Bodega Bay, CA

Rock gardens are one of my favorite type of gardens.  To create a harmonious rock garden takes vision and learning from nature.  On my trip to Northern California I observed a lot of natural rock formation and plants that grow among them.Different textures and colors of coastal plants.

Plant layering.

Plant groupings

Magical fog effect.

Common Ice Plant (Carpobrotus edulis)

Naked Ladies (Amaryllis belladonna)

Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton NJ

Grounds for Sculpture in NJ is a magical place.  It was designed by John Seward Johnson (sculptor) in collaboration with Brian Carey (landscape architect).  The art collection and plantings are exquisite.   Both make it one of the most beautiful places to spend a few hours or entire day.

Leucantha by Philip Grausman.  Willows and fog make it romantic setting for lunch or dinner as they can be seen from Rat’s Restaurant.

 

Sagg Portal by Hans Van de Bovenkamp

Baruch Ashem by Robert Ressler

Beautifully simple setting for Beast by Karen Petersen

Invitation to explore the Sculpture Colonnade

Pond near Seward Johnson Center for the Arts. It reminds me of Monet’s water lilies.

Mirage by Ekaterina Harrison.

Rat’s restaurant.  Once you enter the courtyard you feel as if you are in a fairy tale, or a small European village.

Grove Street Garden, Montclair NJ

I am so glad that the owners of a newly constructed LEED certified office building on Grove Street preferred a small colorful garden instead of an ordinary grass patch on their front lawn.  It turned out lovely, although I think it’s a bit over-planted, and they will have to thin some plants next year.

New plantings.

Creeping phlox (Phlox subulata) and Giant onions (Allium giganteum) make a nice combination.  When onions will be dormant creeping phlox will mask the void.

Gold yarrow (Achillea filipendulina) and a sea of Pink evening primrose (Oenotera speciosa).

Natives

I have learned a lot about beautiful native plants from my Advanced Planting Design class.  I also learned that I have a few in my garden.  Sadly, most of the natives don’t like the soil in my back yard, but some are doing well.  For example, Joe-pye weed (Eupatorium maculatum), Northern sea oats (Chasmathum latifolium) and many native asters are proliferating happily.

Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia)

Northern sea oats ( Chasmathum latifolium) sparkling in afternoon light.  I received three plants free with one of my Wayside garden catalogue orders.  Sweet!

Canadian hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) trunks, Oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) and a native aster that looks like baby breath.

These native beauties are so gentle and unassuming and I promise myself and other native plant lovers that I will certainly plant more species this fall.

Brooklyn Botanical Garden, Brooklyn NY

The BBG’s Herb garden was a huge surprise for me.  Pleasant surprise.  Just a year old, it looks like a well established and  well-maintained vegetable garden that inspires visitors (it certainly inspired me) to start their own vegetable patch.

Neat rows of veggies, including onions, corn and beans.

Cucumbers and basil.

Cold frame.

Really cool compost piles.

Knot garden.

Herb garden water feature.

Focal point: beautiful pot.

The veggies from this garden are served in the BBG’s cafe, and it makes this new addition both practical and beautiful.

Van Vleck House and Gardens, Montclair, NJ

Van Vleck House and Gardens is a nice place to visit any time of the year, but espcsially during May.  It used to be a private estate owned by Dutch family.  The last person who occupied it was Howard Van Vleck who continued a family tradition of creating and maintaining beautiful gardens around his home.  But he took this gardening passion even further by collecting and hybridizing a number of members of Ericacea family, such as Rhododenrons.

The house facade.

The house is a magnificent combination of simplicity and attention to detail.  Even the downspouts are beautiful.

Courtyard columns covered in Chinese Wisteria (Wisteria sinensis); beautiful but aggressive vine.

Hidden path through a group Azaleas and Rhododendrons.

Beautiful space sequence, from wooded to open areas.

Open lawn area. Picnic anyone?

300 Tulips

Here they are.  300 tulips that Brookdale Park Conservancy planted last fall are finally in bloom.

Spring Blooms

The worst winter in 30 years has past.   Whew!  I was surprised to find out that I only had one victim of that horrific weather.  One of my Japanese Falsecypresses (Chamaecyparis pisifera) suffered some damage, but the rest of the garden looks rather healthy.

I planted these Tulip tarda in drifts.  Unfortunately, their blooms are open only when it’s sunny.  They remind me of scrambled eggs.

Japanese Maple (Acer dissectum)  with Grape Hyacinth (Muscari armeniacum) below.

Kwanzan Cherry (Prunus serrulata) and tulips.

This is one of my so called “recovery beds” where I plant everything that is not doing well.  Magically, however, they become skillfully composed planting beds.

It’s not all about the flowers.  Look at this Andromeda (Pieris japonica).  Its new growth is stunning.

888 7th Avenue Pocket Park, NY

If you walk on 57th Street, you might just miss the little space that belongs to the 888 7th Avenue building.

It’s nestled between Brooklyn Diner USA and Lee’s Art Store.  It is a well designed space (although the seating choices could be better), because it feels open even though it is surrounded by a number of very tall buildings from three sides.

I think that the light paving material should be credited for it, as well as the open floor plan.

The building across a street is the Art Student League of New York.

Even the Lee’s ad is well integrated in this space.

Details, details.  Look at the ramp, its glass walls do not ruin the view but enhance it, and the railing repeats the zig zag pattern.

The slanted top in the planter is a subtle reminder to visitors that you cannot sit on it.  Very clever.

 

Mayfair Hotel, Coconut Grove, FL

Mayfair Hotel is an absolute gem in the midst of Coconut Grove, Florida.

Yes, it’s an old hotel and we had to switch rooms three times because something wasn’t working (TV, hot tub….).  Nonetheless, it is marvelous.

The building itself has an incredible amount of architectural detail, and wonderful courtyard gardens.

Elevator Door!!

Wall.

Door detail.

Another Door detail.

Yes, each and every door in the hotel has a different carving on it.

The stairs.  Even the bottom is tiled.

There are a number of copper herons flying around, seamlessly attached to the adjacent structures.