HISTORIC GARDEN WEEK: THE ETHERINGTON GARDEN

Posted on April 25, 2013 by mturner

In celebration of the Garden Club of Virginia’s 80th Historic Garden Week, I’m giving sneak peaks at three special gardens on the Richmond tour. Susan Robertson, Laura Valentine and Moonie Etherington have created gardens that reflect their passions and personalities. The Robertson and Valentine gardens were on the Tuesday tour and the Etherington garden is on tour Thursday.

THE ETHERINGTON GARDEN

Moonie and Bill Etherington’s home sits high above the James River, the grounds gracefully sloping toward an outcropping of rock. Far below is the Philadelphia Quarry, now a private swimming club. Stone mined from the quarry was made into retaining walls that sweep across the lawn and form cozy enclosures overlooking the quarry. Moonie, a naturalist and plantswoman extraordinaire, has embraced this rural oasis in the city, creating gardens filled with native plants, which provide a playground for wildlife and her grandchildren.

Moonie’s garden is all about the plants. Each one has a story, each one is treated like a member of the family. A gentle and generous spirit, Moonie shares her plants with friends and strangers — anyone who she knows will love them as much as she does.

Moonie provides birdbaths, bird houses and plenty of food-bearing plants for her feathered friends. Just outside the kitchen door is a bird house that is as often inhabited by snakes as it is by birds.

The Pieris path, along the cobblestone walkway, was planted in 1984 in memory of Moonie’s mother, who loved Pieris japonica and Gardenia.

Moonie tucked Lewisia into the crevices of the rock. She told me that Lewisia is named for Meriweather Lewis because Lewis and Clark discovered it somewhere in Tennessee or Kentucky on their westward journey.

Here, fern fiddlers unfurl, while Lichen and Moss thrive in the cool shade.

Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica) pop behind various native ferns in the woodland garden outside Moonie’s kitchen window.

The bed next to Moonie’s driveway is filled with gifts from special friends. Above, Bearded Iris have made a home in a rotted out stump. Below, are Margaret Bemiss’s special white violets. Moonie’s vigilance has saved the violets from many well-meaning weeders.

Moonie has a deal with the resident deer. She keeps the deer path clear for them, and they leave her spring-flowering shrubs alone. These include Kerria, Deutzia, Calycanthus, Pieris and Quince.

I love this Kerria. It has a single flower and variegated leaves.

The Kerria looks spectacular next to the Deutzia gracilis.

Variegated Weigelia (Weigelia variegatum).

I wonder if the deer have cocktails here when the Etheringtons aren’t looking.

Willie Brown gave Moonie this Moricandia arvensis (Chinese Temple Bells — aka the provocatively named Purple Mistress) when Moonie joined the James River Garden Club. Moonie collects the seeds from this woodland perennial and shares them with friends. She is going to give some to me to plant on Chapel Island. James River Park Manager Nathan Burrell and his team have cleared and built trails on the island and will be planting native woodland plants in a few weeks.

Poet’s Laurel (Danae racemosa) spills over the granite stone steps leading to the house.

Tucked under the shrubs are Trillium (above) and Woodland Poppies from Thomas Jefferson’s Tufton Farm.

Native Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) has spread under the Dogwood.

When the Etheringtons lost this tree on the edge of the quarry, they saved some of its wood to make stools for the grandkids, and left the stump in its memory.

This stunning Carolina Silverbell (Halesia carolina) was in full bloom last week. As I fretted over whether it would still be in its full glory during the garden tour, Moonie looked fondly at the tree and said, “well, it’s been a joy for me.”

So many women (and men) work countless hours to make Historic Garden Week a success, striving to provide the thousands of visitors a memorable tour of the beautiful houses and gardens. Moonie’s comment brought me back to what Garden Week is all about: celebrating the beauty of this verdant Commonwealth in which we live, and preserving and restoring what brings joy to us every day.

HISTORIC GARDEN WEEK: THE VALENTINE GARDEN

Posted on April 23, 2013 by mturner

In celebration of the Garden Club of Virginia’s 80th Historic Garden Week, I’m giving a sneak peak of three very special gardens on the Richmond tour by three talented women. Susan Robertson, Laura Valentine and Moonie Etherington have created gardens that reflect their passions and personalities. The Robertson and Valentine gardens are on the Tuesday tour and the Etherington garden is on the Thursday tour. Today, we visit the garden of Laura and Ned Valentine.

THE VALENTINE GARDEN

Laura’s sophisticated garden style has its roots in North Carolina. Growing up in Raleigh, some of her earliest memories are of her mother’s and grandmother’s gardens. Legendary southern garden writer Elizabeth Lawrence lived around the corner from Laura’s grandmother in Charlotte. When in Charlotte to see her grandmother, they would often visit Elizabeth Lawrence’s garden. While her mother and grandmother sipped brandy with Miss Lawrence, Laura and her sister wandered the garden, fascinated by the lily pads in her pond and the birds flying through the house.

Laura’s husband, Ned, was equally blessed, growing up with a mother who created, and tends, one of the most beautiful gardens in Richmond. Enter North Carolina landscape architect Chip Callaway, who had collaborated with Laura’s family in the past (I’m a huge fan). Laura brought Chip to Richmond to help her with the Valentines’ new garden. Chip appears to have masterfully harnessed these horticultural bloodlines, by creating, with Laura and Ned, a garden that any Tarheel or Wahoo would love.

Laura’s love of symmetry and restrained use of color are evident in the twin bluestone terraces that flank the main brick terrace.

The gardens are reminiscent of Italian Renaissance gardens — the gently sloping property has been transformed into several terraced planes.

Smilax, an evergreen vine popular in North Carolina, is trained in arches on the back of the house. A farmer near Wilson, North Carolina gave my husband’s cousin the Smilax that climbs our house.

