Amazing Contemporary Hydrangea Arrangement

www.instagram.com/reel/CnTF_ImIZ8R/

Check it out. Very genius…,,

NEWS: THE GARDEN MUSEUM – the U.K.

Beautiful & Useful Craft Fair this Sunday! Don’t miss our annual Craft Fair this weekend if you’ve got some Christmas shopping to do: we’re filling the museum with some of our favourite designer-makers so you can support small businesses and gift your loved ones something special handmade by artisans this Christmas. We’ll have ceramics, textiles, knitwear, jewellery, prints, candles, leather goods and lots more. Tickets include entry to the museum, with an optional ticket upgrade available on site if you’d like to see the exhibition Lucian Freud: Plant Portraits. Sun 4 December, 10.30am – 5pm £7 Standard, £6 Young Fronds, Free for Friends Book tickets The Garden Museum granted National Portfolio Organisation status We are over the moon to announce that the Garden Museum was recently successful in our application to Arts Council England to become a National Portfolio Organisation! This funding will allow us to develop three areas of work: our activities for families, free events bringing our Nave space to life, and festivals and fairs including the return of our Festival of Fairytales and a new Winter Flowers Week. We are hugely grateful to Arts Council England and DCMS for their funding to help us achieve our vision for the future of the museum 2023-2026. Lucian Freud Exhibition Catalogue out now! Our new catalogue accompanying the exhibition Lucian Freud: Plant Portraits is beautifully illustrated with examples of Freud’s plant paintings and etchings, with an introduction by Garden Museum curator Emma House and an essay by guest curator Giovanni Aloi, as well as interviews with Freud’s longtime studio assistant David Dawson, and daughter Annie Freud. To celebrate its release, we’re sharing an extract from the conversation between Giovanni Aloi and David Dawson: David: Has Annie [Freud] told you about the zimmerlinde? Giovanni: Yes, she did. I found the whole story very fascinating. Do you recall anything interesting about Lucian’s relationship with plants in his studio? David: Yes, my impression is that Lucian painted plants when life tended to become tumultuous and his relationships with other people were strained. Or when he simply could not find a model to paint. Giovanni: That’s interesting. It also appears clear, looking at Freud’s body of work, that he painted the same plant multiple times. Am I right? Are these the same plants in each work? David: Yes, they are, and I still have some of them in my garden. I still keep them here—the zimmerlinde in Large Interior Paddington (1969) sits outside in its large pot. The aspidistra Lucian painted in Two Plants (1980) is out there too. He painted it again in a work with me and Eli laying on the bed (David and Eli, 2003). Aspidistra is called the “cast iron plant” for a reason. It is indestructible! There was also the imposing pelargonium behind the sofa in Large Interior (After Watteau) 1981. The plants tend to live their own lives in the studio and he let them do their thing. The way he dealt with plants was very much in line with how he led his life… Keep reading Christmas at the Garden Café Host your Christmas party at the Garden Café! We’re taking bookings for groups of eight or more on our Christmas menu throughout December, available for lunch every day, as well as Tuesday and Friday evenings up until our last service of the year, lunch on Friday 23 December. Bookings by email only – contact cafebookings@gardenmuseum.org.uk Christmas menu Freud’s Fruit Cookery Workshop Series: Apples This workshop series led by our Food Educator Ceri Jones is inspired by the fruits in Lucian Freud’s paintings. Each of the fruits we have chosen from his work take us seasonally through autumn to winter and are paired with complementary ingredients to create a two-course vegetarian lunch, which you will enjoy after a hands-on class learning how to cook. December’s class celebrates the apple! Menu Celeriac & apple soup with toasted hazelnuts Cheese, apple, & thyme soda bread Apple galette with vanilla crème fraiche Thurs 8 December, 11am – 1pm £40  Book tickets

Object of the Week: ‘The Rites of Spring’ Procession Pamphlet By Alice Ridgway, Archivist Last week I was surprised to see a pamphlet announcing ‘Rites of Spring’ flash past as I leafed through some American field notes in the Joy Larkcom archive. A further glance informed me of a ritual pageant of giant puppets and mobile sculptures. In this pageant, Gaia, the earth goddess, is kidnapped by New York developers. Her release depends on the butterfly angel guide and its nature spirits… The modest black-and-white programme clearly needed further investigation. Reading through, I found it to be packed full of information about ‘Rites of Spring’ the 6th annual celebratory procession to protect over 50 New York community gardens. It seemed to be an exciting event: A DAY-LONG PAGEANT VISITING THE NETWORK OF 50 LOWER EAST SIDE GARDENS SUNDAY MAY 26, 1996 8 HOURS OF ART, RITUAL, PERFORMANCE, MUSIC, DANCE, & POETRY! A CELEBRATION OF THE GARDENS LOCAL HISTORY & THE COMMUNITY Keep reading Images: Beautiful & Useful Craft Fair (c) Graham Lacdao; Festival of Fairytales (c) Francis Augusto; Still Life with Zimmerlinde, c.1950 Freud, Lucian (1922-2011) Credit: Private Collection. Photo © Christie’s Images/© The Lucian Freud Archive. All Rights Reserved 2022/Bridgeman Images; Cooking class at the Garden Museum (c) Graham Lacdao

