Where do you draw inspiration from in your cottage garden design?
I get a lot of garden design ideas from outtings here. However, Giant distractions abound here in PNW to gardening at home (Anderson/Watson Lake hike, Mt Baker volcano area).
And there can be rocks like you hope not to find in your yard (Mt Pilchuck hike, Granite Falls area. Mt Loop Highway).
I've found and levered out a Giant-ish one+ ton rock already out from 2.5' deep in a timber bamboo pit I was digging.
But after it got rained on (by a hose) I discovered it was a keeper and so worth the dig. Hoping to find another < 2 ton size. Today's dig is in the same area.
The True Temper Digging Rod is TRUEly Amazing! Dare I say it's a Giant of a lever? Didn't even bend it playing with this rock. AND feel fortunate to have not skewered my foot or fallen onto that sharp end, when digging those deeper pits. I don't plan/paine on it either!
I've successfully evacuated a car muffler and tale pipe. I've also found a leather glove and was relieved to not find human (or any other) bones in it. And I'm still looking for the diamond to pay for this whole project or ring (praying for handless also). And I'm more realistically hopinh to not find Ancient Native American Artifacts, which could tie up project completion for years. Some people have found Woolly Mammoth tusks out here, which I'd be fine with.
Although a Giant dig I have however reduced my odds of finding goodies by only planning on digging maybe 60-70% of my yard and only with 1 to 4.5' below the surface. Lost to me so far are under the house, driveway, walkways and other cement pours. I had my utility areas marked but cut the Comcast cable line to the house by mistake anyway.
I also nicked, but didn't cut quite through to metal on that main giant burried power cable to the house. Luckily the rock strikes have dulled my metal power conductive iron digging rod! The nicking episode and foot fear have convinced me not to sharpen it.
Hikes are however also a source of garden design inspiration. Bear Grass (a lily relative) is also a beautiful yard plant Giant flower heads, for a grass leaf like plant, on 3-4' stems. (Ira Springs Trail, Snoqualmie Pass I-90 area).
My double decker Wine Barrel waterfall to our pond sounds like photo below with eyes closed. But is perhaps less impressive visually than this >400' waterfall (Comet Falls Hike, Mt Rainier volcano area).
So as I screen soil I dream. In summer/fall phase mature hydrangea will all touch.
But Spring phase starting with this year looks quite different. And the Giant number of Hyacinth in this small space (115+) add fragrant memories and mini meadow of Mt Hood (a PNW volcano too) Daffodill add bluer leaf contrast to the green and Moongarden like nocutral intrique.
The maroon brown Hydrangea 'Selina' leaves and flame colored tulips get you primed for the hot red lacecap flowers to follow and mass of driveway walkway and street walkway red Crocosmia 'Lucifer' and dwarf yellow Dayliy 'Fragrant Returns' front yard margins to follow as the seasons temperature and colors heat up. And a large clump of Red Hot Poker. A sea of waving Japanese Windflowers in soft pink and white and wide runner of purple Liatris 'Blazing Star' are already rising up amongst these Spring flowers. The bulbs ate just weed suppressing ground cover and pleasant distraction until the main event gets underway.
A Giant source of my design inspiration has been the many public gardens I visit, with South Atlantic and Pacific Ocean islands, and Japan and China giving (sub)tropical insights. Visits Europe and a old Readers Digest book entitled "A Garden for all Seasons" has given me temperate garden insights, and especially how to get multi-season beauty from each site. I gifted my book to a family member, but luckily you can still find a few used copies online ... don't hesitate. I've read and owned many books. The "Sunset Guide to Western Gardening" has also proven highly helpful..
With our climate being similar to that of the England mainland, and gardeners there having tried growing about everything in their limited space, I have come to trust their plant growing info sites and catalog information the most for the Seattle area.
I also gave gotten tons of help from fellowships Houzz Gardeners with helpful relevant experience to share.
Thus, I share back in thanks.
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What garden/gardener inspires your design in your garden?
