built in 1907 with Gothic arches and stone culled from what became the pond out back. Mara, who is half of Seibert & Rice, the company specializing in terra-cotta pottery from lmpruneta, Italy, has taken her time with the garden - a whole 16 years. Even now, who can say the garden is finished? "The garden continues to evolve, and I keep fine-tuning it so 1 can keep its sophisticated yet simple look and parklike appeal," Seibert says. In 2004 she hired landscape designer Richard Hartlage, based out of Washington state, to rethink, edit and remake the landscape, Opposite: Ken Selody, of Attock Farm in Somerset, New Jersey, designed container plantings for each of Seibert & Rice's Artisan Rolled Rim and smaller Rolled Rim terra-cotta planters, choosing variegat ed ginger, Begonia boUviensis, Coprosma, Eucomis and 'Lemon Twist' plectranthus to set off the colors and textures of the patio decor. Right: Mara Seibert (at left) and her son Nick greet their family friends, Anthony and Maureen Monaco. Below: In the side yard, switch grass was planted in front of a flowering dogwood, near a hedge of 'Walker's Low' catmint.

59

which was originally documented in the 1930s by the Garden Club of America, and exterior decorator John Danzer, who is just 25 miles east in Manhattan, to style the terrace. When the family moved in, the lawn leading to the pond was almost covered with trees and ivy. But Hartlage cleaned out the grounds to reveal the landscape's fine bones. Later, it was Hattlage who had seen that the tangle of trees to the south of the house could be cut back and become home to a shade garden, its paths paved with pea gravel and lined with boxwood and astilbes. It was remarkable how the garden, just like the terrace, was so accommodating- with plenty of room for a party of 50, and a place of quiet and solitude just for one. Danzer didn't blink an eye when Seibert first listed her program for the terrace some eight years ago when they started discussing this project. It needed to seat a few people for cocktails plus offer a place to lounge and flexible dinner seating for the immediate family - or a crowd. "Not a problem," he had said, "just look at the terrace as if it were a loft- the furniture arrangement has to be adaptable." Eventually, he designed a line of steel-gray furniture, the Seibert Collection, originally just for her, its colors and fabrics coordinating with the blue stone patio and the stone on her house. On party day, Seibert's good friend and business partner, lenore Rice, arrived by 3 o'clock to make shish kebobs for the grill. Seibert planned a seasonaJ menu - salmon. shish kabobs and aJI variety of salads - and floral and event designer Jerry Rose had come up with the patty concept and decor. He had chosen a color palette of red, orange and apricot, just right for Nick's big day, and Rose's floral Above: Custom-designed by John Danzer for this patio, the chairs and chaise are covered in Big Stripe from Perennials fabrics. The teak Fenlake lounges and dining armchairs are also original to Danzer's firm, Munder-Skiles. The handmade terra-cotta bench is from Seibert & Rice. All coordinate with the stone of the patio and house. Right : Lenore Rice and Mara Seibert grill shish kebobs and salmon on t he KitchenAid grill. Opposite: Before t he meal, Nick and his friends hang out in the shade garden.

60

arrangements looked particularly stunning against the terra cotta of the Seibert & Rice pots. At the moment, Rose was overseeing the buffet·table decorations out on the patio. Nick's friends were all there, and then the Monacos drove up - they have always been like second family. The line be· tween the preparations and the party itself blurred as Seibert's guests clustered around the grill, and Nick pushed his friend Kerry Cullen on a h·ee swing outside. A stream of company continued to anive. Seibe1t geshrred to eve1yone that dinner was ready - and from every area of the garden, pa1ty goers converged on the terrace and huddled around the buffet. Then they took to the b ack lawn with their food, where Rose had placed the b ar and a group ofhigh tables, around which people stood while they ate. From her seat on the terrace, Seibert could watch the party unfold like a play. This was the party the garden had been in the making for. Like Nick, it had now come into its own. ,. SEE SOURCEBOOK FOR MORE INFORMATION, PAGE 88

(JERRY ROSE'S PARTY Pl.AN) > Develop a color palette that suits both the occasion and each outdoor room, and stick with it! > Use the same flowers in each floral arrangement, but vary the theme by swapping t he colors of t he flowers. > Food should look like food - don't let your imagination run amuck. Just arrange food on the plates to look attractive and edible. > Cover large urns with removable round glass or stone tops. The urns can act as garden sculpture and t hen double as tabletops du ring a party. The bigger the urns, the better. > Hang lanterns and candle-lit chandeliers from t he trees and set candles on the tabletops. Lighting is everything.

63

Left: Entertaining terrace at one side of the house offers views of the garden and sculpture - but never more than one piece at a time. Left, below: Ellsworth Kelly's stainless-steel sculpture, resting on gray gravel at the front entry, sets the tone for modern pieces inside the main garden. Opposite: A terrace off the master bedroom overlooks a stone-edged rill bubbling down a slope and flanked by ferns and other shade-lovers.

eople don't ask to touch the Lichtenstein hanging on your wall. But in this leafy-green Pennsylvania garden, they ask if they can walk on the outdoor art. Such is the magnetism of the sculpture collection's natural forms and materials that garden visitors are drawn to the pieces as they might be to a sun-sparkled stream or shaggy-barked patriarchal tree. Visitors amble along, but are req uested not to walk on, a shimmering slate homage to the nearby Schuylkill River- family dogs, deer and foxes are not shy about stepping on it. People stroH with awe through the massive steel panels of a piece by Richard Serra. Children sometimes sit on the stone bases of a trio of striking stainless-steel figures, and birds fly through and around them. The garden shows the power of outdoor art to connect with nature, to seem to spring naturally from the earth and draw people in deep, intuitive ways that can go beyond the experience of viewing art in a gallery or in a home. The garden is in the historic Main Line suburbs west of Philadelphia, developed in the 19th century by the Pennsylvania Railroad that ran through the area. Tt's a region of rolHng hills, creeks and, at one time, many meadows near the Schuylkill River. The tradition includes gracious homes on large properties with big trees and lawns and formal style. The 1940 classic movie The Philadelphia Story took place there. Nearby, the elegant and eclectic Chanticleer, once an estate and now a public garden, shows the area's horticultural potential and design legacy. The owners of this garden bought the property in 1990. They renovated the origirlalt88os house and called irl Charlie Gale and his son, Chuck, of Gale Nurseries in nearby Gwynedd, to redesign and rebuild the garden for today. The Gales created a walled forecourt in front, cleared u nhealthy trees, replaced antiquated plantings, developed an exquisite entry to the bacl< garden, added terraces, redid the swimming pool, created a rill and shade garden, and overall provided an organization that made the garden much more usable for enjoyment and entertaining. 66

(A later purchase of an adjacent property added a meadow and ancient apple orchard.) Most of the property remained in natural meadows and woodland a perfect backdrop for what was to come. The turning point came when the owners began incorporating art into the restored home. They started out looking for "English sporting art," which may have complemented the style of the original home, but discovered that their tastes ran more to the contemporary. They went with contemporary throughout the home - and, soon after that, outdoors as well. With four major works now in place, the piece that "defines the main vista of our property," according to the owners, is called SchuyLkill River Line by Richard Long. Long has described many of his site-specific pieces as "a1t made by wal1king," and walking is what he did to start here. The owners invited him to their home in 2001 and tumed over the assignment to him. It was a somewhat "scary process," they say, respectfully entrusting the artist to "do whatever you think." Long strolled the property, and after he got to know it, traced an outline a few feet from the back terrace and down the lawn for 435 feet. Gale Nurselies dug a 4-foot trench 4 inches deep and covered it with a loose-gravel mix. Long went to work, and on two summer days, with temperatures topping 90 degrees, put in place by hand 13 tons of red slate slabs from Granville, New York. The work replicates the natural course and lyrical spirit of the meandering river. As Long says in one ofhis dictums, "Sculpture could now be about place as well as material and form." If the river flows silently, the Richard Serra piece Vice-Versa is anything but. The owners call it "imposing": two somewhat parallel panels of Cor-ten steel, t6 feet tall, 40 feet long - large enough to make watching sunlight on it a special experience. The owners say Serra had never seen his full piece installed in the open (though he'd seen it inside a gallery in Chelsea) and liked the way it "breathed" in the garden. The Conversation, by Spanish sculptor Jaume Plensa, is a grouping of three figures made of a mash-up of random stainless-steel letters of the alphabet. They're faceless since, as the artist says, "No person is ever finished. " The owners asked Plensa to investigate the property, and he selected a spot apart from the other sculptures, with a simple grassy knoll to set off the figures, resting

Opposite: Sculptor Richard Long's river of red slate, embedded in the sloping lawn, resembles the natural course of the nearby Schuylkill River. Right, top: A gate leads to the back garden through a hedge of Thuja plicata. In the foreground, a curvy barberry hedge matches the geometric spirit of contemporary sculpture; it is precisely pruned to display an open groove down its center. Right: More garden geometry appears around the simple rectangular pool, with formally arranged sitting areas.

