With more than 50 different species of Yucca, these shrubs hold their own as distinctive and striking evergreen landscape elements. Native to the southwestern United States, Yuccas are arid-loving, evergreen succulents. Their sword-like leaves and stature add a bold look to most landscapes, and especially complement modern landscapes and xeriscapes.
Many other plants resemble and can be mistaken for Yuccas, so let’s take a closer look:
Above: A Yucca blooms at the side of a trail in southern California. Photograph by Oncetherewasagirl via Flickr.
In my landscape designs I routinely use a few specific varieties because they require little maintenance, are drought tolerant, and are of no interest to marauding deer:
Yucca ‘Bright Star’, with its bright, yellow-margined leaves.
Fast growing Yucca filamentosa, for its blue-cast green leaves and unique spires of fragrant white bells that arrive in the summer.
Hesperaloe parviflora (Red Yucca) for its tall spikes of hummingbird-attracting flowers and tall spiking leaves.
Above: Yucca filamentosa ‘Color Guard’ cavorts with nicotiana and euphorbia. Photograph by KM via Flickr.
History: Yuccas are used in a surprising number of different ways, such as food, as material to weave baskets, as an ingredient in soaps and shampoos, and for medicinal purposes.
Cheat Sheet
Plant Yuccas away from high-traffic areas such as sidewalks and narrow paths to avoid being sliced by the sharp leaves and having blood drawn by the shrub’s needle tips.
Leave space for a Yucca to grow to its mature size because this is not a plant you can trim back to control the size.
Try planting Yuccas in containers as bold centerpieces, alone or mixed with other drought-tolerant plants.
Keep It Alive
As long as the soil drains well, Yuccas are forgiving and also can tolerate windy spots.
Browning, older leaves can be (carefully) trimmed to the base.
Native to the southwestern US, Yucca naturally thrives in low-rainfall spots, can take full sun, and withstand temperatures that drop to 10 degrees Farheinheit.
Above: Yucca ‘Bright Star’. Photograph by Megan Hansen via Flickr.
Tip: Wear heavy gloves while trimming and planting Yuccas.
Above: While not grown for its flowers, Yucca does produce blooms and will give you blossoms if grown in full sun. Photograph by Russellstreet via Flickr.
When the flowers finish blooming, trim back the entire flower stalk to the base of the Yucca plant.
Read more growing and design tips at Yuccas: A Field Care to Planting, Care & Design. Are you trying to save water in the garden? See more of our favorite garden design ideas for xeriscapes:
If you would like to avoid paving paradise to put up a parking lot, as Joni Mitchell put it, grass block pavers can be a greener choice to surface a driveway, patio, or path.
Grass block pavers create an environmentally friendly surface which helps drainage, prevents erosion, and provides a sturdy base for turf grass to grow.
Sold individually or in sets of four or more, grass black pavers typically are made of concrete or recycled plastic. Concrete is a heavy material; note that many concrete grass block pavers are best bought locally to avoid expensive shipping costs or potential breakage. Read on 10 of our favorite grass block pavers:
Above: Designed by Swiss-based atelier oï, Lunix Lawn Pad paver blocks from Godelmann (shown installed in the top photo) have “very wide joints that promote vegetation growth even in dry weather,” notes distributor Creabeton Matériaux. Suitable for use with turf grass or gravel, each 20.5-inch-long paver is 55 CHF ($55.99 USD) from Creabeton Matériaux. Above: Suitable for driveways, a gray 23-inch Grass Block permeable paver from New Zealand-based Bosun has a diamond pattern with eight full or partial holes to plant grass. For more information and prices, see Bosun. Above: Interlocking Turf Block concrete pavers measure 23.5 by 17.5 inches have soil chambers for planting. For more information and pricing, see San Diego-based RCP Block & Brick.
Above: From New Zealand-based Firth, a 15.75-inch-square concrete Grass Paver can withstand the weight of light vehicle traffic. For more information and prices, see Firth. Above: Made of vibrocompressed concrete, a gray Grating RB6 grass block paver measures 500 millimeters square (approximately 19.7 inches) and is sold in sets of four. For more information and prices, see Italy-based CEDA. Above: A Concrete Grass Block Paver from Tileco measures 11.5 inches by 17.25 inches and is available to purchase in store only at Home Depot. For more pricing and availability, see Home Depot.
Recycled Plastic
Above: A Recyclable Plastic HDPE Grass Paver Grid has a bees-nest shell and is available in four pressure strengths for both residential and commercial load capacities. See the range and pricing at Green Grass Grid. Above: From Grass-Cel, a Porous Turf Paving Block made of eco-friendly recycled materials is sold in packs of 10 blocks; $33.25 AU from Australia-based Grass-Cel. Above: From Truegrid, an Eco Paver made of recycled plastic with interlocking connectors can be cut and shaped to fit around curves and trees; $2.07 from Truegrid. Above: A Suregreen PP40 porous grass paver made of 100 recycled plastic is available in two colors including black and green (as shown) and measures 400 millimeters square (about 19.7 inches). Its open honeycomb structure “promotes excellent root growth where a grass surface is preferred,” notes the manufacturer. It is £12.25 including VAT (bulk discounts are available) from Sure-Green. Above: A four-piece set of 19.7-inch-square Permeable Plastic Grass Pavers from Techno Earth is available in green or black (as shown) and is $79.95 from Home Depot.
If you’re planning a hardscape project, for tips and materials see our curated Hardscape 101 guides to Decks & Patios 101 and Pavers 101. To see how grass block pavers look after they’ve been installed, see some of our favorite projects:
One spring evening in 2015, graphic designer Samuel Zeller got off a train one stop early after a bad day at work in Geneva and visited a botanical garden with a camera. He was not a keen horticulturalist but in the time he spent amongst the glasshouses he reawakened a childhood passion for nature, which would, in turn, set him on a new career path. When he later looked at the photographs he’d taken that evening, he realized that it was part of a much bigger project.
Over the next two years, Zeller, who now works full time as a photographer, visited botanical gardens in capital cities from Paris and Prague to Porto and many more sites across Scotland, Belgium, and France and his photographs have now been compiled into a charming small book, Botanical, (£16.95 at Amazon UK).
Above: Zeller’s parents are artists and there is a painterly quality to his mesmerizing images of plants pressed up against glass that’s often frosted or hazy with condensation.
Flashes of color appear from the depths of the glasshouses in an impressionistic haze—the tomato-red tubular flowers of coral plant (Russelia equisetiformis Plantaginaceae) or the lush green of a twisting frond of a tree fern (Cyathea sp. Cyatheaceae).
Above: Sometimes framed by the metal structure of the glasshouse and pressed up against the glass as if they are trying to escape, the plants look like prisoners trapped yet protected in their moisture and temperature controlled worlds. Above: The glasshouses themselves are just as much the stars of Zeller’s images, framing foliage or sometimes cutting through it – the old metal and glass structures are the perfect foil for the fleshy exotic plants and their vibrant flowers. Above: But he also dwells on their architectural grandeur—the vast curving structures in glass and metal, the elegant galvanized doors, even old vents seem to take on a poetic beauty. Above: Zeller’s Botanical series will be on display at The Print Space in London through May 2 and then at the Librairie de L’Ile in Geneva from May 11 to 16. Prints are also for sale at Samuel Zeller.
No need undertake a gut renovation to refresh your home. From small-scale remodel projects (such as adding a screened porch or installing crown molding) to micro-upgrades as simple as adding a colorful rag rug in the kitchen, the Remodelista editors this week rounded up their favorite ways to add instant style:
Screened Porch
Above: A screened dining porch was added onto architect Elizabeth Roberts’s cedar shingle-clad house in Bellport. Photograph courtesy of Elizabeth Roberts.
Above: Manhattan-based (and Brooklyn-manufactured) high-end hardware purveyor Nanz makes the holy grail of doorknobs. See more in 10 Easy Pieces: Simple Doorknobs.