Deer run rampant in this neighborhood bordering the James River. The trellised fence allows the Valentines to grow vegetables and roses and to espallier fruit trees. Mark, who helps Laura maintain the grounds, has added netting to keep Peter Rabbit and his progeny away.

Apple trees are expertly espaliered on the fence.

Apple blossoms.

The garden currently is planted with cool season vegetables, including Chinese Cabbages, Chard, Kale, Spinach, Arugula, Escarole and Mustard. The garden is bordered on the inside with roses and the outside with peonies. While the peonies are all white, Laura got jiggy and introduced color with the roses.

I love the plant markers — written with chalk on pieces of slate. So practical and good looking.

This is a grove of Doublefile Viburnum (Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum). I have never seen them trained as single-trunk trees — gorgeous!

Attention to detail extends even to the service entrance. The Ivy lattice wall is underplanted with Lenten Rose (Helleborus orientalis) and bordered in clipped Boxwood. Laura’s grandmother planted Hellebores long before they hit the mainstream.

Chip and Laura make the most of veritcal opportunities. Here, Confederate Jasmine, about to bloom, blankets the pool fence.

Confederate Jasmine also frames the windows on the garage.

Camellia sasanqua are espaliered on the pool house wall, above, and in the entrance drive, below.

And one last beautiful example of vertical planting: Climbing Hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala subs. petiolaris) softens the wall above the pool house.

The pool, bordered by a spectacular Chindo Viburnum hedge (not pictured), is at the terminus of the property’s central axis.

Carter Skinner designed the stunning pool house.

The White Garden contains a central crushed stone path, with a sundial at its center. All of the flowering plants are white. An evergreen backbone of Camellia, Laurel, Boxwood, Chindo Viburnum and Holly is underplanted with Foxglove, Ferns, Variegated Solomon’s Seal, Dianthus and Bleeding Heart. Deciduous shrubs, including Doublefile Viburnum, Snowball Viburnum, Spirea, Pearl Bush, dwarf Butterfly Bush and Limelight Hydrangea are planted symmetrically and rhythmically along the path. Amazingly full-branched Hibiscus circle the sundial, and Dogwoods line the path.

Foxgloves bloom, while Autumn fern fronds unfurl, in the White Garden.

This terrace across the entrance drive from the front door exemplifies the Italianesque aesthetic that Laura loves, and that she and Chip perfected in the Valentines’ garden: consistent use of just a few elements throughout the property, such as the wrought iron bench and the Versaille planters overflowing with lush Boxwood; a strong evergreen backbone of sturdy Hollies, clipped Boxwood and espaliered Camellias; and the use of rich natural materials in beautifully laid — and oft repeated — patterns, such as the brick terrace here.

Alan Greenspan once warned us of irrational exuberance. Laura, Ned and Chip mastered rational exuberance, by allowing structure, form, texture and rich materials to take center stage in a brilliantly designed, and flawlessly executed and maintained landscape. Who says Tarheels and Cavaliers don’t mix?

HISTORIC GARDEN WEEK: THE ROBERTSON GARDEN

Posted on April 22, 2013 by mturner

In celebration of the Garden Club of Virginia’s 80th Historic Garden Week, I’m giving a sneak peak of three very special gardens on the Richmond tour by three talented women. Susan Robertson, Laura Valentine and Moonie Etherington have created gardens that reflect their passions and personalities. This first blog post focuses on the the Robertsons’ garden. Tomorrow I will post a blog on the Valentines’ garden and Wednesday I will document the Etheringtons’ garden. The Robertson and Valentine gardens are on the Tuesday tour and the Etherington garden is on the Thursday tour.

THE ROBERTSON GARDEN

Susan and Walter Robertson’s beautiful spot of earth is nestled in the woodland that sits just above the historic Kanawha Canal. Susan loves nothing more than digging in her garden — weeding, planting, pruning — it really doesn’t matter, as long as she is surrounded by the plants she has nurtured and nourished over the years. Her yard is her laboratory, whether experimenting with different plant combinations or trying new pruning techniques. She’s generous with sharing her vast knowledge and the bounty of her garden. Susan’s mom, Page Fitchett, instilled in Susan and her sister Mary a love of gardening. Mary and Page will be in town to help arrange flowers in Susan’s house this week.

Akebia (Akebia quinata), a native vine, scampers up the front porch posts. A Passion Flower vine is growing in the urn.

A Robin takes a bath in the shade garden.

The pool used to be separated from the house by a fence. Susan and Walter reconfigured the space, moving the fence to the perimeter and adding broad steps leading directly to the pool.

The pool house has been a relaxing refuge for many friends and family (to my knowledge, George Washington did not sleep here).

The back porch of the pool house overlooks the backyard sloping toward the canal.

Stormwater drains from the terrace through the weep holes in the wall, then filters through the river rock and is absorbed by the water-loving hydrangeas. Capturing the storm water in the garden has the double benefit of channeling it toward plants who need it and preventing it from entering the river through drains.

Perennials and hydrangea will be blooming in the next few weeks in the pool garden.

It is so hard to find this classic pale lavender shade of Bearded Iris (Iris germanica) in the nurseries. I can’t promise I won’t come dig this up someday when nobody’s around.

Susan planted an herb garden just outside her kitchen. She uses crushed stone as a mulch to help keep the weeds at bay (the stones also make it easier to remove the weeds).

Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) twines around the tuteur.

Nuff said.

No, this isn’t the 14th hole at Augusta — but hey, wouldn’t that be an entertaining challenge!

Lady Banks Rose (Rosa banksiae) floats above the Eastern Bluestar (Amsonia tabernaemontana, better known simply as Amsonia).

This is where Walter goes to be alone with his thoughts after the Nationals spank the Braves.

The sun casts long shadows across the sloping lawn.