69

Left: Living sculpture is a leaning apple t ree, near a venerable orchard. Left, be· low: The rill ends downslope in a circular pond designed with the curving bench in mind. Opposite: Light plays off Richard Serra's monumental piece, 16 feet tall by 40 feet long, creating everchanging colors and patterns.

on stone bases. The owners can view them from their home office, and with their lightness and see-through quality and the natural poses of their convers· ing, they add a note of serenity and, in the winter, magic, their bases covered with snow and sunlight gleaming off them. If you've ever struggled with hanging pictures on a wail, you can imagine what placing sculptures in a garden is like. The owners, working with Chuck Gale, wanted to avoid a "carnival look," with a midway of sculptures to view. Each is displayed in its own area, any two of them separated by a wall of ever· greens (mainly Leyland cypress). While viewing one piece, at most you get just a glimpse of another. To view aU, you stroll from one to the next, like moving from one room in a gallery to the next. You take in each for what it is -the individual piece and its setting reinforcing one another. The rest of the garden, as su bstantial and lovely as it is, also revolves around sculpture and is designed to highlight, not compete with it. Plantings are delib· erately understated, with few flowers to distract from the art. One exception is a flourish of annuals in an old fountain surround brought onto the property and filled with lacy purple Verbena bonariensis and the heirloom Verbena 'Homestead Purple' - a rich combination that blooms all season. An entertaining terrace, sized to fit tents for parties, was sited with viewing art in mind. By moving around on the terrace, guests can view the Long and Serra pieces. The sculptures seem to invite guests into the garden for a closer look. The low-key pool area offers open views of the garden. Matching terraces at either end hold identical sets offurniture similarly arranged. The main planting consists of the long-blooming, low-maintenance 'Carefree Wonder' shrub rose. A smaller terrace off a master-bedroom suite overlooks a 1ill built with local stone, flowing down to a pond and bench at the bottom of the slope. The flanking shade garden relies on texture and greenery, not flowers, for interest: red buds and white flowering dogwoods with an understory ofcolumbines, Siberian iris, ferns and Lamium. The overall effect is much like the sculpture collection: minimal and clear in form, sturdy and natural in material, deep in the emotions inspired. I" SEE SOURCEBOOK FOR MORE INFORMATION, PAGE BB 70

hen I grow up, I want to be a garden!" Alexandre Thomas, the little boy who said that some 40 years ago is now a star of the French garden world. After training at the Gembloux landscape architecture school in Belgium, he went on to transform the plot around his childhood home in Normandy into a major showcase garden, called Les Jardins Agapanthe (Agapanthus), after a favorite Aower. It resembles its maker: original, elegant, full of subtle charm, meticulously presented but never "uptight," and above all, bubbling over with enthusiasm. Alexandre's mother, Joseline, supported his dream all the way, taking him when he was still a toddler on her rounds to all the local antiques dealers. Today he collects both rare plants and exquisite garden furnishings, which enhance Agapantbe at every turn. Mum helps weed and discretely runs the tea shop. Work on Agapanthe began in 1985, when a Hat surface of about half an acre was bulldozed into contrasting levels - here a sunken field of

lavender, there a mounded bank planting of shrubs such as Mahonia, punc· tuated by delphiniums and Iris germanica. By zooo, the garden planted with about 2,ooo species was composed of three main parts: the Garden of Intimacy (or shady garden), with hellebores, hydrangea and 'White Triumphator' tulips; the sunny Garden of Light, the most open space, suddenly unveiled and planted with dumps of Helichrysum italicum, white 'Iceberg' roses, penstemons and Allium 'Giobemaster'; and finally the Mediterranean gar· den, laid out on stone-wall terraces around an olive tree. By then, the total area covered was more than an acre and seems even larger thanks to a care· fully designed sequence of artfully arranged scenes involving cross-views, corners and clearings suddenly opening into long perspectives. Each picture is richly textured and softly colored, with flowers in blue, pink and white dominating, and punctuated with interesting antiques- urns, vases, gates, fountains, pergolas, benches, tables and chairs. Pathways also vary in tex· ture and tone and are rarely straight, since curves provide both shelter from wind and cold, and screens for dramatic unveilings. The word "scenography" (creating stage scenes) has entered French garden vocabulary in recent years, and Alexandre is both a pioneer and a master of this art. As he says: "Agapanthe is a multifaceted garden contain· ing various secret comers, which multiply the play of light between flowers and leaves. The repetition of evergreens such as yews, bamboos, box and Ceanothus is a thematic thread, leading you from one ambience to another while highlighting the salient features," such as the lavender field or a beau· tiful fountain. About 500 plants of Buxus sempervirens 'Suffruticosa' maintain structure when flowers are sparse, and Alexandre daringly plants the boxwood ·with bamboos and palm trees, a mix that works because of his excellent eye for scale and the garden's immaculate maintenance. "We play around quite a bit with our dippers!" he says. Open spaces are generally paved, but there is no lawn. Alexandre finds it boring and is horrified by the monotony of mowing. He hated the idea that visitors might come when it was not cut! Even without lawn, this garden is 76

the epitome of the Anglo-Norman style, with its emphasis on carefully composed, deliberately photogenic and mainly floral pictures orchestrated for seasonal change, alternating intimate corners along curving paths and long perspectives. It is a garden with chapters and stories to tell and, in spite of the mazelike effect, visitors are carefully guided and directed. To supply the many fountains, a well was drilled, though for irrigation purposes, water is not a problem in this rainy climate. What then of Agapanthe's Mediterranean garden - established long before the current fashion for drought-tolerant landscapes? For Alexandre, it is not a response to climate change nor even an exotic dream, but a chance to experiment with colors and textures in dry-stone walls. gravel, gray foliage, fragrance, ochre-tinged terracing and terra·cotta pots. Although be has favorite species such as hydrangeas, Alexandre cannot say how many genera he has planted. He does not collect for the sake of collecting but chooses his specimens either for their looks or because they are little-known species that catch his fancy, like a pair of giant weeping spruce trees. Always attentive to visitor comfort and expectations, he removed collections of prickly or spiky plants, as his paths are narrow and plantings dense. French garden expert Georges Leveque considers that Agapanthe offers visitors a whole course in gardening, citing Alexandre's approach to bulb planting as an example. Bulbs such as snowdrops and alliums are planted almost touching, with thousands of new ones added yearly. The result is a cloud ofbloom with flowers of all sizes intermingled, adding a poetic charm of variation and unpredictability to an otherwise controlled environment. In buying his antiques, Alexandre deliberately rejects anything evocative of "chateau style," not just to avoid seeming pretentious. Chateau style also implies design symmetry, formal coherence and ties with tradition not appropriate for Agapanthe, where the mood is vivacious and intimate,