“Think how often you’ll wrestle with your doorknobs in the course of a lifetime and you’ll realize it doesn’t make sense to scrimp on this stalwart of the home,” writes Francesca. See her simple doorknob picks in this week’s 10 Easy Pieces post.
Above: A Lovebird Cotton tablecloth by designer Erica Tanov; fabric is $34 a yard.
“Whether direct from the garden or in the form of pretty floral prints, fresh flowers are a great way to introduce a bit of nature’s beauty to the home. A simple throw pillow on the sofa or a tablecloth are enough to conjure a seasonal feel,” writes Justine. See more in Summer Refresh: 11 Seasonal Updates for the Home.
After visiting a place where magnolias grow luxuriantly (like Cornwall in England), it is natural that on arriving home, the idea of growing one takes hold. Not the usual saucer magnolia (M. x soulangeana), but hybrids that are less neat, and more strange, in clotted cream yellow or the deep pink of a silk kimono.
This is a family in which future giants can take half a century to flower: impulse buying never looked more risky. On choosing the best magnolia to plant, there is nothing like the advice of an expert grower, but consider this as an introduction:
Above:Magnolia ‘Wada’s Memory’ has flowers like ripped-up paper; order a tree for $51 from Plant Lust. The most interesting developments in the magnolia world are coming out of New Zealand and the United States. M. ‘Wada’s Memory’ is from Seattle and is very hardy, without being too large (by this we mean less than 30 feet). It flowers early and abundantly. Its blooms are dramatically wider than the star magnolia, M. stellata, with foliage following on, that is more narrow. The tree pictured (above) is reaching maturity, as it shifts from a conical shape to one that is almost rounded.
Magnolia x loebneri ‘Snow Drift’
Above:An 8-foot specimen ofMagnolia x loebneri ‘Snow Drift’ is £376.62 from Majestic Trees. For a small garden, the safe choice is considered to be Magnolia stellata and its descendants. It is often wider than tall, flowering at a young age, in deeper shade than large magnolias. M. stellata and co. are frost hardy and generally less fussy about the acidity of the soil. You see them in civic spaces. Oh dear! Though their reliability is in danger of robbing them of mystique, there are definitely some to seek out. Differing from the usual white, M. stellata ‘Jane Platt’ is a solid pale pink.
Magnolia x loebneri ‘Leonard Messel’
Above: Magnolia x loebneri has flowers that are more generous in size than the strap-like petals of its parent M. stellata.
Magnolia x loebneri ‘Leonard Messel’ is long-flowering, and again, shell pink. It is named after the father of stage designer Oliver Messel, and was raised at their home of Nymans in Sussex. Other good stellata hybrids with a deeper color are the eight small shrubby trees with simple girls’ names: ‘Susan’, ‘Jane’, ‘Anne’, etc.
Magnolia sprengeri ‘Diva’
Above: Magnolia sprengeri ‘Diva’ is £55 from Burncoose, the nursery affiliated with Caerhays Castle in Cornwall. Some of the larger magnolias are worth a go, if you don’t live on a windy hilltop or beach. Okay, the ‘Diva’ is 30 feet by 30 feet. No matter: it’s magnificent in flower color and shape, with added drama from bare branches when it blooms in March.
Magnolia ‘Caerhays Surprise’
Above: Magnolia ‘Caerhays Surprise’ in Cornwall, England.
In the magnolia family, 15 feet is not very big at all, compared with say, 100 feet. It follows then that a 15-foot tree is for a “smaller garden,” as suggested by Burncoose Nurseries where Magnolia ‘Caerhays Surprise’ is raised. It is not a dense tree, nor a particularly tidy one, but its loosely windswept blooms in 1950s pink will stop you in your tracks. For that reason alone, it is a top choice. Plus, one branch brought indoors is an instant arrangement.
Magnolia ‘Iolanthe’
Above: Magnolia ‘Iolanthe’ has big blooms on a young tree.
Magnolia ‘Iolanthe’ is an exceptional hybrid from New Zealand, bred by the late Felix Jury. It has the advantage of being a reasonable size (21 feet) with very large flowers which bloom (as can be seen here) from an early age. Great advances have been made by Kiwi and American nurseries in the last couple of decades, bringing forward the flowering age of magnolias; a large species tree would traditionally need to reach maturity before flowering (and they are very long lived).
‘Apollo’ is another from this stable, its flowers resembling at first something more traditional and bowl-like, though in a darker, dustier pink. Its petals of around 10 inches (more properly called tepals) reflex to reveal a paler interior. It is a memorable magnolia, and grows to about 16 feet. Again from New Zealand, ‘Star Wars’ is about the same height but wider.
Magnolia acumimata x denudata ‘Sundance’
Above: Magnolia acumimata x denudata ‘Sundance’ opens as a tulip shape, reflexing to a saucer, with a light scent.
More and more yellow magnolias are appearing, extending the season for magnolia collectors, since they flower in May instead of February. They are also a good guarantee against frost damage, opening later, and can be planted in colder (though not windy) locations. The most popular yellows are: ‘Yellow Bird’ from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, flowering before the leaves come out, (which aficionados appreciate), and ‘Sundance’ (shown above) which does not. ‘Yellow River’ has been selected by the Duchy of Cornwall Nursery; it’s listed as “medium sized” i.e., from 23 to 33 feet.
Above: Magnolia grows by the Duchy of Cornwall Nursery, Cornwall.
Of course you want your own magnolia tree now—who can resist these velvety beauties? For more of our favorite species—and growing and care tips—see Magnolia Trees: A Field Guide.
This weekend, as we head into May: flower arranging workshops and a gin distilled from Edinburgh’s botanical garden, plus Brooklyn’s big event. Here’s your weekend reading.
Going on this weekend: Understory, the garden fair and plant sale today and tomorrow in Brooklyn. Look for appearances by Gardenista favorites: a plant sale by Saipua, plants from Tula House, plus workshops, natural wine, botanicals, and other “poetic and practical ways to engage with nature in the city.” Details and tickets here.
This just in: Edinburgh Gin has released a new gin “made with native and rare plants that have been grown in the city’s famous Royal Botanic Garden.”
Thank you flowering trees, for alerting us to the fact that it is definitely spring.We might have missed that development if not for the sudden, glorious explosion of pink and white and purply-tinged blossoms.
What is the prettiest flowering tree? If your answer is “cherry tree,” you are in luck—it’s the high season. If you’re in New York City this weekend, head to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden to see more flowering cherry trees than you ever imagined existing. And take our cherry trees cheat sheet with you so you don’t miss seeing the best ones.
If your thoughts are turning toward the possibility of planting your own spring-flowering tree (and whose aren’t in April?), then read on to find out about which of our favorites would be best for your garden:
“Most flowering cherries are Prunus hybrids and cultivars originating in Japan. One of the best ways to familiarize yourself with different cherry habits and bloom times is to visit a local botanic garden or arboretum in early and mid-spring,” notes our contributor Marie Viljoen. “There is no lovelier place to spread a blanket, lie on your back and gaze up at the layers of petal glory.”
For more help picking the right flowering cherry tree for your garden (and growing and care tips) see Cherry Trees 101: A Field Guide.
“Early flowering magnolias come with a warning label, at least for people living in the north: they need shelter without being shaded, they need the right soil, and they can become enormous,” writes our UK contributor Kendra Wilson. “The tradeoff is extravagantly pretty flowers, whether globular, ribboned, or waving like handkerchiefs.”
Above: Plum flowers are susceptible to frost; it is important to position your new tree or trees in a spot sheltered from biting wind. See more at Gardening 101: Plum Trees. Photograph by Marie Viljoen.
How to tell the difference among flowering trees? If you are not sure what your eyes are feasting on, look closely at the petals. Plums have rounded petals. Cherry petals each have a tiny cleft at the tip (and peaches, blooming in between, have teardrop-shaped petals). Plum blossoms also grow tightly against the branches, while cherries have noticeable stems.
