June 6, 2016 by Sandra Jonas

GREAT GARDEN YEAR

Peace, quiet, birdsong, this is a great garden year!

Circle of Friends at dusk

I am finally back into my garden! I did not realize how much I missed it. I spent the last years distracted by various life events and for a time ignored my own needs and passions. Learned some valuable life lessons and returned to my roots, my tribe.

Design of pot attributed to Gertrude Jekyll

Thanks to a very mild winter, my garden this year has been sensational. EVERYTHING bloomed profusely.

Rose ‘New Dawn’ on the old chicken house

Right now I am enjoying the blooms of Hydrangeas I have not seen (in my garden) for years.

'Fuji Waterfall' aka 'Starburst' these American names given to 'Hanabi'

‘Fuji Waterfall’ aka ‘Shooting Star’ these American names given to ‘Hanabi’

Hydrangea serrata ‘Miyama Yae Murasaki’ (AKA Purple Tiers)

The secret garden

It is, however, not just about what is blooming. A ‘Garden’ must have structure and a narrative. Without these organizing principles, one simply has a collection of plants or chaos.

In my design lectures I talk about the 2 points of view on what makes a garden. One is that a garden is where one puts plants, and the other, to which I adhere, is that plants are used to create the garden.

The first is a ‘yard’. A garden is a refuge, an ongoing work of art to be honed and nurtured.

Below, a plant collector’s garden held together by it’s structure. (another post to follow about this garden & the gardener)

Ozzie Johnson’s Garden

What are your thoughts? What is more satisfying a yard or a garden?

photos of my garden, taken with cell phone. Ozzie’s wonderful garden with a real camera!

May 19, 2016 by Sandra Jonas

GARDEN TOUR 2

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One of the joys of the Garden Tour Season I always look forward to, is the tour put on by Georgia Perennial Plant Association. Several chosen gardens are opened to the membership for one week- end a year. Most gardeners would have bottled water and iced tea available for the visitors. Margaret Moseley would serve her famous Almond Tea whenever her garden was opened. Last week Pimento Cheese party sandwiches were passed around on silver trays for the guests! (Did I forget to mention that in the last post?)

For several years I served as the Tour Chairperson of this organization as well as The American Hydrangea Society. I know firsthand about what it takes to create a successful event. So I was not surprised that in recent years the format has changed and only one garden is opened for a day. I like this change. One no longer has to budget their time and rush to see as many gardens as possible in the allotted timeframe. These are SPECTACULAR gardens where one could happily spend the entire day and still not take it all in.

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This year, the garden of Lyndy Broder was the featured garden. Lyndy is a dear friend and an expert on the genus Clematis. Her knowledge and talents however, go far beyond Clematis. She has collected an amazing variety of unusual and seldom seen trees and shrubs to create a personal arboretum ‘par excellence’ on her property….and almost all are festooned with the most delicious varieties of Clematis one could imagine.

P1240753 A wall of seed grown species welcome visitors

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P1240771 Golden Larch (Pseudolarix amabilis) with Clematis

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The Canadian Geese Meadow leading to the lake above.

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P1240768 The Sanctuary of St. Fiacre, patron saint of gardeners ( loved working with Lyndy on this project)

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When a garden of this caliber is open….. everyone comes. This turned into a reunion of great plantsmen and gardeners, a huge amount of talent here, the energy was palpable.

May 12, 2016 by Sandra Jonas

GARDEN TOUR SEASON

This is the first garden tour I attended this season, there are several more on the agenda. I promise to post about them all.

Nothing says Welcome quite like a gate. I saw several that intrigued me on the Gardens for Connoisseurs Tour to benefit The Atlanta Botanical Garden.

P1240474 My friend Becky rushing in to get detail photos of this delightful gate. We were tripping over each other in excitement. look at these ….

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Clever designs and beautiful workmanship. We loved all the details. Gates like these were in several of the gardens, a wonderful piece, both practical and whimsical.