The deer love the Robertsons’ yard. Most of the plants in their garden are deer resistant, but Susan can’t help planting a few beloved plants that are tasty to the deer. She is my go-to girl on the latest deer deterrents. She’s tried them all.

No crape murder in this yard.

The white Azaleas and the Doublefile Viburnum (Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum) are both at their peak right now.

EARLY SPRING GARDEN CHORES

Posted on March 19, 2013 by mturner

Maybe it’s wishful thinking that I’m sitting down to draw up my list of garden chores while snow is shooting across my windows almost parallel to the ground. Looking back at my early spring chore blog from a year ago, I see that I was bragging about the mild winter we enjoyed. Well, we seem to be making up for that Carolina-like winter this year. I guess we could call 2013 a Pennsylvania winter.

Athyrium filix-femina (Lady Fern) and Paeonia lactifolia (Peony)

Regardless of the blustery weather, it’s time to turn our attention to preparing the garden for another glorious spring.

PERENNIALS

Iris siberica ‘Sky Wings’ (Siberian Iris) and Paeonia lactifolia ‘Bowl of Beauty’ (Herbaceous Peony)

Cut back Liriope with the lawn mower or string trimmer.
Cut back to the ground any Lenten Rose (Helleborus) leaves that are browning or leathery. New growth and flowers should already be emerging.
Prune to about 2 inches high all perennials not cut back in fall.
- Exceptions: cut back Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian Sage) to about 6 inches, cut back Salvia microphylla/greggii (very similar, often confused) to about 4 inches. These are both woody perennials.
DO NOT cut back Tree Peonies! They bloom on old growth.
Remove dead and discolored Stachys byzantina (Lamb’s Ears).
Prune ornamental grasses to about 6 inches.
Prune dying leaves of evergreen ferns.

HYDRANGEAS

Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Blushing Bride’

If you did not do it in the fall, prune Annabelle Hydrangea, by cutting back all branches to 6-12 inches high. Unlike the Mophead Hydrangeas, Annabelles bloom on new wood.
You can also prune Hydrangea paniculata now (includes Pee Gee, Limelight, Tardiva cultivars).
- Limelight: After a couple of years’ experimentation, I’ve decided to cut back my Limelights to about 2 or 3 feet every spring. I also prune away all the little spindly branchlets. If I don’t cut my plants back, they get so gangly. If you are training your Limelight into a tree, then merely thin the weaker branches.
- Tardiva: Tardiva has a much nicer growth habit than Limelight and Pee Gee. It naturally grows into a tapering multi-branched small tree. To maintain the multi-branch form, just prune last year’s flower heads and any small branches that detract from the form you are trying to attain.

You may snap off old flower heads of old-fashioned Mopheads, Lacecaps and Oak Leaf Hydrangeas, and you may cut out the oldest branches, but do not give these Hydrangeas an overall haircut right now. They bloom on old wood.
Work aluminum sulphate into the soil in which blue Hydrangea are growing to make the blooms bluer. Add lime to make the blooms pinker.

OTHER SHRUBS AND TREES

Boxwood hedge

Prune Buddleia davidii (Butterfly Bush) to about 2 to 3 feet and remove spindly and dead branches, if you want a full bushy plant. If you want a Butterfly Bush that resembles a small multi-trunk tree, only cut out straggly branches.
Cut back Caryopteris x clandonensis (Bluebeard) to about 18 inches.
Prune Sasanqua Camellias (fall and early winter blooming Camellias) now, only if needed to shape or reduce size.
“Pinch” or hand prune Boxwood to thin and open up the plant. This allows light and air inside so that the plant can produce leaves along the interior surfaces. This is especially important to protect the Boxwood from Boxwood Blight.
If your Poet’s Laurel (Danae racemosa) has not been pruned in a few years, cut it back to the ground. Poet’s Laurel produces new growth from the earth, not from other branches. You can continue to do the full cut back (the Frank Cut) every spring; you can do the Frank cut every 2 or 3 springs; or you can just cut out the oldest third of growth every spring.
DO NOT prune any spring-flowering shrubs or trees until after they bloom! Exception: Dead or diseased branches can always be removed.
DO NOT COMMIT CRAPE MURDER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Topping Crape Myrtles does nothing except disfigure the tree. Feel free to thin Crapes now, by cutting out weaker branches and sprouts.

ROSES

Climbing Roses

Prune Shrub Roses to about 12 to 18 inches. Make cuts about a quarter of an inch above an outward facing bud. Also remove any branches with diameter less than a pencil, and any diseased or dead branches.
Prune Climbing Roses. Cut out all dead and diseased canes, any crossing or spindly canes and some of the oldest (increasingly less productive) canes.
Begin applying rose food (I use Bayer Rose Care) every six weeks throughout the growing season. While I generally avoid fertilizing plants unless they are showing signs of deficiency, roses are an exception because they are gluttonous feeders. Bayer Rose Care also contains a disease and pest deterrent.

MISC.

‘Frances Williams’ Hosta, Brunerra macrophylla and Polygonatum odoratum ‘Variegatum’ (Variegated Solomon’s Seal)

Work compost into the soil to keep it healthy and provide a source of nutrition for the plants.
Apply mulch ONLY if needed. If the mulch applied earlier has not broken down, do not apply more. Sometimes, overzealous mulching leads to an impenetrable mat that traps moisture, thus inviting disease. Rake loose the existing mulch to allow air and rain through to the soil. Also, be sure not to lay the new mulch too thick — especially in perennial beds.
PLEASE DO NOT volcano mulch around trees! Volcano mulch is where mulch is piled up in a big mound around a tree. When mulch rests against a tree trunk, it traps moisture, softening the trunk and inviting pests and disease. Over time, the tree will decline and die. Richmond Tree Stewards recommend the 3x3x3 rule: no more than 3 inches of mulch, in a 3 foot wide circle, stopping 3 inches from the trunk.

