FAB THANKSGIVING ARRANGEMENTS

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As I write, greens and flowers are being cut and expertly pulled together  into stunning arrangements.  Alas, this Thanksgiving I was not able to get my act together to photograph those arrangements.  Instead, I’m reposting the first blog post I did on Thanksgiving arrangements, in hopes of inspiring you to have some fun with greens and flowers this week.  Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Some talented Richmond women got creative as they decorated for Thanksgiving.  They gathered the bounty of their Fall gardens, pulled out a variety of vessels, and went to work transforming the beauty of Nature into gorgeous works of art.

 

Deborah Valentine’s mantel. Arrangement created by Deborah and Floral Designer Bocky Talbott

 

Deborah Valentine, owner of V for the Home,  and Floral Designer Bocky Talbott chose a container made from tree bark.  The container picks up the grays in the gorgeous framed mirror.  Those muted hues are a great foil for the Bittersweet.  Hydrangeas from Deborah’s yard and exotic greens and flowers that Bocky found in a local flower shop complete the arrangement.

 

By Deborah Valentine and Bocky Talbott

This arrangement, sitting on a chest in Deborah’s dining room, contains dried Hydrangea, bright red Japanese Maple branches, Poet’s Laurel, Nandina berries, Pomegranates and seed pods.

 

Arranged by Deborah Valentine and Bocky Talbott

 

Deborah and Bocky refreshed an arrangement Deborah had done weeks ago, by adding Bittersweet and what appears to be a deciduous fern (just a guess — I have no idea what it is!) to the dried Hydrangea.  The faded green of the Hydrangea picks up the green in the pitcher, and has a calming effect on the bold colors that were added.

 

By Artist Margy Brown and her mom, Peggy Valentine

 

Margy’s mom, Peggy, brought Margy some of the last Roses from her beautiful Rose garden.  Margy, a talented painter, has a great eye for color and composition.  She took full advantage of the stunning Japanese Maple outside the study window, by framing the final Roses of the season with the brilliant red foliage.

 

By Margaret Valentine, of McVey-Valentine Interior Design

 

Margaret Valentine got jiggy with her linked bud vases (available at Paper Plus), taking advantage of the wealth of plants in her yard to create a lively, colorful tableau.  She used Lamb’s Ear, Rosemary, Salvia, Arum, Parsley, Fern, Knockout Roses and Black-eyed Susan, throwing in some florist Tulips that sport complementary Fall colors.  Then she sprinkled the table with Pomegranates and Maple leaves for a refreshingly different centerpiece.

 

By Landscape Designer Susan Robertson

 

Susan Robertson used the same vessels to create an arrangement with an entirely different look.  She chose elegant simplicity, in both color palette and plant choice.  The pink and white of the single Camellia Sasanqua (and the solitary Snowball Viburnum) are a nice respite from the usual Fall colors.

 

 

By Landscape Designer Susan Robertson

 

Taking inspiration from the paintings in the background, Susan gathered Japanese Maple branches (from both yellow and red cultivars) and combined them with Hydrangea that have turned a fiery red, then ratcheted up the volume by arranging them in the fabulous fish container (you can take the girl out of the Beach, but you can’t take the Beach out of the girl).

 

By Janie Molster, of Janie Molster Designs

 

Interior Designer Janie Molster composed an edible work of art for her table. I love the bounty of the harvest contained in a severe modern geometry, set on a rustic table.  Pomegranates, Clementines (with stems and leaves intact) and Brussels Sprouts still on their stalks support a hurricane with a candle nestled in dried cranberries.

By Floral Designer Jennifer Sisk

Jennifer Sisk’s centerpiece is a masterpiece.  She had a wooden box built about six feet long by 6 inches wide, then placed it on a a linen runner, overlayed with burlap.  She stuffed the box with Oasis, then filled it with a mix of flowers and greens from her garden and the flower shop.  The plants include Sunflower, Seeded Euonymus, Hydrangea, Lilies, Mums and Bittersweet. She then tucked in two candles.

By Jennifer Sisk

 

Jennifer tells me that the three stalks are from the protea family.  Check out its jagged blue-gray foliage.  Jennifer’s choice of Cat’s Tail, Variegated Aucuba and Seeded Euonymus tie the arrangement together, as does her repetition of the foliage in the water.  The grasses blend perfectly with the patina of the mirror.

By Jennifer Sisk

 

So simple, but so spectacular.  The use of only Japanese Maple and Oakleaf Hydrangea foliage (from Jennifer’s garden) make the vase and painting come alive.

