Hopewell Carriage House Window Boxes filled with Cottage Classics

I don't know what happened to me this spring but I am all about pink with my grey cedar shake nest. As a woman that loves songbirds nothing pleases me more than a nest from a bird already used and ready for some recyling.  I will add some blues to this arrangment but it's still too darn early! Right around Mother's Day is frost safe.

I have weeded, trenched, fertilized and pruned and now it's just that time to fill the window boxes and containers.  For my clients I am sticking to early spring arrangement that are safe from frost right now.
Who loves lush hostas but not that fact that they are deer candy..Solution is what I do for my clients and myself.  Pick varieties that are small to dwarf and put them in pots where you can pick and change locations.  I am going to show you mine this week that are all lined up in pots!

English Daisies Bellis Perennis Blooming at the Hopewell Carriage House

Spring is showing up early though we are still in frost danger until the end of April towards the beginning of May. I have a real mainstay blooming now which is the English Daisy. It is a strong landscape performer and produces masses of large double flowers which are perfect for borders or rock gardens. They are lovely with early spring bulbs and easy to grow but prefer well drained soil.   Dead head them to prevent self seeding.
 Also your helleborus should be in full bloom and most started activity in February!  I love these for a garden. No worries, no fungus, no predators! No slugs and no deer! Only thing that they have going against them is that they are rather expensive in the perennial world.  I have a coveted pale yellow speciman and white and pink varieties. Most of mine are doubles which is peculiar for me considering I prefer the non fuss of a single bloom in most plants.

Leaf Online Home and Garden Rag!

I want to share this new online magazine for garden lovers and home dwellers.   It is really inspiring to see so many stylists  be open to the homemade artisinal  movement that has returned which is  similiar to the Arts and Crafts Movement hundred years ago.  This is Leaf's preview issue and I really like it a lot.
Check out the middle of the magazine and decide if you are Homespun, a Neo Prep or an Industrist!  Anyone that knows me knows I am mostly Homespun though I love creating different moods that work for my clients spaces.
The magazine nods a tribute to Ellen Biddle Shipman who was  known as America's best woman flower garden maker. Inspiring to read and nice to be validated with the feminine choices in a perennial garden like Peonies, old fashioned roses and irises and lillies.
 I planted Heirloom species Lilies today- L.tigrinum splendens circa 1870 which will have a radiant salmon orange with maroon garnet spots.  The carriage house was built in 1890 and it is lovely to have some plants that honor the time period.

I also will add Triandrus Narcissi variety Thalia circa 1916 which smells divine and usually bears two or more pendant of flowers per stem and can handle some shade.
I have chosen Rosalie as a tulip which is a Triumph Tulip and is a rose pink that looks will with the Nantucket grey cedar shakes on the carriage house.
For a ground cover I have planted Grecian Windflowers with a daisy like flower circa 1898. These can also be forced in pots though I have not ever done this.

Thank goodness that the weather has been on my side this winter so I have a few more days to complete bulbs in the ground for winter.   Christmas trees are up and so are my English boxwood wreaths.  I always grace the front of the carriage home with a super large Frazer Fir wreath and that is hung. Pictures to come. I promise!

Princeton Garden Design Pots Grow at Bell and Whistle

I had to share what one of my clients container pots looks like at the end of the fall season before there is a change to a different arrangement.  Coleus, Hibiscus, Sweet Potato Vine, Lantana, and Succulents to name just a few!

Autumn Camillia Long Island Pink

I wanted to share the Camillia that is having its first bloom session since I planted it this spring.  It is fun to have something like this blooming now.  This plant is just getting started now with many buds to open and this shrub is begging to be espaliered. Long Island Pink Camillia is lovely for this Nantucket Grey Garden shed.  They love some shade and indirect light and just when you think Jack Frost has nipped everything here is a surprise in the garden.

