The Davey Garden’s moment in the Sun(set) April 26, 2012

Not bad for a deer garden....

There comes a time in every good garden when you can stand back and recognize that all of your hard work, planning and, yes, frustration is paying off.  Joy and Steve Davey’s garden has been a learning process (see our earlier journal article), but now that we’ve balanced the aesthetic goals with reality and a little time, the results are fantastic.  The garden is having its first moment in the limelight in the current issue of Sunset (page 48!), and there is more to come.

Congratulations and thanks to Joy and Steve, who have given us the gifts of patience and inspiration in building and developing their garden.  It will only get better from here!

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The Dobson Garden in Fine Gardening March 27, 2012

Ted and Nancy Dobson’s Asian-inspired garden is getting a lot of attention these days!   It is now featured in the May/June issue of Fine Gardening, where you can see some of Buell’s gorgeous photos and get a few ideas for your own small space from Rebecca’s article.  Subscribers will receive their issues any day now, and non-subscribers can pick up their copies at Market of Choice, Jerry’s and some of the bigger bookstores on or after April 3.

We are delighted for the Dobsons!  While we helped them lay the foundation of their garden, they have made it absolutely their own.  The garden reflects not just their eye for detail and hard work, but their joyful and peaceful personalities, as well.  Congratulations on a job well and beautifully done, Ted and Nancy!

Much more on the Dobson garden here.

One to Watch October 28, 2011

 

The Dobson garden this fall

Even fall rains can’t get Ted and Nancy Dobson’s garden down.  This tiny, magical space only gets better with age and the careful attention of its inhabitants.  Readers familiar with the space through garden tours or the journal may note the beautiful new water feature at right, one of the Dobson’s summer projects.  Stunning, isn’t it?  It seems that we’re not the only ones who love this intricate and collaborative space, and you may get to see this fabulous garden in print soon (more details to come, of course)!

While photos may be worth a 1,000 words, a visit to this garden speaks volumes.  The Dobsons’ garden (and several of our other gardens) will be on the tour for the Hardy Plant Study Weekend next June 7-10, 2012.  Save the date and stay tuned for more information!

Best-ever Coastal Garden?!? September 7, 2011

The Tersigni Garden

Have you seen the wonderful post about the coast garden on Sunset’s Fresh Dirt?  I spent a lovely morning there with Jim McCausland, while he shot the photos you’ll see in the article (there must be 2000 more!).  The Tersignis’ garden has been a delight to develop, and we couldn’t be more grateful to have such terrific clients and wonderful backdrop.  More photos and notes on that garden can be found in some of our earlier posts, many of which are here (be sure to scroll down).  And, of course, there are more photos and notes to come!

 

Our deck on Sunset’s Fresh Dirt July 26, 2011

The galvanized stock tank planters on our deck got the attention of Sunset’s Jim McCausland during his recent visit.  The bamboo screen provides a soft, textural screen for the seating area and a lovely backdrop to the view of the deck from the house.  On clear nights, moonlight through the bamboo casts beautiful shadows on our walls.  Read about the screen and see some of Jim’s terrific photos on Sunset’s Fresh Dirt….

A Romantic Deer Garden? July 19, 2011

Basalt paths frame a Vietnamese urn in Joy's front garden

The side garden is shadier, but still produces sweeps of soft color

Our artist client, Joy, wanted a romantic, flowery, soft planting, in cool and pastel shades.  Her original planting  – largely thuggish ornamental grasses and traditional landscape shrubs – had never been quite what she wanted, and when she called us, she was hoping for something more in keeping with her craftsman house and painterly aesthetic.

We’ve built the garden in stages, learning the site and its voracious deer as we work our way around.  A large Vietnamese urn and basalt pathway in front are two of our rare hardscape additions, as Joy and her husband were happy with the existing patios.  As we’ve moved to different areas of the property, we’ve adjusted our planting style to accommodate lessons learned and changing preferences.  Where spring color was her first priority in the beginning, Joy came to love plantings that provide year-round impact.   In addition to our construction work, we develop the garden over monthly visits, through which we’ve gradually amended our original plantings, creating a garden that looks fabulous in every season, while still reflecting our original aesthetic, and that accommodates the unusual and ever-changing tastes of the local deer.

