An APLDTCT Special Event – David Harber!

APLD Connecticut Chapter

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APLDCT presents!

A very special evening with world-renown garden artist

David Harber!

Please join us for 

Taking Pleasure in the Passing of Time

Mr. Harber will present a lecture on the evolution of scientific instrument to garden sculpture, especially the development of sundials, their timeless appeal, and how they have evolved into the stunning and breath taking creations that he now designs.

This lecture will be of interest to landscape and garden designers, landscape architects, and landscape professionals, designers from other disiplines, or anyone who is interested in incorporating these beautiful pieces into their gardens!

Tuesday October 7th 6:30-8:00 pm

Location:

GARDEN EDUCATION CENTER OF GREENWICH

130 Bible Street, Cos Cob, CT (203) 869-9242

Tickets – $20.00/$25.00 at the door 

Current APLD members $15.00

(Refreshments will be served)

Purchase tickets now!

David Harber has earned an international reputation for creating innovative, contemporary designs paying homage to the past, and taking the marking of…

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What is Blooming in the Fall Garden Now

Limelight hydrangeas in full gear now, blooming their hearts out!

Black-Eyed Susan and then Sheffield Pink Chrysanthemum take over from mid September to mid-October.

Late blooming Hostas add a fragrance and exuberance to the fall garden.

Garlic Chives (which bloom twice – in May and late August) and Sage make a great plant combination.

APLDCT Event 7.27.14 – O’Brien Nurserymen!

APLD Connecticut Chapter

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On July 27th, APLDCT will host a wonderful open house at O’Brien Nurserymen in Granby, CT. If you love plants, this is an outing you will not want to miss!

Details:

Sunday July 27 2014

11:00 am – 3:00 pm

Lunch and refreshments will be served

Cost – $10 non-APLD member/$5 APLD member

Attendees are invited to join us at a The Good Life Grill (a local pub in Granby) following the festivities (4:00 pm) for a social hour and networking!

 ** Please RSVP for Lunch here! 

APLD Member Lunch                           

Non – APLD Member Lunch               

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Founded in 1984 as O’Brien Landscaping, Inc., as a design-install landscape company, O’Brien Nurserymen, LLC has now evolved into New England’s premier Hosta nursery.  Our extensive display gardens feature approximately 2,000 Hosta varieties, as well as…

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What’s Blooming in the Garden Now:

The vegetable garden is alive with nepeta and the climbing roses are blooming their hearts out!

Framing Succulents in a Wall Hanging

I found a wonderful twig frame and decided to plant it full of succulents this year. The trick is keeping them in their so they can take root.  First I wove a wire backing on one side of the frame. Then stuffed it full of fresh moss from the woods in back of our house. (Which looked so terrific, I was tempted to leave it like that!) Then I laid in a layer of potting soil, which is held in place by the moss. Next time I try this, I might use a layer of window screen rather in the wire, which is what I often use to cover drainage holes in the bottom of pots for container gardens. It is sold by the foot at hardware stores. Now for the plants: I am using four kinds of sedum for this one, bought in small containers each under $5.00. The sedums are: Sedum divergens, (middle,green) Sedum borchii sport, (edges, green) Sempervivum ‘Hidde’, commonly known as ‘Hens and Chicks’ (Red), and another ‘Hens and Chicks’ I had never seen before Sempervivum a. ‘Cobweb’. (White and “fuzzy”.) I composed these in my cart on the spot the nursery, looking at other containers they had on display (see photo below) for inspiration. There is no right or wrong here –  just be playful and have fun! Other succulent plants could be used here too besides the sedum – Portulaca is one that comes to mind.   Almost done – need half of a plant to tuck in near the top left…and now just let it sit and wait for the plants to take root, about a month. In the meantime, plenty of sun and occasional watering. I used eight containers, so did the whole thing for $40.   I will hang this beauty on an outside wall in a month from now, and will follow up with a post. Stay tuned!

Seaside Gardening: Fountain grass or Pennisetum alopecurides ‘Hameln’ is a staple of the shoreline garden.

  

Fountain grass with Black-eyed Susan (above) and Ajuga, or Bugleweed ‘Chocolate Chip’ (below). A perfect plant for by the pool, to soften edges and along walkways. Very drought tolerant once established, and turns a beautiful gold in the fall.  

Nature’s Beauty

Climbing Hydrangea finds its way in the grooves of a stone.

Seaside Gardening

More plants that can take some salt: (in depth list to follow)

Black Pines (Pinus nigra)

Mugo Pines (Pinus mugo)

Inkberry (Ilex glabra)

Beach Roses (Rosa rugosa)

Creeping Juniper (Juniperu horizontalis)

Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana)

Butterfly bush (Buddleia)

Hydrangea

Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus)

Weigela

False Indigo (Baptisia australis)

Montauk Daisy (Nipponanthemum nipponicum)

Sedum (Stonecrop sedum)

Fountain Grass (Pennisetum)

Sage (Salvia)

Catmint (Nepeta)

A Special APLDCT Sponsor Event!

APLD Connecticut Chapter

Tour the Colorblends Trial Gardens & Annual Meeting

Saturday May 3, starting at 1:30 pm

Take a break from your hectic spring schedule to catch up with APLDCT members and to tour the beautiful displays at the Colorblends trial gardens.  While enjoying these colorful spring bulb gardens and gathering inspiration for next year, you can reconnect with old friends and meet some of the newest members of APLDCT.  In addition to seeing tried and true, we will have a unique opportunity to see new varieties of bulbs as they are being trialed in our area.

We will hold a brief annual meeting at 1:30pm at the Colorblends facility to get a quick update on what’s going on with APLDCT.  At 2 pm we will gather in Bridgeport to see the Colorblends trial gardens, and then between 3-3:30pm we will travel to their trial gardens in Shelton.  The garden tour will…

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BUILDING A VISUAL VOCABULARY

APLD Connecticut Chapter

By Christine Darnell

On a wintry weekend in January, a former student and I traveled to Swarthmore Arboretum in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania to hear W. Gary Smith lecture on his superb book, From Art To Landscape: Unleashing Creativity in Garden Design  (Timber Press 2010).  The premise of the book is to break down the shroud of mystery surrounding the creative process and to approach the landscape with an artist’s eye. For Smith there is inspiration and pure delight in observing patterns in nature, which he does by visual note taking.  From Art to Landscape breaks the entire universe down to nine basic patterns and explores drawing, painting, sculpture, poetry, dance, and meditation, as ways to create personal connections to the landscape, and end in garden designs that tell a story and have meaning.

Smith is best known for his work in public gardens like Enchanted Woods at Winterthur in…

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