The colourful world of heirloom veggies!

A couple of months ago I was lucky enough to be in New York (well…I was in Brooklyn actually…not quite New York…or…of if your a 'Sex and the City' fan….I was in "The new New York" as Charlotte so eloquently put it when Miranda moved off the island…..but I digress…….

So, here I was in 'Brooklyn' and I came across these wonderful produce markets. They were in the square right in front of the town hall. It was the end of summer and the weather was still warm and the crowds were out in force. I was planning to jump on the subway and head over to Manhattan when a rainbow of colour caught my eye and I was drawn over to the benches and tables covered with the most beautiful garden produce. 

The variety and colour of vegetables available was amazing. If your one of those people who will only eat a red, round perfect tomato you'd be pretty disappointed! But if the thought of savouring unusually shaped and coloured heirloom varieties gets your tastebuds tingling…. you would think you'd stumbled into 'Tomato heaven'.

With wonderful names such as 'Orange Russian' , 'Eva Purple Ball' and 'Green Zebra'….the names were as colourful as the fruit!!! (yes…tomatoes are actually a fruit, not a vegetable….but that's another story!). I was particularly taken with the pale yellow tomatoes pictured above called 'White Beauty' that kept making me think of Betty White for some (strange) reason!

Sometimes the colours were quite strange and not that appealing such as the 'Black Prince', but when all these crazy varieties were placed side by side they looked like a kaleidoscope! 






And it was the imperfections in colour, 
size and shape that revealed the true beauty of these lovely fruit.


But it wasn't all just tomatoes on offer! There were a number of other very colourful and interesting veggies on display.

Funky, green 'Acorn Squash' sat along-side a pile of straggly-looking turnips and butternut pumpkins.

The beautiful rainbow-hued stems of 'Rainbow chard'….yellow, orange, pink and red…..sit gracefully beside pack choy and a huge pile of 'cavolo nero', below.

Crazy looking 'Romanesco' cauliflowers sat next to the usual white variety; some perfectly-pale green cabbages contrasting with small punnets of red and orange chillis.

And it wasn't just the incredible colours and shapes of the fruits and vegetables that made this delectable display so appealing. It was the casual way they were displayed; effortlessly strewn across tables and benches or heaped into lavish piles of green such as the mass of herbs below.

Lovely cobs of ancient-looking corn on the cob with the husks pulled back, reveal the speckled black-purple and yellow kernels. And baskets of 'pimply' orange and green mini-squash shine in the sun light. 







Unfortunately I was flying back to LA a few hours later so I didn't get to savour the flavours of the beautiful and unique produce on offer. But I could smell the amazing smell of sun-ripened tomatoes and the wonderful pile of herbs and just enjoy the colours and textures that were a visual feast in themselves.

I'm really excited to say that my partner and I are in the process of purchasing a small plot of land in the country!!! … The city-bound, apartment dwelling 'grounded GARDENER' will soon have a bit of space to experiment with a cold climate garden which will be something new as I've always been a 'sub-tropical' kind of gardener. 5 acres in the Southern Tablelands of NSW at an altitude of 1000m…..it's going to be pretty cold in winter!!! But we're really excited about the prospect of creating a new and interesting space.

That's the grounded GARDENS mantra 

                        'make the most of the space you live in'

so even if you only have a patio or balcony you could try to grow some 'Betty Whites' or 'Green Zebras' in a styrofoam box……or plant a bright bunch of Rainbow Chard in a black plastic pot. And, I hope in the near future to share some of our gardening experiments in the country…the disasters…and hopefully…the successes!!!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New year; get grounded…and get GARDENING. 

Take gardening to new heights!!! or...is gardening driving you up the wall?

Back in July I did a post about vertical gardens. 

Living in an inner-city apartment with limited balcony space I really miss being surrounded by the greenery that a courtyard or garden provides. Up here on the top floor my poor west facing balcony is hammered by north-easters and south-westers and wind from every other blustery direction. I have 2 large pots with 3m high olives trees that have almost had their leaves stripped from their branches and their roots are loose in the pots from being whipped about so much; the only things that is doing well out there is the bowl of succulents. They seem to thrive in the wind and heat!

