HALLOWEEN

FALL IS COMING

Electricity

This planting lit up a shady french balcony. This is shortly after installation, later in the summer it was spilling over its' sides. Eclectic patterns came together nicely and gave me a chance to test out some new varieties of plants. This was the start of what I've been calling my "prehistoric" period. Leathery leaves, heavy tropical blooms, and exotic plant types that remind me of a rainforest vignette. Putting it all together: Rex Begonia, Begonia Solanum Red, New Guinea Impatiens, Plectranthus Nico, Coleus Dappled Apple, Trailing Strobilanthes, Purple Heart and one of my favorite secrets Golden Oregano.

Spring Thaw

Choices are limited in the spring, especially in the sketchy spring that is Chicago. The options for plants that can handle near freezing temps followed by rain, followed by near frost are small at best. This window trough though only got better as each April day progressed. I could have easily left this planting for the summer and it would have done fine through September.
Endless Summer Hydrangea, scaevola trailing along with Algerian ivy, viola black duet, purple sage, and dark pink cyclamen round out the mix.

Modernist

Modern in garden design means making a statement with less. I usually pair down my selections to no more than five varieties. This was a concrete back yard under a mature elm tree, so it only got sunlight for about an hour mid afternoon. The rest of the day was dappled shade. Containers were black Terrazzolite. Planting simplicity with Tiger Eyes Rhus as my focal point, Hosta Sum and Substance for my fat leaf, cut with Acorus Ogon beneath, and bloom with Dragon Wing Begonias red.

Smolder

Though I was starting with some unfortunate containers (plastic terra cotta!) I set out to spice up a series of north facing entrance ways. Coleus Dappled Apple and Blackberry Waffles for my height, mixed with persian shield, sweet potato black heart, begonia bonfire and terra cotta million bells.

Trial by Fire....and Wind

My job is the only reason I'm sane. I hate the city. But I spend my days in backyards, parks and gardens, so I somehow escape the urban wasteland while living right in the middle of it. City environments can run the gamut. From cramped, tiny spaces that never see an ounce of light, to sun beaten terraces that never see a drop of water. And it's my job to make them all beautiful. My specialty is in annuals and container design. I've become a master of microclimates. Finding the perfect combination of plants for finicky, neglected, and difficult spots tucked in between the mess of buildings and asphalt. This 3rd floor terrace was a plantsmans nightmare. Unrelenting direct sun, inconsistent watering, a crazy windtunnel at all times of day and night, and a demanding condo board who had fired every landscaper they'd had for the previous ten years. Add to this list that there was a distrust of strong colors by virtually everyone on the gardening committee. I knew grasses would be in the mix, so decided to follow that instinct with a hybrid prairie style planting with muted but sophisticated colors, in this case burgundy, purple, white and silver. It was essential that everything have fine leaves that wouldn't be ripped apart by the wind. Cosmos, an old fashioned throwaway to most people performed brilliantly. With several types of grasses and the solid white cosmos, I added in artemisia powis castle, salvia, silver thyme, heuchera obsidian, petunia solid blue, white angelonia, perennial verbena, etc. The end result did everything I was hoping for and lasted well into October.