Baptisia australis Wild Blue Indigo

I really love this plant with its blue green foliage that blooms in May and early June.  Native, no pests, no spraying and just lovely. No pruning or staking either.  It stands about two to three feet after it establishes itself..Also it can withstand dry conditions.  I first saw this perennial many years ago at the old JP Morgan estate in Princeton within their perennial gardens.  Indians and later colonists used the plant for a natural dye in clothes.
This picture is after one spring at the carriage house.  It will continue to give me more blooms and pleasure.  Seed pods are developing now which I could use in flower arrangements for inside.

Native Wisteria..... not Japanese or Chinese for your Princeton Garden

Check out the native Wisteria which is more delicate and less invasive.  You will need sun and more sun! It will not hurt a fence or grow out of control.    Remember your natives in the garden.  They are easier to care for as a whole and will really be enjoyed by the bees!

Hopewellian Perennial Garden in Full Bloom

Early spring perennial are in full bloom.. Dicentra, Rosalie Pink Tulips, Mount Hood, Thalia, Hawera Daffodils, and the fruit trees looks great!  I am noticing some fungus on the heuchera already. I am treating that organically. It will work if I stay on top of it.

Check out the lovely tree peony.  Never prune these.  You will end up with an herbaceous peony.  I find these so easy to care for and quite stunning.

I finally decided to espalier a camellia shrub.  Long Island Pink is what I decided on. It is a favorite of many and was found on Long Island perhaps out in the Hamptons.  The grey shingle as I have said before, begs for pink. This is a fall blooming variety that will add color in October, November, some of December when nothing else with be giving me a show.  It is a vigorous variety and enjoys being on the northern  exposure or eastern. This will have a northern.  If I had chosen an apple to espalier I just know that it would not have had enough sun and it only means more spraying.  And I love that this is a bit different. Notice the helleborus at the base of this shrub.  Wonderful thing about these is that they are candy to no animal. So the deer in the back field might as well give up.

The bare root roses arrived from England.  They look like sticks and are soaking as we speak.  I decided on a David Austin English rose named Gentle Hermione.   They will be very fragrant and a good rebloomer.  I am hoping this will greet visitors with some welcome as they come through the garden gate.

Chartreuse and Pink in the Cottage Garden

I have to tell you how much I love chartreuse in the garden and especially in my shade garden! It absolutely pops!  I always pay attention to the home I am designing a garden for because it is important that the foliage and colors work with the home and the architechture.  This property is tight and charming,  so the plan is too almost go over the top with that feeling.  I want the garden to feel almost like you are visiting a dollhouse.  Sweet and dear and not too full of itself with sophistication

The Hopewell Carriage House Spring Perennials

Today I just really want to share some of my perennials that are coming up for the first time in this garden.   Many are natives and I love the foliage especially the Bloodroot.  Since the carriage house is Nantucket grey I am going kind of over the top on pinks, blues, and purples...

Have you ever seen this sweet dainty daffodil?  Hawera is a heirloom variety and very dear.  I planted Thalia which is white and Mount Hood which opens yellow and turns solid soft white. Here is the hosta 'June'  She has to be my most favorite.   In this case the sun deepens her yellow and the edges will be a blue green.

Here is the foliage of Bloodroot and the early spring flowers have disappeared.  What a woodland treasure.  Don't miss  the semi annual plant sale at Bowman Wildflower Preserve Mother's Day weekend.  This preserve is all about the natives.

Tomorrow I am going to show you the kitchen inside with exposed beams and share my vision for the changes that will be happening.  Some new faucet fixtures will be enhancing this 1890 carriage house to go back to its roots with a English farm sink to boot.  Also I cannot wait to show you the marble that I have chosen.   I know some of you are thinking about the persnickety care of marble.  Those of you that know me,  know I am just the girl to watch over it.

The Hopewell Carriage House has its First Spring

Bulbs are coming up and most of the perennials that I divided in the autumn are showing signs of success. Mushroom compost is in and I am waiting to add more helleborus in the side garden.  The garden you see here will be the sun/partial shade garden. On the side of this wee little home will be the true native garden and shade garden. Pictures to follow..

Enjoy a little Brunnera "Jack Frost"!