For a list of our favorite cultivars of plum trees and for planting and care tips, see Gardening 101: Plum Trees.
The low-down on Cornus from Kendra: “Flowering dogwood (C. florida) can be ‘just the usual’ white or tinged pink, or it can be truly spectacular, such as C. controversa or C. alternifolia: garden giants with tiers of branches like a wedding cake.”
And don’t overlook creeping dogwood or (C. canadensis), a dramatic ground cover.
See all our favorite flowering dogwood tree cultivars (and suggestions on how to pick the right one for your garden) at Dogwood Trees 101: A Field Guide.
Dwarf or semi-dwarf varieties of apple trees are best-suited for home gardens (dwarf trees perform well in containers, as well). Depending on the cultivar, an apple tree’s flowers may be pink or white. Against glossy green leaves, either color is lovely—and apple trees’ gnarly silhouettes make them beautiful landscape elements year-round. Read more about how to plant and care for Malus at Apple Trees 101: A Field Guide.
OK, we know it’s a citrus tree and technically not like the others. But what list of flowering trees is complete without lemon trees? Think of the delicately perfumed white blossoms.
Lemon trees are grateful sun worshippers. Give these citrus at least eight hours a day, preferably with some humidity, and they’ll (eventually) reward you. If you live in a climate that’s too cold to grow lemon trees outdoors year-round, consider putting yours into a pot and bringing it indoors for the cold months. Read more planting and care tips at Lemon Trees 101: A Field Guide and read 5 Secrets to Keep a Lemon Tree Alive Indoors in Winter.
Tree lovers, take note. You can use our curated design guide, Trees 101, to learn everything you need to know about more of our favorite trees including Crape Myrtle Trees, Japanese Maple Trees, Pear Trees, and Birch Trees. Whether you’re designing a landscape from scratch or planting a single specimen tree to add curb appeal, our guides offer tips on when (or if) to expect a particular tree to bloom, what size it will reach at maturity, how much water it needs, its average lifespan, and whether it’s evergreen or deciduous.
It’s impossible not to be seduced by the drama and scale of meadow and prairie planting and James Hitchmough, professor at Sheffield University in the UK, has worked on some of the most magical projects. Along with his colleague, Nigel Dunnett, he was in charge of the design and planting of an astounding 100,000 square meters of landscape at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park (site of the London 2012 Olympics).
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He’s also a long-time collaborator of Tom Stuart-Smith’s and worked on the designer’s Hertfordshire prairie, as well as numerous other sites at botanical gardens and public parks in the UK and far beyond. And he has brought that 30 years’ experience into Sowing Beauty: Designing Flowering Meadows from Seed (from Timber Press), a book that’s a must-read for anyone contemplating creating a similar landscape.
When we caught up with the author recently, we learned that there are no shortcuts to creating a meadow—but if you’re prepared to follow his guidelines you can create your very own spectacular naturalistic landscape. Here’s how:
Above: Designer Tom Stuart-Smith’s prairie garden. In Sowing Beauty, “I’m giving a view from the inside,” says Hitchmough. “It’s aimed at a broad audience, from people that are professionally involved as landscape architects through to ambitious home gardeners.”
1. Plant a test bed.
Above: Hitchmough tests potential planting designs in square beds that can be size from 1 foot square to 8 feet square. It allows him to see how plants will work together visually, but just as important, how they will coexist.
Broadly speaking, Hitchmough assesses plants in their natural habitats to work out which plant communities will work together in a planting design. He’s not precious about natives—it’s more about finding plants that will work in harmony in certain conditions.
2. Keep out weeds.
One of the biggest issues for seedlings in a hand-sown scheme will be competition from existing weeds—or even annual weeds that blow into the planting site. “You’ve got to get rid of the competition,” advises Hitchmough. “What you start with you end with—if you have a lot of weeds, they will still be there once you have sown.” He advises spraying with herbicide to kill off existing vegetation (preferably at least twice, four to six weeks apart). If you don’t want to use chemicals, you can cover the site for a year to eradicate weeds.
3. Use a mulching layer of sand.
Once your site is cleared, then a thick layer of sand will also help keep weeds down and give a clear clean base for the seeds to germinate. It’s fairly cheap, readily available, and is one of the best mulches for germination. At Tom Stuart-Smith’s prairie garden, they used a 100-mm layer of sharp sand. Make sure that the sand you ship in has not been sitting in an exposed site collecting weed seed, however. On sloping sites, you can also used jute matting (Hitchmough uses Soil Saver matting), which will stop seeds from being moved and will help to keep moisture in.
Sowing Beauty has lots of images of Hitchmough deftly sowing bucket loads of seeds broadcast over his project sites. It needs to be methodical to ensure that the seeds are even distributed over the entire area. He uses damp sawdust as a carrier for seeds which is both light and makes it far easier to see where you have covered the ground. Seed can be surprisingly expensive—especially if you are sowing a large area—and some are tricky to germinate, so for some plants Hitchmough recommends planting 9-centimeter plants (equivalent to plants in 4-inch nursery pots in the US) among the sown seed.
5. Don’t forget irrigation.
Seeds need moisture to germinate but they are also extremely vulnerable once they have sprouted. It’s important to irrigate these delicate seedlings every few days to stop them dehydrating, and in dry climates it’s worth watering regularly over their first summer.
Above: Purple asters in bloom.
6. Do one simple cut back.
It’s no easy task preparing the area for a hand-sown prairie, but if it’s established well then down the line the maintenance is much less than for a herbaceous border. Tom Stuart-Smith has even done the math for us, calculating that a meadow requires 10 percent of the time it takes to tend a conventional mixed herbaceous planting. Wildflower meadows—and to anyone in England it’s the rural hay meadow, is always cut in high summer and the seeds in it then dispersed in preparation for everything to grow the following year. For many of Hitchmough’s planting designs, plants are cut back to around 20mm-50mm in spring (in a similar way to cutting back borders).
Above: A copy of Sowing Beauty is $27.16 from Amazon.
7. Choose your seed supplier carefully.
You can buy the same seed five times in one year from the same source and the success of germination will vary enormously. Hitchmough says that seed companies that sell to horticultural nurseries tend to have the highest quality seeds (it would be instantly apparent to professionals if seeds were not good quality). He recommends Jelitto Perennial Seeds, Pictorial Meadows, Emorsgate, and Prairie Moon in the US.
Midcentury modern garden design evolved alongside the breathless optimism of America’s suburbs. In those post-war decades, the prospects of having greater prosperity and more leisure time seemed as inevitable as buying molded plastic chairs for the patio.
A central tenet of midcentury modern landscape design: “Gardens were to be lived in, not looked at. Outdoor spaces would be woven together in free-flowing plans,” writes Ethne Clarke in her book The Mid-Century Modern Garden (Frances Lincoln: 2017).
The easiest way to remember the difference between modernist garden design and midcentury garden design is that while all midcentury modern gardens were designed in the modernist era, not all modernists embraced midcentury modern design. Restrained palettes? Modernist. Bright, primary colors? Midcentury modern. Outdoor living rooms? Both. See more at 10 Garden Ideas to Steal from the Modernists.
We have midcentury modern garden design to thank for (among other things) the rise of the backyard as a destination, lawnmower culture, and the ubiquity of of the charcoal grill. And here are 10 ideas, as fresh and modern today as ever, to steal from midcentury modern gardens:
See-Through Walls
Above: “British architect John Winter, who died in 2012 at the age of 82, was known for his quiet modernist designs,” writes Remodelista editor in chief Julie Carlson. “His most celebrated project was his own house, built in 1969, which featured the first domestic use of Corten steel in the UK.” See more of this project in A Lion in Winter: A Midcentury Masterpiece in London on Remodelista. Photograph of the Corten House via Modern Estate Agents.
To emphasize the connection between indoors and out, in midcentury modern homes sliding doors opened onto the garden and large expanses of glass replaced walls to frame views and invite light into the house.