THE GARDENS OF DUMBARTON OAKS

Posted on February 22, 2013 by mturner

Tucked away in a quiet part of Georgetown is Dumbarton Oaks, one of the finest American gardens still in existence. Inspired by her travels in Italy with her aunt Edith Wharton (author of Italian Villas and their Gardens), landscape gardener Beatrix Farrand created an American interpretation of the classical Mediterranean gardens she had studied, by carving out a series of garden rooms from the hilly terrain near Rock Creek for Mildred and Robert Woods Bliss, beginning in 1921.

Farrand designed a series of stone and brick walls, paths and steps, as well as arbors, trellises, pools and fountains. Although the layout was guided by Italian principles, she was influenced in her planting design by the English garden style, and Gertrude Jekyll, specifically.

Eleanor McPeck wrote in Beatrix Farrand’s American Landscapes, that Farrand’s trademarks were “clarity of outline, a strong sense of enclosure, the simple plan enriched by architectural detail and softened by perennial beds and trees.” The gardens of Dumbarton Oaks illustrate these principles beautifully.

My friend, Carolyn, standing in front of the north facade, below the French steps, on a cold day in February.

In 1941, after the estate was given to Harvard University, director John Thacher asked Farrand to write a guide for the garden’s care. Diane Kostial McGuire, in a foreward to Farrand’s Plant Book for Dumbarton Oaks, wrote that the book “resulted in this unique document that describes measures to be taken when plants need replacement, the various levels of maintenance required, the design concept of each part of the gardens, why particular choices were made, and why certain ideas were rejected.”

Below, a look at the gardens, as described by Beatrix Farrand in her Plant Book:

The Box Terrace (a revision by Ruth Havey eliminated the beautiful simplicity of the garden as envisioned by Farrand).

“The Box Terrace is intended to be an introductino to the Rose Garden, rather than a garden of importance on its own account. . . If the Box is allowed to grow too large it engulfs the scale of the terrace, which then tends to look more like a shelf than an overture to the Rose Garden.”

Lovers’ Lane pool and amphitheater. The seats were adapted from the “open-air theatre on the slopes of the Janiculum Hill at the Accademia degli Arcadi Bosco Parrasio. The shape of the theatre was copied from the one in Rome, but the slopes surrounding the Dumbarton theatre are far steeper than those on the Italian hillsides.”

“The whole arrangement surrounding the Lovers’ Lane pool is entirely controlled by the natural slopes of the ground and the deire to keep as many of the native trees as possible unhurt and undisturbed.”

“In order to give seclusion to this little theatre, it has been surrounded by cast-stone columns, baroque in design. . . The columns are connected with a split natural-wood lattice in long horizontal rectangles.”

The Herbaceous Borders, with the toolshed in the background

“The composition of the planting of the Herbaceous Border should be rather carefully chosen from material which is somewhat unusual in its character and harmonious in its color tones.”

The Rose Garden

“The high wall, on the west side with its latticed-brick balustrade, shows the difference in the material thought appropriate to use on account of the added distance from the house and its more formal lines . . . This high wall is an admirable place on which to grow certain climbing Roses, perhaps a Magnolia grandiflora, Clematis paniculata, and a wispy veil of Forsythia suspensa narrowing the steps leading from the Box to the Rose Garden Terrace.”

The Fountain Terrace contains two identical pools set in the lawn and enclosed by stone walls.

Beatrix would not be happy to find her fountains so spotless and pristine. She wrote, “two fountains are kept filled and playing during the summer season, and it is important that their curbs be allowed to become as mossy as possible, as, scrubbed and cleaned well, the curbs would look new and fresh and garish, whereas the fountains should appear to have been ‘found’ there and to be a part of the old plan.”

The Pebble Garden

The Beech Terrace.

“. . . the structure of the tree (Fagus grandifolia) in winter is almost as beautiful as its summer color. It was clear that in any poistion so dominated by one magnificent tree, all the other planting must be secondary and as inconspicuous as possible.”

Wisteria (if only I’d visited a couple of weeks before!) grows up a low wall and along a chain.

Steps from the Fountain Garden to the Rose Garden

”The steps have been broken into three different flights in order to make the climbing not too laborious a process. Two-thirds of the way down the steps, a seat, under a lead canopy, is placed on the landing, and, when possible, is surrounded by pot [no, I don't think she means THAT pot] plants which harmonize in color with those used in the garden.”

The irregular stones used in these beautiful steps signal that you are descending toward the “naturalistic” woodland and dell.

The sun shines through the Wisteria vines.

The Wisteria Arbor “was modified from a design of Du Cerceau (from his drawing of the garden of the Chateau Montargis). It is planted almost entirely with Wistaria, mainly of the lavender variety but with some few plants of white. The Wistaria Arbor is designed so as to be seen from below, so that the hanging clutches of the flowers will make a fragrant and lovely roof to the arbor.”

A closer look at the stunning woodwork of the Wisteria Arbor.

The orangery was built around 1810. Creeping Fig (Ficus pumila) climbs the walls and ceilings, and is pruned to form a pendant in front of each window.

Owner Mildred Bliss wrote, upon Beatrix Farrand’s death, “never did Beatrix Farrand impose on the land an arbitrary concept. She ‘listened’ to the light and wind and grade of each area under study. The gardens grew naturally from one another until now, in their luxuriant spring growth, as in the winter when leafless branches show each degree of distance and the naked masonry, there is a special quality of charming restfulness.”

NEW YORK GARDEN DESIGNER LYNDEN MILLER CHALLENGES RICHMOND

Posted on January 26, 2013 by mturner

Cooling off on the rocks at Belle Isle

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Richmond’s location at the fall line of the James River has put it on the map as a destination for those seeking the raw natural beauty of the river’s banks, rapids and trails. Retiring James River Park director Ralph White devoted his career to restoring the James and the parkland bordering it.