almost impressionistic. Buildings here are incidents scattered along the paths, never central or dominating the design. Like plants and objects, they are fragments reassembled by a master magician. Alexandre asks that all elements be nwrquant, or memorable, and that they "compel the eye." Thus he creates a vision ofstrong character unfettered by site memory or utilitarian constraints. Maintaining its "irreproachable" condition takes constant upkeep, involving mainly the leaf blower and the clippers, and meticulous attention to detail (including keeping all pots and vases "permanently in flower"). He takes on extra staff when necessary. The result is an entirely personal wonderland, a world unto its own, a grand show. Agapanthe Two, across the road, is now in the making, adding another two-thirds of an acre of higher, more-open ground. Since the new space affords good views of Agapanthe One, Alexandre links both with one strong shared axis. He is simplifying some of the labyrinthine qualities of the earlier plantings so they will show more clearly from the new garden. Part of his style is to invent as he goes: After a week of antiquing to find a garden gate for the new space, he came up with not one but two, as well as a gothic well and baptismal font! Only when he had decided how to place these could he continue with the plantings (as Alexandre says, "In Agapanthe, decor is paramount"). The plants include many already adult trees, such as 14 umbrella pines (Sciadopitys verticillata), 25 feet tall, placed around a sunken garden of ferns and Phormium. In Agapanthe Two, more open and sunlit, he will also allow stronger colors, not only the pastels of Agapanthe One. Alexandre works first to please himself: "After all, I live here; I don't want anything here I don't like." The brilliant success of Agapanthe brings him clients and outside work that in turn allows him to continue perfecting his own garden. He welcomes visitors (about 6,ooo a year) but prefers groups of serious gardeners, whose responses often guide his plant choices. What he likes best is when visitors tell him that his garden is never the same, pointing out that it is constanlly evolving- much like its owner, who in very real ways has realized his childhood ambition to "become a garden." , SEE SOURCEBOOK FOR MORE INFORMATION, PAGE 88

BO

landscape GARDENS OF FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT Another look at Fallingwater, Taliesin and Taliesin West STORY BY BILL MARKEN • PHOTOGRAPHY BY DEREK FELL

FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT DIED 50 YEARS AGO THIS SPRING, and he still seems alive and kicking- and chastising and prosely· tizing - influencing designers and artists all around the world and fascinating just about everybody with his professional and personal history. Two recent works of fiction are based on his stormy marital and extramarital life. A new book by writer/photographer Derek Fell, The Gardens of Frank Lloyd Wright (Frances Lincoln Publishers), makes a case for Wright as "the greatest landscape architect who ever lived," comparing him to past giants such as England's Lancelot "Capability" Brown and Brazil's Roberto Burle Marx. The large-format, lavishly printed, full-color book is a perfect match of writer and subject. Fell has been photographing and Wlit· ing about gardens since the 196os, has authored more than 100 gardening books and calendars, and regularly contlibutes articles and photographs to magazines, including Garden Design. Among his noteworthy publications are books on gardens of great artists, including Cezanne, Monet and Van Gogh. As Fell relates it, he and his agent were talking: "What artist should we do next?" But no artist-garden combination quite fit the larger-than-life mold of the painters - until Cornelia Brierly brought Fell the idea for a wor· thy successor. 82 GARDEN DESIGN

MAY09

Above Left: In the woods around his classic Fallingwater, Wright placed a quiet plunge pool that contrasts with splashing waterfalls on one side of the house. A favorite Wright touch: adding native plants of the region, in this case white flowering dogwood (Comus florida) and redbud (Cercis canadensis) blooming at the same time. Above Right: In the Midwest farm country of Taliesin, Wright designed a courtyard with a stone walkway and a perennial island bed stuffed with tall pink phlox, red beebalm (Monarda didyma) and low blue salvia.

In her 90s when she spoke with Fell, Brierly had joined Wright's fellowship in the 1930s. She became a landscape architect, and spent her life working on Wright's projects and legacies - even living most of the time at his famous homes at Taliesin and Taliesin West. Brierly opened the gates to Wright gardens and garden lore all across the country. As Fell had done with the artists in his previous books, he tried to "get inside Wright's head." He went to Scotland to study the work of architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh, a major influence on Wright, and to New Zealand for an exhibit on William Morris, of the British Arts and Crafts Movement and another inspiration. In the Yucatan, he explored the Mayan qualities that appear in Wright's gardens as well as his buildings.

AI.ABAMA Preasts Petals & Pottery (Fairhope) PI-t 251-928-6073 The Green Hoose Retail Nursery & landscaping (loxley) PI-t ?.51-964-5644

Plaisirs du Jardin (Port Jervis) PH: 845-85&6::00

wwwlhl>g~cJ 'V'Sei)'CO'Tl

www.rnttlear.....rdlarps.corn

CAUFORNIA Artefact Design & Salvage, Inc (Sonoma) PH: /07 -933-{)660

WindmiU Farm Mari(et (Springboro) PH' 937-885-3965

www.artefactdesignsa:vage.com Big Red Sun (Venice)

PENNSYlVANIA Athena Garden (Delmont) PI-t 724-468-{)063

PH. 512-48D-0688- wv.w.bgredsun com Burkard Nurseries, Inc. (Pasadena) PH: 5?.6-796-4355 'MNW.wrkartlnurser·es com Gardenology (Encinitas) PH: 76G-753-5500- www.garden-ology.com lntn'l Garden & Floral Design Center (EI Segundo) PH: 31D-515-eenler.Corrl Plantl'lay Nursery (carlsbad) PH 76(}730.0012 wwwpla1tplayrVsery CO'Tl Richard Gervais Collection (San Francisco) PI-t 41~~-4:)/9 wvmr~ CO~CTictJT

Oliver Nurseries (Fairfield) PI-t 203-259-5609

www{jjverl U'5el~c:om

IlliNOIS Steel Heart, ltd. {Harvard) PH: 815-943-3465

www.steelheartlm
MICHIGAN Detroit Garden Works {Sylvan lake) PH: 248-335-8089

www.dctro tgurdCOvVOrks r.orn MINNESOTA Tanlrtetown Gardens (Minneapolis) PH: 612-822-4769

'MNW.langtetCN~ngardens.c:om

MISSISSIPPI The Evervday Gardener (Jackson) PH: 606-g81-lJ2'/3

www.theeverydJygardenercom NEW YORK Dimitri's Garden Center (New York) PH: 718-292·3338

wwv1.d m trisgdl'denCPnter com Oodds and Eder (oyster Bay) PH 516-922-4412 \Wffl.dociJsa~COI"1

Evan Peters & Co. (long lslllnd City) PH 718-349-/54:) Y.MW.elfdll)eterr.com Martin V~ette Nurseries (East Norwich) PH: 516-9?.2-5530

~@fr01tier~t

OHIO

Mohican Wind Harps (loudonviUe) PH 419-368-3415

www.Wll1C1'illfarmmai'KElc:om

www.athena--garden corn wvlw.ctiffordfrederlc«s.c:om Mostardi Nursery (Newton Square) PH. 5l0-356-8035 - www mosldrdi corn TENNESSEE Urban Patio (Nashville) PH: 615·730-9764 • www.urbCJl'l)abo.com TEXAS Big Grass Bamboo (San Antonio) FH210-735-7999

wv1w.b.ggrass-bamooo.com Nelson Water Gardens & Nursery Inc (l(aty) PH. 281-391 -4769

wv1w.ne!sonwatergordens.extn The Arbor Gate (Tomball) PH.: 281-351-8851

The

perfect gift.

