The Guru Awakens!

Alright, my Gardening Gurus!~  Get your boots out and get ready to turn up the volume to your favorite tunes!  'Cause here at 875 it is WORK WORK WORK!  

It's a busy season as all of our sleepy perennials are popping up fast due to this unlikely Northern weather.  What's up with that?! 

 My goal this year is to create a better version of what I had last season...

...but because we moved into our house right at the brink of Spring last year, I had to act fast

just to create some assembly of a garden where there was NONE.  And I mean NONE.

---Not an easy task.--- 

I made a lot of mistakes due to this 'Fight or Flight' attitude.
I had no choice, though; I had to work quickly to make my Murfland Oasis.

Pictured above is my first season of growth- only 3 months old!

A Shift in Focus- A Revisit of Purpose

This year- a Clean Slate with prepared beds and
killer edging will hopefully provide a 'nice and easy' approach to what was otherwise daunting and MaNiC!  ...hmmm...sounds familiar...

Because the beds don't have a lot of my favorite perennials just yet- I have to rely on annuals, tropicals, and small vignettes to bring character to my garden- at least until I start putting more lasting plants in.  So far, I have the stage set for a Fabulous show this season!  "Move over Martha Stewart- I am Comin' Over, Girl!"


Come take a look at what I'm doing so far to help the season along!

Let the New Projects Begin!

I want to add an element of linear movement to a stale corner of my back-most garden.  It is an area I don't use much; however, I do enjoy the ambiance from afar.  I like to plant lots of color here.

Time for a charming wood stump wall to add curvy appeal to the slate path cutting through the planting space, don't you think?
"Boots!  Get your Boots!  This bitch is Muddy!"

I have ruffled up the soil so my stumps can sink into the ground nicely.  And after a nice watering...they will stand snugly in place!

Soon, I will have a field of Zinnias popping from out of this designated space- it will be a pool of color; low maintenance and great for my indoor vases and arrangements!  I might even place a few pots on various chosen stumps to provide for an interesting detail- until my Zinnias take over, that is.

The Pathway Needs Softening! Hurry!

Any cute little walkway or path used in the garden is always made so much cuter by softening the corners with the lovely addition of a low-growing ground-cover. 

Here, I have planted a variety of Stonecrop around the stones as they bend into the midst of the garden.  Soon- this will become a dense covering of green; creating the fun illusion of a mossy or grassy path into Murfland.  What could be more magical?

This also gives our eye an interesting detail to rest on as we look through the garden.  A new texture to lay our thoughts on is always a good way to break up themes in the space.

"Thanks, Softened Path!  You Rock my World!"

Play With Texture and Dimension!  Play With It!

I just love the way certain plants and surfaces play off eachother!  To me, that's half the fun of gardening.  See how many tactful textures and detailed dimensions you can create in your space!  Here, a terracotta urn stands behind a Hosta...all while standing in the foreground of a lovely stone wall dripping with a fun Sedum ground-cover!  (The same one I used along my fun pathway!)

"Can I getta What What!"  Through-lines are always an awesome way to give your garden continuity and reinforce concepts throughout the space.

And Don't Forget the Color!

Even though it is only April, and the weather can flip like a Manic-Depressive-Drug-Addict, we still need to be able to add dependable color to our early-season gardens!  I will let NO scabby-ass, indecisive season keep these gardens from glowing early!  I have used dark, velvet purple Pansies throughout the garden to give some drama to the 'still-sleepy' ground.  I try to always plant in clusters and clumps for the best effect.  Pansies are a great cool-tolerant annual, which is why 'everyone and their stepkids' use them at this time.  Cliche- but pretty...and weather-appropriate.

Bulb It, Girl!  Bulb It!

Anyone who knows me is well aware of the strange addiction I have to bulbs, rhizomes, and seeds.
-Don't ask.  

What garden is complete without Gladiolas?  Here, I have planted tons of fun Gladiolas in large masses throughout this area of garden to provide me with the true drama my garden deserves!  I like mass plantings as opposed to singular plantings simply because they Turn Heads when in full bloom.  It is truly spectacular to see bundles of colorful, stately stalks rising above my other garden textures!

 And Don't Forget the Early-Season Veggies!

This is a great time to grow some of Nature's finest greens.  Kale, Cabbage, Lettuce, etc...all love these chilly nights.  And they grow quickly from seed too.  So WORK em!

Not only do we use these Leafy Lovelies in our health shakes every morning, they also add a great ruffly element to the garden.