Calling All Current Gardening Clients

We are thrilled to serve you and to help expedite good service for you, so there are a few supplies you will need to order in early 2023.  We order most supplies on Amazon. It’s efficient and in almost all cases they provide a good cost savings.

For a couple years we have been ordering for you, but with more of you each year, we can no longer carry and store gardening products for you in our vehicle.

This list is fairly universal for all of you.

• Blood Meal

Needed for planting anything. It’s the final touch after planting. It keeps rodents, squirrels and insects at bay. It has a peculiar odor, but it does prevent pests from bothering your garden. Roughly $12.99/bag.You will most likely use two bags per spring/summer/fall season. Think about this and plan ahead. Please! 

• Miracle Grow Fertilizer Wand

A very good idea to keep a couple on hand  Generally a perfect time to use your first one is in late July. Heat and sun start to wither your plants and their vibrant color begins to fade. This product gives your plants a boost. And it’s also a great product to use after you complete your last fall clean up and your bulb planting is complete.

• Neem Oil

Most of you have observed tiny holes in the leaves of your plants during the summer. Neem soil is a gardening essential. It’s kind of like having Tylenol in your medicine cabinet. It is sprayed all over the area where the plant meets the soil, and also over all the leaves. Generally applied generously every three weeks. As a gardener you should not live without it.,,,,so buy a spray bottle and if a refill 1/2 gallon bottle is available, think about purchasing it as well.

• Paper Refuse, 3 gal size, garden bags. We recommend you order them from Home Depot or pick them up in 5 packs at the store for $2.67 for the five. Our new refuse policy is recommended by PFX. Very often our residents are taking large black trash bags to the maintenance yard, and they have to be emptied by our crews because the bags are not biodegradable. In our large community this is really a time constraint on our crew members. And if you purchase these paper bags we will fill them and place them curbside for PFX pick up, once we complete our work for you. It’s a win-win.

Lastly, every gardener should stock two types of soil.  Garden Soil and Potting Soil. We recommend one (1) cu ft bags, because they are manageable in terms of weight. It won’t break your back, but when you need it, you’ll have it. Very often you’ll go shopping for it last minute and end up spending more money than you need to, and you may end up buying the wrong kind. 

Both are available at our local nursery and run in the range of $10.99 to $$11.99 per bag  

We will no longer stock any of these items for you….so plan accordingly. We often end up using our own supply of these items.  We will no longer do so….at our cost. And so we are giving you a “”heads up” to prepare now for our next 2023 spring season. If you’ve questions we are happy to advise  just give us a shout.

Thank you….and we trust you will get yourselves ready for a new 2023 gardening season.  We hope this info is useful.

“Contessa” says…. It’s all very good!

TIPS…..lets’s share ideas….

 

Hello Gardening Friends:

I have offered this helpful post twice prior, but this is a project hat you can do indoors. Tomorrow is going to be gorgeous but cool. This project is a good indoor activity for a chilly fall day.

BTW……Starting today…..I will begin posting some helpful reminders of projects I work on and perhaps they will inspire you to do the same,  After all…. a gardener is perpetually thinking about the next season so keep your mind focused and satisfy your own indoor boredom with your gardening project ideas. Time savers, and cost saving measures. It can’t hurt and it gives you a head start on things you want to accomplish for your new gardening season – 2023. Believe it or not it will come faster than you think.  Such a happy thought……

Check in with me a couple days a week going forward, as I will post my ideas/tips  for gardening. Feel free to call or txt me if you have ideas you’d like to share. And with your permission, I can post them here. I often get in conversations with my gardening folk and comparing notes is so fun. Love to hear from you.  Txt 703-548-1882.
Thank You!

“Contessa

•••••••••••••

What You’ll Need

• 10″ Terra Cotta Pot (weve used an aluminum tub)
• Clean Sand
• Mineral Oil

Begin with  a simple terra cotta pot. The aluminum one I used is about 14 inches in diameter.