I'm not really an indoor 'pot plant' kind of person....so I needed an outlet for my green thumbs. Something that would bring a bring a splash of green indoors but not take up too much space. So I decided to join the craze and go up with a vertical garden.

Looking around there are a number of companies doing vertical gardens kits and many can now be purchased online or in hardware stores and gardening centres. Given that I was going to place my garden in my living room I needed to find a vertical garden that suited my situation.

The kit I decided on was Vertiscape.

This system uses solid wire 'cages' that hold a woven plastic fabric bag that is filled with potting mix. It's recommended that you mix 'perlite' through the potting mix. This helps to bulk out the mix but also makes it lighter so the finished cage is not too heavy.

The kit comes with metal bracket which are fixed to the wall. Of course I couldn't just fix my garden to the gyproc wall...that would have been a disaster! When filled the baskets are quite heavy and then there was the watering requirements! 

I decided that I needed to create a contained unit that would contain the vertical garden system and also stop water from penetrating through to the wall behind. There also needed to be a container to catch the overflow from the  watering process.

Using 15mm ply I made a frame 2.4m high and 50cm wide. This picture shows the bare frame with the brackets and baskets in place. The ply frame was undercoated then given two coats of an outdoor weather shield paint in a satin black finish. I then lined the inside of the frame with a heavy plastic liner which was just bought off a roll from Bunnings Hardward. I stapled the plastic in place then used heavy duty black gaffer-tape over the staples to secure the plastic.

This picture shows a couple of the baskets planted up and placed in the frame. You can see the plastic liner which was taped in place before the metal brackets were screwed in place. 

Having a background in horticulture I really should have known better but I decided to experiment with a number of different types of plants......WRONG DECISION!!!!!!

You really need to plan your garden and what style your looking for. If you go for the lush green rainforest look (which is what I wanted) go for ferns and the like...plants that you would find 'in a rainforest'.

Don't be tempted to mix in a few succulents or other plants (which I did, because I liked the flowers at the time and thought they added that something extra).....it doesn't work! If you want succulents, stick to succulents. 

It's also important to try to have a 'planting scheme'. I've worked out that using  5 or 6 different plants in multiples of 2 or 3 planted together works well. The wall has been up for about 6 weeks now and I've had to replace a few of the plants. Small cross-shaped cuts are made in the bags to allow for the plants. These can be planted from the front, or passed through from the inside as you add more potting mix to fill the bag. As I said, this was a bit of trial and error but as the weeks passed I saw what plants did well and just replaced the ones that didn't. I wanted the garden to look lush and full right from the beginning but this also isn't the case. You need to be patient and let the plants settle in and establish their root systems before they start to grow.

So after a month or so the plants have settled in and the green wall is looking pretty good. Overflow water is captured in a container which is located in the base of the frame disguised by a piece of black perspex. This is held in place by velcro so that it can be easily detached. I use a small watering can to water each basket, starting at the top and working my way down. The water trickles through each basket and any excess collects in the container in the base and is disposed of....you need to keep an eye on this so it doesn't over-flow!

It certainly adds a bit of green to our living room and doesn't take up too much space!!! Also, having plants seems to help clean the air and there doesn't seem to be so much dust...which has to be a good thing!

So if your up for the challenge why not create your own green wall. I've used this system in a line vertically but it could easily be done as a square or rectangle...it just depends on how you place the brackets. There are many systems available and if you have an outside wall or fence a vertical garden would create a real design statement!

Sensation Spring in Sydney! The Australian Garden Show

Well it looks as though I've just got home in time! The temperature has dropped and the clouds are rolling in on what was the most spectacular spring day in Sydney!

Today we decided to ride our bikes to the Australian Garden Show which was held in the beautiful Centennial Parklands in Sydney. I'm glad we decided to ride our bikes as the traffic was crazy...election day, Randwick horse races and the garden show all vying for space on the roads!