As these greens begin to fail due to heat and sun exhaustion, I will transition this bed to a more seasonal-appropriate planting concept.

As with decorating, gardens should be allowed to go through their many amazing phases- each season has peaks and valleys--

Take advantage of what each season is Famous for!

These Tender Babies Need Love!

All of my seedlings for the garden have given me great results so far!  They are bursting with vigor and strength and are so excited for their journey into the Big Muddy!  It is one of my favorite things about early-season gardening: watching these little guys come to life!

Here, I have a few pots of Japonica Maize Corn reaching about 6" already!  They need lots of morning sun and water as we get ready for the big move!  Note: seedlings can oftentimes go through Indoor Withdrawl Syndrome when we move them outside for the very first time, so be careful to protect them from the extreme outdoor elements at first...(this is called Hardening-Off your seedlings).  They appreciate an easy transition from indoor to outdoor.  Sunburn doesn't just happen to ill-prepared, over-exposed vacationers...it happens to our little seedlings too, so take care.

My Canna Lily rhizomes are getting Pumped-Up for the Grand Gallop into the gardenscape too!  These leafy giants are a wonderful way to add a tropical flare to the contours of the space.  They are not hardy in this zone, however, so they do need to be lifted out of the soil every Fall and taken indoors for storage.  I keep these guys in a cool dark corner of the basement for the winter months and bring them up for air around early April.

And when the time has come to plant these beasts- the garden erupts in applause- for they are a Showstopper!

"Canna Lilies, you Rock my World, too, Girls!!!"








Here are the Beauties in full Glory!  And when planted in masses, they are very hard to ignore.

Every full-sun location should absolutely have a bouquet of these on display for all to see.

Your friends will be jealous of your garish display!










And let's not forget the Dahlias!  OMG, the Dahlias!
Truly- the Queens of the garden.  And I mean that in the best way possible!  I have 15 of these amazing shooting stars growing and now showing signs of life!

I use these non-stop flowering plants as conversation pieces in my garden every year and they never fail to amaze me each and every summer.
They, too, will be dug up each Fall and brought in.

Who needs trees and shrubs when you have Dahlias?  No one, that's who.

The Yellow Dahlia: 'Floodlight'.

Perfect Beauty.

Grace.

Elegance.

Kick-Assedness.





Well.  Now that we've toured through the backyard as many new projects unfold, it becomes quite evident that I find no time (or interest) in sitting on my ass as the season passes by.  I urge you to do the same!  These Northern-Climate months are only here for such a fleeting portion of our calendar year, so use them to your fullest!

This is the time for many important projects that may get overlooked: Edging, Weeding, Setting Stage, Seedlings, Bulbs, Fountains, and fun little Details that will have all your friends talking!

So Come On Over, Friends- and bring a plant to put in my garden- you will receive one from me in return!

Cheers!

Don't Be A Pansy!

I seriously DO NOT have the control to contain myself right now!  

Spring has officially Sprung today, March 20th, 2012- and I am in some Spirit to let my Muse- Beauty- inspire me and lead me to true Joy once again.  Except this time...and from Here-on-Out...I will be spending all of my adventures out in my own personal Backyard Oasis.  I call it: Murf-Land and it Rocks My World every year!

Don't Be A Pansy!

Spring graces us with her beauty and moderate conditions for such a short time- and then all we can do is bitch about the heat when it really rolls in...

Let's take full advantage of this opportunity and Celebrate!

Before we do, there are a few Housekeeping items that I always make sure to check off my list before I begin the true Dirty Work.

And it is in doing this prep-work, that I find a complete rebirth of Joy for this lovely Gem of a season.

Come on!  Let's throw a party for Spring!  A Surprise Party!

Plant Those Seeds!

As with any early Venturer like myself, it is always fun to begin a Step-ahead-of-the-Rest each season by starting important seeds indoors (a month before transplanting into the garden).  I try to select seeds that will do well indoors and that will give me some good strong results within 30 days.  Tricky starters will be grown directly in the gardenspace.

I always grow my seeds in a dense compost from the year before and place each set in the smallest possible pots...too big of a surface area when growing seeds indoors will usually result in rotting and molding.  Scanky.

Get Those Fabulous Bulbs!

And one of my favorite pass-times during the Waking Weeks of Spring is to purchase all my new and exciting bulbs for the season.  Not spring bulbs, but summer bulbs- like lilies and Gladiolas.

I just received my much-anticipated lily bulb order in the mail yesterday!  Soooo In-Time for my annual 1st Day of Spring Planting Fest!