-IWiJbo'gate com WASHINGTON

Bamford & Bamford Pottery (Tacoma) A-t. 253-272-7244 www~

WISCONSIN The Wreath Factory (Plymouth) PH' 920-893-8700

Mini Pennyn. Hydrangea will be blooming for· all your pecial gift occa 1ons.

www.wreathfactlJiyonlr.e.corn INTERNATIONAL Atlas Pots (North Vancouver, British Columbia) PH.. 604-960-D556

w..vw.atlaspots.com Cameleon Vert (Montreal, Quebec)

PH.: 514-937-2481 www.c.ame.eonverlcom Garden Architecture and Design (Saskatchewan) PH. 306-651·2828

WVIW.gardenarcl'itecture.ca

Kingsbrae Horticultural Garden (St. Andrews, New Brunswick} PH: 506-529-3335

VIV'Iw.kings:Yaegarden.c:om le Marthe Vert Inc. (St. Saveur, Quebec) PH: 4SD-227-2775 aeterboxer@be-lnetca Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park (Grand cayman, cayman Islands) P-i 345-947-9462 • VMW.IxJtcnc-oo '-ky Windergarden (Toronto, Ontario) PH. 416-766-1960

www.wi'lde
Y.MWJ'll(J:l~!Pcom

Muxworthy's Outdoor Furniture {Rochester)

PH: 585-266-5590 Y.MWmJ>MO
Call today to find out how to become a GARDEN DESIGN retailer and be included in this list of exclusive retailers. The GARDEN DESIGN Retail Program offers you magazines for resale in your store and exposure for your shop in every issue of GARDEN DESIGN and on the web-site for one low annual cost. For details call Mala today at 888·259-6753 Ext. 4933 To find out more about our featured retailers visit www.gardendesign.com/newsstands.jsp

Mother's Dny - May 10 Father's Day - June 21 Grandparent's Day - ept IS lnrroducing i\lini Penny,"" n new hydrangea that rtjlflU!frt from early summer into full. The perfect gift for everyone on your li"t fill :.ummer long. ih•mlabk 11alto11allt ala ifnrrlnl aud ()/1-/u,.

U11Ur liMY JUU

A garden you can count on.• WW\\:Gardcncr Conftdencc.com

landscape

Designed with many large (only a handful that are archival) photos, the book focuses on eight residential and public gardens that Wright had a hand in. Whatever and wherever he designed, it's clear that his thinking was way ahead ofhis time- particularly his ideas on organic design, which ring even more true today. Among his many sound-bite dictums, he said: "Learn from nature" and "Organic buildings are bred by native character to environment, married to the ground." This marriage between building and site is what the book celebrates. They are partners, they are one - the landscape is not just a backdrop to showcase the building. And in his role as landscape architect, he was not shy about shaping the site to enhance the whole. He once bought out a whole Phoenixnursety's cactus supply to transform a desert landscape. More than anything else, the book reinforces Wright's mastery of a true American design form, interweaving America's diverse aesthetic influences with the constant, powerful heartbeat of the natural environment. His appreciation and understanding of nature resonates in projects that he designed for three archetypal environments: woods, prairie and desert. 84 GARDEN DESIG N

MAY 09

The Woods: Fallingwater Considered a masterpiece of architecture, this was a weekend retreat in the Pennsylvania woods, started in 1935, cantilevered over a series of waterfalls. We all know the photos and how the bouse looks like it has been there forever, nestled into the forest at every window level. The landscape challenge was to save as much as possible of the natural surroundings, but, as Fell points out, Wright artfully added terraces and plantings. He had such appreciation for the natural beauty of the woodlan d that unlike in his other landscape desngns - he made no specific planting recommendations, although he planted Wies, and there is also wisteria. T he Prajrie: Taliesin Wright's summer home, built in l9ll, wedges into a hillside on his Wisconsin estate. Visitors today see bright prairie wildflowers, scenic farmlands, serene courtyards and miles of views - all reflecting Wright's handiwork. Of special interest is another example of his ahead-of-its-time thinking: his appreciation of the prairie's native flora. At Taliesin, there's still an expanse of prairie garden, created in Wdght's day by plowing and seeding a hillside with native wildflowers such as purple coneflower and black-eyed Susan and many more.

Above: At Taliesin West, Wright worked with the dramatic contrasts of the Arizona desert. Here, horizontal planes of the mountains and buildings, gleaming in the sunrise, backdrop a garden of bold, spiky shapes of yuccas and t he vivid colors of red bougainvillea and a lush green lawn.

The Desert: TaJiesin West Wright's winter home in Scottsdale, Arizona, odginally was Goo acres of raw Sonoran desert: harsh, brown, bot and without water. But in one more display ofrus appreciation for nature, Wright called it "another Eden," admiring the "sheer beauty ofspace and pattern." Cornelia Brierly describes the integration of the buildings with the site, which "begins at ground level with the broad gravel paths and courtyards matching the desert floor." The early landscape plans cailed only for native plants - Wright loved saguaro and cholla cactus - but he later brought in color and greenety with tropicals such as Ficus and Bauhinia. He planted citrus trees to provide fresh orange juice. He tlied palms for a while, but didn't like their scale and removed them. He designed a "sunset patio, n planned for large-scale entettaining at the best time of day for sitting outdoors. Wright's landscapes show how steeped he was in the world of horticulture as well as landscape design. He learned the names and

characteristics of the plants he used, according to the book's foreword by James van Sweden, himself a landscape architect known for naturalistic designs (called "the New American Garden" style) and a populatizer of prairie grasses. Van Sweden says that Wright was "unafraid to obscure his architectural designs with trees or to create bold splashes of color with plants; he created layers of beauty that resulted in a seamless exchange between inside and outside." The book is unexpectedly colorful. rich with pink summer phlox, orange tiger Wies, red bougainvillea and purple dahlias. One wonderful Wright legacy is that you can visit many of his projects, and the book lists 5o-some sites open for public tours. Inspired by Derek Fell's appredation and interpretation of Wright's talent as a landscape architect, I revisited two of his residential designs. Built on the Stanford University campus in 1937, the low and spreading Hanna House snuggles into a hillside and winds around native oaks that were large and mature when ·the house was built - a Monterey cypress pops up through a cutout in the roof One is struck by the straightforwardness of the landscaping: simple industrial materials, such as an expansive tenace of concrete, and raised beds of red brick with the comers joined in an ingenious pattern. A separate garden structure, outfitted with an outdoor fireplace, functions as a pergola. The house was built with an open interior to encourage family interaction (radical for that time), and the openness and simplidty of the exterior spaces seem to set the stage for the same thing. Down the California coast, Wright's Carmel Cottage (also known as the Walker House) gets a full-spread treatment in the book. Not open for tours but visible from Scenk Drive, it is one of the very few homes right on the bay and above the sand. With its low-slung lines ofa dory, the house quietly fits in- especially compared with larger, showboat houses across the street. Wright specified minimal use of plants: a screen of windswept Monterey cypress, a groundcover offat-leaved ice plant. Most of the materials are natural and local, designed to weather and fit in: walls of Carmel stone, a copper roof aged to rich green, a redwood fence. Judging by this example, how good a landscape architect was Frank Uoyd Wright? The way he used local matelials and native plants, how he designed for the site and the ages- we couldn't ask for more of any landscape architect today. ,

ARCHITECTURAL ORNAMENTAL METAL

&

STONE

\Vllelhcr )'OU m dQ1fplln8 a cl.aalina water founL11n. CI"CCOIlni! a prden or Kcnnclh Lynch and Sons, Inc I\ y1,1ur best I:C:$0\Jn;e lor manufncwnng quDhty and c:~celleoce cnhAnt~ng the bc.1u1y of )OUr home.

\'0\lf CJCJPY of our bcnuuruJ 4160 p.1gc: 1:41lllog Tl: Book oj

ScnO UiOO tod:l) lbt Garrkn Omsmu~ttl W1lh 1111

The Ga rden Co nserva ncy's Open Days Directory: The 2009 G aide w Visiting America's Gardens- $21.95

Aft// nlum Edilion

mthxk'CI cunau pnce list

Garden Conservancy and receive our Open Days Directory

FREE

(includes shippi ng and handling)

Order online at gardenconservancy.org/opendays or call toll,free 1,(888),842,2442.

