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Tag: Wisterias

  • Secret Garden: At Home with Marnie on Cape Cod – Gardenista

    Secret Garden: At Home with Marnie on Cape Cod – Gardenista

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     All week, we’re republishing some of our favorite Garden Visits that have a personal connection to our writers. No public gardens here, no vast estates, no professionally designed landscapes—just the backyards, vegetable patches, and flower beds that remind our writers of home. This story by contributor Justine Hand is from July 2016.

    After bouncing along an undulating, rutted track, wheels crunching over shell drive while wisteria vines lap at the windows, the entrance to my friend Marnie’s garden is like a transition to another world.

    Her landscape is an informal, unfussy affair that draws equally from the traditions of English cottage gardens and the wilds of Marnie’s native Cape Cod. Here and there is also a dash of the Mediterranean, reflecting Marnie’s travels to Italy and California. It’s a romantic, unfettered place, full of discovery—the kind that invites children to romp around its pathways. Among the blooms one might find edible treats like thimble berries, or an old pot perfect for the clubhouse, or an ocean-tossed treasure that Marnie has collected from the sea.

    Full of proliferous blooms that encroach on paths and climb the walls, Marnie’s world borders, Secret Garden-style, on being overgrown. “I like to let plants do their thing,” she notes. “Sometimes a plant will disappear for a year, and then the next it surprises me by coming back.” This laissez faire approach leads to a much more dynamic garden, “that, like me,” she adds, “changes every year.”

    Photography by Justine Hand.

    Cape Cod meets Mediterranean—a lobster buoy found washed ashore rests on a deck bordered by a long lavender bed.
    Above: Cape Cod meets Mediterranean—a lobster buoy found washed ashore rests on a deck bordered by a long lavender bed.

    The pert faces of verbena and native yarrow bloom in front of the garden shed in July.
    Above: The pert faces of verbena and native yarrow bloom in front of the garden shed in July.
    Marnie
    Above: Marnie’s signature colors, pink and orange, are reflected in these splendid echinacea.

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  • Clement Nursery: San Francisco’s Oldest Garden Store

    Clement Nursery: San Francisco’s Oldest Garden Store

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    Aside from its rich history, Clement Nursery is also known for its inventory of particularly resilient and tough plants. The nursery sits just a few blocks from Baker Beach, basically in the harshest of city environments. “We specialize in plant material best suited for the Richmond District—species not minding the coastal winds and extra frigid temperatures. Fortunately for us, if a plant can survive here, it will thrive anywhere in the Bay Area.”

    Above: Clement Nursery at times feels like someone’s private garden. Here, the blurry line between the nursery and a neighboring cottage.

    Focusing on sustainability, the nursery offers a selection of California native plants that have low-water needs once established. The nursery also carries drought-tolerant species from South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand—places that have a similar climate to California. “We use large soaking trays to water as much of the inventory as possible, so that there’s no water wasted in the process,” shares Phillip.

    Clement Nursery is a resource for native California grasses.
    Above: Clement Nursery is a resource for native California grasses.

    What plants are trending at the nursery? Not surprisingly, houseplants are popular. Roughly 30 percent of their space is dedicated to tropical houseplants, with a huge greenhouse for climate control. Top sellers: the families of Dracaena and Ficus, including Dracaena Massangeana, Dracaena Janet Craig Compacta, Ficus lyrata, and Ficus decora.

    The indoor spaces at the nursery are filled to the brim with popular houseplants. Photograph by Kier Holmes.
    Above: The indoor spaces at the nursery are filled to the brim with popular houseplants. Photograph by Kier Holmes.

    In landscape plants, hardy hellebores for winter color and colorful fuchsias sell well in the shade section of the store. In the fern section, staghorn ferns are always trending, plus all varieties of maidenhair ferns. In their full sun section, phormiums and cordylines are very popular due to brilliant colors and low-water needs. “A favorite Cordyline is a newer introduction: ‘Charlie Boy’, which sports leaves striped with red and pinks,” says Phillip. And both California native and non-native Salvias are constantly desired due to their ability to attract pollinators.

    The exterior of Clement Nursery. Photograph by Kier Holmes.
    Above: The exterior of Clement Nursery. Photograph by Kier Holmes.

    Their best sellers, though? “Our top selling plant, year over year, in sheer quantity, are succulents.”

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  • 10 Things Nobody Tells You About Vines – Gardenista

    10 Things Nobody Tells You About Vines – Gardenista

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    Here’s a question for you: Is a garden complete without a vine? Some may passionately argue that it isn’t, as this type of plant adds another dimension and potential burst of color or fragrance to a garden that other plants can’t provide. I, myself, am a mild vine enthusiast. Maybe it’s because vines, in general, can be tricky to maintain and, if not done properly, become a brambly, ugly mess. A well trimmed vine, though? That, I can get behind.

    Here are ten facts about vines—their nature, habits, and abilities—that might skew your attitude toward (or against) them.

    N.B.: Featured photograph, above, of Alice Waters’s garden by Leslie Williamson, from Californians at Home: Intimate Portraits by Leslie Williamson.

    1. Not all vines are vines.

    Rosa mulliganii, in the white garden at Sissinghurst Castle, is not a vine. Just one rose covers this structure. Photograph by Jonathan Buckley, from Ramblers: The Most Romantic Rose.
    Above: Rosa mulliganii, in the white garden at Sissinghurst Castle, is not a vine. Just one rose covers this structure. Photograph by Jonathan Buckley, from Ramblers: The Most Romantic Rose.

    Did you know that in some parts of the world the term “vine” refers solely to grape vines and the term “climber” is used for plants that climb. To make matters even more confusing, there are plants that behave like vines but aren’t technically a vine. These are called scramblers like some shrub roses that can be trained to climb. So, what exactly defines a vine? It’s a plant whose woody stem needs support to climb and it uses tendrils or it twines up a structure. A vine can also sprawl along the ground.

    2. Some won’t return year after year.

    Morning glory will re-seed liberally. If you want to keep it in check, deadhead the flower once it’s done blooming. Photograph by Matthew Williams for Gardenista, from Gardening 101: Morning Glory.
    Above: Morning glory will re-seed liberally. If you want to keep it in check, deadhead the flower once it’s done blooming. Photograph by Matthew Williams for Gardenista, from Gardening 101: Morning Glory.

    Some vines are evergreen (like jasmine), some are deciduous and lose their leaves (like Boston ivy), and some (like clematis) have both evergreen and deciduous types. Some vines should be treated as annuals (like sweet peas), and some vines are invasive in certain areas and are difficult to eradicate (like blue morning glory vine, Japanese honeysuckle, and English ivy). Pro tip: Before choosing any vine, check with your local extension service to make sure it isn’t invasive in your area.

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