What's fun about summer bulbs is that we can plant them in the current season- as opposed to Spring bulbs that we must plant in the fall.  The wait kills me!

Till that Soil!

I ALWAYS make sure to spend quite a bit of time in the dirt with my trowel and mini rake as I attempt to loosen up the surface of the garden and bring 'bounce' back into my soil.  I think it makes things look a lot more fresh and eager.  It's like a Sugar Facial Scrub for the soil!  This also helps get rid of any unwanted 'weedlings' (weed seedlings) and helps the dormant roots below find breath again!

Light Those Trees!

Another MurfMagic trademark every season is to carefully string clear Christmas lights around the branches of some of my larger specimens; like this climbing Rose, for instance.  This is a painstaking process because I must be very sensitive to the plants' new growth as I wind and wrap.

This is the only nighttime lighting I use in the gardenspace- and once the leaves fully form, a glow from within the garden softly illuminates the space around me...I feel like I am within the realm of Angels.

Note: this can NOT be carelessly done, or it will look like a Trashy Hooker lives in your backyard.  String lights with taste! 

Run That Water!

I know the garden season is upon me when my beloved little Faucet Fountain is placed and operating!

Just the subtle sound of running water in my garden is enough for me to want to retreat forever back here!

I always make sure to 'soften' the edges of any piece of statuary or sculpture in the garden with complimenting pottery and/or plantings.  This fountain needs to eventually look as though it is a fixed part of the garage it rests on...and after my plants fill the void spaces- I will be in business!

--Running water mysteriously falling from within the foliage and blooms: Pure Magic.

Place Those Pots!

I am slightly addicted to terracotta pots...especially old, chipped, cracked, and mossy ones!  So what better way to Celebrate the onset of Spring than with the precise placement of all my deteriorating Beauties?  I place my pots wherever I know I am going to need a little Color-Boost (and I don't mean for my hair).  Troublesome areas of the garden (i.e- too much shade or un-diggable ground due to stones or roots...etc) are great places to add a collection of pots.  The summer color in my old wagon here will certainly brighten-up my dark, under-tree Blackhole that never allows me to grow anything!

Add Those Signs!

So I gotta be honest here-  I am known to take things a bit too seriously sometimes.
...Well...all the time... 
And I have been teaching myself ways in which I can 'Lighten Up' a little.

I have created these adorable garden signs that are meant as little greetings for the promenade through my garden.  I tore down an old white picket fence in the backyard last summer, crafted these signs, and accented them with acrylic paint and polyurethane spray.  They are a silly, cheesy element to my other-wise serious standard.


I love my Pitbull/Shepard Mix, Diezel, so much that I have nicknamed him according to his energy levels. 'Cozy Cow' for when he is a cute, quiet, subtle, mindful pet...and 'Wiggy Piggy' for when he is a complete disaster.  He lives up to both names Beautifully!  These characters are fun surprises as we walk through the garden.  They bring a smile to my face every time.

 The Cozy Cow.

 The Wiggy Piggy

 Love Your Pets!

Diezel gets the Cozy Cow award for today.  He kept a watchful eye on me as I spent the entire day in the garden.

He enjoys laying in the sun and softly growling at birds and squirrels as they approach too closely to the yard.

Here, he poses with a pot of Pansies.

...looking at me as if to say,

        "Are you done yet, dude?"

 

Rejoice The Day!

It sure was a long and Beautiful 1st day of Spring today! 

80 degrees and sunny!  

By the end of the day, lots of little projects got checked off my list:

my seeds,

my soil,

my bulbs,

my garden signs,

my pots,

and my pansies.

And as the soft sun sets over the trees, a golden glow sets fire to the evening sky.

My favorite time of day in the garden.

Spring- I welcome you, Girl.  

and I promise...

I will NOT be A Pansy!

I will be your Magic!

Cheers!

ManHandle my Mantle

Something is seriously wrong in my life if I haven't decided to transition my mantle for the season yet!
My 'Late Winter' look is about to hit the road today...and I think I can blame it on all this amazing non-traditional weather we've experienced lately!  A little accidental sunburn while working in the garden yesterday actually did wonders on my creative spirits!

It's Mantle Makeover Time!!!  What!?!

 First:

I gotta get these Old Broads Outta here!

 

I adore my early century Composition dolls, but they tell a story of 'Late Winter Mysticism' and it weighs too heavy on my Spring-Ready eyes.  "So- Bye Bye Birdies!  I will be sure to find an equally amazing place for you to reside, I promise!"  Another blog article, perhaps!?...