1IJ

~-

BURPE.i:..

Ttm Coo K's P.O. E\.,x 219, CniJ Spring, NY 10516

tnfo@g,trdenct>rlScrv:.tncy.c'tg

GARDEN"

utd• & ,l•nu. l..w JVUnnc:t v.:-~DIL1""

The GarJcn Cun.< enanq•'< Open Day< D~SIGN

Natrona! Med1a Sponsor

W AUee Burpee & Co Nalional Presenting Sponsor

ground breaker PATRICIA URQUIOLA Emerging new diva, now first lady of design STORY BY DONNA DORIAN

OVER THE PAST TEN YEARS, THE SPANISH-BORN, MILANbased Patricia Urquiola has emerged as the exhilarating new diva of contemporary design. In that short time, she has put her stamp on everything from furniture to rugs - for both indoors and out - for the likes of Valentino, Hermes and KnolL Last year alone she debuted new lines of outdoor furniture for Moroso, B&B Italia and emu, added a plastic chair to the ever-edgy Kartell and designed a studio line of porcelain for Rosenthal. No one is surp1ised that at 48, she has already seen three of her pieces (Bague Table Lamp by Foscarini and the Fjord Armchair and Foot Stool by Moroso) enter the collection ofthe Museum of Modem Art in New York. In whatever one endeavors, it's essential to know thyself. and Urquiola decidedly does. Coming ofage under the tutelage of Achille Castiglioni (raise your hand if you remember his hila1ious stool fixed with a trac86 GARDEN DESIGN

MAY09

In the past 10 years, Patricia Urquiola (left} has raised the bar for outdoor furniture design across the globe. In her recent collection, the 2009 Ravel chaise longue (above} for B&B ltalia fuses contemporary design and ancient craft with it s open-weave polyethylene back and metal modular base.

tor seat), she carved out a place for herself within the grand tradition of Italian design, while placing the feminine sensibility smack down into the middle of its he-man vocabulary. But don't be mistaken: It's not that she is out on some feminist mission (although there's nothing wrong with that), but rather, she is moved by what she calls the "domestic memory" ofeveryday objects and beckons those memories- in all their many guises -to center stage of contemporary design.

Urquiola thinks of herself as having had a slow start in her career, spending years studying and then teaching at the prestigious Politecnico di Milano where she worked as an assistant professor. Starting in 1990 she designed for De Padova, where she co-designed a range of objects with another giant of Italian design, Vico Magistretti (the mastermind of the first one-piece plastic chair). Beginning in 1993, she designed showrooms and restaurants until1996, when she became the head of the Lissoni Associati, where she developed furniture for many of Italy's top furniture firms. including Cappellini and Cassina. Then in 1998, she took a rnaquette of a sofa to Patdzia Moroso- whose eponymous firm is among the leaders ofprogressive Italian furniture design. Immectiately recognizing Urquiola's towering, unique talent, Moroso ushered the design through, and before long, the Step sofa (a low-lying indoor piece that included a backrest that could be "stepped up" higher or lower) debuted at the Saloni Milano - and Urquiola's name went up in lights. By 40, having trained and worked alongside the best of the best, she felt more than ready to go out on her own. Think ofUrquiola's feminine sensibility as a kind of curative. For the most part, design in the 2oth century has been consumed with a fascination with industrial matedals. But what was lost in the getting was the bandmade craftsmanship that the 19th-centmy Arts and Crafts Movement worked so tirelessly to preserve, and it is precisely those handmade qualities that Vrquiola works to revive. "Wherever I go," she says, "I make a point of visiting craft museums. because I'm always interested in things made by people." Consider her 2007 collection for B&B Italia, the first-ever outdoor line offered by the finn for the U.S. market. Although Urquiola followed the directive to make the collection in weather-resistant polyethylene fiber, to her the material just ctidn't look natural. So she sent B&B photographs of baskets woven in the classic geometric Vienna Straw pattern and suggested that they blow up the weave to a massive scale. The big, open weave made the material self-evident, and the line took on the name Canasta, which means "basket" in Spanish. Just as important was that Urquiola, working side by side with B&B's head of research and development, Federico Busnelli, looked to Filipino craftsmen to develop its woventextured upholstery. So while the components of the vety hip, neo-'6os Canasta collection

were manufactured with the newest manufacturing technologies, the collection also drew on age-old weaving techniques. With a lineage detived from both ancient and modem techniques, it took on a stunning mixed-breed look - at once totally recognizable and yet completely new. Its making reflects a global consciousness: A fusion of contemporary design with history and culture, it stimulates a Third World economy while showcasing the talents oflocal artisans alongside the design· er's own. Urquiola and Busnelli furthered the process and the look for B&B's 2009 Collection Ravel. when this time they invited Filipino weavers to develop seat backs based on a riff of the common fishnet pattern. "When I was little, we used natural mate· rials outdoors," says U rquiola, again evoking her fond memories of home. (But please, make no bones about it: As Patrizia Moroso says, Vrquiola's work is very strong, it is never "nice.") "Too bad, maybe we will go back to that, but the new materials are more resistant to weather," continues Urquiola, referring to the polyethylene fibers that now play such a big role in the making of outdoor furniture today. If she hasn't yet unearthed a suitable natural material for outdoor furniture, she is getting closer all the time. One design in the works for Moroso woven by Senegalese craftsmen creates traditional herringbone patterns from nylon yarn left over from the local fishing industry. ''I'm just a melting pot," confesses Urquiola. Mix· ing high and low, you've got to call her the Versace of furniture design . It's easy to think ofUrquiola as a kind of textile historian - an idea that comes to mind when ogling the award-winning outdoor rug Crochet she co-designed for Paola Lenti. Designed to look like an oversize flower (again it's that neo-'6os. Pop Art look), it is made from state-of-the-art rope yarn fibers and literalJy crocheted together by hand. It's a classic Vrquiola move. Combining an artisan's techniques with modem materials, it concludes in a rug that is a true glamour queen, both old-fashioned and totally chic, and completely durable for outdoor living. If you see a common thread from design to design. don't get to thinking there is an "U rquiola look" -unless you see enthusiasm and a playful, ironic wit as a signature style (better to acknowledge all that as the heartbeat of Italian design). Rather, she has a real knack for successful relationships- and giv· ing back to each company she works for with something each can call its own. ,.

Fo•·Jrouo· FREE e!'.tlagazine

with llu> latest how-to gardening tips atul tojind a retailer visit.

EndlessSummerBiooms.com / GD

sourcebook FRESH (p. 15) WAY HOT

CAfv!PANULA fv!ED/Ufvl CHAMPION SERIES Soquel Nursery Growers (to the trade! 800· 552-0802 or 831·475-3533 soquelnursery.com

DAHLIA 'BODACIOUS' Swan Island Dahlias 800-410-6540, dahlias.com

Van Bourgondien 800-622-9997, dutchbulbs.com

ERYNGIUfvl PLANUfvl BLUE GUTTER' B & T World Seeds b-and-t -world-seeds.com

Digging Dog Nursery 707-937-1130, diggingdog.com

Garden Crossings 516-875-6355, gardencrossings.com

Great Garden Plants 877-447-4759, greatgardenplants.com

GLADIOLUS 'MON AMOUR' American Meadows 877-309-7333, americanmeadows.com

BIJOU DE NORMANDIE, P. 72

Brent and Becky' s Bulbs 877-661-2852, brentandbeckysbulbs.com

Garden Crossings

SWATCH WATCH (p. 36)

615-875-6355, gardencrossings.com

FURNITURE

888-266-4370, anniesannuals.com

Great Garden Plants

Burpee

877-447-4769, greatgardenplants.com

Oedon w it h exclusive distribution by JANUS et Cie Phoenix Lounge Chair, as shown. $3,135 Zofa Round Side Table, $674 800-245-2687, janusetcie.com