A Lot to Do in Your Zone 6 or 7 Princeton Garden

There is just so much to do in the garden right now! Mulch if you like,  and edge the garden so things are tidy. I use a  natural mulch and I spread it very thin.  Prune your winter shrubs and wintering flowering vines. I have a tree peony in desparate need of this task.  Plant summer  and fall flowering bulbs. I have to tell you I never get to this in my own garden. Plant any permanent ground cover.  I am going to add some more European Ginger that does well in the shade by my carriage home's front door.  Plant your roses and container roses.  I will be doing some David Austin heirloom pink roses this year because the carriage home is kind of a Nantucket grey and it begs for pink.  Ahh yes,  spray your fruit trees for fungus.  When I moved in last spring the pear and apple trees were covered in rust.  Now is the time.
Plant your heat loving perennials which will allow then to root in and bloom for you.  Remember with perennials,  the rule...  Sleep, creep, and leap the third season.

Good time to plant your ornamental trees, shrubs or vines.  I will be planting a special specimen out front of the house this month or next.

Plant your vegetable seedlings.  I am wondering about still doing one raised cedar bed on our tiny lot.

Don't forget to feed your houseplants.   Most of all of our herbs inside are making it through the winter and seems happy to think of Mother's Day.  Then I can send them outside again on my garden deck past our frost date.

I love Esponas Fertilizers to be used on your perennials.  Don't forget that.  Everything needs water and FOOD!

Ferns and Foliage in your Princeton Garden

I know there are many of you out there wondering what to do in your gardens without flowers as a thought. Remember about texture and three dimensional interest that does not always come in the conclusion of a flower.  There are many wonderful ferns that are easy to care for, do not involve pests, are native (like the maidenhair fern),  and deer do not eat them!
Here's a list of Deer Resistant and NATIVE Ferns!
Fern Autumn Dryopteris erythrosora
Fern Christmas Polystichum acrostichoides
Fern Cinnamon Osmunda cinnanomea
Fern Deer Blechnum
Fern Everwood Dryopteris remota
Fern Hayscented Dennstaedtia punctilobula
Fern Ostrich Matteuccia struthiopteris
Fern Royal Osmunda regalis

Do not forget foliage in the form of tree bark. I will be showing you a lovely Paperbark Maple Acer griseum which exfoliates its cinnamon bark as it matures year round. Its is one of the very last maples to lose its leaves which adds to its elegant beauty. Very rare and can be seen in the Washington DC at the Pentagon Memorial.

Hamamelis Mollis Chinese Witch Hazel in Bloom

The deciduous witch hazel is finally blooming! Bloom will be long lasting and is more fragrant than its American cousin.  Witch hazel has no known pests and can be in a container or used as a specimen in your garden. It is truly one of the first shrubs to bloom and after the bloom a small dark black fruit will bear itself on the branches.
This tree/shrub can grow to twenty feet so you can tell this is just a baby and it is very slow growing.  Snow is covering the ground so much here in the Princeton area that we have seen no bulbs come up at all yet.

What to Do in Your Princeton Garden Now

This the time to make some lists of plants that you want to focus on this spring.  Are you going to bump up your natives in the garden and add perennials and grasses that work with your gardening zone?  I love to reference 100 Easy to Grow Native Plants by Lorraine Johnson for ideas.  It might be a time to think of plants that you have always wanted to try but have not.  How about some hellebores and some tree peonies?

Read garden blogs and get inspired... Perhaps read some books on some famous gardens.  Great Gardens of America by Tim Richardson is on my wish list. Then think of trips you could take.  How about just over the Delaware River to visit Bowman's Tower and Wildflower Preserve and see their natives, or send your garden designer to get some early this spring.

How about a trip to the Arboretum off of Lovers Lane in Princeton to see of the most spectacular specimen trees in the area?  This preserve is lovely to visit at any time of year and I love it especially now with all of the leaves off of the trees.  The beauty of tree structure is stunning and one can cross country ski now through the woods. What a perfect way to enjoy winter.  And it is not too late to force an amaryllis still...

