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CHARLESTON’S WINDOW BOXES

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Can we all agree that no city does window boxes like Charleston?   Whenever I visit, I prowl the neighborhoods looking for the most recent gorgeous window box plantings. The ever-expanding availability of subtropical and tropical plants in nurseries these days allows those of us in temperate zones to enjoy such exotics in our containers and gardens during the upcoming warm months. I’m hoping that these beautiful Charleston containers will provide inspiration as we enter the “annuals” season.    I apologize in advance that I can’t identify all the plants used in these containers, but I’m giving it a shot!

This cool-toned  box features plumbago, dusty miller, solanum, ligularia, and “Blackie” sweet potato vine.

From cool to hot — The red bloom of the begonia is repeated in the veining of the caladiums, with  variegated ivy tying it all together.

Imagine this streetscape without the creeping fig on the steps and the simple window box (with sweet potato vine and calibrachoa) on the gate.  It would be stark indeed.

The variegated cyclamen and heuchera foliage in the picture above  complement the dark shutters and window box. The spilling conifer and fern add to the dark mood.

This standard Gardenia is set off nicely by the base annual and ivy plantings.

All the window boxes, with the exception of the one above and below, are mounted on a neutral background.  Brick foundation is a bit more challenging, but these boxes pull it off, I think.  Above is a soft range of blues and whites, including  salvia, sweet alyssum,  scaevola, petunia, and maybe some angelonia.

A livelier palette works against this brick foundation. I spy angelonia, calibrachoa, scaevola, solanum, salvia, hibiscus, and caladiums, among other plants.

A simple but effective combination of caladiums, ivy and . . .

Note the ingenious watering mechanism in this window box (above and below).  The cord feeding the box is painted black when against the box, white against the clapboard, then black again as it snakes behind the lattice at the base toward its water source.

 

The window boxes above and below take their cue from the elegant architecture.  No need to compete here with a riot of color.  Plenty of green, with a hint of color, complements the sophisticated facade.

 

I love the one mega-box spanning the three windows — a Mediterranean feel.

The final three photos are of one residence in three different years.  The plant palette takes full advantage of the home’s gray shades.  Above, begonia, fern, setcreasea ‘Purple Queen’ and caldium, among other plants, spill out of the box.

This is so simple, but so effective — white begonias and Kimberly fern.

This year, the box uses succesful plants of the past, then adds Mona Lavender (Plectranthus).

Frost date in Richmond has passed. It’s time to start creating your own masterpieces!

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GO VERTICAL! (IN THE GARDEN)

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It’s often said that winter is the perfect time to study your garden’s bones.  As you do so, look up!  Pay special attention to your garden’s vertical elements.  Incorporating walls, fences, arbors, trellises, trees and shrubs  can solve many problems and will add interest and beauty to your landscape.

SEPARATION

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Whether you want to screen a driveway, gain a bit of privacy, or just provide transition from one garden space to another, vertical elements will do the job. A trellised fence takes up little space (depth) and provides a support for plants. In the picture above, Climbing Hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris)  covers a fence.

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The tall picket fence and arched gate above tackle three issues:  they create separation  between front and back yards with a light touch, connect the buildings and provide support for roses.

 

At Dumbarton Oaks, below, a chain connected to stone pillars supports a Wisteria vine and creates a sense of enclosure.

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In another area of the gardens at Dumbarton Oaks in Georgetown, Wisteria is pruned to frame the beautiful latticework that physically separates the amphitheatre, without visually screening it. Beatrix Farrand, who designed the  gardens, was masterful in using vertical elements to shape the sloping land into separate terraced gardens with brilliant circulation from one garden to the next.

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The latticed fence below, anchored by variegated Hosta, defines property lines and provides a connection between the neighbors’ gardens.

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The front entrance, below, in this Kansas City neighborhood is beautifully defined by the stone and wrought iron fence and gate.

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SEPARATION WITH PLANTS:  This fruit tree in Lasham, England (I think it was a Pear), one of several along an axis,  has been trained to bear fruit and separates the garden into two distinct spaces.

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Charleston gardeners are some of the most talented vertical gardeners.  In the picture below, the hedge, punctuated by a line of Palmettos, is an effective screen of the parking area. While the English gardener uses the fruit trees, above,  only for definition, the Charleston hedge below is tasked with being a visually impenetrable screen.

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I love the contrast in the English hedge below — tightly clipped (with flanking clipped sentries), yet with a fuzzy unkempt crown and surrounded by unmowed fields.

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AN EXCUSE TO GROW PLANTS

Give a gardener a structure, and he or she will find a creative way to adorn it with plants. In the pictures below, a talented Princeton gardener espaliers Japanese Maples (Acer palmatum) and Japanese Hollies (Ilex crenata) on a humble cinderblock wall.

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In the same Princeton garden, Climbing Hydrangea  frames a window.

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Below, trellises supporting roses complement the architecture and strengthen the symmetry of a  formal garden.

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No room to grow Figs or other fruit trees?  Espalier them along a wall or strong fence, as is done below.

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Below:  Wall?  What wall?