HEUANTHUS ANNUUS 'JADE' Annie' s Annuals & Perennials

800-888-1447, burpee.com

Jackson & Perkins

Territorial Seed Company

800-292-4769. jacksonandperkins.com

800-525-0856, t erritorial seed.com

Joy Creek Nursery 503-543-74 74, joycreek.com

ORNAMENTAL KALE CRANE SERIES Germania Seed Company

Lazy S' s Farm Nursery lazyssfarm.com

800-380-4721, germaniaseed.com

Gurney's Seed & Nursery Co. Park Seed Company

(wholesale only) 510-255-0100 or 877-325-7584 northcreeknurseries.com

Plant Delights Nursery

800-213-0076, parkseed.com

919-772-4794, plantdelights.com

TS Flowers & Things 755-554-9045, t sflowers.com

Skagit Gardens

PLANT PALETTE (p. 24)

(t o the t rade) 360-424-61 44 or 800-334-1719 skagitgardens.com

EUPHORBIA$ Bluestone Perennials

Sunny Border Nurseries

800-852-5243, bluestoneperennials.com

Digging Dog Nursery

Ron Herman Ron Herman landscape Architect San Leandro, CA 51Q-352-4920, rherman.com

PARK LIFE (p. 56)

Wayside Gardens

Dutch Gardens

White Flower Farm 800-503-9624. whit eflowerfarm.com

09

Greenlee Nursery Chino.CA 909-393-6544 , greenleenursery.com

GARDEN DESIGNER Richard Hartlage

800-213-0379, waysidegardens.com

88&-821-0448, dutchgardens.com

LIVING GREEN (p. 42) GARDEN DESIGNERS John Greenlee

[plant locator on website) sunnyborder.com

707-937-1130, diggingdog.com

~lAY

Sarasota, FL, 941-355-5530 dwylandscapearchitects.com

North Creek Nurseries

gurneys.com

88 G AR 0 EN 0 E SIGN

LOCATION DESIGNER David W. Young DWY Land scape Architects

Washington Stat e 253-284-0254, ahbl.com

FLORAL AND EVENT DESIGNER Jerry Rose Maplewood, NJ 973-762· 1085, jerryrose.com

EXTERIOR DECORATOR John Danzer at Munder-Skiles New York, NY 212-717·0150, munder-skiles.com

NURSERY Ken Selody of Attock Farm Somerset, NJ 732-356-3373, atlockfarm.com

GREEN GALLERY (p. 64) GARDEN DESIGNER Chuck Gale Gwynedd, PA 215-699-4717, [email protected]

BIJOU DE NORMANDIE (p. 72} GARDEN DESIGNER Alexandre Thomas [email protected] jardins-agapant he.fr

ADVE RTIS ER DIRECTORY

FREE Product Info Lea rn more about t he product s & services featured in GARDEN DESIGN. Simply fill out t he at tached card an d return it to us. We'll handle th e rest ! For faster service, fax to ll-free t o 888-847-6035 or visit www.gardendesign.com/readerservice. ART ACCENTS/ANTIQUES 900

1.

Birth of Venus.

CONSERVATORIES/STRUCTURES 901

8. Oak Leaf Conservatories.

Bespoke hardwood Conservatories, Orangeries and Garden Rooms by Oak Leaf Conservatories are developed with classic proportions, empathy with existing architecture and attention to detailing.

Contemporary cast stone sculptures for home, office, and garden. 2. David Harber. David

Harber's hand-crafted and personalized sundials, sculptures and water features have worked their magic on fine homes and gardens around the world. 3. Haddonstone USA. Cast stone, architectural cast stone and cast stone garden ornaments including balustrading, columns, porticos, door surrounds, steps... 4. Kenneth Lynch & Sons. An

Industry leader in providing site furnishings including statuary and fountains in cast stone, lead and bronze, weathervanes, sundials, park benches. 5. Millstones.com Millstones

and Syrup Kettles. Authentic, Genuine, Old. 100 plus inventory in range of sizes for 20" to 60" in diameter. 6.

Stone Forest. Functional

sculpture for the garden and bath, hand-crafted in stone, copper and bronze. 7.

Tuscan Imports Inc. Importer of handmade Italian terracotta and lightweight poly planters.

DECKING/PAVERS/TILE 902

9.

Belgard. Belgard® Hardscapes - distinctive pavers for unique patio, walkway, driveway and retaining wall designs.

10. Hanover Architectural Products. Manufacturers

of concrete unit pavers for architectural commercial and residential on-grade and roof applications. 11. Oldcastle. Old castle is

leading the way in new architectural landscaping products. Innovational. Progressive. Natural. Creative. Inspired. HOME FURNISHINGS 904

12. Brown Jordan. Since 1945,

Brown Jordan has been the premier source for luxury leisure furniture. 13. Charleston Gardens. Features

an extensive collection of classic furnishings and accents for the garden; provides secure online shopping.

14. JANUSetCie. Weoffer the

best in lifestyle furnishings, each piece a superior example of design and craftsmanship. The best furniture to sun in, dine on, or look at. 15. Kingsl.ey-Bate. Solid teak,

stain!tess steel and woven elegant outdoor furniture. 16. SummerClassics. A

manufacturer of fine garden furnishings that was founded on the principle of truly classic design. 17. WestnninsterTeak. Luxury

Outdoor Living in Timeless Design. Rated "Best Overall" Quality by The Wall Street Journal. LANDSCAPE DESIGN 90S

18. ZEN Associates, Inc. Award-

winning design and build firm provicling comprehensive landscape architecture, interior design, construction, and maintenance for residE!ntial and commercial properties worldwide. OUTDOOR ICITCHEN/ BBQ 906

19. Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet.

Every thing you need for the ult imate outdoor kitchen, including grills, refrigeration, cabinets and pizza ovens..

PLANT & GARDEN PRODUCTS 907

20. Bartlett Tree Expert. For all

your tree and shrub care needs, call the experts. 21. Endless Summer® Collection.

These remarkable hydrangeas will make your garden come alive with lasting color that blooms all summer long. Blooms on both new and old growth every year. Look for the blue pots at agarden center near you. 22. Gardener's Confidence® Collection. The Gardener's Confidence® Collection... Welcome to a garden you can count on.® New for 2009, the Heaven Scent(TM) Gardenia. 23. Proven Winners® ColorChoice®. Proven

WinnersColorChoice introduces the first true dwarf buddliea, Lo & Behold Blue Chip. POOL/SPA/ WATERFEATURE908

24. Cover-Pools. Thanks to

Cover-Pools automatic safety pool cover, this pool has reduced the risk of drowning and saves up to 70% on heat, chemicals, water, and operating costs.

Bamboo Fencer, Inc. Transform your back yard or garden into a calming oasis. Think bamboo! The ultimate "green" fence material. The Bamboo Good Neighbor Fence (made in USA), offers the best overall value in strength, durability, versatility and privacy. Visit us at our website for more information. 888·381·3892 www.bamboofencer.com

Duracraft Planters Over 15 years of manufacturing fiberglass planters has shaped a product that combines design wit h ultimate du· rability. Our finishes are a gel-coat and unlike paint won't flake, peel or fade and contain genuine metal. All-weather const ruction and commercial-grade material ensures years of enjoyment. Classic, cont emporary and custom designs available.

Night Blossom Rachel Tribble's color infused paintings are a reflection of color, shape, and movement in nature. Her work is sought after by private collectors, Fortune 500 corporations and fine retailers throughout the United States. Limited Edition Prints, Tiles, Outdoor Canvas Prints, Original Paintings and Commissions ..--. available. 772· 692·4323 www.racheltribble.com

/~.d~)

( I I

I

o ....

l

y

~

80o-790·8709 www.myduracraft.com

Average Joe's Pergola Depot Quality, affordable, customizable, easy t o assemble, do it yourself pergola kits with 100% free shipping. Proudly crafted in the USA. Look for us on an upcoming episode of "Groundbreakers" on HGTV. Garden Design customers take $100 off any pergola wit h t his coupon code: Gardendesignl OO 877-JOE-0002 www.pergoladepot.com

New Brookland Birdhouse Large-Scale Precast Concrete Pavers

Handmade in t he USA, New Brookland Birdhouses and Feeders are uniquely built of stone and wood that will last in all types of weather. All of our birdhouses and feeders are fully functional. Most birdhouses and feeders come with an easy to install and easy to move stand.