 

Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help.  Gardening is an instrument of Grace.   May Sarton

 

I give Thanks for the generosity of my friends who shared their talents with us today.

Happy Thanksgiving!

FALL GARDEN CHORES

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Take advantage of a  crisp Fall day to get out in your garden and prepare it for Winter.

Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum) displays gorgeous color.

PRUNE

Cut back to about 2 inches any perennials that have browned or those that look ratty, such as Hosta, Peonies and  perennial Ferns.  It is OK  to  cut back the rest of the perennials now too, if you would like to get it all over with at one time.  But if you don’t mind getting back out there in late Winter, you can leave those perennials still adding interest to the garden.  Some perennials still looking good include  Japanese Anemone (Anemone japonica), Catmint (Nepeta), Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia), Salvia, Monkshood (Aconitum napellus), Hardy Geranium and Iris.

Japanese Anemone (Anemone japonica) continues to bloom.

I was surprised when I saw that the scarlet color blazing in the garden was Hardy Geranium (Cranesbill). The stems and leaves are bright red — I never noticed before!

Cut back the foliage of Evergreen Ferns and Lenten Rose (Helleborus) ONLY if it has begun to turn brown.  The new (and some of the old) foliage on these plants will look beautiful throughout the Winter.

Autumn Fern (Dryopteris erythrosora) is evergreen. It stands out in the Winter garden (but the fronds may break under the weight of ice or heavy snow).

Prune Annabelle Hydrangeas (Hydrangea arborescens) to about 2 feet.

Annabelle Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens)

You can prune the everblooming Hydrangeas now. The plants bloom on new wood (stems that develop on the plant in the current season’s growth), so they should still produce blooms  next Summer.

You can also prune Limelight and Tardiva Hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata) now.  These Hydrangeas also bloom on new wood, thus they can be pruned without sacrificing bloom anytime except late Spring and early Summer (when buds are set).  To keep as a 4 to 5 foot shrub, prune back to about 2 to 3 feet.   To train as a small tree, remove lower branches, and spindly or crossing interior branches.

This Limelight Hydrangea was pruned the prior November to about 3 feet. It produced smaller blooms, but a more graceful shrub.

Do not prune other Hydrangeas now (Lacecap, Mophead, Oakleaf), unless removing dead or diseased branches, or you will be cutting off next year’s blooms.

Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) has beautiful Fall color.

Shrub Roses can be lightly pruned now, with a harder pruning in late Winter.  Many of the Shrub Roses will look beautiful until we get a real hard freeze, and so  they can be left alone, or lightly trimmed to neaten the straggly branches.

PLANT

Now is a great time to plant.  Plant Spring-flowering bulbs anytime until the ground is too frozen to work.

Spring Crocus bloom on a hillside at Dumbarton Oaks in Georgetown

Tabb Farinholt donated Grape Hyacinth and Daffodil Bulbs to St. Christopher’s School, then helped the boys plant them. They didn’t plant these until late January, yet they bloomed just a couple of months later.

Divide perennials (such as Hosta, Iris, Catmint, Daylilies), or transplant perennials that have spread (such as Lamb’s Ears, Japanese Anemone, Hellebores, Ferns).  Either add these to other areas of the garden, or share them with friends.

Iris can be divided in Fall or early Spring

Now is a great time to plant trees and shrubs.  My only concern is that you use your judgment when choosing the plants.  I’m wary of buying deciduous plants if they have lost their leaves or if they are in the process of going dormant, because I can’t tell how healthy the plants are.  Only buy plants that are robust and healthy.

Replace  Summer annuals  with Pansies, Ivy and/or evergreens in your containers.  The Pansies will thrive until the weather gets really cold, and will rebound when temperatures warm again.  The evergreens and trailing Ivy will look good all winter.

NURTURE MOTHER EARTH

Rake or blow leaves onto your lawn, run them over with your lawn mower, then mulch your beds with the shredded leaves to a depth of about two inches. The mulch provides nutrients to the soil and Winter protection to the plants.  You also save money on mulch and fertilizer, and save the City from the expense of picking up and disposing of leaves.  Now THAT’S recycling!

Install a rain barrel, directing a gutter to empty into the barrel.  If you live in the City of Richmond, you can get credit against your Stormwater Assessment if you use this or other methods to retain stormwater on your property.

Feed the birds, either with a bird feeder, or by providing fruit-bearing plants.

Capturing stormwater on your property helps protect the James River and the Blue Herons who make it their home