Monday, July 18, 2011
A great list of ground covers
After spending a good amount of time in the garden pulling weeds, I have been thinking about what ground covers to add. Here is a great list from Better Homes and Gardens. Most of them are for our zone too! Thyme is my favorite since it tastes good too.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
The Benefits of Vegetable Gardening
Friday, May 20, 2011
Garden Design meets Floral Design
It's finally that time of year when arrangements can actually be made from the garden! Snowball viburnum is in full bloom, a few tulips are still hanging on and the peonies are about to burst. Here at Olive Branch we love cutting gardens! A garden is meant to be enjoyed right? So, plant some flowers that can be used in the house and if you need arrangements for parties or weddings let us know! We now offer floral design services! These arrangements filled with viburnum, waxflower, purple spider mums and tulips were used for Hotel Deco's first luncheon banquette. We are very excited to be a small part of this hotel's opening!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Fine Gardening June 2011
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
A Garden Friend
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
A really big pet rock.
Adopt one today. There are many boulders out there looking for a good home. Nothing is better than the sound of water in the garden. Especially on a nice summer night. This particular stone is a basalt column which is a very dense volcanic rock.
A recirculating bubbling boulder really does make a great companion to any landscape. They are great as welcoming accents or clustered together for a very full sound. If you are using just one make sure to place it close to where you do most of your outdoor living. If it is placed too far away it might get lost in the rest of the garden. All that is needed is a nearby power outlet and enough room to dig a basin to hold the water.
Bubbling boulders fit into almost any space. If you have a open space, a larger and more prominent stone is preferable. If your space is more intimate, a smaller boulder with nice subtleties is probably best. Your local stone supplier should have a selection of pre-drilled stones to choose from, or you can pick your own and have them drill it for you. The character of the stone will determine the amount of noise it will produce. A smooth stone like the one above has a very consistent bubbling sound, while a rough stone will have a inconsistent splashing sound. If you already have a space in mind these characteristics will help you pick your new garden companion.
Here is a picture of basalt before it is harvested.
Columnar basalt at Sheepeater Cliff in Yellowstone. pic. from wikipedia
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Sculpture so real even the birds are fooled
Here a young blue jay is trying to make sense of this artful handrail. I guess this means we were successful in capturing a bit of nature in this recycled steel handrail. I should keep in mind that he/she is just a young bird and not yet wise to the world.