So here's the deal-  I am inspired today by a great book with a great title!

It seriously sums up my thoughts on Life!

We are, after all, living within one giant Garden- 

So we need to Celebrate it!

I want to celebrate Early Spring...not True Spring ('cause True Spring will need a full makeover too!)  And I love re-doing things too much to hold onto a concept for too long!

So my concept is inspired by a sweet book...and without honoring True Spring too early, I will use elements that are reminiscent of our gardens after a long hard winter thaw...(though, our winter this year was very mild...).

Here's the Recipe for this 'Man-handling'...or MantleHandling I will be doing today....

1.)  Beautiful, old, burgundy Bricks.

2.)  Kick-ass, aged, Terra-Cotta pots. 

3.)  Dried stems of Magnolia leaves.

4.)  Simplicity.  (I struggle with this one...)

Bricks make magnificent risers.

All my pots for this project are the same exact style and size.  Purposefully.

These live-dried beauties came from my Lily and Magnolia Christmas theme...ReUse!

Now that I have a full basket of fun elements, it's time to begin the transition- and remember, Simplicity is key when dealing with you mantle!  Too many textures and lines in a mantle design can create confusion and dis-jointedness...

Let's Do This~!

First- I will place my risers (bricks) asymmetrically on the mantle.  Because my pots are all the same size and style (to represent a solid concept), I need to use these great bricks as 'risers' to provide the linear movement this mantle will need to carry my eye across the design.  Looks strange at first...

...But when we add the pots and the inspirational book...the movement and excitement of the concept starts to come to life.  Now my design has a solid ground to start from.  What to put in those great pots?  

Candles?...  Ferns?...  Nothing?...

I use these beautiful dried Magnolia stems because the color and the texture is just what we need to present the 'Late Winter Thaw' I was referring to.  And with the tones of the rest of the space, these leaves create the 'vintage' look I am SO loving lately.  Notice how only three pots have been 'dressed' with leaves.  This allows for my my eyes to rest on Points of Interest in the movement of the design.  I also made sure each 'dressed' pot was on a different plane than the others...(giving me the movement I need...).

I decided the book was not working in the design (one too many elements) so I will keep it as my Inspiration only.  And besides, I really like the way the middle bar of the window shows through between the movement of the pots and the bricks- (the book was distracting that detail too much).  I am sure it will show up on display somewhere in the adjacent space, however.  It is a great book.

Now my Mantle has been Man-tle-Handled!    Yes!  

And I have a great pre-season theme here: The Late Winter Thaw.  Not too green, not too colorful, not too Spring.  Just right.  This also provides me with the 'backbone' for what is to come!

I love it when things bring life to other things.  It is an Ever-changing Life.

My Life as The Garden- A Celebration! is a Beautiful Life.

Cheers!

The Fake, The Artificial-- my Best Friend.

The season is giving way to longer days, sunnier patios, muddy puppy paws, hesitant spring blooms, and the sweet song of evening birds whistling into the night--

It is Springtime here in the northern states and we couldn't be more excited about our outdoor lives as the nicest months ahead begin to unfold.

Like every shift in season, I am in 'The Mood'.  The mood to create and to celebrate Beauty anew!  Today I am thinking about my front door wreath and how I want it to 'Sing of the Season' as Spring truly does arrive.

I am a designer who loves to use artificial stems to create my illusion of Perfect Beauty.  Do not judge.  I know, I know--silk flowers have SO gotten a bad reputation as they grace the lobbies and offices of some of the biggest corporations in the world.  Some of these pieces on display make me wonder why artificial stems are still being used at all!

Everlasting- yes...Carefree- yes...

Dusty and Tired- usually...

In need of Help- ALWAYS.  

But they are not to be looked at in a negative light at all!

Find the perfect person for the job and your silk pieces can look as amazing as they should!

I have a whole corner of my basement dedicated to all the stems I've collected over the years--nicely boxed up for easy access when this urge in me pops up-- leading me to create something great whenever I want!

Most people see tacky, imperfect representations of the 'real deal'...but I see opportunity!  These stems will give me the means to fool the eyes and trick the senses!  I love Silks!

One thing I have learned over the years as a designer-- Keep it Simple!  Overdoing things oftentimes leads to destroying things.  I have learned the hard way.  After all, Mother Nature is a simple gal--represent her in your work the way she really is:  Intricate- yes.  Simple- always.