Paint it a pretty color if you’re feeling fancy.

Next, working in a large bowl or bucket, mix together enough sand to fill your pot with some mineral oil. You want to use enough oil so that your sand is fairly evenly coated. It should stick together but still have a “crumbly-ish” texture. Place your favourite hand tools down into the sand when you’re done with them.  Each time  they’ll get a little sharper (kind of like when you use sand paper to sharpen kitchen scissors) and they’ll be coated in just enough oil to keep them rust free! It’s truly magic.  Enjoy!

Mt Eagle Repeat Client

Our great client txtd us yesterday afternoon asking if we could suggest something colorful to plant in her entirely summer blooming perennial bed. Everything has bloomed all summer and now that fall has arrived, she has no color.

So this morning we met at the nursery and she selected yellow and white Pansies to plant. They are cheerful, they love the chill, can survive winter, and the best part is that her $50 investment will bloom from now all the way up to next May. We recommend to everyone. And in fact, last Saturday we completed four client Pansy installs. We completed a bed clean up while we were there. And we’ve sprinkled “blood meal” around the pansies to keep the squirrels at bay. They love to dig at new plantings where they can find moist soil to bury their nuts. But with the blood meal treatment they pretty much are defeated.

In a few weeks at the beginning of November we will complete a final bed tidy and lay mulch for winter protection. At that time we will cut down any plants that are going to begin soon to die back.

This is a great client and for three ears we have really worked on her beds to amend and bring the soil up to superior planting medium. And the best part is that we have rid her beds of all weeds. Her beds are in fantastic shape.

We are pleased to encourage our client and to work in her very mature garden. It’s been a work in progress and we are still adding new things each spring season.

“Contessa” says….. it’s all good!

Tips- All Purpose Plant Medicine/Treatment

NEEM OIL is a standard and common treatment for a number of gardens pests. Keeping it on hand is kind of like keeping Extra Strength Tylenol in your bathroom medicine cabinet. Meaning….. you will  use it very frequently. If you are a gardener you probably already have it on hand. It’s an effective “three in one” treatment. Combined it’s an Herbicide, Insecticide and Multicide treatment for various fungal diseases in the plant world. Rose bushes especially,  benefit from its use. If you see tiny holes in your Roses leaves, start your Neem Oil treatment right away. And treat it ever three weeks until you see the condition subside  two treatments should do the trick.

No doubt you’ve heard the term “black spot.” Using Neem Oil to cover the base, stems and leaves of an infected plant can revive it from pests such as aphids, and powdery mildew. If you are unsure, take a sampling leaf or stem to your local nursery or search common garden pests on the internet. Very often there are photos of the various pest conditions. You can hardly go wrong with Neem Oil. We highly recommend you keep it on hand. It comes in a convenient spray container and can be effective for the spring, summer, and fall growing seasons. Be sure and turn the spray dial to off once you are done with your treatment,  because it can evaporate from the container. Once the first frost arrives, of course the chill will kill any insect invasion, but Neem Oil should be used even in the fall to help protect your plant for next years healthy growing season. 

Black Spot

Powdery Mildew

“Contessa” says…… it’s all good!

Pruning….your window of opportunity (REVISED) Monday – 10/17 – 11:00 am.

Pruning all bushes between now , and by the end of the first week in October, is your window of opportunity. We have been trimming bushes especially Roses, Hydrangeas and Azaleas the whole month of September and October. We are close to the end of October so if you need to still prune it’s time to do it. We do not recommend pruning into November. It’s getting too late in the season as the roots of your plants have mentally begun their growth process for “spring,” “Fair Warning.”

When you prune, you are giving a signal to the bush….that it has permission now to grow new branches and leaves, and in the case of Rose bushes, they usually give you a full robust blooming phase in October and even into November and December.  It’s amazing that they do love the sunny but chilly autumn days. If there is no early frost, Roses can bloom even into December. It’s kind of a last “hurrah” before winter arrives. Pruning “now” gives all your bushes the rest of the month of October to show you their stuff. Growing can be strong during October. And this new growth will be nourishment for your bushes to protect them from the real chill of winter.

Sooo…, get busy in the next couple weeks to prune and trim your bushes. They are waiting for you to relieve them of their older growth, left by summers heat.

We are here to help. Book an appt NOW!

Contessa says…. You have our permission to prune and if you feel afraid, just get in contact with us and we’ll do the job for you. We are most Happy to help. You will be thrilled with the results. We are certain.

•••••••••••••••
Below are Rose Stem cuts. 