Comments (16)So many interesting websites, to get inspired by, these days. I loved the Oudolf site as well. I wish I had room to put in a truly huge mass planting, and still be the plant collector I find myself to be. Maybe some day I`ll be able to do that. In the meantime, it is wonderful to live vicariously through others and their gardens. I agree, Gottagarden`s gardens are inspiring. The red garden she posted in 06 has always been a favourite of mine. I wish I had the space. Hmmm, I say that a lot. :) I just bought hot Papaya Echinacea and love it. I`m sure she`d approve. :) Gottagarden`s picasa site Yeona Here is a link that might be useful: Gottagarden`s red garden...See MoreWatering Cottage Gardens - Do You, How Do You, How Much
Comments (29)Right now, I need a sump pump...and I live on a hill. More rain in the forecast, too. The weather pattern has changed here - normally an El Nino year means severe drought in Oklahoma. Not this season anyway. With our normally semi-dry to dry summers, I use the garden hose to water EVERY day in most areas and every other day in other areas that prefer dryer conditions. We have our own well, so I can also use the sprinkler without ill affects on my plants. It is just like rain water. The birds, butterflies, bees and amphibians love it too. When I hand water, the birds follow me from tree to tree, so I spray up into the trees and they chirp and sing for me. The occasional tortoise will come out of hiding for a long, cool drink, too. I set the mister on the tropicals and water-loving ferns etc. to keep them happy. This takes all day. I use soaker hoses under my veggies when it is very hot and very dry to prevent scorching and so the water will get down deep where the nutrients are and encourage deep roots. For under my Phlox and roses, &etc., I screw on a fan sprayer and let it run slowly, gently and deeply under them to prevent leaf-scorch, and do this as often as needed. I even water in the winter if it is a dry winter. Soil heave (freeze, thaw, freeze, thaw) is terrible here in Okie, and in dry winters this will kill plants and even small trees and shrubs. And of course, potted plants need a drink just about every day in the summer. That is how I have to do it here to keep mine alive year round. ~Annie...See MoreInspired by Shades: what do you do with your smaller homes hallway?
Comments (12)Eld: first of all, thank you so much for your thoughtful suggestions! You are really educating me here. It never occurred to me that anything other than white would be the solution to a dingy looking area. But what you said makes perfect sense. Funnily enough, I was actually going to use Light Navajo White, because that is what I just used in my kitchen. Because my house is so small, I really want to use the same colors and materials throughout everything except two bedrooms and the bathrooms. So same flooring, paint colors, etc. in the library, LR, eat-in kitchen, and hallway. I thought it would help the visual flow of the space and unify it, while at the same time making it look and feel bigger. The light navajo white says it has a hint of brown. It is definitely not a super white white. Do you think it would work in the hallway? Also, Eld, yes, the door on the right in the picture is the back door of the house. It's actually located about in the middle of the length of the house. The hallway, if you measure starting at the Sterilite drawers on the left, is just over 16' long. There are three other doors off it besides the back door. The main bathroom is just before the laundry on the left, my room is on the left just after the laundry, and Joy's room is at the very end. I completely agree that better lighting would make a huge difference! Murraysmom, thanks for sharing! I love water colors! Your little hallway sounds peaceful, with the softness of a light green and the painting. I don't know if you've seen any of cpartist's colored pencil art--she posts on the kitchen forum and sometimes here as well, but her drawings are so gorgeous! She is to drawing what Shades is to glass mosaics. My dream wall would have a large cpartist work of flowers in a vase hanging up and Shades' glass lizard climbing up the wall! Eld, hahaha! Every time I write your name, my stupid phone changes it to either "Elf" or "Elderly!" If I missed any when I proofread, my apologies in advance, lol!! :-) Chris, if that mural is to cover up a "design mistake," then I say Praise the Lord for design mistakes! My comments are glowing because I truly love your art!! And I'm so glad you have this "therapy" to work on while you're caring for Joe in the sunset of his life. You are one strong woman, and I am so inspired by you. :-) If I get really industrious in the next few days, haha, I'll post a floor plan of my house. But I'd love to hear more stories about all your hallways or other awkward spaces you have or want to decorate! :-)...See MoreQuestion for design pros: Where do you look for inspiration?