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Several of Atlanta’s finest private gardens open for this annual event. These are all designer gardens with regular and knowledgeable crews to tend them. They are perfectly groomed. One will never find a yellowing leaf, no space left where a plant was lost, some annual potted plant is placed in its stead, very tastefully.

Touches of whimsy…….

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The summer containers were packed with perennial foliage plants and annuals.

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I was particularly taken with a table centerpiece …..

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and of course the peaceful sound of water.

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Beautiful gardens…..

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P1240715 All in all a no miss event. With our weather this year, the gardens will be more beautiful that ever.

May 3, 2016 by Sandra Jonas

THIS ‘N’ THAT

This is a fabulous year for the garden. The French Hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla) are full of buds and it promises to be quite a show. I hope I am not putting a Hex on it. Considering the unpredictable weather we are experiencing, tomorrow could bring an artic blast!

There are so many varieties I have not seen in years. The flower buds were killed by late frosts or some years, the stems are killed right to the ground. This has happened for several years; bad news for a gardener who loves them and has used them extensively in her plantings.( That would be me.)

Encouraged, I took many more cuttings.

I am also propagating two all white varieties ( Madame E. Mouillere & the lacecap White Wave) for my friend Mary who is creating an all white garden. She is well on her way and these white Hydrangeas will be the crowning touch. Isn’t it amazing how much patience a true gardener can exhibit?

My garden and I have matured. I no longer stress the small details and rely on good groundcovers through which I will plant some minor bulbs for more early spring interest.

Since groundcovers are all so similar in height is essential to play up contrast of either colour, or texture. Some of the better effects I had achieved in the woodland became so labor intensive, I had to abandon them completely. So my advice is “go simple’

Black Mondo Grass (Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’ ) and Golden Clubmoss (Selaginella ‘Aurea’) were a stunning combination. Then the weeds came. I have to admit that for a few years I painted weed killer on them with an eyeliner brush!

I am very fortunate to have on my property many native wildflowers, while they are ephemeral and will disappear when the summer heat comes on, the low growing Vinca does a great job picking up the slack.

Above, Leaves of three, Trillium & Poison Ivy; underneath, a carpet of Vinca.

This mottled ginger (Asarum splendens) is one of several types I planted, it is the only one that has survived & thrived. It is located across from the Mourning Bench. This was the only area where I originally planted perennials. What comes up now are the tough survivors or the plants that re-seed.

Below the subtle colours of Japanese Painted fern ( Athyrium nipponicum) & Mottled Ginger blend beautifully. Contrasting texture is the key here.

Elsewhere in the garden, the Viburnums have been sensational and there are still a few blooming. This year Kern’s Pink has outdone itself.

Viburnum ‘Kern’s Pink’

So heavy with blossoms it has covered an unknown rose.

The only misstep this year was the loss of two mature Clematis. Victims of the mow and blow guy….. I guess one cannot have everything…..all at once.

April 12, 2015 by Sandra Jonas

THE SECOND ACT

Every spring I have posted about the Wordsworth meadow, however, what follows the daffodils is just as exciting. It took a lot less work too.

Two native plants allowed to seed themselves over a period of time Trillium cuneatum and Phlox divaricata.

This is the reward for allowing the seeds to form & ripen before the meadow is cut. Need I mention this has taken 17 years?

I have been away from the blog a long time. Life happens, things change, gardens and blogs sometimes must be put aside while other issues of life are addressed.

The garden, while it has suffered some neglect, is very grateful for the attention it is getting now. Major changes about to happen! Stay tuned.

April 25, 2014 by Sandra Jonas

WHERE DO I START?

Where do I start? Here we are at the end of April and I’m still accessing the damage from the past winter.

Today they cut down the second Fig Tree…dead . I waited to be sure but there was no hope. The branches snapped off in my hand. Same with all the Gardenia, they look like toast, brown & crunchy! There is one in the cutting garden I hope recovers; the small leafed one Margaret Moseley calls ‘First Love’. Keeping my fingers crossed.

The Hydrangea macrophylla are pushing new growth from the roots. All the top growth is dead. There will be no flowers this season.