“The patio became the perfect place for a backyard grill and patio furniture made with new materials like plastic and aluminum,” according to the Smithsonian Institution’s exhibit, Patios, Pools, & the Invention of the American Backyard. A generation that benefited from the post-war prosperity that turned the backyard into what the Smithsonian describes as “an extension of the house, a room designed for relaxing, recreation and entertaining.”
Low-Maintenance Shrubs
Above: Architect and industrial designer Finn Juhl, credited with introducing Danish modern design to the United States, designed his own house in Charlottenlund, Denmark. Simple, geometric blocks of shrubbery line a walkway. Photograph courtesy of Juli Daoust; see more at Kitka.
Architect and industrial designer Finn Juhl, credited with introducing Danish modern design to the United States, designed his own house in Charlottenlund, Denmark. Simple, geometric blocks of shrubbery line border a path and create a low-maintenance privacy barrier.
The portable lounge chair was a midcentury modern invention that remains fresh today. “Knoll acquired the US production rights in 1947, and about 5 million chairs were sold during the 1950s alone,” writes our columnist Megan Wilson.
Lightweight butterfly chairs can move from patio to poolside (or indoors to the living room in inclement weather). See more in Object Lessons: The Butterfly Chair.
Geometric shapes and patterns—as evidenced by flat roofs, angled corners, and cantilevered overhangs—were typica features of midcentury modern homes. To emphasize the squares and rectangles of the architecture bright colors adorned flat panels on facades and walls in gardens.
Natural Stone
Above: ” Even for arch Modernists, natural materials were all-important. Here huge slabs of natural limestone are set into a grassy slope to create a rustic stairway at a hillside house near Carmel, California,” writes Clare Coulson. See more at Required Reading: The Mid-Century Modern Garden by Ethne Clarke. Photograph by Ethne Clarke.
Midcentury modern garden designers placed a premium on the use of local materials, particularly natural stone, which added an organic element to low-maintenance landscapes.
“From inside Johnson’s shimmering box, perched on a promontory overlooking a pond, the view of apparently untamed New England forest and un-mown grass was carefully planned and pruned to resemble both the naturalistic gardens of 18th and 19th century Europe and the midwestern farmland of his Ohio childhood,” writes our contributor Betsy Gleick.
Breezy Patios and Courtyards
Above: A steel cantilevered pergola at the Ballantyne House, a midcentury modern house in Christchurch, New Zealand, creates a sheltered hallway and patio. “The architect, Sir Miles Warren, consciously designed homes with a sense of containment and enclosure to protect the inhabitants from the cold, flat Canterbury plain where Christchurch is located,” says owner Pickford Wolfe. Photograph by Sam Hartnett.
Above: A single shrub that knows how to take care of itself grows against the facade at the Ballantyne House in New Zealand. Photograph by Mary Gaudin.
“In mid-century gardens, a scattering of shrubs was low maintenance yet stylish,” writes our contributor Clare Coulson, in her review of The Mid-Century Modern Garden by Ethne Clarke. “While there may be a defined style to mid-century gardens, this was not an era of plantaholics and gardening enthusiasts.”
Curb Appeal
Above: A tongue-and-groove privacy fence and garage door are additions to an otherwise well-preserved midcentury modern exterior. See more of this update by Simo Design in A Masculine Midcentury Revival in LA on Remodelista.
An understated entry and front garden is a hallmark of midcentury modern gardens.
If you’re designing a new garden or rehabbing an existing landscape, get started with tips and inspiration from our curated guides to Garden Design 101. From Shrubs: A Field Guide to our design guide to Decks & Patios, we’ve got growing and design tips tailored to your climate. Read more about midcentury modern design:
New from Hasami Porcelain, one of our favorite purveyors of Japanese ceramics: planters in two sizes and three colors, each made in Japan of a mix of porcelain and earth-colored clay.
Hasami has been in business for nearly a decade, under the creative direction of Tortoise General Store founder Takuhiro Shinomoto. The brand launched with a line of plates, cups, and bowls, all free of ornamentation and modularly designed to fit together in different combinations. The new planters are the first Hasami wares not designed for the dinner table, but they’re still meant to fit with the other pieces. (Case in point: The planter’s saucer is actually a dinner plate.)
Above: Hasami planters are available in two sizes and three glazes, and each has a drainage hole at the bottom. The small planter is 3 inches in diameter and 5 inches tall, and the glossy gray color shown here is the only glazed version. The Small Gloss Grey Planter is $28 at The Primary Essentials. Hasami Porcelain is made in Nagasaki prefecture, in a region that has been manufacturing ceramics on a large scale for nearly 400 years.
Above: The large planter is 5.75 inches in diameter and 5 inches tall. The Large Gloss Grey Planter shown here is $45. Designer Takuhiro Shinomoto took inspiration from traditional Japanese lacquered wood nesting boxes (similar to the kind used in bento boxes) when creating the Hasami line and its modular configuration.
Above: Planter “saucers” are sold separately, and are actually standard plates from the dinnerware line. The large planters use a Medium 02 Plate ($28) as a saucer, and the small planters a Lid ($10, designed to be used as a coaster, a tiny plate, or a lid to keep drinks warm) as their saucer. Above: Hasami wares in black (shown here) and natural are unglazed, but fired at extremely high temperatures that make them resistant to staining. They have a slightly rough surface but are durable and dishwasher-safe. The Small Planter Black shown here is $28. Above: The Large Planter Black is $45. Above: A Small Natural Planter is $28, and the Large Natural Planter shown at the top of this story is $45. In addition to The Primary Essentials, Hasami planters are stocked at Tortoise General Store, Kuarto, and Rikumo, which also carries the planters in glossy blue.
Above: The Natural Lid is 3.3 inches in diameter and serves as the saucer for the small planter; $10. Choose the best potted plant for your home with help from our curated guides to Houseplants 101, including Fiddle-Leaf Fig Trees, Monstera, and Orchids. For more favorite objects from Japan, see:
With their exotic-looking blooms, it is easy to see why trilliums are one of America’s most prized wildflowers. Alas, due to habitat destruction and poaching, it’s quite rare to see these striking natives in the wild anymore. Furthermore, gardeners wishing to propagate these spring-time jewels are often frustrated by either poor stock or the fact that the plants can take up to eight years to mature.
Undaunted, we turned to the New England Wild Flower Society to learn more about how we might grow and care for these native gems. The Society, which will host its annual Trillium Week beginning May 6, features dozens of specimens in its woodland showcase: Garden in the Woods. There guests may purchase mature trilliums from the stock beds, taks tours, and attend workshops with Dan Jaffe, the official propagator and stock bed grower at the society and co-author of the society’s newly published a new guide, Native Plants for New England Gardens.
For those of you who can’t travel to New England next week, we offer this succinct guide to everything you need to know about these jewel-like wildflowers..
Photography by Justine Hand, unless otherwise noted.
Trillium Grandiflorum: Beginner’s Plant
Above: The largest flower of any of the New England native trilliums, Great Wakerobin’s white flowers turn pink after pollination. Photograph by Dan Jaffe.
Native to North America, trilliums are found in nearly every woodland region of the country, ranging from USDA zones 4 to 9. The early spring flower enjoys the dappled sunlight that filters through the trees. Therefore they are an ideal plant for a shade garden. Trilliums enjoy the rich, moist, well-drained soil (with a neutral to acidic pH) of the forest floor. They also love bark or leaf mulch.
Above: Trillium grandiflorum ‘White Wakerobin’ is a classic. Because it is easier to propagate and grows in a nice, tight patch, it is an ideal trillium for first-time growers.
Trilliums thrive in a deciduous forest where the soil has a more neutral pH. T. grandiflorum prefers limey soil, while Trillium erectum likes more acidic soil. Soon after blooming, trilliums go dormant, so it is best to plant them among plants with a summer growth cycle. But note, though trilliums love spring’s wet weather, they do not like to be overwatered in the summer.
