Spring Celebration
Can you feel it? Spring is in the air! As designers of outdoor living spaces, we feel the rush of Spring fever with an onslaught of exciting new projects. In our busiest season, we like to stop to take time for the little things, and to inspire our clients to do the same. After all, enjoying the outdoors is what our work is all about. Here are some inspirations from our Studio for ways to celebrate the season.
SPRING GARDENS
We design our landscapes to shine all-year-round. That means considering every season and what it will bring to the garden. Planning the early-season garden requires familiarity with the plants and knowledge of their blooming and leafing-out times, as well as a lot of consideration of the colors and textures that enliven the garden. A designed garden transitions easily between the seasons, yet feels as if it were thought out perfectly for each one. Spring may start off with softer colors and lusher greens, while Summer in the same garden brings about bright colors and tawny grasses. We love including focal points in the landscape, such as a flowering Dogwood or Cherry tree, for an early-flowering highlight in the Spring garden.
BULBS
There is something magical about Spring flowers, something exceptionally beautiful. One of our favorite tricks for a breathtaking break from the Winter landscape is to include early bulbs in a planting plan, along borders, or in pots. When everything else is just barely coming into leaf, these little ‘Ephemerals’ pop up, offering color and scent to soothe the winter-weary heart. For planting in the landscape, it’s important to use ‘naturalizing’ bulbs, which will come up every year reliably. Many varieties of Narcissus (Daffodils) naturalize – ask your local nursery or confirm when ordering bulbs that you are getting a naturalizing type.
Planting quick-blooming bulbs such as crocus (shown above) just a month in advance will ensure a festive effect in your landscape pots or indoors as a table centerpiece.
SPRING ACCENTS – HERBAL WINTER REMEDIES
If you’ve followed our blog for a while, you know we are into herbs. In the Spring garden, herbs are often some of the first new leaves to appear, and their fresh scent is invigorating to the senses. Herbs are an easy and unique addition to flower arrangements for beautiful and aromatic centerpieces. We love adding mint and rosemary to bouquets for their fresh foliage and refreshing scent. If you celebrate Passover, add a unique touch to a flower arrangement by adding curly parsley, an herb present on many a Seder plate (Parsley and Tulips, above).
HERBS IN EGGS
Ok, we admit, we did not invent this one. But we did all say “Awww” when we saw it for the first time! This cute technique is actually a great way to get seedlings started for your Spring garden, and will work for many vegetables as well as herbs. Easy and practical, and with a lot of fun potential for getting the kids into gardening! Not to mention they make adorable Easter gifts. Follow this link for easy instructions.
We hope you enjoy these Spring celebration ideas! If you’re as crazy for Spring as we are, maybe it’s also time to redesign your landscape for a fresh new look. If that’s the case, contact our studio – we would love to hear what you’re envisioning for your future landscape and as always we look forward to bringing it to life!