I am hoping the Penny Mac’s, will produce. They bloomed on new wood (i.e. current seasons growth) in my friend Penny’s garden for whom it was named.

Penny McHenry

(I wonder if it was because she grew them in full sun. They always looked wilted during the day but at 6 pm her garden was transformed into the Hydrangea Heaven it was.)

To add insult to injury a huge old Oak in the Wordsworth Meadow was uprooted last week in the wind storm.

That is my 6′ 4″ husband in front of the rootball.(below)

Now that the second shoe has fallen I’m left wondering what else could possibly go wrong. I’m holding my breath!

Forgot to mention the entire countryside was without power for the day since it brought down the power line.

Still there were many nice surprises. Who knew Stachyurus praecox was so hardy? I was sure she would succumb to the low temperatures. ( This is yet another shrub commonly known as “Yellow Bells’)

The meadow is marvelous with the native Phlox (Phlox divaricata) & Trilliums (Trillium cuneatum) that follow the spent daffodils …

and the Viburnums are doing beautifully. This however, is another post.

How are your gardens doing after this very harsh winter?

January 30, 2014 by Sandra Jonas

A NEW FOCAL POINT

As I walk through the garden I see all the areas that would be much improved with a focal point.

The Circle of Friends (above) has a wonderful pot, an Italian reproduction of a Gertrude Jekyll design. (I want something taller, this is too round & short)

At the end of the Rose & Clematis Walk is the Schiaparelli Bench.

The cutting garden has several focal points as it is divided into four parterres…

The bench .. (On axis with the Potager)

St Fiacre…

and serving as focal point from two views is one of the classic Four Seasons.. ‘Summer’…

and opposite ( below) an urn… (An overturned pot acts as plinth; my Poverty Cycle)

My friend, the brilliant and talented Landscape Designer Tara Dillard posts about focal points on her blog constantly!

This winter when I decorated my dinning room for holiday festivities, I was keenly aware that the view from the window was less than I hoped.So I moved ‘Summer’ from the cutting garden directly on axis with the centerpiece on the table.

She is here temporarily, I do think ‘Winter’ would be more appropriate since that is basically the only time we eat in the dining room, and ‘Summer’ belongs in the Cutting Garden with all the blooming beauties of her season. She has been moved so often that to paraphrase Margery Fish “In time she will learn to walk”

Ah, decisions, decisions… I always opt for more plants and labor when spending my garden $$$$. Perhaps this will be the year I concentrate on accessories.

July 19, 2013 by Sandra Jonas

A HEALING GARDEN

I’m in Montreal to spend as much time as possible with my mom.

The Palliative Care facility here has an in credible Healing Garden for patients and their families.

Although not my own haven, it fills the bill temporarily.

Big surprise is Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’. I had no idea they were hardy to Zone 3!

Delightful mixed with daylilies & ferns below.

Large plantings of both wax and tuberous begonias for annual colour.

Ingenious solution to keep the fish safe from predators. a network of fishing line.

Clearly all the paths are paved and the entire garden is wheelchair accessible.

Everything I learned about in my year-long seminar ” Design for the Elderly & Infirm” is beautifully executed here.

I lunch here daily, overlooking the pond,listening to the sound of the gentle fountain.

My mom is receiving the most incredible care and we are so grateful to the entire staff of the Palliative Care Program at Mount Sinai Hospital where she is being treated with compassion & dignity.

A huge thank you to all who left comments on my last post. I appreciate your kindness & good wishes.

June 13, 2013 by Sandra Jonas

THE WELCOME HOME

After five weeks the garden welcomes me home..

I’m just in time for the blueberry harvest.

Away from the garden for this length of time lets me see it objectively with a more discerning eye…. Above, the walk from the compost

Major pruning is required of the figs, but I hate to give up the harvest although one tree is shading out the Styrax obassia (photos to follow)

Meanwhile, the hydrangeas are coming into their own. Above, the entrance of the drive from the house, to the garden,

My garden is healing… peaceful…. as I start to realize … I am loosing my mother….