We couldn't have asked for a better day with the clear blue sky and temperature getting up to 31 degrees! After parking the bikes we troddled off to see what was on offer!

 
This is the inaugural Australian Garden Show and I have to say it seemed to bring Sydney-siders out in their thousands!! I think the great weather also had something to do with it too. The event is a showcase of well-known and up and coming Landscape Architects and designers, with garden displays, floral exhibitions, and a number of lectures and talks ranging from sustainable living to making your own organic fertilizer. It seems that 'vertical gardens' are the thing of the moment and I have to say they are very effective, having just installed one in our living room last month (but that's another blog.....) and there were plenty of examples to start you thinking .There are also cooking demonstrations in the Lindeman's Open Garden (where you can try their Early Harvest range of low alcohol wines) and plenty of areas where the kids can get down and dirty potting up their own creations or cuddling the cute little chicks...we even saw some hatching from their eggs!!!   ......but I digress.....

There were some big name Australian Landscape Designers who had created wonderful outdoor spaces. One of my favourites was Brendan Moar's 'Suspended' which was created for the Nursery garden Industry NSW & ACT.

Many of the gardens followed the theme of 'the outdoor room' which has been a Sydney favourite idea for urban landscape design. A central pond is over-hung by lush planting and surrounded by an entertaining platform. The whole area is covered by an open, pergola-like structure. From this structure hanging plants cascade down almost as if they are suspended in mid air. Ingeniously Brendan has designed small 'platforms' within the framework of the pergola and the plants are sitting within these in pots!

In this way the pots can be easily removed, moved about or replaced to create different effects.







Another garden I enjoyed was Jim Fogarty's 'The Last Leave' which was a garden commemorating Gallipoli 1915-2015. It's a metaphorical interpretation of the trenches of war brought into the 21st century as a beautiful landscape...not the terrifying landscape of war.

The shelter at the back is symbolic of a trench or dugout, stone edging is an echo of the sandbags used to protect our soldiers. Rusted barbed-wire balls are the only remnants of the wire surrounding the trenches. 100 years on this place of war has been re-energised and re-visioned as a place of beauty and reflection. The plants will flower, seed, and re-grow; signifying the cycle of life and perpetuity.

Myles Baldwin created a lovely display entitled 'Sydney Gardenesque' which show-cases the beautiful golden sandstone upon which most of Sydney is built. The garden contains an eclectic mix of sub-tropical and warm temperate plants which were favourites of the Victorians in the mid-1800's. 

The pergola is simple in design and the white-framed structure is highlighted by the branches which form the roof, allowing fine shafts of light to filter through.

  In the garden was this beautiful native Iris with the most amazing large pure white flowers....I need to try to find out more about this plant!

There was also a small display of 6 urban gardens designed by up-and-coming landscape artists. I particularly like Kate Burgess's

 'The Hive'.

This garden draws on permaculture theory where all plants are either edible or functional in some way. I love the honey-combed screens that surround the central pavilion.

 It reminds me of a bee hive and the curtained pergola with it's seating area is the perfect place for the 'Queen bee' to relax and take her afternoon tea.....scones with honey perhaps!!!










A high-light of the day was meeting the lovely Indira Naidoo, tv personality and gardener; author of the new book 'The Edible Balcony'.

Indira's philosophy is that of groundedGARDENS...that you can make the most of the smallest area to create a beautiful, functional space. Indira created a stunning display of vegetables and herbs on her 20m square balcony and her book contains not only tips and ideas of how to use your urban space to create a productive garden, but inspiring and easy to prepare recipes for your home-grown fresh produce!

Needless to say I came home with not only Indira's book, but also some new secateurs, branch loppers and some lovely little pruning shears to keep our vertical garden in check (my partner is very happy I won't be using his scissors for this purpose...). I also got some little succulent rooted cuttings for 2$ a piece that have already been planted into my 'succulent bowl' to spruce it up for summer.

If you get a chance head to Centennial Park in Sydney tomorrow, it's the last day of the show. But it will be back next year so don't despair.  

