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A Room For All Seasons

7/11/2012 2:40:26 PM

It's natural to visualize a garden room on a sunny summer day, with breezes blowing the curtains and golden light streaming in. Indeed, many garden rooms - especially transitional ones like porches, verandas, and some sun rooms - are strictly warm season spaces. Conservatories were created as a way to make an indoor space for potted plants that would stay warm during cold winter months.

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One of the greatest joys of any kind of garden room is being in a leafy, light place when everything outdoors is cold and gray. For avid gardeners, winter can be a frustrating season. But, spending it in a home created garden room, tending to indoor potted plants or sorting see packets and browsing thru catalogs, can make the season a restful interlude.

For those who enjoy gardens less actively, the opportunity to be in a room that recalls the beauties of the growing season - sipping a cup of tea while gazing out at the snow covered landscape or listening to rain on the roof - is one of life's greatest pleasures.

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There is nothing more comforting then the sight of bright seed packets on a cold winters day. Turn your thoughts to gardening and dream.

Creating a garden room is easy to do. Find a space like a porch where you can set up a table or two with potted plants & saucers. Add a chair for relaxing and enjoyment. Force bulbs in winter and fill with lush potted flowers in summer. Add a small desk if there is room to stock your garden books and magazines. Can spring be far behind????

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The Potted Tree

6/15/2012 11:37:11 AM

Tall Italian cypress or willowy weeping birch, lacy Japanese maple, or fragrant sweet bay - trees bring natural grace wherever they grow. Container trees modest in height, yet still tall enough to look dramatic, can enhance even the smallest entryway, patio or balcony.

Decked out in green all year long, potted conifers and other evergreens create a lush background for blooming annuals and perennials. Many deciduous trees stage seasonal spectacles worth showing off to friends.

Blazing with color in autumn and elegantly bare branched in winter, they burst into bloom come spring, then spend the summer in leaf. Trees bring more than good looks to their surroundings, they help to shelter the places where they grow.

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With proper care most slow growing small trees will prosper in large containers for years. Make sure your choose a container that is large enough for your tree. Any container - no matter how large - slows a trees growth and limits the height it can achieve. For example a tree that grows 30 feet may only grow 8 to 10 feet in a garden pot.

The best time to plant a tree is early autumn. Most trees perform best in a mix of one part garden loam to tow parts potting soil mix. Keep soil slightly on the dry side, but deep water. Apply fertilizer once in spring and once again in summer.

During the first years, even a small tree may be top heavy. Use a stake to help for support. Most garden containers can be used for tree potting. We like a durable pot like ceramic, concrete or poly resin instead of a pot like terracotta that will break down over time. Try to choose the largest you can handle so that you don't have to worry about transplanting for a couple of year.

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