My posting will be erratic over the next few months so please bear with me.

May 3, 2013 by Sandra Jonas

INSPIRATION

I need to get out more often!

The talk by Robert Mallet at the Hydrangea Society has inspired me to make some changes in parts of the garden.

I was particularly interested in his recommendation to plant masses of Hydrangea macrophylla in the shade of the later blooming Hydrangea paniculata.

There is an area in my garden where Oakleaf Hydrangeas (Hydrangea quercifolia) are combined with both ‘Annabelle’ hydrangeas and macrophylla types to nice effect; therefore, I am giving this recommendation much thought.

The Viburnum court has been maintenance nightmare for quite some time. Although I love their foliage, flowers and berries; they have been sprouting everywhere, and they are NOT easy to remove (my criteria for allowing self seeders). Parts of the garden have become a viburnum forest rivaled only by the dreaded Privet.

So, in the interest of making the garden less of a maintenance headache, I am considering the removal of many Viburnums; perhaps adding a few sterile types (above) and more late-blooming hydrangeas. The only caveat being they would require hard pruning every few years. Easier than digging seedlings, no?

April 22, 2013 by Sandra Jonas

WHY DO THEY DO THIS?

Why did they…

build a tasteful brick entrance and hide it with shrubs clipped into meatballs ? I have seen this done to beautiful homes as well.

March 27, 2013 by Sandra Jonas

CREATING A PATH

There are two choices when creating a path.

Curved paths create mystery, one cannot see the end.

Straight paths, on the other hand, require a focal point to stop the eye.

Above, a reinforced focal point. The tree is the main focal point reinforced by the urn and plinth.

photo taken on recent speaking engagement in Ft. Worth TX.

February 11, 2013 by Sandra Jonas

I’M BOOKED!!

I can barely contain my excitement. I was sent another gift; a signed, coffee table book. A garden I designed and built is included in it!

MADISON: A Classic Southern Town, is a bicentennial celebration of Madison Georgia, “the town Sherman refused to burn.”

Written by William R. Mitchell Jr.and photography by Van Jones Martin and James R. Lockhart, it is an exquisite house and garden tour through what is considered one of the most beautiful antebellum towns in Georgia.

Some of the gardens I have designed over the years, received recognition. This is the first time one was ever been published in a hard covered book.

Thank you M & W You know who you are!

This garden clearly illustrates my design philosophy; the seamless unity of house and garden.

October 25, 2012 by Sandra Jonas

PIERRE, THE FRENCH GARDENER

What a great productive day in the garden. Since I am officially on the injured / reserve list, and it is such a busy time in the garden, I called for professional help; Pierre the French Gardener.

Boxwoods needed to be transplanted from the center of the Cutting Garden…

to where they will have more impact right now.

I will replace them , but right now there is so much repair and replacement to do in this area that these plants won’t be missed.

Got rid of those ugly trellis structures…

and planted the garlic.

I have to say It was a pleasure to have capable hands (other than my own) tending the garden.

This a personal recommendation for which I have received no benefit. Pierre also writes a monthly newsletter at www.thefrenchgardener.net

September 30, 2012 by Sandra Jonas

PUNCTUATION POINTS

I love punctuation points. As a designer, I use them to break up large horizontal spaces, or to mark the transition from one garden room to another.

Above, four ‘Degroot’s Spire’ Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘Degroot’s Spire) mark the entrance to the Viburnum/Clematis Court from the Potager & Fruitery.

(Ilex crenata )’Sky Pencil’ announce the entrance to the Cutting Garden and it just followed that the interior beds be punctuated with the same. (good contrast with the rounded Boxwood that mark the other beds)

Unfortunately, one of the ‘Skypencils’ has died.

To replace it, the brick edging will have to be removed as well as part of the brick path. These plants are 9 years old with extensive root systems; locating another this size at a reasonable price is unlikely.

Cause of death ? Unknown. Initially spider-mites were suspected but then the other three plants would be affected since they are in such close proximity. Any thoughts out there?