Create an elegant look with large-scale precast concrete pavers from Stepstone, Inc. With 20 sizes to choose from, Stepstone pavers are a perf ect fit for h ardscape or roof deck installations. Complete design specifications which can be downloaded in PDF or CAD formats. Call for color and finish samples.

803-337·6690 www.newbrooklandbirdhouse.com

800·572·9029 www.stepstoneinc.com

TO ADVERTISE CALL 407.571.4541

•

TEPSTONE.

l :vc.

Walpole Woodworkers®

Trellis Structures

High style. Low maintenance. No liner. Crafted in advanced cellular vinyl, an attractive wood alternative our window boxes are offered in many styles and sizes. Call for a free Selections catalog or see more t han 300 outdoor product s on our website!

Trellis Structures designs and manufac tures innovative custom solutions for pergolas, arbors, treUises and gates. A full complement of garden structures, made of the highest quality western red cedar, is also available in our catalog. Trellis Structures is known for it's exquisite, finely detailed products. Shown here: Large pergola with 10 inch paneled posts.

800-343-6948 walpolewoodworkers.com/window12

800.649-6920 www.trellisstructures.com [email protected]

Schreiner's Iris Gardens

LatticeStix Gates

Our family has been growing and breeding award-winning Iris since 1925. These hardy easy-to-grow perennials are available in a wide variety of colors and sizes. Find gardening inspirat ion in our new full-color Mini-catalog ... order now or visit us on-line. Located at 3625 Quinaby Road NE, Dept 7 4, Salem, OR, 97303.

Nothing is quite as captivating as the light and views filtered through the intriguing geomet ry of LatticeStix' patterned lattice. LatticeStix gates are available in six window options and two lattice profiles to help you gain control of light and privacy. Our gates are built in the craftsman tradition with all wood-joined western red cedar. Visit our website f or our full tine of lattice panels and products. Lattice Reinvented.

800.525-2367 Ext. 74 www.schreinersgardens.com

888-528-7849 www.latticestix.com

Tuscan Imports Lightweight Poly Planters

Tuscan Imports Handmade Italian Terracotta

Tuscan Imports now offers a new line of lightweight poly planters to complement their handmade terracotta line. Exhibiting an incredibly realistic appearance, these Italian-made planters are not only beautif ul. but t hey are also easy to handle and extremely durable. Visit our website t o see our complete line of "The Best Italy has to Offer".

Tuscan Imports is America's leading source for handmade Italian terracotta from lmpruneta and Siena. Known for their extensive inventory and excellent customer service, Tuscan Imports is t he right choice for your residential or commercial projects. Carrying a huge selection of classical pieces, contemporary items. and many exclusive designs, they are the one to call when looking for ..The Best Italy has to Offer".

843-667-9101 www.tuscanimports.com [email protected]

TUSCAN

1M PORTS

843-667-9101 www.tuscanimports.com [email protected]

TO ADVERTISE CALL 407.571.4541

TUSCAN IMPORTS

Moss Acres The tranquil beauty of Moss... now a reality in your garden. We ship four varieties of live moss. Moss has fast become an increasingly desirable and low-maintenance alternative to grass lawns and conventional shade gardening. With Moss Acres, growing moss has never been easier! 866-GET·MOSS www.mossacres.com

Protect & Beautify with Outdoor Lighting Affordable, custom outdoor lighting to enhance home security and safety. Eco-friendly low voltage syst ems illuminate with soft, warm glows of golden light . Call for your Free Preview and see your home t emporarily lit at dusk or visit our website for more information.

Millstone Flush Mounted in Motor Court in Plymouth , Massachusetts Home This 48-inch set stone was from Emmanuel Milling Company in Swainsboro. Georgia. Note how well the granite cobbles work against the asphalt in this motor court. We have over 113 millstones in stock including twenty recent additions from Haleburg, Alabama. Visit our website and start with the "gallery" link t o see what other clever designers have done, and then go to the "catalog'' link. The Haleburg millstones are all under the "42-45 inches" link. and there are 4 pages of them, complete with pictures, dimensions and history.

80()-447·1112 www.outdoorlight s.com

404-310-64 90 www.millstones.com

Enjoy One Now Vixen Hill has developed an extraordfnary selection of pre-engineered cedar products, incuding gazebos. Modular gazebos, screened garden houses, shutters and porch systems designed for simple one-day installation. Order factory direct. Installation available. Design your own gazebo online using our interactive website. 800-423-2766 www.vixenhill.com

A Career in Garden Design Leading British garden designers, Moira Farnham and Robin Templar Williams, bring their award-winning, intensive, part-time Diploma Course in Garden Design t o t he US (Massachusetts), commencing August 2009. Join us for our 'Taster Day', May 29th. 513-867-0437 www.gardendesignschool .com

Neuton® Battery-Powered Lawn Mowers No gas! No oil! Neuton® Bat tery-Powered Mowers give you a beautiful, clean cut just like gas mowers do, but without aU the hassle. They run clean and quiet, and st art instant ly wit h a gentle squeeze of t he handlebar. So why cont inue to deal wit h messy, noisy, hard-to-start lawn mowers? Discover the joy of a battery-powered mower today: it's easier on you and the environment. Contact us toll-free for a FREE DVD and catalog with complete details. 888·213·1329 www.neutonmowers.com

T O AD VE R T IS E C AL L 4 07.5 71.4 5 4 1

Tuscan Garden Works Changing ordinary to extraordinary. GAZEBOS, ARCHES, BRIDGES, OUTDOOR FURNITURE, SWINGS, WINDOW TREATMENTS Authent ic Old World custom designs to your specifications, using forging ovens, etc. All iron is powder coated, requiring minimal maintenance. Visit our website to view our catalog.

800-698·0535 www.tuscangardenworks.com

New Plant Explorations From Dan Hinkley John Scheepers Beauty from Bulbs

ISBN: 978-0-88192-918-8, $39.95

Bring the special beauty of bulbs to your family's garden from over BOO of the best fall-plant ing Dutch flower bulbs and herbacious peonies at the best prices. Contact us for our free 88-page color catalog. For larger quantities, contact Van Engelen (860-567-8734 or www.vanengeten.com), and for gourmet vegetable, herb and flower seeds, contact Kitchen Garden Seeds (860-567-6086 or www.kitchengardenseeds.com). Ad code: GD22.

"To sense what a good plant is- to recognize it in the wild and then confirm it in his own garden- is the essence of Hinkley's work:' - from The New York Times Magazine

860-567-0838

For more information, please visit our website.

customerservice@johnscheeper s.com www.johnscheepers.com

John cheepers

www. timberpress.com

Rainwater Collection Our Rainbox system filters and stores rainwater for irrigating gardens, fitting ponds, and washing automobiles. Rectangular 75 gallon tanks, made of super-thick sunlight-stable plastic, interconnect for high-volume storage. We also offer larger systems, both above and below ground, capable o f recycling all of the rainwater from a home or commercial building.

800-477-7724 www.conservationtechnology.com [email protected]

"Everything But The Water" Pond biz is a family operated business dedicated to providing the very best pond and water garden products at competitive prices. For all your needs, check out our huge selection of pumps, fitters and aquatic plants at our website or Southern California retail store.

Building t he finest quality cust om greenhouses since 1985. Designs based on individual growing needs. Our customers and these beautiful structures get the attention that they deserve. At Claytonhill Greenhouse we're building growing environment s for plants t hat are for people too.