With spring well and truly here and summer fast approaching, there is no excuse not to get your hands into some potting mix. Grab some herbs or flowering annuals...or some succulents or veggie seedlings and get gardening!

As Indira says......'Get dirty with me in the garden!' 

News Flash: Garden wall takes over building in Perth!!!!

My last post was about the creation of vertical gardens, or 'garden walls' as they are also know!

Just a quick report as a friend posted these pictures on Facebook today and I thought they illustrated one of the suggestions I made in the last post.

Not the clearest photo but it shows a cafe entirely enclosed in a wall of gardens! It uses the idea that I mentioned was also used in the 'Kitchen by Mike' restaurant in Rosebery; metal reinforcement grids enclosing terracotta pots.

This is a really effective use of easy to obtain materials and just goes to show that you don't have to spend a huge amount of money on fancy gardening to get a designer look!

This cafe is on St Georges Terrace in Perth and I don't know the name but I'm heading to Perth on Sunday so I'll try and find it and have a closer inspection.
(thank you Towie for these great pics....If I find the name I'll let you know!)

                                              Happy gardening!

The only way is UP.....garden design soars to new heights!

Another glorious day of sunshine in beautiful Sydney (recently rated the third most expensive city in the world to live in.....). I'm sure with all the cold weather and torrential rain of the past two weeks many of us would gladly have given up Sydney for warmer pastures!

But the sun is shining and it's nice to be able to get outside in the garden or out on the balcony and see how everything has stood up to the wind, cold weather and rain!!!  And I have to say....everything looks surprisingly healthy! It's lovely to be able to have a few pots for some colour and greenery when you live in an apartment; but imagine if you could have an entire wall filled with garden that flourished year round and wasn't affected by the weather. The perfect solution for indoors or out; a 'vertical garden'.

A vertical garden is just that; a garden that uses a vertical surface for planting. It makes a wonderful use of space in a beautiful and unexpected way.

In a vertical garden a combination of plants are used add colour, pattern and texture to what is essentially a flat vertical surface. Plants are chosen for their variations in foliage texture and colour, the size of their leaves and the way the might hang or drape, to create a living tapestry; a living work of art!

            



The pictures above show how effective garden walls can be in both exterior and interior applications. On the top, diagonal bands of foliage decorate the walls of a courtyard surrounding a swimming pool. Below, a sleek modern interior is accentuated by a living sculpture of green which is cleverly back-lit, making this a focal point in the room.

French botanist Patrick Blanc popularised his modern ideas and versions of green walls or 'Le Mur Végétal' in the 1980's. Check out his website at www.verticalgardenpatrickblanc.com for interesting facts and pictures of this botanic artists works.  It's interesting to note that the first concept of the vertical garden was suggested by a Professor Stanley Hart White at the University of Illinois in 1938, who patented the first vertical garden as 'Vegetation-Bearing Architectonic Structure and System'. However, it was Patrick Blanc who revolutionised the idea, integrating it's use into modern design and architecture.

The idea has been used internally to create a calm and reflective environment where people can relax and be pampered, such as the 'spa' zone in the Qantas First Class Lounge at Sydney international Airport, pictured below.

Quite often used externally as a feature to soften a wall, the concept has grown to cover entire buildings! The Central Park complex under construction in Sydney's Chippendale is a collaboration between Patrick Blanc and Paris architects Ateliers Jean Nouvel. This complex will be a dramatic masterpiece, a living tapestry that will change colour with the seasons and be covered in an exotic skin of buds, flowers, leaves and vines that will soar 150m into the air, transforming the Sydney skyline.

To see more images of this ground-breaking development and read about the design and concepts of the vertical gardens go to www.centralparksydney.com

The concept has also been used to great affect in Singapore's Changi Airport, below

the Icon Hotel in Hong Kong and the Sofitel Palm Jumeirah in Dubai, below.

