Design Blog
February 16, 2012
When the weather is nice, I love biking. A remarkable declaration because in college bicycles were not my friends. I took my brother’s old Schwinn Ten-Speed with me to make getting to classes easier. Remember the thin tires on ten-speeds? Well, imagine getting one of the tires caught between the sidewalk and grass and being tossed off like a bronco rider across a common lawn. I did not get back on the horse and put the Schwinn out to pasture that day. Two years later I was literally run over during winter by an idiot on a bike who claimed he didn’t see me walking on the sidewalk. Sidewalks are for pedestrians buddy. Luckily, I was heavily bundled in winter outerwear and wasn’t hurt by the sudden impact with the pavement, nor the tire treads on my back. This same guy dated one of my friends a month later. When she told me they were going out I blurted, “But he’s an idiot! He ran me over with a bike!” The relationship was short-lived and she conceded that he was, in fact, an...more
February 8, 2011
A couple weeks ago I was watching the Golden Globes. Not so much to see the awards themselves, but to comment on the fashions. “Really, what was Michelle Williams thinking with that daisy-print dress?” “Wow! Catherine Zeta-Jones looks amazing!” “Oh, that Helena Bonham-Carter ….ha ha ha!” And then actress Sofia Vergara walked onto the screen and the “E!” commentators declared her dress a success. A curve-hugging, va-va-voom kind of gown, the fashion experts were excitedly describing the hue as the hottest color of the season: Honeysuckle! A vibrant, pinkish-red, Honeysuckle is the official color of 2011 and reminds me of warm, humid days and the cool breezes that waft in open windows at night, fruity umbrella drinks, and, of course, its botanical namesake. It’s cold and snowy outside, but if I close my eyes, I can imagine the honey-sweet fragrance. Prepare to see Honeysuckle in the spring and summer clothing lines hitting stores. Home décor magazines suggest painting an...more
November 17, 2010
I am completely obsessed with butterflies! This declaration won’t come as a surprise to those who work with me, if you follow “The Dirt” Web episodes, or are a regular to this blog. One of my favorite Halloween costumes was a black velvet dress and Monarch wings. I will tell anyone in hearing range about all the different kinds of butterflies I saw on any given day in the summer. I could be mid-sentence and be distracted by a Swallowtail flitting by. If you’re looking to invite more Lepidoptera to your garden, then I’m your designer! But why, in the fall, at the end of the growing season, am I writing a blog about butterflies? They’re pretty much done for the season, right? Well, about two years ago I started taking trips to our local Monarch Trail at the Milwaukee County Park Headquarters. The trail exists because of the efforts of Barb Agnew (aka “Butterfly Barb”) to preserve the grounds where Monarch Butterflies return every year during annual migrations. I’ve written...more
August 12, 2010
Native plants. What's all the buzz about? First off, it helps to understand what exactly makes a plant “native”. Native Wisconsin plants are defined by their existence in the Wisconsin landscape prior to the 1800’s; basically before European settlers arrived to the area. Their popularity has grown over the last decade because of the green movement to reduce our impact on the environment. Native plants have spent centuries adapting to their natural environment, so require less water to grow. That translates to less money spent on the energy bill. And how much of your lawn do you actually use? Rather than mowing it week after week, using up gallon after gallon of gas, transform a corner of the yard into a small prairie. This corner of the yard will also attract the many native butterflies and native birds, plus it’s a pretty cool idea. Imagine telling your kids, “Hey Timmy, this same kind of plant might have been growing in this very spot hundreds of years ago!” Sounds pretty good,...more
June 21, 2010
It occurs to me that I approach my blog much in the same way I approach gardening. If anyone reading this entry has been to one of my speaking engagements, you’ve heard me say time and again that I am a good horticulturist, but a lazy gardener. When I plant something in the yard, it has one chance. If it dies or requires too much care or just isn’t performing at the level I want, I’ll replace it next year. If I really like the plant, I’ll give it one more shot, but that’s it. Merciless, maybe, but I live, eat, breathe, and sleep horticulture almost every day, April through November. My husband, however, does not. After spending an entire afternoon slaving away on my patio containers I will ask him how they look and he responds, “Oh…yes, they are very nice. Now can we go to dinner?” He appreciates what I do to improve the yard, but just can’t quite muster the levels of enthusiasm I possess. Obviously on the days off we have together, his idea of a good time is not weeding or...more