And in the case of all other bushes, cut back at least six (12 inches), and make the “diagonal”’ cut right before the next branch with leaves intact. When pruning Hydrangeas look for a “growth nub” on your stalk. Take the spent flower blossom and proceed down the stalk about 12-15 inches. Right in front of the nub cut diagonally. And while you are at it get down on the ground and examine the bush for dead stalks. Take them down to the ground. They are keeping your bush from growing.

“Contessa” says…., it’s all good!

NOTE: We are booked this week, but a bush trimming session can only take about an hour. We are happy to squeeze you in.

Do enjoy fall. It’s such a beautiful time of year. If you are caught up on your gardening tasks maybe take a nice walk today. The air is crisp and surprisingly……the sun has come round. Enjoy!!

Garden Bed Revamp on Wellington ( REVISION #5) – Wed – 10/5- 5:41 pm

BEFORE

It may not look like it needs work. But we are transforming a bed, to bare bones, for planting an assortment of new flowering perennials. Our homeowner has asked us to make the selections. Along with all her flowering planters it’s going to look fresher and very much like a true flowers garden. Minus all the Creeping Ivy and Vinca Vines. And we are resetting all the brick borders and laying newspaper on the bank, covering it with topsoil to prevent more weed from returning. And we will mulch well.

And the bed with the large bark chips we are taking them out, because she wants to make it a Pansy bed. So we need some new garden soil and an assortment of Pansies and finally a topper of fresh shredded hardwood bark mulch. This  bed is a tribute to her Mom who loved Pansies.and directly behind them us the yellow rose bush we planted during the summer, also for her Mom

And we are also going to help reset newly purchased stair and border lighting upon completion.

It’s probably about a 6 to 8 hour project. We’ll see. Stay tuned for a final completion video.

Todays we took a photo collection of areas needing our magic.

(REVISED) – Fri – 9/23 – 6:15 pm

Today we finished clearing the bed of Ivy and Vinca vines. We dug up the three spider grasses. We transplanted the largest to the other bed where there were five in a row. We had a gap at the end of the row, so we planted it there to fill this gap. The other two were pretty straggly so we tossed.

Early in the summer we dug up four Day Lily’s and have transplanted them in a row….as the new bed border between our bed and the back side of the property.

We have leveled the bed, started creating a deep outer  edge along the side, and next we will reset a few of the uneven bricks on the side near the gravel/stone slab path. We have gone to the nursery and purchased 7 bags of top soil to amend the beds as they are mostly VA clay. Not great for planting. And we will add some organic gardening soil as well. We also purchased eight (8) bags of mulch with the assistance of  our student helper. And while there….we both took all the large chip mulch out of the sloped bed. It’s rough, too large and hard to plant in, so it was best to dispose of it. Now, we can plant the Pansy bed that our homeowner so wants.

The wind at 25 mph today with a shady yard was a bit of a challenge. All in all it was a super beautiful day. And we feel like when we return next Tuesday we will be able to accomplish quite a lot.

So far, we have six (6) hours in this project. It’s still a work in progress, but it’s definitely coming along.

“Contessa”’ says…..,it’s all good.

(REVISION #2) – Tues – 9/27 – 6:02 pm 

The following photos and Video are part of todays Revision  #2. We cut bank the Vinca Vine up at the top of the sloped bed. We then placed thick newspaper down on the slope and covered them with seven (7) bags of Top Soil. We then added four (4) bags of Bumper Crop Garden Soil to the lower bed where the Pansies are going to be planted. We purchase ten (10) – one (1) quart containers of Pansies, our clients Mom’s favorite. And we arranged new Perennial plants in the large “cleared” bed awaiting our clients approval. We made the pick and she loves what we selected.  She has asked us to purchase two more of the Shasta Daisy plants.

Thursday we will plant all the new plants and finally we have purchased six (6), three (3) cu ft bags of hardwood shredded bark mulch and will lay it all to complete the look.

The new  perennial plants are:

1 – Echinacea Wicked (burgundy)

1 – Guara, Rose Jane

1 – Laucenthemium,  White Lion

1 – Perovskila, Denim n Lace

in addition our client has four planters that we made for her mid-summer. We will plant the White Mum in the new bed. The other plants are annuals and our first frost will take them, but they have done well and her urge to have flowers this summer was fulfilled.  So nice switching to perennials to give her plants that last and plants that will show themselves again next spring. It’s fun and she can even add a couple more things in the spring.  We think there will be room.

IN PROCESS

Please do stay tuned for our final completion video.

••••••••••••••••••

REVISION #3 – THURS – 9/29 – 5:55 pm

Much progress today. Both beds populated with plants.  Mulch placed on the sloped bed and the new Pansy bed .  Looking good.