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Anne Rusbuldt chilling on the James

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Nathan Burrell, head of Richmond’s extensive trail system, has built on that success, spending years working with colleagues and volunteers to carve out miles and miles of trails on both banks of the river. Currently, he is spearheading a trail-building project on Chapel Island.

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Anne Wallace Tazewell, Will Tazewell, Ford Turner and Amanda Johnson hiking the Buttermilk Trail

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Richmond is also home to some grand and historic parks, including Byrd, Bryan and Monroe, and many smaller pocket parks and green spaces. Some public spaces, due to lack of funds, receive only the most basic maintenance. These spaces sit waiting to be restored to their former glory.

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Kids enjoying a day at beautiful Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, a wonderful source for those wanting to learn about plants.

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Capital Trees (a joint project of the Boxwood, James River, Three Chopt and Tuckahoe Garden Clubs) is partnering with the city to restore beautiful green spaces and increase a healthy tree canopy throughout Richmond.

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Capital Trees’ first challenge was to turn a busy, concrete-choked block downtown into a lush green avenue that also collects and filters storm-water runoff.

Ginkgos, Grasses and Irises grow in bio-retention wells on the east side of 14th Street

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Designed by Capital Trees’ partners 3north (led by Jay Hugo) and Water Street Studio (led by Keith Whipple), the block of 14th Street between Bank and Main is planted with a triple allee of Ginkgos and Swamp White Oaks. On the east side of the street the trees, along with grasses and irises, are planted in engineered bio-filtration wells that capture and filter polluted storm-water.

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Ginkgos and Liriope grow on the west side of 14th Street

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The 14th Street project was so successful, Capital Trees and the city have since partnered on several more projects. 3north is Capital Trees’ design partner, and Water Street Studio provides design and engineering assistance. These projects include:

Renovation of the RMA Plaza

Capital Trees, in partnership with the City and 3north, is renovating this dilapidated park (across from The James Center on Byrd Street), adding trees, rain gardens, seating and public gathering spaces.

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Lynden Miller encourages us to incorporate lush planting beds when building the new park at the RMA Plaza. Susan Robertson, Scott Ukrop, Melinda Hardy and Jill Nolt listen to Lynden’s suggestions.

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The Jefferson Greenway

The proposed Greenway, following 10th Street south from the Capitol to the canal, is inspired by Jefferson’s original vision of a hilltop capitol, broadly facing the fall line of the James. The Greenway will provide a strong natural thread that will visually, symbolically, and physically reconnect Richmond’s Capitol Square with the James. The plan will include green spaces, trees and storm-water remediation. The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay and Capital Trees are partnering to make the Greenway vision a reality.

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Jill Nolt and Scott Ukrop give Lynden a tour of Great Shiplock Park.

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Great Shiplock Park

Great Shiplock Park is home to locks, dating to the 1850s, that carried ships into the canal at the east end of the falls of the James. The sleepy park is about to get a major facelift as the future site of the Virginia Capital Trail’s Eastern Trailhead. Beth Weisbrod, Executive Director of the Virginia Capital Trail Foundation, has brought together her foundation, the City, Capital Trees and other constituencies to go beyond the mandate of building a trailhead. Plans are in place to make the park into yet another beautiful public garden space where cyclists, hikers, kayakers, birdwatchers, runners and picnickers will come to soak in the park’s history and natural beauty. Landscape architect Jill Nolt (3north) has designed the space to be beautiful and functional, with shaded lawns and lush rain gardens to trap and filter storm-water.

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Riding the Virginia Capital Trail with friends

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Seizing this momentum, Capital Trees (led by Jeanette McKittrick) and Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden (led by Frank Robinson) decided it was the perfect time to bring back the garden designer and advocate who inspired many in the community during a visit in 2008.

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Lynden Miller, the woman who transformed Central Park’s Conservatory Garden and Bryant Park, among many other public spaces in New York and beyond, swept into Richmond last week and succeeded in bringing together our city, corporate, foundation, civic, horticultural and design leaders — people who care about the quality of life in Richmond. She called on us to “create and support well-planted parks and gardens as essential urban oases that reduce crime and have positive effects on the economic welfare of Richmonders.” She spent a cold rainy day touring the Capital Trees projects (see pictures above), gave an inspiring talk to the Richmond garden clubs and another rousing presentation to a group at the botanical garden, advised Bon Secours on healing gardens and conducted a workshop for community leaders.

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Scott Ukrop and Jill Nolt from 3north, in conjunction with Randee Humphrey from Lewis Ginter and Jeanette McKittrick from Capital Trees, organized the workshop, and it looks to be a pivotal moment in Richmond’s movement toward reclaiming its public spaces. They brought together a group of creative thought and design leaders to discuss opportunities and challenges we face in transforming our city. Using two of the Capital Trees projects and Monroe Park as case studies, folks bounced ideas off each other, received invaluable advice from Lynden (see some of her design principles below), and left the meeting with a sense that this city’s businesses, residents and municipal leaders are ready to shake up the status quo and nurture the budding green renaissance.

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Lynden says, “make it gorgeous and they will come. Keep it that way and they will help.”

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Lynden challenged us to harness the meeting’s energy and continue to collaborate to reach our potential. She “demonstrated the power of plants to soften and civilize public life, and showed how beautiful public spaces, planted and maintained to high standards, have the power to transform the way people behave and feel about their cities.” Parks, Plants, and People, by Lynden B. Miller. I think we’re up to the challenge.