March 4, 2010
This is a frustrating time of year. We get glimpses of spring with a week of balmy temperatures in the upper 30’s. I decide that it’s safe to wash 3 months of salt off my car. I don’t have to shuffle across 2 inches of ice from the garage to the back door. The snow drifts that formed concrete walls around the garbage cans have started to abate and I can easily get them to the curb again. The air smells different, fresher. Birds are singing louder. Could it be? Tra la, tra la, winter is almost over! Then temperatures plummet, it starts snowing again, and I’m left feeling foolish that I forgot this is Wisconsin, it’s March, and we don’t get off that easily. But on the bright side, I have at least another month to get my laundry list of projects finished before spring arrives and I fall off the grid, because in the horticulture biz, spring is a flurry of activity and deadlines. But what do I do to shake these winter blues in the meantime? I need some color for inspiration...more
December 24, 2009
I would like to dedicate the following blog entry to Mother Nature, who decided winter should start with a bang this year. Two weeks ago I was driving home through the blowing snow and I noticed how beautiful the neighborhood trees looked, wrapped in holiday lights and dropping under the weight of heavy, wet snow. The next morning I noticed that the same trees had broken limbs and were completely bowed under the weight. Upright evergreens like arborvitae and juniper and mature specimens of spruce seem to have been hit the hardest. I’ve taken several calls from people whose large paperbark birches succumbed to the elements. Birches, in particular, don’t have very strong branches so are prone to breakage. One woman had a large Austrian Pine planted on a slope and the snow actually caused the roots to heave out of the ground, the tree was buckling so much. She wanted to know if we could come out and stake it straight again. My advice to her, and anyone else with the same...more
December 7, 2009
Well, Mother Nature finally decided that it was time to deliver us winter. Our unusual fall allowed my fall containers on the patio to look decent until a week or so ago. But now it’s time to strip them down and put the containers away before they become an eyesore. Or is it? Winter doesn’t mean you have give up beautifying your patio/porch/deck with plants. Nature’s bounty offers a wide array of evergreens and deciduous trees and shrubs that, when cut and placed in your containers, create a festive display. Many garden centers this time of year (like Johnson’s Gardens) offer bundles of branches that can be arranged in containers for the holiday season and will last well into winter. But your own yard can be a good place to harvest the materials you will need. When doing the fall pruning, save the bright red stems of red twig dogwood. Or maybe you have a spruce tree that needs to be limbed up because it’s growing into the driveway. If you don’t have enough plants in your...more
October 8, 2009
I love fall. It’s my favorite season. I love the colors, the smell of dried leaves in the air, seeing my breath puff in the morning. I love that we need an extra blanket on the bed. I love that I can get out my heavier jackets. I love that I have an excuse to freshen up my tired summer patio containers that I’ve neglected since the novelty wore off in August. And I love the beautiful, tempting array of fall blooming annuals to replace my summer flowers. However, everyone has budget limitations. The good news is not all annuals need to be replaced. Most of my petunias still look good and can withstand light frosts. If you incorporate perennials into your containers, many of these can stay, too. Basically, you just need to know which summer flowers are hardier and won’t “melt” when temperatures dip to freezing. Over the weekend I showed no mercy and ripped out my dahlias, summer snapdragons, coleus, and impatiens. The blue Krossa Regal Hosta I have in a shady location...more
August 31, 2009
I've always liked butterflies, so I started researching how to create gardens that attract these colorful insects. This blog is about 8 key factors in creating a successful Butterfly Garden at home. Plus, some extra places for you to go for more information.
more
see all articles...
|
|
About Carrie Hennessy
Carrie Hennessy is a retail sales representative at Johnson's Nursery. She has her degree in horticulture and manages our We Plan-You Plant retail design program. Her blogs will be discussing landscape design ideas and elements.
|
|
|
|