Comments (10)When I initially meet with a potential client, the focus is primarily on layout and function first. At its most basic level, designing is problem solving. So I want to learn about the reasons why a client wants the remodel first, and it often has as much to do about function as it does form. Then I need to know the budget. No designer should start pulling ideas or finishes until they understand the budget. If a client does not know what a suitable budget is, I review averages with them to see if there is a budget range that works for them. Why hire a designer if the kitchen they design for you is three times your budget? Don't assume your idea of high-end or luxury is the same as the designer's. Then, I want to see examples from the client of kitchens they like and I want to understand the reasons why they like them. I stress to my clients that they are not responsible for finding EXACTLY the kitchen they want...I just need clues. It could be a light fixture, a tile, a faucet, etc. Remember, you are hiring a designer, not a personal shopper. What works in an inspiration photo may not work in your home. A good designer will know how to fit your personal preferences into your home and lifestyle. With regard to appliances, I believe the client should select the appliances they want and I will design around them. I offer consultation based on my experience with different brands, but I do not insist they use a particular appliance if they prefer another. While design should include a good amount of collaboration, you should also trust your designer. You don't hire a professional chef and then go in the kitchen and tell them how to cook. So interview a number of designers to find the best fit for you. When you trust your designer, it's a more enjoyable experience for both you and the designer! EDITED TO ADD: To answer your initial questions...inspiration comes from EVERYWHERE. We have vendors that stop in weekly with new products and samples. We visit trade shows and showrooms. We read trade magazines and blogs. It's not unusual for me to design an entire bathroom around one new tile sample that shows up on my desk. I believe the most creative designers do not necessarily browse Houzz or Pinterest. But they are the ones that create the kitchens that will eventually end up popular on those sites! So don't constrain yourself or your designer to finding the "perfect" kitchen image on Houzz. Let your designer create it for you....See More
garyz8bpnw
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoThx just having fun learning with shovel and compost and sharing as I go. I've had just 1 year to work on my yard. In 3-4 might set up a website to feature it just for sharing ideas for others. Not a large yard. Just seems large because of the design principles I am testing now. Yes indeed cottage style with lush subtropical effects too via "zone pushing tricks".
i post regularly in Instagram under "alteredspace" name. I literally like altering my yard space visually and internal self space via hiking in PNW.
The style of gardens you might like are featured in how to design style in the old Readers Digest gardening book "A Garden for All Seasons". They teach the evolved design of UK style Cottages Gardens where 2 to 4 season changes of interest are arranged in the same and often limited space. Tbe book is out of print now but can still get them on Amazon used, at great price.
A few minutes ago I went outside to start digging again and a rain squall hit. The pond fish thought it might be a 2nd breakfast hitting their surface and became quite active. So went into the Gazebo and threw them a little more Cold Season pond food and desided to check messages. There's 15+ fish Comets and Koi and some have become larger than legal trout keeper size. Were all small a year ago. Nice quite moment here with the rain sounds, thinking about what's next to install.
garyz8bpnw
6 years agoThe container growing method also really helps design a yard. When first designing, in the backyard I will place things in larger tubs for up to a year pretest spot for light effect on growth and visual design effect, before committing a plant to it. The photos below were taken as staging tests in placed tubs taken laat summer and then rearranged into final design ans planted last fall.
This last photo is a work area with half of this now planted. The test design has to inspire me over time or it doesn't get committed to reality.
Some of the many players in the above photo are below from example internet photos. Right of the Hardy Basjoo Banana (which has 5 offsets now to become a minigrove) is a Golden Vivax Timber Bamboo installed in a 5' x 15' barrier pit.
The Bamboo serves as dramatic tropical looking backdrop, noise shield, and source of beautiful bamboo leaf sounds in breezes. The whole corner of the the lot has a huge 6" trunk dia wall of English Laurel to 20 -25' feet tall. All of this will eventually replaced with a timber bamboo grove.
I'm leaning towards using a Vivax for this too. Maybe the green type? This would eventually be a 10 x 50' bed in secure root pit barrier.
garyz8bpnw
6 years agoBelow are the types of Bamboo in our yard installed for testing.
EXCEPT: China won't loan us the Panda. And to grow the giant tropical type (last photo right) here global warming would really have to kick in and we'd risk a Jack and the Beanstock type event.
The 1st 9 bamboo types are Phyllostacys timber types selected for beauty amd their visual screen effects from nearby house windows and decks.
Lilyfinch z9a Murrieta Ca
6 years ago
threedogsmom