Above: After Trilliumgrandiflorum has been pollinated, its petals turn pink to signal to insects that they may move on. Also in this family, T.roseum has pink leaves to begin with, but insects will pass it by so this variety must be pollinated by hand. Photograph by Dan Jaffe.
Because trilliums produce heavy seeds which drop near mature plants, they often exist in colonies. If you are trying to propagate your own trillium bed, be aware that trillium seedlings will not develop their characteristic three-leaf structure until the second or even third year. So if you see lots of long, thin leaves poking out of the ground around your trillium, do not pull them out. Plant Delights Nursery has an instructive video that shows trillium seedlings in first- and second-year growth.
Trillium Grandiflorum ‘Multiplex’: Showboat
Above: T. grandiflorum ‘Multiplex’ prefers part sun to part shade and well-drained, slightly acidic to slightly alkaline soil. Photo by Dan Jaffe.
A most sensational form of Trillium grandiflorum,‘Multiplex’ has multi-petaled blooms. Unlike standard T. grandiflorum, ‘Multiplex’ does not attract pollinators and therefore does not turn pink. To encourage helpful insects, Dan Jaffe recommends planting ‘Multiplex’ alongside other trilliums.
Above: Trillium grandiflorum forma petalosum or ‘Double White’ does not produce seeds. Instead these trilliums spread by rhizomes. To propagate, dig up the roots, gently separate the rhizomes, and replant. August is the best time.
‘Jeweled Wakerobin’: Shy Star
Above: Trillium simile ‘Jeweled Wakerobin’ is an example of a pedicellate trillium. Like other grandiflorum, it prefers prefers part sun to part shade and well-drained, slightly acidic to slightly alkaline soil.
There are two main types of trillium: sessile varieties have flowers that rest directly on the leaves, and pedicellate trilliums have a bloom that sits on a stalk. Of the pedicellates, there are two main forms: upright or bending or nodding.
Above: Awaiting a new garden home, mature Trillium simile ‘Jeweled Wakerobin’ in the propagation beds at Garden in the Woods. On May 6 and 7, visitors purchase trilliums directly from Garden in the Wood’s propagation beds.
Many trilliums are protected by law so never “steal” plants from the wild. Instead always buy live plants from reputable nurseries or native wildflower societies.
Vaseyi and Erectum: Scarlet Beauties
Above: A striking red beauty with especially large flowers, Trillium vaseyi blooms later than other trilliums. Photograph by Dan Jaffe.
For more advice on trilliums, watch Dan Jaffe’s helpful video featuring some favorites from Garden in the Woods.
Above: Due to its rather rank smell, Trillium erectum is also known as “stinking Benjamin.” This species is happiest in part sun to cool soils with moist, well drained, mildly acidic soil..
Sessiles, the Mottled Leafed Trilliums
Above: A native to the Southeast, Trillium cuneatum or “Whippoorwill flower” is happiest when planted in part sun to part shade spot with moist, well drained, neutral to slightly alkaline soil.
With flowers that rest directly on the leaves, Sessile trilliums are quite distinct from their pedunculate cousins.
Above: Yellow Trillium luteum prefers part shade and moist, well-drained, slightly alkaline soil.
Cheat Sheet
Above: Trillium grandiflorum mixed with other woodland plants at Garden in the Woods in Framingham, MA.
Trillium is a native wildflower that thrives in woodlands across the US.
An early bloomer, trilliums flower from late April to May, then go dormant in the summer.
Trilliums look best planted among other shade-loving ground covers or woodland plants such as ferns, Celandine poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum), Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica), or Solomon’s seal.
Keep It Alive
Hardy in zones 4 to 9, this native woodland flower prefers full to partial shade, well-drained soil, and a neutral to acidic pH. Trilliums are ideal under deciduous trees. If planted near pine, add lime to the soil.
Buy live plants, not boxed ones (which are often already dead), and plant in spring.
Avoid overwatering dormant summer plants.
Divide ‘Multiplex’ and replant in late summer. Add leaf or bark mulch in the fall.
Beware not to pull up seedlings, which may resemble grass or weed violets.
As if the soft serve ice cream cones ($1) weren’t enough to lure me into braving the crowds at my nearest Ikea store?
Ikea’s newest collection of outdoor furnishings, plant pots, and accessories for summer 2018 includes new products to create an instantly stylish outdoor living or dining space. Here are 10 of our favorites:
Havsten Sofa
Above: Ikea’s Havsten outdoor seating collection includes an armchairs, three sizes of sofa and several armless add-on sofas, including a 2-Seat Sofa as shown for €435 at Ikea UK.
Krokholmen Coffee Table
Above: A Krokholmen Coffee Table designed for outdoor use is made of galvanized steel with a polyester powder coating; $34.99.
Sötholmen Cushion Cover
Above: A zippered Sötholmen cushion cover has a water-repellent lining and is $15.
Solvinden Solar Lamp
Above: A cordless Solvinden solar-powered pendant lamp has a rechargeable battery (AAA 1.2V) which recharges in from nine to 12 hours depending on how sunny the weather is; it is $7.99.
Above: A dark gray stoneware Sommar Hanging Planter with a cotton hanging cord is $12.99.
Socker Watering Cans
Above: A new turquoise powder coated Socker Watering Can is 4 inches high and $5.99.
Solvinden Pendant Lamps
Above: A Solvinden solar-powered pendant lamp is “easy to use because no cords or plugs are needed,” notes Ikea. It is $9.99.
Black Socker Plant Pots
Above: Black is a seasonal color for Ikea’s popular Socker plant pots, and will be available in two sizes for from £6.50 to £8. For availability in the US, see Ikea Socker.
Sommar Candle Lanterns
Above: Suitable for both indoor and outdoor use, a steel and glass Sommar Candle Lantern is $24.99.
Sommar Vases
Above: A set of three colored glass Sommar Vases is $4.99.
Illuminated pavers sit flush with the surface of a driveway or path, discreetly hiding their powers until the sun goes down. Unlike bollards or landscape lights on poles, illuminated pavers light up the darkness without intruding into the visual plane of the landscape.
Many, including the Cambridge SolaGlo Pavers shown above (see Cambridge Pavers for more information and prices), are powered by LEDs (which consumer less energy than conventional outdoor lighting) and can be recharged by solar power.
Here are 10 other favorite illuminated pavers for driveways, decks, balconies, and garden paths:
Above: A 6-by-8-inch LED clear Paver-Lite block light is made of molded glass and suitable for use in a driveway; $55.04 from Dekor Lighting. Above: Powered by an LED, a Shine Stone Paver Light has frosted glass “for minimal glare” and measures 6 by 9 inches and is $54.97 from Volt. Above: A 6-by-9-inch LED Paver Light is water resistant and rated for commercial vehicle loads. It comes in two finishes, including bronze as shown, and is $75.99 from Nox Lighting. Above: Nox Lighting’s illuminated pavers also are available in Paver Light Kits that include eight or paver lights, a 150-watt low voltage transformer, waterproof wire connectors, and burial wire. Kit prices range from $637.19 to $1,080.30 depending on size.
Above: Designed by Italy-based Seves, Photovoltaic Glass Block pavers available in three sizes as shown “come with a built-in solar panel to conserve energy during the day which powers low voltage LED lights throughout the night. The glass block pavers require no wiring or maintenance,” notes retailer Adelaide Glass Blocks. For more information and pricing, see Adelaide Glass Blocks.
The pavers are recommended for use on driveways and decks, as well as walkways and balconies. (For best results, install photovoltaic glass blocks in a sunny spot “to ensure sufficient battery charge,” notes Adelaide.
For more information on the Seves collection of glass blocks, see Seves Glass Block.