A Winter Walk in Hopewell Along the Bedens Brook

The last two storms have presented lovely opportunities to cross country ski behind our home in the Gazebo Park which is preserved open space. As we have walked through the fields and outer woods of this space, we have noticed that the winter song birds have really stripped the berries from the flowering trees and shrubs.

We are able to walk to Beden Brook and share some time with the blue heron that resides there. This beautiful, cherished parcel of 50 acres that abuts the Johnson property of 400 acres is a wonderful gift for Hopewellians to enjoy. It allows those of us that reside here in Hopewell Borough to live in a walkable village and have access to preserved open space shared by all.

Edible Landscaping at Nomad Pizza

I feel really lucky to be able to walk to an edible landscaping project in Hopewell Borough that is an active part of the slow food movement in our Princeton region.  Nomad Pizza makes divine wood burning pizza five nights a week with basil, salad greens, and garlic grown right here in raised beds next to the restaurant! The pizza artisans work with local farmers for cheese and go organic whenever possible. Nomad Pizza also has a vintage 1949 REO Speedwagon truck that will bring their pizza to you and your party if you wish,  complete with a mobile wood burning oven or cooked on site in their Stefano Ferrara oven. 

The garden space has easily become a favorite place for local Hopewellians, Princetonites and all of Amwell Valley to mingle. Local artisans are showing off a lovely fountain with fish, a sculptural art piece infused with plants, and a nifty garden. I love this seasonal wreath and the lovely winter tree that was decorated along with the trellises all ablaze in white lights. The owners are as much a part of the experience as their delicious fresh pizza. After one of the owners returned from Rome, they offered the super thin pizza he found on his travels. Warm, inviting and full of charm, one feels like part of the family while dining. Tasting the terroir of Hopewell is a special gift, and they share it with us, naturally.

Sustainable Princeton: Fruit Trees Growing in and around Princeton

I got to thinking this morning about spring and the two apples trees and one pear tree on the carriage homes property! A narrower lot in Hopewell borough there is not and fruit trees abound!  They have been pruned rather horribly over the years but this spring I am going to have an arborist come out and help me tend to them.  They have a fungus/rust that I will want to be nipped in the bud. It doesn't hurt the trees too terribly  but it seems to inhibit the growth of fruit.  I have had the advice to scrap the trees and start fresh but I really like the fact that these trees deliver food to birds and at least one horse in our life. If trees are tended to, perhaps a few pies are to be made also...
I think it really connects my daughter to the earth and reminds her where our fruit comes from.  From this personal effort to connect food to table, it grounds us all.   My daughter is very lucky in that she is able to study gardening, edible landscaping, composting, some tree care and becoming a steward of her environment at The Waldorf School of Princeton.
I will enjoy showing you their garden as spring approaches.
Speaking of edible landscaping, I can't wait to share with you Nomad Pizza's edible landscape in Hopewell Boro.

Water Conservation through a Weathered Watering Can

Here is a simple thing we all have on our properties even if we just have only a deck! A watering can left out,  saves on your water bill and is a good conservation step. I happen to leave out a watering can in the back yard for the perennials and one on the sun deck that is meant to tend to my window boxes.  Why not capture a bit of water runoff?
Here are some important things to remember.  Water only once a week and water deeply.   Plant your natives or ask your garden designer to do this for you.  They are easier to take care of and are happy living where they are suppose to! Best to not water at night.  Fungus loves the night. Try to detox yourself from desiring the large lawn that is a chemical lawn.  I got rid of half the lawn that was on this carriage home's property.  And the lawn was tiny to boot.  I can literally cut the grass with a reel mower as in a push mower on this property! Instead I am looking to filling the beds with perennials that will mostly take care of themselves.  They really do take care of themselves.  I don't have to cut them every week. And anyone frugal will be happy to know they grow and grow!  I can't wait to share with you the garden this spring.

Sculptural Bench by Local Princeton Artisan

I just love this Viggiano bench matched with the bamboo by Jonathan Shor.  This is a single piece of granite and has been salvaged from a Perth Amboy bridge.   Jonathan did a similar piece for one of my clients.  Something as simple as pairing sculpture with landscaping really is a perfect marriage.