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The pale pink and white Camellias (Camellia japonica) growing on the simple gothic trellises transform an otherwise empty weathered concrete wall along a Charleston driveway.

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Below, roses smother a thatch-roofed cottage in Lasham, England.

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Vertical features don’t just create enclosure and define boundaries.  A tuteur or other plant support, like the one below sporting the native Passionflower Vine (Passiflora incarnata), acts as a focal point at Whilton, an exquisite garden near Charlottesville.

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CANOPY

A mature tree canopy is an almost indispensable vertical element in the garden. Not only does it provide vertical interest, it offers shade and dappled light in the garden.   In the pictures below, allees are used to define space, act as a guide to a destination and reinforce a strong axial line.

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Dumbarton Oaks, above.  Whilton, below.

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Below, Plane Trees (Platanus x acerifolia) somewhere in Europe (9 years ago — can’t remember!).  The width of the path is inexplicably out of scale with the allee.

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What a beautiful “ceiling” the mature canopy makes  at Dumbarton Oaks below.

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The native Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis), below, is host to a Climbing Hydrangea.  Never allow English Ivy (Hedera helix)  to climb a tree.  When growing any other vine, be sure to keep it under control, so that the vine does not inhibit the tree from producing the leaves necessary to thrive.

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The streetscape in Savannah, below, gives me hope for urban planting.  This strip bordering a commercial property was used to maximum effect.  The evergreens  were planted effectively between windows, then expertly pruned to frame the windows,  show off the multi-trunk effect artfully against the pale wall, and allow pedestrians to pass below the canopies.  They are underplanted with a simple ground cover.

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And finally, have some fun with your vertical elements, as they did in the gardens at Whilton, below!

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THE SIDE YARD AS A GARDEN FEATURE

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The side yard is often a throw-away.  Ignored.  Neglected. Just a place to hide the trash cans.  But walking from your front yard to your back yard should be, at the very least,  a pleasant saunter.   Ideally, it is a beautiful garden room that is a captivating transition between front and back.

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A successful side yard will create some separation between front and back. That separation can be subtle, such as twin trees or shrubs acting as sentries, or a solid separation.  In the picture above, two brick pillars covered in Creeping Fig (Ficus pumila) anchor a wooden gate that allows a peek beyond.

brick pillars iron gateThe iron gate and fence posts supported by brick columns, above, have a more open feeling.  The evergreen plantings, including Japanese (spring blooming) Camellia (Camellia japonica) and Confederate Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) provide essential softening of the the hardscape.

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This Charleston home shows off the classic iron and brick work that defines Charleston gardens.

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Whether the arch is brick or wood, it beckons. This white arbor and fence  are the perfect complement to the Climbing Rose.

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Beyond the gate, the two airy trees underplanted with the low shrubs are the counterpoint to the brick-supported gate, and offer a subtle transition from side yard to back yard.

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A roomy side yard allows for sweeping borders. The graceful curve of the brick mowing edge leads the eye to the back yard entrance.

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This generous side yard uses a low Boxwood hedge to define the borders in a classic arc and jog.  The play of severe lines and loose plantings provides a wonderful tension and release.

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This linear Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens ‘Suffruticosa’) hedge and stone walkway in a Princeton garden provide structure for the mixed perennial and shrub border. Note the tall evergreen hedge on the property’s border, which allows complete privacy from  next door in a bustling neighborhood.

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Separation between front and back aren’t always necessary.  Here, all that’s needed is a brick path leading the way.  The Crapemyrtle (Lagerstroemia indica)  allee provides a nice canopy.

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Where you have more than an eight or ten foot wide side yard, your path can sport some curves.

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The path can also provide necessary changes in elevation.

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This brick path takes an abrupt right turn as it enters the back yard.  The fern-topped sculpture provides an interesting terminus.

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Corner lots provide opportunities for public “side yards.”  This five foot wide planting strip in Savannah makes the most of its space.  The trees are limbed up, allowing the sculptural quality of the trunks to steal the show.

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This New Orleans garden uses sweeping curves and low masses of plants, at once providing both continuity of the beds and separation between the spaces.

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On the opposite end of the spectrum, this brick wall and Ligustrum hedge provide privacy for this corner yard.  The Liriope softens the brick work.

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Here’s another gorgeous example of evergreens softening  a large amount of hardscape — in this case, an otherwise stark stucco wall.

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Where the side yard  is a driveway, it  can be given more of a garden feel if it is paved with brick, slate, bluestone or crushed stone.

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This “side” yard (considered the home’s front yard in Charleston) has a driveway paved in slate, and a series of hedges to separate the drive from the garden.  When paving a driveway with stone, use an experienced mason.  In order for the stone to bear the weight of vehicles, it must be laid using the correct thickness of stone, and very specific support and preparation.

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If the side yard is especially wide, it can be turned into a courtyard. Here, a former sloping side yard was given walls and a frog pond.

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This side yard-turned-courtyard is just one of a series of rooms.

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Study your side yard with new eyes.  Whether you add a simple stepping stone path bordered by plants or you build a  courtyard where you relax sipping your coffee or wine, it’s an opportunity waiting to be unleashed.