Above: An LED Paver light with a high-impact acrylic lens has a pressure rating of 8.800 pounds and is suitable for use on a driveway. Available in 13 finishes, including aluminum with black Tex as shown above, it is from $257.40 to $522.72 depending on material at Lumens. Above: An Iced Solar Paver Light measures 8 by 4 inches and is powered by a 1.2V AA 1000MAH rechargeable battery (included); $36 from Lights. Above: The size of a standard brick, an LED Paver Light made by Focus Industries measures 4 by 8 inches and has a heavy duty aluminum frame surrounding an acrylic lens. It is suitable for use on a driveway and is $98.10 at Take 3 Lighting. Above: An Illuminated LED Paver designed to be inset in a concrete driveway or walkway is available in two shapes, rectangular and square (as shown). For more information and prices, see France-based Heinrich & Bock. Above: From Focus Industries, a Rectangle LED Step Light has a high-impact acrylic lens and is designed for driveway use (it supports up to 8,800 pounds). It is available in 12 finishes including aluminum with rust as shown at prices ranging from $194.40 to $275.40 depending on finish at YLighting.
If you’re designing a new driveway or path (updating an existing hardscape feature), see our curated design guides for Hardscape 101 projects including Decks & Patios 101, Outdoor Lighting, and Pavers 101. Don’t miss our recent posts:
Thinking of embarking on a remodel this spring (or anytime for that matter?). We want to help. Our mission has always been to provide remodeling inspiration, ideas, and advice, and now we’ve partnered with our friends at Fireclay Tile to give away $20,000,plus $5,000 to use toward tile from Fireclay Tile.
To enter, follow the instructions on the giveaway page by Thursday, May 31, 4 p.m. EDT, for a chance to win $20,000, plus $5,000 to use toward tile from Fireclay Tile.
N.B.: Need remodeling inspiration? Browse the Kitchens and Bathrooms pages on Remodelista for all kitchen and bathroom remodeling projects from the archives. Plus, take a look at our posts:
The Spring Remodel Sweepstakes starts 05/01/2018 and ends 05/31/2018. Open to residents age 21 or older of the 50 States and D.C. Void where prohibited. No purchase necessary. Prize awarded per random drawing: $20,000, plus purchase credit of $5,000. For how to enter, odds of winning and important dates, restrictions, requirements and other details, see Official Rules. Sponsor: Remodelista® division of Move Sales, Inc., 1211 Avenue of Americas, Floor 4, BB23, NY, NY 10036.
Outdoor lighting should be dramatic without being overly theatrical. To create elegant illumination in a landscape, consider all the tools at your disposal—from stairway riser lights to underwater spotlights, to hanging cage lanterns (which can remind you of a candlelit-chandelier, hanging above a dining table).
For inspiration, we’ve rounded up seven of our favorite landscapes with stylish—and unexpected—outdoor lighting solutions, many suggested by members of our curated Gardenista Architect/Designer Directory.
Fence-Mounted Sconces
Above: In a small courtyard garden in Manhattan’s East Village, designed by Gardenista Architect/Designer Directory member Harrison Green, fence-mounted lanterns create a candlelight effect at dusk.
Above: Similar in appearance to Virginia creeper, Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) has leaves that can be hard to identify because the vine’s foliage can look different based on maturity and other factors. Photograph courtesy of Harrison Green.
For a similar fence-mounted lantern suitable for use in a sheltered outdoor setting, see the Union Filament Clear Glass Wide Sconce with an aluminum frame and clear glass panes; $379 at Restoration Hardware.
Downlights
Above: Outdoor wall lights are specifically designed and approved for wet location use. Photograph via Royal Botania.
“Wall-mounted outdoor fixtures are the chameleons of landscape lighting,” writes Janet. “They can be used virtually anywhere in your garden that offers a flat vertical surface.” See more in Hardscaping 101: Outdoor Wall Lights.
Starry Night Lights
Above: On a modern addition to an early Victorian terraced house, Architecture for London designed an “intricate glass and Cor-ten steel screen, with varying degrees of transparency,” to light the garden from indoors at night.
The Cor-ten steel panel has many tiny, starry perforations: “It is largely opaque at low level to obscure views into the bathroom, yet perforated and split vertically to offer glimpses of the garden from within. At high level, clear glazing allows views of the sky and trees,” the architects say. See more of this project in our Architect/Designer Directory.
Ivy softens the sharp angles of the facade and barn light sconce with its elegant arms, punctuating the darkness with targeted down lighting. Here a side door is instilled with drama and purpose.
Above: At the artist’s studio, another barn light sconce welcomes visitors to a side patio and a wall of sliding glass doors. Photograph by Rush Jagoe, courtesy of Berman Horn Studio.
Above: Low-profile underwater lights repeat a theme, complementing inset wall lights in a landscape project by Gardenista Architect/Designer Directory member Gunn Landscape Architecture.
Above: A hanging cage lantern illuminates the dining area at 1 Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn in an outdoor space designed by Gardenista Architect/Designer Directory member Brook Landscape.
For a similar look, consider a Modern Filament Pendant available in two sizes (rated for sheltered outdoor use); starting at $625 at Restoration Hardware. Another option is the Darlana Outdoor Hanging Lantern with tapered sides designed by E. F. Chapman for Visual Comfort, suitable for use in a damp location and available in two sizes; starting at $1,119 at Lumens.
See more Cage Lanterns rated for outdoor use at Copper Lantern Lighting Gallery.
Riser Lights
Above: Inset on steps made of bluestone, stairway riser lights sit flush against the stone in a Tiburon, California, project by Gardenista Architect/Designer Directory member Pedersen Associates.
Riser lights “provide easy stairway navigation and can be coordinated with their background material so they don’t distract during the day,” Janet says. See more in Hardscaping 101: Stairway Lighting.
See more design tips (and our favorite outdoor lights) in our Garden Design 101 guide on lighting, and don’t miss:
The San Isidro neighborhood of Buenos Aires is filled with old stone houses, neo-Gothic churches, cobblestone streets, and lush greenery. Huge magnolia and jacaranda trees live happily next to tropical palms, and climbing roses cover stone walls. It’s a bit grand, a bit rundown, and loaded with South American charm.
This is where my aunt and uncle have raised their family. More than 10 years ago, after their three children were grown, Uncle Jorge turned to raising orchids. His garden is a perfect micro-landscape of San Isidro: Orchids grow alongside sweet gum and maple trees, Japanese anemones, and the most glorious gladiolas.
Above: You walk down a driveway to enter my uncle’s garden. Above: The first thing you’ll notice is the orchids hanging from the trees beside the driveway. These aren’t blooming yet, but they will soon. Above: At the end of the driveway, you come upon a huge tree covered in more than 30 orchids. Above: Some of the orchids cling to the branches, some grow on the trunks, and some hang in wooden crates. Above: While these orchids love humidity and wet climates, they don’t like to sit in pools of water, so proper drainage is very important. Above: Behind the tree is my uncle’s small greenhouse, filled with even more orchids, many brought home from his travels. Above: In summer, when it’s hot and there’s little rain, Jorge waters the orchids every day. In fall and winter, he waters less often, depending on how much rain there is. (It’s often wet in South America, but rainfall varies.) Above: Jorge’s orchids are used to being partly covered by the canopy of the rain forest. If I were planting orchids at home, I would research the best varieties for my region. Some orchids found in Africa, for example, do well in dry climates. Above: Native to Brazil, the Brassavola tuberculata orchid loves hot and humid savannas. It is an epiphyte, meaning it grows on other plants, getting its nutrients from the air and the debris that falls from the tree it lives on.
Above: Epiphytic orchids cling to a tree trunk. Many of the orchids in Jorge’s garden are epiphytic. Above: Oncidium orchids, like this one, are native to Argentina and other parts of South America. Above: This Cattleya orchid is native to Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Mexico. They flourish in the Andes, up to altitudes of 10,000 feet. Cattleyas are epiphytes that can endure temperatures ranging from 50 degrees F to 90 degrees F—in fact, variations in temperature help them grow and bloom. Above: I love the color of these tiny red orchids. Above: And though I’m not normally a gladiola fan, I love my uncle’s use of this coral gladiola, reminiscent of the orchids in both shape and color. Above: This orchid looks similar to the Miltonia flavescens, said to be native to Peru and found in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. Above: Over the years my uncle’s garden has flourished. Gardens will do that.