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A FEW FUNDAMENTAL GARDEN PRINCIPLES

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Here are some of Lynden’s principles of garden design that can be applied to public gardens as well as your own private patch of earth. I’ve thrown in a few of my own guiding principles as well:

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PLANT TREES TO CREATE A CANOPY, SHADOW AND SHADE

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CREATE A BEAUTIFUL PLANT PALETTE

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INCORPORATE PLENTY OF SEATING

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BREAK UP HARDSCAPE WITH PLANTS

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A GARDEN IS A WONDERFUL BACKDROP FOR ART

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PROVIDE LAWN FOR RECREATION AND NAPS

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DON’T FORGET PATHS AND WALKWAYS

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GOOD BONES AND INTERESTING ARCHITECTURE WILL ENSURE THE GARDEN ENDURES

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SKILLED AND REGULAR MAINTENANCE ARE A MUST

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DECK THE HALLS!

Posted on December 20, 2012 by mturner

Richmond glows in December, as its residents cut greens and bare branches, gather fruits and nuts, collect colorful ornaments and fabrics, and string lights. These creative souls then drape their mantles, doors and tables with their festive arrangements and the results are nothing short of spectacular.

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Jennifer Sisk’s hall mirror framed by greens

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MANTLES

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Jeanette McKittrick and Martha Crowley created a feast on Martha’s mantle.

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Mary and Dick Fowlkes worked with Tom French Flowers to transform their beautiful Fan home, including this dining room mantle.

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A Mantle at the Country Club of Virginia’s Westhampton Clubhouse sparkles.

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This mantle is just greens — Paperwhites, Magnolia, Variegated Ivy, Fir wreath, with a bow created by Sarah Gibson.

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Jennifer Sisk’s mantle and glass vase were featured in my Thanksgiving blog. Here, she again goes minimalist with Magnolia and Poet’s Laurel.

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Katherine Hill and Bocky Talbott decorated Katherine’s home for the St. Catherine’s Open House.

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TABLE-SCAPES

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Nan McVey, of McVey Valentine Interior Design, created this dazzling centerpiece by placing trees (bought at Paper Plus) on a mirrored tabletop, then scattering the table with pomegranates, nuts and branches sprayed with silver paint, and little silver containers (wedding presents) filled with chocolates (from For the Love of Chocolate).

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Katherine and Bocky underplanted the orchids with greens and red Cyclamen.

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This arrangement, with its metallic branches, complements the silver candlesticks on Mary and Dick’s marble-top table. It’s softened by the lilies and moss.

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Tom French Flowers had fun with Mary and Dick’s dining room table!

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A silver bowl on Katherine’s dining room table is overflowing with Lilies, Bittersweet, Roses, Magnolia and Cedar.

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A picture does not do justice to this smashing arrangement. Jennifer cut Paperwhite Narcissus and Amaryllis and tucked them in water tubes (hidden by the wood), then added Curly Willow, moss and Eucalyptus. It is fun to see how one container can be the source of such different treatments (see Thanksgiving blog, for an arrangement done by Deborah Valentine and Bocky Talbott in the same container). If Deborah can track down the man from whom she bought the wooden containers (on the side of the road), they’ll be available at her shop, V for the Home.

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Debbie Berg gave Jennifer this artfully planted Amaryllis.

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Ashley Wallace and Jeannie Schutt used Roses, Japanese Cryptomeria, Blue Atlas Cedar, Boxwood and Eucalyptus to create this beautiful arrangement.

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Jeanette McKittrick used the traditional Christmas colors of red and green to dramatic effect in this stunning arrangement where Variegated Aspidistra leaves, Cranberries and Cinnamon sticks take the plunge.

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OUTDOORS

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Becky White, CCV’s Head Horticulturalist, does an amazing job keeping the grounds and containers looking spectacular year round. Not surprisingly, she went to town on the Club’s urns.

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Becky decorated what appears to be a weeping Deodar Cedar.

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Less is more, as Becky decorated only the base of the urn.

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Any wonder why the kids all love Becky?

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Mary and Dick’s front door: wow.

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A river of lights cascades down the front steps of Mary and Dick’s home.

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A gilded Magnolia wreath adorns the front of Deborah Valentine’s shop, V for the Home.

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The Tuteur is stuffed with Magnolia leaves then strung with lights.

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My niece, Whitney, brought the outside in. She decorated a live Japanese Blueberry, and will plant it in her yard after the holidays. She’s near Jacksonville — wish we could grow those in Richmond. They look nothing like our Blueberry bushes!

Jeanette used the Christmas version of a Fig leaf for her little cherub.

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Last, but hardly least, Mary and Dick’s shimmering Christmas Tree

In this Joyous Season, may you find the time to take a quiet walk on a beautiful crisp night and “wonder as you wander out under the sky.”

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THE GARDEN IN DECEMBER

Posted on December 7, 2012 by mturner

Burford Holly (Ilex cornuta ‘Burfordii’)

Winter may be knocking on the door, but that doesn’t mean that the garden is hibernating. Plants are busy fruiting, budding, blooming or just looking gorgeous in their Winter furs. Add a few of these plants to your garden beds, then fix a hot toddy and take an evening stroll through your Winter wonderland.

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PLANTS WITH DECEMBER FRUITS

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Aucuba (Aucuba japonica)

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Aucuba berries ripen to a bright red in December.

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Silver Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana ‘Glauca’)

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The pale blue-gray berries on the blue version of our native Eastern Redcedar contrast beautifully with the silvery foliage.

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Nandina (Nandina domestica) and American Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens)

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Nandina berries grow in thick, luxurious clusters. American Boxwood cuttings make an excellent wreath.

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Variegated Ivy Shrub (Hedera ‘Creme de Menthe’)

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I have to admit that the fruit on the Ivy Shrub is a little “Lost in Spacey”. But I love the creamy margin of the leaf.

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Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) cone

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The birds seem to have gotten to all of the fruits embedded in the Magnolia cones this year. But the foliage and the cones are still a favorite cutting for wreaths and mantels. The Southern Magnolia (the one pictured is Bracken’s Brown Beauty) can’t be beat for a screen, if you have the room.