In the larger bed we planted up our new Perennials and tomorrow we will  return to finalize Phase 1 of this project.  As if tonight we have completed sixteen (16)hours on this project. Fresh garden soil will be added to the bed and each plant will be surrounded with this great organic soil. Finally mulch all. We are creating an edge on this bed and finally we will “tame” the creeping vines that could potentially crawl into our newly created bed. Our strategy is to train the vines to grow the other direction towards the woodland back of the property

PHOTOS AND VIDEO – attached

It’s been hard work, but very satisfying to create a flower garden for a non-gardener who has wanted this garden to show tribute to her smother who passed away suddenly two months ago. We hope….in a small way….we helped our young professional homeowner realize her dream….in honor of her Mom.

“‘Contessa” says…. It’s a God blessing!

•••••••••••••••

(REVISION) #4 – Fri – 9/30 – 6:32 pm 

Today we completed this project, Phase 1. It’s been fun and rewarding. Our client sent us a message this afternoon.

“Penny, you did an absolutely excellent job. I’m so happy with it, and it definitely brightens my day every time I see it.  It makes me think of my Mom. Thank you so much….for everything and all your great work.  ‘Jj’

REVISION #5 – Wed – 10/5 – 5:41 pm  

PFX had been going to provide a permanent fix for the walking path adjacent  to our clients new bed. Low and behold, the next day after we completed our work, they came and began the project. We do think our work promoted this update,  as we have worked for this client for two years and it’s been talked about since then.

We are so glad for the neighbors and our client,  because this is a heavily traveled pass-through for lots of neighbors. It’s coming along. We just stopped.by….Bravo! 

TIPS…..lets’s share ideas….

 

Hello Gardening Friends:

I have offered this helpful post twice prior, but this is a project hat you can do indoors. Tomorrow is going to be gorgeous but cool. This project is a good indoor activity for a chilly fall day.

BTW……Starting today…..I will begin posting some helpful reminders of projects I work on and perhaps they will inspire you to do the same,  After all…. a gardener is perpetually thinking about the next season so keep your mind focused and satisfy your own indoor boredom with your gardening project ideas. Time savers, and cost saving measures. It can’t hurt and it gives you a head start on things you want to accomplish for your new gardening season – 2023. Believe it or not it will come faster than you think.  Such a happy thought……

Check in with me a couple days a week going forward, as I will post my ideas/tips  for gardening. Feel free to call or txt me if you have ideas you’d like to share. And with your permission, I can post them here. I often get in conversations with my gardening folk and comparing notes is so fun. Love to hear from you.  Txt 703-548-1882.
Thank You!

“Contessa

•••••••••••••

What You’ll Need

• 10″ Terra Cotta Pot (weve used an aluminum tub)
• Clean Sand
• Mineral Oil

Begin with  a simple terra cotta pot. The aluminum one I used is about 14 inches in diameter.

Paint it a pretty color if you’re feeling fancy.

Next, working in a large bowl or bucket, mix together enough sand to fill your pot with some mineral oil. You want to use enough oil so that your sand is fairly evenly coated. It should stick together but still have a “crumbly-ish” texture. Place your favourite hand tools down into the sand when you’re done with them.  Each time  they’ll get a little sharper (kind of like when you use sand paper to sharpen kitchen scissors) and they’ll be coated in just enough oil to keep them rust free! It’s truly magic.  Enjoy!

Planting Bulbs…..for Spring Growth

It occurred to us today that we have not mentioned planting bulbs for next spring blooms. They are available now at the nurseries. Frankly, because our winters are more mild than years gone by, we think it’s safe to plant as late as Nov 15. But….. selections dwindle as fall moves along, so we recommend you buy early.

We are going on a buying trip to Merrifield Garden Center  on Oct 4th, so if you need any do let us know now. We are taking orders.  Please give us a cal. We are happy to pick them out for you

Planting:  Dig your holes deep enough and make sure you add some fresh soil to the dig. And be sure to water. We highly recommend you sprinkle the mound with “blood meal.”  It’s a miracle worker that keeps the squirrels from digging them up. It’s lway worth purchasing.

Note:  As you are planting your bulbs, pause and look up to the sky and the heavens. Our Savior God is watching over you, our earth and your bulbs. Think about the promise of new growth. Growth in you…and in the beautiful flowers that will emerge come April/May. It’s a miracle to be sure. And it encourages us to know that the process of “new growth”  and “blessings”  continue to grow in our earth and in us every day. How wonderful and encouraging.

Blessings from “Contessa