Inspired to try growing orchids yourself? Don’t say we didn’t warn you: Orchids tend to evoke obsessive behavior (The Orchid That Owned Me).
Get more ideas on how to successfully plant, grow, and care for orchids with our Orchid: A Field Guide and tips for how to plant, grow, and care for more of our favorite houseplants with our curated guide to Houseplants 101. Interested in other tropical plants for your garden or indoor space? See how to plant, grow, and care for various tropical plants with our Tropical Plants: A Field Guide. For more on orchids:
Cherry laurel is a handsome evergreen shrub that will tolerate shade and produces dainty white sweet-smelling flowers in spring. It is fast-growing and lures birds with its cherry-like red fruits, which turn black in maturity. Certainly this plant can be an attractive and useful addition to the landscape, but before you bring one home from the nursery, consider its less endearing characteristics. Remember the trusting small girl in the folk tale Little Red Riding Hood who meets and is eaten by a wolf disguised as her ailing grandmother? The gardener would be wise to be skeptical of the cherry laurel’s seemingly benign appearance and behavior.
Read on for everything you need to know about this rather hardy shrub, Prunus laurocerasus.
Above: Cherry laurel has white flowering spikes in spring. Photograph by Sebastian Rittau via Flickr.
One thing to know about Prunus laurocerasus (which emits the pleasing fragrance of almonds when its leaves are crushed), is that it contains hydrogen cyanide, a poison. If ingested in large amounts, hydrogen cyanide can deplete the nervous system of oxygen and, in rare cases, even cause death. According to the website The Poison Garden entomologists once used crushed cherry laurel leaves to kill insect specimens without causing visible damage. People have reported ill effects from inhaling the fumes emitted by chipped branches pruned from the plant. Unwitting chefs have apparently sickened diners by confusing cherry laurel leaves with the culinary seasoning bay leaves, which are from a totally different plant, Laurus nobilis.
Above: At gardener Silas Mountier’s home, “imposing hornbeam uprights create tall drama above the shorn arcs of boxwood and cherry laurel hedges, on either side of an undeviating bluestone path,” writes contributor Marie Viljoen. See more at Garden Visit: At Home with Silas Mountsier in New Jersey. Photograph by Marie Viljoen.
Aside from its toxicity, the other potentially undesirable trait of cherry laurel, which is native to southwest Asia and southeast Europe, is a tendency for invasive growth. This is particularly true in the Pacific Northwest where the damp climate suits this easily spread shrub. Cherry laurel moves into forests, parks, and other natural areas to produce dense growth that can shade out native plants.
Above: Prunus laurocerasus by Leonora Enking via Flickr.
If you are prepared to keep this shrub under control and prevent pets and people from eating it (perhaps by planting it away from high traffic areas in the garden), then feel free to add Prunus laurocerasus to your garden where its talent for vigorous expansion, tolerance of shade, and distinctive appearance can solve all sorts of landscaping dilemmas.
Cheat Sheet
Approximately 40 diverse cultivars provide plenty of choices for many uses including hedges and screens as well as bushy ground covers.
Cherry laurel is a salt- and pollution-tolerant shrub.
Butterflies, bees, and birds are attracted to this plant.
Prunus laurocerasus is spread by suckering from the root system and by seeds which are frequently widely dispersed by birds who eat the fruit.
Above: Cherry laurel, blooming in Berlin. Photograph by Sebastian Rittau via Flickr.
Keep It Alive
Plant cherry laurel in moist soil rich in organic matter in USDA zones 5 to 9.
Good drainage is essential to the survival of this plant.
It tolerates all sorts of light conditions from full sun to partial and even full shade, preferring more sun in cool climates and more shade in warmer areas.
Water your cherry laurel enough to keep the soil moist but not soggy.
Prune this plant in late spring or early summer after it blooms.
The straight species of Prunus laurocerasus tends to be extremely large (up to 25 feet tall and 30 feet wide) and can easily be given a tree-like form by progressively pruning away the lower branches as the shrub grows taller. Gardeners looking for less massive plants should investigate some of the many cultivars which are widely available.
Above: In a front garden, plants edging a path of paver stones include Berberis thunbergii ‘Crimson Pygmy’, Spiraea japonica ‘Gold Mound’, Prunus laurocerasus ‘Otto Luykens’, and Spiraea bumalda ‘Limemound’. Photograph by Peter Stevens via Flickr.
Here’s our list of some of the best varieties of cherry laurel.
‘Otto Luyken’ is quite compact, growing three to four feet high with a six-to-eight-foot spread. It makes a manageably sized hedge or screen and is free-flowering, which means it will bloom throughout the growing season (not just for a couple of weeks in the spring).
‘Schipkaensis’ is a spreading shrub growing five to 10 feet tall. It gets its name from the Schipka mountain pass in Bulgaria where it was discovered. Its form is upright and wide with narrow glossy leaves that are smaller than those of the species. It is particularly useful as a fast-growing large hedge.
‘Zabeliana’ or Zabel’s cherry laurel is a low (four feet high with a 12-foot spread) and slow-growing variety useful in small gardens as a ground cover on shady slopes or along a shaded wall or fence. This cultivar is quite cold hardy and has extremely narrow leaves. If you want to use it as a hedge, experts recommend pruning it twice a year (in early spring and then again in early autumn) to keep its tendency to spread horizontally under control.
As the world’s most famous botanical garden, Kew is an awe-inspiring place to visit with vast glasshouses (the newly restored Temperate House which was originally built over four decades, opening in 1863, covers 4,880 square meters) and incredible collections. It oversees the biggest and most diverse collection of plants on the planet. It’s not only the jewel in the crown of London’s many green spaces, it’s also a World Heritage site. Among the 300 acres of awe-inspiring glasshouses and follies, temples, and towering trees, a pagoda and a palace, there are ideas for all sorts of outside spaces. Here are some of our favorites.
Build a Collection
Above: A collection of Dendobrium orchids in the Princess of Wales conservatory. Photograph by Jim Linwood via Flickr.
As one of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew holds many important collections from botanical illustration to the 7 million items in the herbarium. Consider that encouragement to start your own living collection. In the Princess of Wales conservatory there are 10 climatic zones housing ferns and orchids through to arid-loving plants such as cacti, agave and aloe. Start your own mini collection and display them together on a plant stand, grouping plants with similar needs in the same spot.
Go Yellow
Above: Laburnums bloom in May and June on the pergola in the Queen’s Garden. For visiting hours and information, see Kew.
The dazzling laburnum tunnel in the Queen’s Garden (which is exclusively filled with plants grown in Britain before and during the 17th century) is one of Kew’s most breathtaking features. The acidic yellow flowers, which emerge in spring, look incredible underplanted with purple alliums. And this can be re-created on a much smaller scale with a garden pergola or a series of arches.
Make a Meadow
Above: Drifts of camassias. Photograph by Lucy Wayland via Flickr.
Bulbs are planted into grass at Kew: From elegant blue camassias to technicolor tulips, these bright additions to lawns and meadows are a welcome injection of springtime color. Plant bulbs in autumn and then do not cut the grass until all bulb foliage has died back in early summer. The longer grass will also provide wildlife habitats for many insects.
Widen Your Borders
Above: The Broad Walk at Kew. For more information and visiting hours, see Kew.
Deep borders, in which you can create layers of planting, offer much more impact than skinnier ones. The Great Broad Walk takes this concept to extremes with a double herbaceous border that contains 30,000 plants and 13,000 spring bulbs. It’s not only super wide but extremely long too—at 320 meters it’s Britain’s longest double herbaceous border. But a deeper border works on any scale; removing turf from gardens to give borders more room to breathe is a quick and easy job.
Cultivate Climbers
Above: Wisteria vines in bloom at Kew. Photograph by Graeme Churchard via Flickr.
