Posted by Stacey Hirvela
I spent January in my office in Midtown Manhattan designing a garden in an otherwise empty space that I had seen only once (for more details, look here, here, and here.) so when the planting day finally arrived last Tuesday, I was really excited to see everything come together.
We began by placing all the plants in the garden:
We worked from a plan I drew by hand, but of course, the reality of garden installation doesn't necessarily work with the ideal you set on paper. Flexibility really is key to a successful installation, and we did make a few changes from the plan. For example, the bench was set much closer to the border of the bed than I had thought it was, so we had to work around that. And some plants were much larger than we expected them to be, while others were smaller, so we had to work with that, too. And sometimes, when all the plants are there in front of you, you get inspired by foliage texture and color, and you want to allow yourself some leeway to work with that as well.
Once everything was set out, the fun part could begin. Here is the intern, David, planting the very first plant of our garden - it is a hollyhock (Alcea ficifolia 'Happy Lights'):
We carried tubs full of granular organic fertilizer and spread a ring of it around each plant as we worked. You can see it in this photo around these delightful Polemonium I planted:
(words can't describe how much I love this plant - fabulous foliage, beautiful blue flowers, a neat habit, easy care...)
This corner of the garden has a birdhouse atop a long "pole" made from a recently cut maple branch. As we planted, two wrens were busy making the birdhouse their own - which, to me, is the ultimate seal of approval!
By mid-afternoon, we had completely planted the garden and were starting to mulch and water. Just for fun, take a look at these three photos that show the evolution of the space since we got involved in September 2008:
![Meadow Cottage 010[1]](http://blogs1.marthastewart.com/.a/6a00d83451e44269e201156fa73d5f970c-320wi)
Pretty amazing transformation, isn't it? And it will only get better as the season rolls on and everything starts growing. I can hardly wait to give you another update as things start to fill in!
If you'll be in or near the Berkshires this summer, be sure to stop by BBG to see our garden and all the other beautiful gardens there.
We worked from a plan I drew by hand, but of course, the reality of garden installation doesn't necessarily work with the ideal you set on paper. Flexibility really is key to a successful installation, and we did make a few changes from the plan. For example, the bench was set much closer to the border of the bed than I had thought it was, so we had to work around that. And some plants were much larger than we expected them to be, while others were smaller, so we had to work with that, too. And sometimes, when all the plants are there in front of you, you get inspired by foliage texture and color, and you want to allow yourself some leeway to work with that as well.
Once everything was set out, the fun part could begin. Here is the intern, David, planting the very first plant of our garden - it is a hollyhock (Alcea ficifolia 'Happy Lights'):
We carried tubs full of granular organic fertilizer and spread a ring of it around each plant as we worked. You can see it in this photo around these delightful Polemonium I planted:
(words can't describe how much I love this plant - fabulous foliage, beautiful blue flowers, a neat habit, easy care...)
This corner of the garden has a birdhouse atop a long "pole" made from a recently cut maple branch. As we planted, two wrens were busy making the birdhouse their own - which, to me, is the ultimate seal of approval!
By mid-afternoon, we had completely planted the garden and were starting to mulch and water. Just for fun, take a look at these three photos that show the evolution of the space since we got involved in September 2008:
Pretty amazing transformation, isn't it? And it will only get better as the season rolls on and everything starts growing. I can hardly wait to give you another update as things start to fill in!
If you'll be in or near the Berkshires this summer, be sure to stop by BBG to see our garden and all the other beautiful gardens there.
Looks great!
Nice work! (my Nephew David)
Posted by: Donna | Wednesday, July 29, 2009 at 09:19 AM
I live about 5 miles down the road from BBG and am a member. Really excited to go see your garden as well as the larger scapes ... when the rain lets up a bit!
Posted by: Chris Deno | Wednesday, July 29, 2009 at 08:24 PM