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NEW GROWTH

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Poet’s Laurel (Danae racemosa) and Stinking Hellebore (Helleborus foetidus) naturalize under Dogwood (Cornus florida)

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Several years ago, I planted about 5 Helleborus foetidus and one Poet’s Laurel (given to me by mason extraordinaire David Aldridge). Eight years later, both plants have self-seeded to cover the understory of a Dogwood. The new Helleborus growth is just emerging, and the berries on the Poet’s Laurel are ripening (if only they weren’t that ugly orange).

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Lenten Rose (Helleborus orientalis)

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Lenten Rose will begin flowering in another month or two (depending on the Winter weather). Right now, they are busy pushing out lots of new growth.

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Arum (Arum italicum)

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Arum is Winter’s Hosta. Arum goes dormant as Hosta leaves mature. Just when Hosta go dormant, Arum leaves begin emerging from the fallen leaves of Fall.

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BUDDING AND BLOOMING

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Corsican Hellebore (Helleborus argutifolius)

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The Corsican Hellebore is the first Hellebore to bloom (at least in my garden).

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Winter Daphne (Daphne odora ‘Aureomarginata’)

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Sadly, I’m very neglectful of my indoor plants and arrangements (right, Frank?). Anything inside has to thrive on benign neglect. I cut some Winter Daphne for a Thanksgiving arrangement this year, then forgot about it. At the time, the flower buds were barely existent –very tight. It caught my eye the other day and daggone if it isn’t beginning to flower. I never thought of Winter Daphne as a forcing option.

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Sweetbox Shrub (Sarcococca ruscifolia)

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Both Sweetbox, the shrub (above), and Sweetbox, the ground cover (below), are in bud right now.

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Sweetbox (Sarcococca hookeriana var. humilis)

Tinus Viburnum (Viburnum tinus) in bud

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Tinus Viburnum is one of my favorites. Like Pieris (below), it sets its buds in Fall, and the buds persist through Winter, flowering in Spring. I like both shrubs better in bud than in flower.

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Pieris japonica

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Wow, what a great season it’s been for Sasanqua Camellias this year! They’ve bloomed their blessed little heads off.

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Setsugekka Camellia (Camellia sasanqua ‘Setsugekka’)

Sasanqua Camellia (Camellia sasanqua), cultivar unknown

Yuletide Camellia (Camellia sasanqua ‘Yuletide’)

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PUSHING THE ENVELOPE

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Fatsia japonica

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Both Fatsia (above) and Pittosporum (below) are not considered hardy in Zone 7. However, if planted in a protected spot (especially in the Fan), they tend to do just fine. That said, a severely cold Winter may cause die-back, or even complete death.

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Pittosporum (Pittosporum tobira ‘Variegata Winter Pride’)

Akebia quinata

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Akebia, a native vine, is hardy here, but considered semi-evergreen. It rarely loses its leaves in Winter.

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Crapemyrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) bark

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Of course, nothing beats the beauty of the exfoliating bark of a Natchez Crapemyrtle (unless that Crapemyrtle has been subjected to Crape Murder).

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Many thanks to Mary Bacon and John Crowder, in whose garden many of these pictures were taken.

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FAB THANKSGIVING ARRANGEMENTS

Posted on November 21, 2012 by mturner

Some talented Richmond women got creative as they decorated for Thanksgiving. They gathered the bounty of their Fall gardens, pulled out a variety of vessels, and went to work transforming the beauty of Nature into gorgeous works of art.

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Deborah Valentine’s mantel. Arrangement created by Deborah and Floral Designer Bocky Talbott

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Deborah Valentine, owner of V for the Home, and Floral Designer Bocky Talbott chose a container made from tree bark. The container picks up the grays in the gorgeous framed mirror. Those muted hues are a great foil for the Bittersweet. Hydrangeas from Deborah’s yard and exotic greens and flowers that Bocky found in a local flower shop complete the arrangement.

By Deborah Valentine and Bocky Talbott

This arrangement, sitting on a chest in Deborah’s dining room, contains dried Hydrangea, bright red Japanese Maple branches, Poet’s Laurel, Nandina berries, Pomegranates and seed pods.

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Arranged by Deborah Valentine and Bocky Talbott

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Deborah and Bocky refreshed an arrangement Deborah had done weeks ago, by adding Bittersweet and what appears to be a deciduous fern (just a guess — I have no idea what it is!) to the dried Hydrangea. The faded green of the Hydrangea picks up the green in the pitcher, and has a calming effect on the bold colors that were added.

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By Artist Margy Brown and her mom, Peggy Valentine

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Margy’s mom, Peggy, brought Margy some of the last Roses from her beautiful Rose garden. Margy, a talented painter, has a great eye for color and composition. She took full advantage of the stunning Japanese Maple outside the study window, by framing the final Roses of the season with the brilliant red foliage.

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By Margaret Valentine, of McVey-Valentine Interior Design

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Margaret Valentine got jiggy with her linked bud vases (available at Paper Plus), taking advantage of the wealth of plants in her yard to create a lively, colorful tableau. She used Lamb’s Ear, Rosemary, Salvia, Arum, Parsley, Fern, Knockout Roses and Black-eyed Susan, throwing in some florist Tulips that sport complementary Fall colors. Then she sprinkled the table with Pomegranates and Maple leaves for a refreshingly different centerpiece.

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By Landscape Designer Susan Robertson

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Susan Robertson used the same vessels to create an arrangement with an entirely different look. She chose elegant simplicity, in both color palette and plant choice. The pink and white of the single Camellia Sasanqua (and the solitary Snowball Viburnum) are a nice respite from the usual Fall colors.

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By Landscape Designer Susan Robertson

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Taking inspiration from the paintings in the background, Susan gathered Japanese Maple branches (from both yellow and red cultivars) and combined them with Hydrangea that have turned a fiery red, then ratcheted up the volume by arranging them in the fabulous fish container (you can take the girl out of the Beach, but you can’t take the Beach out of the girl).