Another view of the side garden

This garden owes a debt to trial-and-error, and we could not be more grateful for Joy’s trust in allowing us to bring the garden to its current successful state.  We think we’ve found an elegant balance point between floral color, year-round impact, and, of course, deer resistance.  Our highest compliment is that we often find that many of our monthly chores are complete when we arrive, and Joy, who had never been a gardener before, eager to talk about the latest developments and future opportunities.

Joy’s garden is one of four or five of our gardens that will be included in next year’s Study Weekend tour, June 1-3.  The Study Weekend is a gathering of gardeners that rotates between Vancouver, BC, Seattle, Portland and Eugene, features talks from some of the planet’s best plantspeople and designers, and a tour with the areas’ best gardens. We’ll post more here, as we learn more, but if you’d like to know more soon, please contact the WVHPG.

As the small trees we planted in the courtyard have grown, we've amended the plantings to tolerate more shade.

The hillside along the driveway was our most recent planting (Can you tell Joy loves Alliums?).

Our Garden in July July 13, 2011

Buell took some terrific new photos of our garden last night.  What do you think?

Thanks to everyone who joined us for the Open Garden!  We had a lovely day and were delighted to meet so many new friends.  If you missed the event, stay tuned to the journal and Facebook for future events.

 

The Ahearn Garden on Sunset’s Fresh Dirt Blog! July 5, 2011

The Ahearn Garden

Hope to see you at our Open Garden this Saturday!  More info here.

July is off to a great start!  In addition to beautiful weather, we had an Independence Day treat of seeing one of our gardens on Sunset’s Fresh Dirt blog.  “Perfect Small Patio” by Jim McCausland features Debbie and Gary Ahearn’s little courtyard.  The patio is an inviting, outdoor extension of their kitchen and dining area.  Packing a lot of garden into a small space was our first challenge, and the second was providing a cozy, intimate and private space not far from a well-travelled residential street.  The redwood fence balances privacy with a flow of light and air, and the custom metal furniture gives the focus and warmth that make the courtyard a well-used outdoor room.

If the Ahearn’s courtyard looks familiar, you may remember it from earlier posts in our journal, like this one about outdoor seating areas.

Questions?  Leave a comment, drop us an email at mosaic@mosaic-gardens.com or ask us in person on Saturday!

Mosaic Open Garden, July 9 June 21, 2011

Buell's stacked stone sphere sculpture

Mosaic Open Garden

Saturday, July 9, 9am – 2pm

Please join us on Saturday, July 9 for an Open Garden!  The plants are loving the long, cool spring, and the garden is gorgeous this year.  It’s a small, diverse space that has been featured in Sunset, Fine Gardening and Garden Design magazines.   There’s a little something for everyone – sun, shade, dry stack stone walls, seating areas, mature plantings, new additions and lots of design ideas.  Buell and Rebecca will be on hand to answer questions about the garden and Mosaic, but, introverts, never fear, we’re happy to let you wander on your own.

If you don’t know our garden, this photo history is a fun place to learn more, and our press page includes several articles about the garden.

We hope to see you on the 9th!  Drop by anytime between 9 and 2, and feel free to bring friends and family.  We’ll have limeade and shade if it’s warm (or even if it’s not), and space to explore or just sit and enjoy the day.

New Photos of Watershed – The Exception That Proves the Rule June 15, 2011

The Watershed is a mixed-use commercial/residential building and a rare exception to our  residential garden focus.  We can’t say enough good things about the structure (green materials, local artisans, just fantastic inside and out), and we couldn’t be more grateful for the trust that the owners had in allowing us to design and plant their garden.  The plantings at ground level and on each of the many terraces are diverse, super resilient, and require very little water from the rainwater catchment system.  We think that the courtyard and rusting metal water feature are a strong, grounding center to an unusual,  beautiful space.  Buell took a few new shots of the garden yesterday, and we’d love to know what you think!

(More info on the July 9 Open Garden coming soon!)

The basin of this rusting metal fountain is about 5 feet tall

Not your normal, commercial sidewalk plantings

One of the raised courtyard beds with a rainwater catchment cistern behind

A playful street entrance planting