You don’t need a beautiful old wall to enjoy the abundant flowers of wisteria. Encase a gazebo with vivid blue Wisteria sinensis; at Kew, an ancient specimen—which is more than 200 years old—twists and climbs around a gazebo creating a secluded, and highly scented, seating area.
Gather Your Alpines
Above: Alpine plants in bloom, including cyclamen and crocus, at Kew. Photograph by Leonora Enking via Flickr.
Take inspiration from Kew’s modern glass Alpine House and grow a miniature collection of alpine plants. These mountain-growing plants including gentians, rosemary, saxifrage, and peonies like cool conditions, plenty of light, and good ventilation, so display your pots in a cool zone or keep them partially shaded from harsh summer sun.
Plant a Tree or Plant a Few
Above: Kew’s impressive black locust tree (Robinia pseudoacacia). Photograph by Jim Linwood via Flickr.
Kew is famous for many things, but the 14,000 trees are arguably the site’s most impressive assets and some are centuries old including a Japanese pagoda tree (Styphnolobium japonicum), a Lucombe oak (Quercus x hispanica ‘Lucombeana’), and the black locust tree (Robinia pseudoacacia). You don’t need an arboretum (or much space) to plant a tree, but if you’re making a commitment to grow a tree (which will almost certainly be enjoyed by future generations) it’s worth seeking the best cultivars for each variety.
You don’t need to go to the great heights of Kew’s famous 10-story Pagoda (the 1762 structure reopens this summer after a major restoration) to add a whimsical pop of color in the garden. Paint wooden furniture in a glossy Chinoiserie red to create vibrancy that will work in all seasons.
Go Tropical
Above: Tropical plants in the Temperate House at Kew. Photograph by Heather Cowper via Flickr.
Kew’s Palm House—and the newly restored Temperate House—are feats of Victorian engineering and awe-inspiring structures in their own right. They also show just how lush and invigorating the leaves of tropical plants can look en masse but you don’t need a Victorian glasshouse to re-create it. Plenty of exotic-looking plants with gorgeous foliage can survive moderate winters outside: Trachycarpus, Cordyline, banana plants, Fatsia japonica, and Phormium can be layered in a sheltered spot to create a tropical look.
Illuminate Your Trees
Above: A tree with night lighting next to Kew’s Nash Conservatory. Photograph by Fimb via Flickr.
Visitor’s to Kew’s spectacular winter trail will be well versed in how dazzling a well-appointed beam of light can be when shone up into trees, and you don’t need mature trees to do it. Even a young multi-stem tree—or group of trees—can be shown off to dazzling effect at night with a well-placed up-lighter.
For more help designing a garden, see our Garden Design 101 guides to Hardscapes 101 as well as curated guides to our favorite Trees, Perennials, and Tropical Plants. See more ideas to steal:
If heather makes you think of rockeries from the 1970s, tree heather is a revelation. It is graceful, mysterious, show-stopping: all the things that heather isn’t.
A hardy evergreen, tree heather prefers acid soil and can withstand some exposure. On the edge of a garden, you might not even notice this small tree or large shrub until it sparks into life, with small glowing buds that become fragrant in flower.
Above: Tree heather at Beth Chatto’s garden in Essex.
Unlike plain old heather, Erica arborea has movement and an intriguing amorphous shape. It can also be pruned into a shaggy hedge, regenerating from old wood if necessary.
Above: Tree heather preparing to flower.
The flowering time of tree heather (also known as tree heath) depends on geography. In the UK late winter and spring is the time, whereas in the United States—in USDA zones 7 to 9 where it is hardy—flowering takes place throughout May.
Above: White bell-shaped flowers emit a powerful fragrance.
Cheat Sheet
Tree heather is a flowering, highly perfumed evergreen shrub or small tree, also known as tree heath.
It is native to southern Europe as well as north and west Africa, thriving on rocky scrubland.
Erica arborea‘s proven drought hardiness gives it an advantage in problem gardens.
Above: Tree heather is a broadleaf evergreen, like pine.
Keep It Alive
Erica arborea prefers acidic free-draining soil.
A good-looking tree heather has probably been gently shaped in its youth and then left alone.
Happy in full sun or partial shade, for instance under taller trees.
Above: Like the trusty backyard combination of heathers and dwarf conifers, tree heathers mingle with full-size conifers and evergreen camellia in Beth Chatto’s garden in Essex.
The wild red poppies of Europe (Papaver rhoeas) have symbolized remembrance for soldiers since World War I when poet John McCrae wrote In Flanders Field, describing a landscape where “the poppies blow, Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky, The larks, still bravely singing, fly, Scarce heard amid the guns below.”
In the fields of Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal, the corn poppy is also a symbol of springtime and rebirth. Here in Portugal, we have quite a few varieties of wild poppy (with the corn poppy being the most common). I hear a lot from home gardeners and florists who are afraid to cut them because of their short vase life. But as with violets, poppies’ fleeting nature does not deter me from bringing them indoors.
The fragility and temporary blossoms intrigue me, making their presence all the more special. Picked wild, they will be even more fragile then commercially grown poppies. But if handled properly, you will enjoy poppies indoors for up to five days. Follow these steps and you will be surprised at the vase life of this fragile spring flower.
Above: Pick poppies in the morning or evening when they are most hydrated. (This is a general rule when foraging any flower but with poppies it is even more important.) If you pick them in the heat of the sun, they will immediately collapse upon cutting.
See the poppy above? It is halfway open, you cannot yet see the black center. Pick the poppies when they are halfway open, or in a loose bud, nearly open. If the buds aren’t too tight, they should open, but this is inconsistent. So I usually pick a mix.
2. Keep cut flowers in water.
Above: When you forage for poppies, bring a basket with a bucket of water and a newspaper. As soon as you cut the flowers, wrap them in thin newspaper to protect them from wind and sun—and place them in the bucket of water.
3. Seal the stems.
Above: When you get the poppies home, add more water to the bucket. Then dry off the stems and seal them with a match or lighter.
Poppies have a sap, and this seals off the end so that they can retain moisture. Keep them in the bucket in a cool, dark place—away from bright sun or drafts. Poppies will be very susceptible to dramatic changes in temperature or strong breezes.
4. Let the poppies rest.
Above: Let the poppies sit in water for about eight hours or overnight.
Next, cut the stems to the desired length and remove extra leaves (this will help them last longer) and dip them into a just-boiled pot of water to seal the stems again. You’ll notice after a night in a deep bucket of water the poppies will have recovered from the trauma of being harvested. The flowers open with light and close with darkness, so watch them change with the light and time of day.
5. Arrange the poppies.
Above: Poppies bring high drama to a vase, so they are best used as a focal flower.
Part of the appeal of poppies is their curly stems, tissue paper petals, and nodding necks. Don’t place them all face-forward. Place them at different angles so that you can appreciate the stems, the spots of black on the underside of the petals, and their papery petals.
Here, I’ve created a minimal wildflower arrangement. Poppies are dramatic on their own, but I like softening them a bit with grasses and meadow flowers, just as they would grow in the wild. I also like to play with their saturated color by mixing them with greens, corals, purples, and hot pinks. Just a few other stems of these saturated colors creates an almost neon arrangement.
Above: Here, poppies are combined with other meadow flowers and grasses. Geraniums, wisteria, wild snapdragons, and wild purple lupines create a medley of saturated color in a Cat Pessoa vase.
For a simple, but artful arrangement, place just a few stems in a tall vase with a narrow neck, leaving the stems supported and featuring the dramatic blossoms like art to bring the corner of a room to life. Here, I’ve added an orange branch for a contrasting color. Be sure to leave the stems at different heights to fully appreciate each flower.
Above: A few poppies placed in a handmade ceramic vase at different heights will add drama to a corner of a room. Vase by Sofia Albuquerque and match holder by Otchipotchi for Kckliko. Above: Refill with fresh water every couple of days. Over the next few days, watch the buds open and the petals fall as the drama of the poppies unfolds. Above: Spring in a vase.