877·766-3249

817·516·0045

www.pondbiz.com [email protected]

[email protected] www.claytonhill.com

Claytonhill Greenhouse

TO ADVERTISE CAll 407.57 1. 4541

Archie's Island Furniture Premium out door benches, Adirondack furniture and dining sets made with environmentally harvested Malaysian mahogany known as Merpau. All our furniture is finished with highest quality marine enamel paints and is available is 28 stand-out colors. Cust om commemorative plaques for all occasions. cau for details and a brochure. 800-486-1183 www.archiesisland.com

Maine Millstones Add a real sense of history to your landscape. Perfect for fountains, patios, tables, pathways, doorsteps and focal point s. These granit e millstones are available in sizes from 16 inches t o 6 feet and are delivered directly to you. Check out our Website for other great garden art.

GelPro®Anti-Fatigue Floor Mats As seen on HGTV, Food Network and Fine Uving, GelPro"' Mats are filled with a soft gel that makes standing on hard flooring comfort able. Available in designer colors, exotic textures and multiple sizes. Great for any cook, especially those wit h back pain or arthritis. Order today online or by phone. 866-GEL-MATS (435-6287) www.gelpro.com

207-633·6091 www.mainemillstones.com

GeiPrd -a..tloft..._,_ .....

Sturdi-built Greenhouse Mfg We've been making beautiful Redwood and Glass greenhouse kits in Portland Oregon for over 50 years. Each is customized with features and equipment to meet your unique gardening needs. Our greenhouses are shipped all over the U.S. Many greenhouse phot os. information, and color catalog on web site, or callus. 800-334-4115 www.sturdi-built.com sturdi@sturdi·built.com

Witherspoon Rose Culture Witherspoon Rose Culture offers a carefully selected choice of premium rose bushes. Choose roses for hardiness, disease resistance, delicious fragrance, breathtaking beauty and novelty colors. Experienced in se!Ung roses and caring for outstanding gardens since 1951, we are the experts. 800-643-0315 www.witherspoonrose.com

Santa Rosa Garden Santa Rosa Gardens is a family-owned mail-order nursery located along the beaut iful Gulf Coast of Florida. We specialize in Ornamental Grasses, but also provide a wide range of Perennial Plants, Ferns, Host as, Daylilies, Flowering Bulbs, Tropical Palms, Aquatic Plant s, Gardening Tools and Gardening Essentials, as well as Gifts for Gardeners. We invite you to browse our online catalog and sign up to receive our mont hly gardener's newsletter. 866-681-0856 www.santarosagardens.com [email protected]

T O ADVERTISE CA LL 40 7.571.45 41

A

~ GA 1\Q[ \

Archadeck Custom Outdoor Living Spaces Love the home you're ln. Start living out doors - wit h custom out door living spaces f rom Archadeck. We're proud to be the world's favorite deck and outdoor structures builder for nearly t hree decades. Decks • Screened Porches • Outdoor Living Rooms • Sunrooms • Pergolas Call for your Free Design Consultation

888-0UR DECK www.archadeck.com

e 2009 Archadeck

Foxgloves Protect ion perfected! Just in time for our Tenth Anniversary! Presenting the excit ing NEW FOXGLOVES GAUNTLET! Comfort, dexterity and superb performance define this Gauntlet. Perfect for all those thorny and abrasive garden tasks. Come to our website to see all the NEW FOXGLOVES!

Summerwood Products From garden sheds and pool cabanas, to cabins, garages and gazebos, you're sure to find something that works, all delivered to your door in an easy to assemble pre-fabricated or pre-cut kit. Give our Custom Design Center a whirl and create your own design choosing from our wide selection of options, complete with detailed quot e. Ask us about our exciting, new modern designs, including the Dune and Verana collection! 80Q-663-5042 Ext. 64 www.summerwood.com/ gd [email protected]

888·322-4450 www.foxglovesgardengloves.com

4_.,.

SwnmerwOOd

Carruth Studio

ASG Glass Tumbled Landscaping Nuggets

American Sculptor, George Carrut h, has cast his original carvings in stone, enabling t housands of people t o enjoy his work. Choose from plaques, statuary, birdfeeders, thermometers, & more! New additions to popular collections & best sellers perfect for your home or garden are featured in the FREE 2009 Spring/ Summer catalog, now available. Because George's signature piece, The Garden Smile, is 20 Years Old each one will be hand signed by George carruth. Made in t he USA and gift boxed.

100% recycled glass tumbled landscaping nugget s are a vibrant and colorf ul accent to any garden design. Made with US-sourced recycled glass, our array of colors add vibrance and panache to groundcover, water features, and fire pits. Mule h replacement wit h a weed barrier is our most popular maint enancefree application. Try our Caribbean Mix of light blue hues or our Sunshine Mix of oranges, reds, and yellows. We sell direct. Volume discounts are available. Samples are available.

800·225· 1178 www.carruthstudio.com [email protected]

877-294-4222 www.asgglass.com [email protected]

TO ADVERTISE CAll 407.57 1. 4541

A.SGGLASS '""'""" •• ..,......... l , _ ....

on design SASH

RN PO

Preacher and Practicer of Eco-Friendly Design

Left: West of Los Angeles, Topanga Canyon. Below: Sasha Tarnapolsky of Dry Design. Bottom: At the Smith garden, designed in collaboration by Pamela Burton and Dry Design, a built-in outdoor seating area is ensconced in bamboo.

SASHA TARNOPOLSKY IS GETTING GREAT wireless service in her portable housing kit. If only the canopy over the outdoor shower wasn't leaking. The co-founder of Dry Design, the award-winning landscape-design firm in Los Angeles, has handled projects ranging from a lodge inside a 1 ,ooo-acre section of an African wildlife reserve to the cozy Smith garden in southern California. But today she's in Topanga Canyon , relaxing in a Sweetwater tent cabin and supervising construction on her future home, an eco-friendly structure outfitted with solar panels and rainwater cachement. "You could say we're pimping out our house with sustainability," she says gleefully.- S HAWN C. BEAN

Q: According to Dry Design's vision statement, one ofyour missions is to "challenge conventional notions ofdesign." Can you elaborate? A: Were challenging design that doesn't consider context. There are a lot ofbad buildings out there that don't relate to the sunoundings or to us as human beings. Q: You completed the Smith residence garden in 200s. What themes or ideas were central to that design? A: Our goal was to enrich the outdoor space with more than just plants. We designed everything: the outdoor fireplace, the furniture, even the cushions. But the centerpiece is the berm meadow. We planted native sedges, spring wildflowers and summer bulbs so each season the garden would take on new life. Q: Your current living situation underscores your dedication to sustainability. Can you teU me about it? A: last year my husband and l bought this post-andbeam home in Topanga. We quickly realized this was going to be an extensive renovation, and it would take a long time. So last June, we bought two 120-square-foot tent cabins and set them up right here on the property. We use an outdoor shower over an old claw-foot tub. It's been great, and the kids love it. Although my daughter Annie has started asking, "Mommy, when will the house be done?" Q: Does the property offer some great landscape-design opportunities? A: Absolutely. There are slopes where I'm planting wildlife-attracting plants to bring out the mountain bluebirds and butterflies. I also want owl-roosting areas and bat boxes. I'm so excited to get life rolling here. 96 GARDEN DESIGN

MAY09

z

;:;;

"'"' 0 "' ~

.

"'

::;

> "" ~ 0

Q.

0

z

"'~

.

:r

"'"' "'> ......"' "'0

;)

u

> " :!: ~

<(

"'z

:r ~

...t-' Q.

... 0

:!:

0

~

w

"'~ u""

'3

u

_J _J

<( (.9

z

_J _J

<(

u

MIN

GardenDesign.com will soon launch a new. interactive Designer Directory in order to connect professionals involved in the creation of residential outdoor spaces to their marketplace.

To sign up for more information, go to [email protected] Find out how to showcase your services and portfolio within the leading brand focused on high-end exterior design.