If you'd like to create a vertical garden of your own there are many ways to go about it. A google search will bring up a variety of images and information about the types of kits available so that you can create your own green wall. 'Gro-Wall Vertical Garden Systems' is a product that is available in Australia There is even a system called the 'Wooley Pocket' which allows you to add pockets to create a green wall. The pockets are made out of recycled plastic bottles and are basically a pouch that is filled soil or a compost to hold moisture and act as an anchor for the roots of your chosen plants. You could also try making your own pockets using geo-textile fabric or even shade-cloth sewn into pockets with heavy duty nylon twine. Using this method you could create as many or few pockets as you like and tailor the size to fit your area.

I've even see a wall created using 2 sheets of steel reinforcing wire sandwiched around terracotta pots. This is used to great affect in the 'Kitchen by Mike' restaurant in Sydney's Rosebery. 

While not exactly a 'green wall' this is certainly a vertical garden and would be a fantastic use of space on a balcony or terrace.....plant the pots up with a variety of herbs and creative a vertical 'kitchen' garden! 

So now that the sun is shining again in Sydney there is no excuse to stay indoors. Get creative and create yourself a vertical garden or green wall; a living sculpture that can be not only beautiful, but functional too.

You take the high road......I'm walking the High Line.

Continuing on from my last post, another 'must do' if your in New York City is a leisurely stroll along the fabulous 'High Line'.

The High Line is an historic elevated rail line that was used for much of the last century to carry freight above the streets of Manhattan's Lower West Side. When it was threatened with demolition in the late 1990's a group of local residents fought for it's preservation and founded the 'Friends of the High Line' who's ambition was to preserve and maintain this historic raised railway line and transform it into something new and entirely different. 

What they have created is a multi-purpose public space, a park that is unique in New York City. 

The walk starts (or finishes if walking from north to south) at Gansevoort Street in the lower Meatpacking District and is just a short walk from 14St subway station. I wasn't sure how long the walk would take so I got over here about 10am, grabbed a coffee.....tried to work out my east side from my west side (a compass would be great for walking in Manhattan) and set off! The picture above shows the Gansevoort St end of the High Line and it's a striking sight! I was pretty excited as I approached and you can just make out the stairs in the shadows under the structure that lead you up to the raised platform.

From my research I knew the High Line had been turned into a park and walkway but I really had no idea what to expect!

Immediately your confronted with a paved walkway that stretches off into the distance and on each side are the remnants of the High Line's past life. The rusted railway tracks and heavy wooden sleepers help to define the garden beds with shrubs and trees planted within.

Then as I looked forward to begin the walk, the path stretched off into the distance...and not just around building.....but right underneath them!

Unfortunately for me it was the beginning of April and the weather in New York was still particularly cold so spring was still in the air....and not in the gardens!

But as I walked along I could see the start of what was to come; small bulbs were still flowering, forcing their way up through the hard gravel garden bed to add a splash of red, yellow and blue to the otherwise grey landscape.

As you travel the High Line you get to gaze out over the streets of the Meatpacking District below and out over the busy port waters of the Hudson River to the west. 

One of the things I really loved about the High Line was the amazing use of timber and the ingenious construction of seating areas where people can sit and relax to read a book or take in the views.

Large banquette-type seating like this would be a great place to lounge and read a book or the paper, or to catch a few rays in the afternoon sun. And below, bench seating has been created where people can sit to watch movies and documentaries projected onto the wall opposite. This is a great use of space, and the park is not only a walkway but also a space for art exhibits, performance art and other public activities.

The High Line even incorporates it's own amphitheater where wanderers can sit and take in the view of Tenth Avenue stretching off into the north through Chelsea and on towards Hell's Kitchen!

A lot of the building that line the structure have been there for many years and the slightly decrepit and worn facades only add to the beauty and interest of the surroundings. Other building are used as giant canvases for works of art to advertise art gallery events and exhibitions....you certainly won't see a Coke sign painted on a wall here!

As the tracks curve and meander along the walkway you forget as you gaze at the buildings that border the High Line are the homes and offices of people who live and work with the constant parade of people looking in their windows. I'm sure this could be quite disconcerting, however one very clever resident got their own back on 'gawkers' with a very clever and strategically place art work.