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By Janie Molster, of Janie Molster Designs

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Interior Designer Janie Molster composed an edible work of art for her table. I love the bounty of the harvest contained in a severe modern geometry, set on a rustic table. Pomegranates, Clementines (with stems and leaves intact) and Brussels Sprouts still on their stalks support a hurricane with a candle nestled in dried cranberries.

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By Floral Designer Jennifer Sisk

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Jennifer Sisk’s centerpiece is a masterpiece. She had a wooden box built about six feet long by 6 inches wide, then placed it on a a linen runner, overlayed with burlap. She stuffed the box with Oasis, then filled it with a mix of flowers and greens from her garden and the flower shop. The plants include Sunflower, Seeded Euonymus, Hydrangea, Lilies, Mums and Bittersweet. She then tucked in two candles.

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By Jennifer Sisk

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Jennifer tells me that the three stalks are from the protea family. Check out its jagged blue-gray foliage. Jennifer’s choice of Cat’s Tail, Variegated Aucuba and Seeded Euonymus tie the arrangement together, as does her repetition of the foliage in the water. The grasses blend perfectly with the patina of the mirror.

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By Jennifer Sisk

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So simple, but so spectacular. The use of only Japanese Maple and Oakleaf Hydrangea foliage (from Jennifer’s garden) make the vase and painting come alive.

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Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of Grace. May Sarton

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I give Thanks for the generosity of my friends who shared their talents with us today.

Happy Thanksgiving!

LATE FALL GARDEN CHORES

Posted on November 16, 2012 by mturner

Take advantage of a crisp Fall day to get out in your garden and prepare it for Winter.

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Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum) displays gorgeous color.

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PRUNE

Cut back to about 2 inches any perennials that have browned or those that look ratty, such as Hosta, Peonies and perennial Ferns. It is OK to cut back the rest of the perennials now too, if you would like to get it all over with at one time. But if you don’t mind getting back out there in late Winter, you can leave those perennials still adding interest to the garden. Some perennials still looking good include Japanese Anemone (Anemone japonica), Catmint (Nepeta), Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia), Salvia, Monkshood (Aconitum napellus), Hardy Geranium and Iris.

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Japanese Anemone (Anemone japonica) continues to bloom.

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I was surprised when I saw that the scarlet color blazing in the garden was Hardy Geranium (Cranesbill). The stems and leaves are bright red — I never noticed before!

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Cut back the foliage of Evergreen Ferns and Lenten Rose (Helleborus) ONLY if it has begun to turn brown. The new (and some of the old) foliage on these plants will look beautiful throughout the Winter.

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Autumn Fern (Dryopteris erythrosora) is evergreen. It stands out in the Winter garden (but the fronds may break under the weight of ice or heavy snow).

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Prune Annabelle Hydrangeas (Hydrangea arborescens) to about 2 feet.

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Annabelle Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens)

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You can prune the everblooming Hydrangeas now. The plants bloom on new wood (stems that develop on the plant in the current season’s growth), so they should still produce blooms next Summer.

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You can also prune Limelight and Tardiva Hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata) now. These Hydrangeas also bloom on new wood, thus they can be pruned without sacrificing bloom anytime except late Spring and early Summer (when buds are set). To keep as a 4 to 5 foot shrub, prune back to about 2 to 3 feet. To train as a small tree, remove lower branches, and spindly or crossing interior branches.

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This Limelight Hydrangea was pruned the prior November to about 3 feet. It produced smaller blooms, but a more graceful shrub.

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Do not prune other Hydrangeas now (Lacecap, Mophead, Oakleaf), unless removing dead or diseased branches, or you will be cutting off next year’s blooms.

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Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) has beautiful Fall color.

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Shrub Roses can be lightly pruned now, with a harder pruning in late Winter. Many of the Shrub Roses will look beautiful until we get a real hard freeze, and so they can be left alone, or lightly trimmed to neaten the straggly branches.

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PLANT

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Now is a great time to plant.

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Plant Spring-flowering bulbs anytime until the ground is too frozen to work.

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Spring Crocus bloom on a hillside at Dumbarton Oaks in Georgetown

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Tabb Farinholt donated Grape Hyacinth and Daffodil Bulbs to St. Christopher’s School, then helped the boys plant them. They didn’t plant these until late January, yet they bloomed just a couple of months later, and have since naturalized.

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Divide perennials (such as Hosta, Iris, Catmint, Daylilies), or transplant perennials that have spread (such as Lamb’s Ears, Japanese Anemone, Hellebores, Ferns). Either add these to other areas of the garden, or share them with friends.

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Iris can be divided in Fall or early Spring

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Now is a great time to plant trees and shrubs. My only concern is that you use your judgment when choosing the plants. I’m wary of buying deciduous plants if they have lost their leaves or if they are in the process of going dormant, because I can’t tell how healthy the plants are. Only buy plants that are robust and healthy.

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Replace Summer annuals with Pansies, Ivy and/or evergreens in your containers. The Pansies will thrive until the weather gets really cold, and will rebound when temperatures warm again. The evergreens and trailing Ivy will look good all winter.

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NURTURE MOTHER EARTH

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Rake or blow leaves onto your lawn, run them over with your lawn mower, then mulch your beds with the shredded leaves to a depth of about two inches. The mulch provides nutrients to the soil and Winter protection to the plants. You also save money on mulch and fertilizer, and save the City from the expense and energy of picking up and disposing of leaves. Now THAT’S recycling!

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Install a rain barrel, directing a gutter to empty into the barrel. If you live in the City of Richmond, you can get credit against your Stormwater Assessment if you use this or other methods to retain stormwater on your property.

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Feed the birds, either with a bird feeder, or by providing fruit-bearing plants.

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Capturing stormwater on your property helps protect the James River and the Blue Herons who make it their home