Today I met with a new client to document the area in which I would be helping them – replacing their existing deck and the garden in the immediate vicinity. I followed the owner around on the deck as we noted what bad shape it is in. Then I found out just how bad the deck’s shape really is. My foot went through one of the 1 x 4 boards! So this evening I’m nursing a sore leg, tailbone, shoulder and neck. If you smell something like rotting wood when you step onto an old deck, don’t step on it with your feet in alignment with a board. Rather, step crosswise and try to step only where you will also be above a joist that is holding up the deck.
Vanessa's garden design musings
Welcome to Garden Chirps!
I make every effort to blog once per week (or more) to keep readers current about what I am up to in the garden or with design. If you have a specific topic you are curious about, please contact me. I'll consider writing about it. Read on below...
More than a pretty picture: The Ruth Bancroft Garden
Last Friday afternoon I had the pleasure of visiting the Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek, CA. Beyond the amazing plants I could see and photograph were considerable, as yet, winter-covered plants. Many plants still had their protective, plastic-covered frames over them, providing me with good ideas for how to do the same in my [...]
I can hear the robins out there…
Snowdrops and Cyclamen are heralding spring in the midst of winter.
Today is the opening day of the NW Flower Show in Seattle. For me and my good friend, Bonnie, it means an annual pilgrimage to the show beginning early tomorrow morning. This is the shot across the bow of winter and our first fix of [...]
What a month!
December 2009 was quite a month. Besides the usual holiday hustle, we had a week’s worth of freezing weather and then a couple of days of snow. Icy days I was prepared for. I covered things that needed covering out in the garden, except for the 8 foot tall Eucalyptus that died back to the [...]
Staying ahead of Mother Nature
The front walk focal point project is at a standstill for a bit while I finish putting plants in the ground to stay ahead of Mother Nature. We are expecting our first hard freeze this coming weekend. So my attention has turned to assuring that plants that could be borderline hardy have their roots in [...]
Balance and Focal Point
Yesterday’s 2 hour garden activity involved the movement of one tree, Albizia ‘Summer Chocolate’, and several columnar conifers: 2 Chamaecyparis ‘Wissel’s Saguaro’ and 2 Alberta Spruces (Picea glauca var. albertiana ‘Conica’. The tree is being located to spread its lovely branches and shield the view of a less-than-charming storage shed. The re-arrangement of the conifers [...]
Ruthless Garden Editing
It’s hard to believe that today begins the month of November, but it’s undeniably here. In my own garden I am busily moving plants around that either did not perform well in their current sites or would look better somewhere else. This fall I am doing what I wanted to do last fall and spring, [...]
Batten Down the Hatches!
Today is a Pacific NW stormy kind of day. Lots of wind and rain! When it’s pouring outside, it is an excellent time to see where the water is going (or staying) and plan how to change it, should you need to. Since developers put in new houses on the property behind us, we have [...]
There’s a chill in the air…
Any gardener knows that when crisp autumn air arrives, it’s time to move plants. And I’m no different. This morning I transplanted 2 large Osmanthus ‘Goshiki’ to the edge of the Ravine View garden. I have planted others over the past couple of years to define the edge of that garden – one side wild [...]
Ta-da! The Planted Fern Bench
The fern bench is fully planted and enjoying some fall rain…
About
Garden Chirps is written by Vanessa Gardner Nagel, gutsy garden designer, passionate garden speaker, enthusiastic garden writer/author, and frenetic gardener.