It's almost as if he has said 'boo' as he caught you staring at him as he got out of the shower.....and you feel slightly guilty.....but only for a second as you realise the joke is on you!!  Very clever.

And before you know it you've strolled above 18 streets from Gansevoort Street to West 30th Street and come to the end of the line. A leisurely stroll that takes about 45 minutes with time to take photos and enjoy the view. 

During the spring the High Line is open from 7am to 10pm and there are a number of access points along the route, some with elevator access so the High Line is completely wheelchair accessible.

The third section of the High Line, pictured above, extends from West 30th to West 34th Streets and has yet to be completed. The 'Friends of the High Line' work with the New York City Parks and Recreation Department, and raise 90% of the funds needed annually to help preserve and maintain the park.

Check out their website at  www.thehighline.org

So if you happen to find yourself in Manhattan take a stroll above the streets and enjoy a bit of peace and tranquility in this truly unique 'park in the sky'. 

         

New York, New York! spring has sprung in the Big Apple!

Last month I was lucky enough to enjoy a trip to New York. I was especially lucky as I was in town for the annual Macy's spring Flower Show.

Macy's in New York is known as 'The World's Largest Department Store' and is located on 34th Street and Broadway in Manhattan. There are many stores throughout the US and every year they have a flower show to celebrate spring; however the New York stores display is the biggest and the best!










The window displays are incredible with a riot of colour and often have poems, stories or words of wisdom to accompany the floral displays.

These window displays are amazing and it's true to say that the 'art' of window dressing is something that is lost in Australia. If you go to England, Europe or the USA a huge amount of time and money is spent on creating window displays that not only showcase the wares of the purveyor but also the incredible talent of the artists who create the displays.


At Macy's, flower arrangements are located through the store with major displays located at entrance ways in and atrium areas, however the biggest and best is saved for the main display with is located in, of all things.....a tent!!!!

A large temperature controlled tent is located outside the main entrance to the store in Broadway. It was a balmy 20 degrees C inside while the wind chill outside was a chilly -2 C !!! This years display was styled with an 'Indian' (as in the sub-continent) theme. As you can imagine it was a mass of clashing and contrasting colours with a multitude of blooms of varying sizes and shapes.

A you enter the tent your greeted by the sight of a life-sized elephant adorned in flowers and Indian finery. The walls are decorated with pointed arches and columns reminiscent of an Indian temple. A ledge above the arches is filled trailing vines and flowers which creates a tranquil hanging garden. 

One of my all-time favourite plants and the one I've had the most success in killing is the beautiful Phalaenopsis Orchid also known as the 'Moth Orchid'. These plants bloom in a variety of colours from white through to dark reds and purples and can be solid in colour or spotted like the picture above.



And something I've never seen before was this incredible blue Phalaenopsis.

And below a mass of hot-pink hydrangea is surrounded by clivea which will bloom in bight orange, and delicate pale pink hellebores.

As you wander through the tent which is divided into a number of 'garden rooms' you come across the calming central fountain which is carved in white marble and surrounded by a mass of flowers such as tulips and begonias. I'm not sure what the blue flower is (can anyone help?) but it looks like a Cenatura or 'bachelor's button.

Passing through an arched wall, again topped with a garden of trailing flowers you enter what would be described as the spice market!                               

   

  

Bags of colourful spics compete with the flowers and add splashes of yellow, red and orange to the colour palate!

And just near the exit an array of pinks include azaleas surround a pink and green bormeliad. While below... red,cream and green striped Negoregelia bromeliads are surrounded by a mass of orange blooms of begonias, cliveas and gerberas.

And finally....a small thought....a message of peace and hope printed on the large window display pictured above with the peacock as it's centerpiece.

Time is a shifting perception.

Ancient symbol of immortality, the peacock,

preens amid the primrose, allegory of youth.

But look again. Those resplendent tail "feathers"

are concocted of palm, timeless sign of peace.

May there BE.