Phoenix canariensis

http://serenity-knits.blogspot.co.uk

I have been looking at ways of over winter wrapping the Phoenix canariensis(palms) as they form the main structural planting scheme on my site. 
I came across this aesthetically pleasing image, right, this is what they do in warmer climes. wrap them in lights. I have spent a couple of Christmas's in Florida and this is how they decorate their palms it's very pretty. Whether it's one standing alone or an oasis. 
Not realistic for the south of England however...                                                                              

http://www.bigplantnursery.co.uk
A snowman style perhaps, it doesn't look very nice does it? It's wrapped in straw and hessian I suppose if it keeps the palm alive... but what else is there?

Protecting the trunk of the tree from the severe cold is more important than protecting the leaves. I have found images of blankets being wrapped around the palms saying aesthetics wasn't at the fore front of their minds. I wonder if it worked? Even so, I prefer the hessian and straw route as believe that the aesthetics as well as keeping the plant alive are both of the utmost importance in any design. Maybe brightly coloured dyed hessian would be an option...

www.gardenfurniturecentre.co.uk
A cow fleece...umm, No!

www.gardenevolution.co.uk
This is what can happen if you don't protect them, a very costly mistake

Think I'll keep looking...

Tuesdays Presentation

Tuesday's presentation didn't go so well for me. I was trying really hard to concentrate on my work but all I could really see or think about was the constant stream of people coming through the door at the back as well as all the others standing there watching and i suppose I just clammed up. Really, not good.
I hadn't gone to bed till 3.30 that morning (i have been working late nights and getting up early mornings to work for the last few weeks) as I wanted to get as much work on the wall as a could, as I have been chasing my tail all term. I was very pleased and happy with what I had achieved. Until I got my marks back. I know they should spur me on but I really feel as though I have had the stuffing knocked out of me. I'm not giving up however, it has taken me a couple of days to get the fire back in my belly and carry out all the changes, so here we go, one day at a time, I can do this.

Planting Research

I have been doing some research into shrub and herb communities, planting in nature consists of colonies, meaning species that grow together en mass as that is how they are seeded. The groups of plants are often inter mixed with other species who in turn colonize. Grouping and massing are used in planting design where a more natural or exotic display  are sought after. In my design i am looking for a more exotic display. We can reproduce the patterns of planting we find in nature by over lapping them, giving the bed a spontaneous, informal appearance as opposed to a contrived or artificial one.

The chart above, (top) shows just a few of the plants i am using in my scheme, (there are several other pages). The chart helps me as i can see the species, when they flowers and the colours, the form and structure are just as important if not more so as this is what we shall see for most of the year. When the plant comes into flower it is for such a short time so the colours the flowers produce are an added bonus. Foliage, bark, stems and seed heads can be just as dramatic in appearance as a flower if not more so and last a lot longer.Visual impact and harmony are also important so planting giving visual accent in groups of 3-5 species will form a harmonious grouping.

The other chart (again, there are several pages) gives me all the information i need to know such as Latin and common names, Exposure, hardiness, soil type, height, spread, when it flowers, the planting spacing's, the size and approx cost of availability. All the planting i have had to make sure is suitable for the harsh coastal environment.

My 1:50 is going slowly but surely, should all be done by the Hadlow pin up, got a feeling it;s going to be a very stressful few weeks, not that it hasn't already, i cant believe we're almost there.

I apologize for not pinning up on Monday i know i am only shooting myself in the foot as no feed back. 

My web site is nearly done which is a huge relief. So much to do, so little time.....

bike ride

I hope you had a good Easter break? I had family round for Sunday roast in between doing uni work.
 I couldn't sleep this morning so got up at four a.m all raring to go to get some more work done. I thought i would resolve my 1:200 structural planting plan and as it was only saved on my memory stick, i accidentally deleted it :(  Moving quickly on and not dwelling on my unfortunate event i started to resolve my 1:100 and 1:500 Concept Sections, i have saved them in more than one place and i am really quite pleased with the outcome.

I'm still here!

Good Morning,Hopefully it will be when morning dawns. It's Good Friday and i'm excited. My work's going well. still not on target but getting closer everyday and optimistic for the future. I have been working on my 1:500 sequential sketches, don't worry too much guys, i'm all over the place but i am in control.

These are just two of them! The woman above with the two little girls is me. The two little girls are my daughters, Clare(now 29) and Sarah (now 27) both married with children of their own! 

These took me ages to do, i'm really hoping to get a lot quicker at them. It's so exhilarating seeing my work develop, from concept through to the design, i can't wait to see the final drawings of my 1:50 site. 

Wide Awake!

Inspirational Planters

I woke up about four and lay there for about two minutes and thought to myself, Lynda you have loads to do, so here i am! I was drawing, still resolving my 1:500's!!(told you i had loads to do)  The Beetle top right made me think of my lovely, reliable, hard working Citroen Berlingo, which a little old lady wrote off for me at the end of January. When Uni was over  i was contemplating cutting the roof off my old car, removing the engine etc and using it as a planter in my garden, when i move. Oh, well, it was a lovely thought. They look good don't they? I found all the images when i 'googled' band stands lol

Mondays crit

I Cannot believe we only have one crit left! No excuses for Mondays crit so i'm not going to make any. Thank goodness for my models, i had a lot of fun making them. Here are a couple of my 1:200 models from differing angles  i'm not even going to tell you how long it took to make 27no Trachycarpus Fortuneii or Chusan palm  I realized allot about myself. I also designed my Bexhill site in Sketch up, it looks just like the model, weird lol.
So i took a sneaky hour and sat in the sun in the garden, with some sketching i might add and a camera. the shadows on the model bring it to life, all it needs is some people walking through it, sitting on the beach and swimming etc not long now!