My work tends to reflect nature as best it can.  I like using singular elements in a concept...to give the illusion that all my stems are as authentic as the ones growing in my garden.  For instance, a crystal vase filled with a fresh bouquet of live lilies would be a lovely flare for the top of my hutch...but since I don't have live lilies just yet, I use 4 stems of artificial lilies instead.  I create the awesome illusion that they are freshly picked and soaking up water in my vase.

As soon as I start to add other elements into the vase- it becomes messy, contrived, and unrealistic.

Keep it Simple!

I have created hundreds of wreaths for clients throughout many years and one thing is certain- it never gets old to me!  Finding one or two elements to represent in any concept is the first step...putting 'Life' to your piece is the second.

Peony and Viburnum work alongside each other beautifully on the left, giving me a very 'cottage garden' feeling.  And on the right, I've used Delphinium and Lilac loosely- giving this a breezy, natural appeal- fresh from the garden! The tidy double-tailored bow is a nice way to 'bunch' the look together at the bottom.  I love using wide wired ribbon in my work- nothing is more exciting to me than a Kick-Ass ribbon!

As we approach the later summer months, it is key to use elements that are active in the garden at that time.  At the right, I have used gorgeous orange Dahlias and a twining Stephanotis vine wrapping throughout.  These flowers would actually be blooming together in the garden- so placing them together in a wreath is a great fit.  Again, ribbon runs through both pieces and adds a wonderful dimension to the overall picture.

Fall is a fun season to design for- all the harvest tones and textures!  Sunflowers and berries work with grasses in this wreath to give me a post-summer flare!  Though very symmetrical, this wreath looks like the early fall garden right outside our door!  And here, ribbon is not used.  Sometimes just a 'gathered' look is nice.

I have shown a 'dried' floral concept on the left, using more elements than I usually do to appeal to the person in need of a bouquet of flowers bundled up nicely with a great burlap ribbon.  And on the right, I wanted to celebrate the coming of Halloween.  Deep orange pumpkins, white and orange berries, and a stunning striped ribbon create the essence of this playful holiday!

All this designing with artificial stems can happen anywhere throughout the home- at any time!  Tastefully, however.  Simple.  A great season to embrace the silk stems in your design is The Christmas season!  I do a lot of personal decorating for the holidays!  What better way to truly practice my craft than to do it in my own home!?

My dining room was a lovely place to present a semi-garden concept.  I've focused on lilies, magnolia leaves, and Dogwood flowers in this design.  Though these flowers aren't at all in bloom at this time of the year, it sure creates the illusion that they are when used casually throughout the tree.  Those white blooms really lighten up the tree too.  A wonderful trio of ribbons is worked into the design as well, giving me great dimension again.  Gosh, I love ribbon.  Did I mention that?

And no table would be complete without an eye catching centerpiece.  All silk stems.  I don't want my centerpiece to pull focus from my tree, though, so I purposefully keep lilies out of the design here.  It becomes a 'supporting role' to the tree behind it.

In our living room, I wanted to create a more casual country feeling with the design- so I used silk stems that supported this concept.  Berries, Amaryllis, Hydrangea, and vanilla-toned leaves cascade down this tree.  I have also made sure to feature one of my most prized ribbons here- it is embroidered 100% silk ribbon adorned with crystals and beads.  Stunning!

And what space would be complete without a mantlepiece that is dripping with Beauty?  Our mantle was rather traditional in theme- using Poinsettias, berries, and various finial glass ornaments.  The beloved French Horn even found its way into the design!  Here, a simple duo of silk elements- Poinsettia and berries- give me plenty to work with.  Also, the linear movement created here is an important aspect of silk design.  Mother Nature provides us with endless movement- we need to mimic that in our work.  Nothing is ever stagnant- it is always moving.

So- after all this praise given to the wonderful world of Silk Floral stems, I hope this brought some much-needed light to the subject at hand here.  Tired, old silk arrangements are a MAJOR pet-peeve of mine.  If you are in possession of any such item- please discard it immediately.  And see me for your new beginning!  Your home...and guests will thank you.

I guess I should be including a photo of my latest wreath; seeing as how it was the whole reason for my creative journey today!

 Lilac and Lily

Spring is in Bloom!

Silks do not have to be a part of our embarrassing past any longer.  Use them tastefully- use them casually.  Find ways to accent the season with your stems...it really can bring some great energy into the home!  And if you have no clue where or how to start: Murfmagic can help!  

Beauty is my Life.  You are in good hands.

Cheers!