Color Our World Round-Up December 2016

Welcome! It's time for another Color My World Round-Up post. Each month the knowledgeable bloggers from Project Beautiful get creative by writing articles with focus on a particular color. Posts cover a multitude of topics including gardening, home remedies, decor and culinary delights. This month the color is "Red" and there is a little something for everyone. Here's what's happening for the month of December! Simply click on the links to read each article, and enjoy!

First is Lynee Cherot at Sensible Gardening with Red Hot Mamas in the Garden. "The use of colour is a very powerful tool in everything, including gardening. Different colours emote different reactions and feelings from the observer. Some people are attracted to the softer tones of pastels while others enjoy the bright and in your face colours. Red is a very strong colour and makes a bold statement in flower beds. Mother nature has blessed us with many different red flowers to choose from, and it is not a coincidence that many insects and birds are also attracted to the red spectrum. Here is a showcase of some of the red flowers I grow, all of which are easy to find and easy to grow. Red Poppies (doubles) give a red kickstart to the garden in early spring. These look best in a mass planting and will self seed themselves for the following year"...read more...  

Next is Terri Steffes from Our Good Life with her recipe for delicious homemade Sugarfree Cranberry Juice. "My daughter and I are a big fan of the Christmas cocktail called Poinsettia.  It is a simple cocktail of vodka, champagne, cranberry juice and some orange zest.  We made it for the first time a few years ago and it has been a semi tradition ever since. 

I had a bag of leftover cranberries and rather than waste them, I made them into juice for our cocktails. It was super simple and I know our cocktails will taste wonderful due to the fresh taste of our juice!

1 12 oz bag fresh cranberries
4 c water

Pour water into a large kettle.  Add cranberries.  Bring to a boil. When cranberries begin to pop, continue to cook on the stovetop for 10 minutes.  Cool for 5 minutes, then pour into a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth.  Strain juice into a jar.  Store in the refrigerator...For the cocktail"...read more ...

Susan Brandt from Blooming Secrets inspires us with her post The Year in Color-Rockin' the Red. "This month we’re giving you the red carpet treatment! We’re cutting through the red tape to share our perspective on the color red and its place in gardening lore...At a time of year which is often dominated by cooler colors like blue and white it isn’t as difficult as you might think to generate some warmth, and foundation plantings like shrubbery are the place to “see some red.” Follow our feathered friends and you’ll find holly berries and winterberry bushes which they use for protection as well as a food source. Red twig dogwood and nandina can provide a beautiful contrast in a snow covered landscape and if you are looking for flowers keep an eye out for witch hazel and camellias as the winter comes to a close." Read more...

Teri Schuler from the Freshman Cook delights us with her recipe for Candy Cane Cookies. "I love everything about Christmas Cookies! The smells, the colors, the yumminess! But my favorite thing about them is all the emotions and memories that immediately come back. Memories of my mom and I making them every year, since I was 4 years old. The neighbor across the street that taught me how to make pizzelles when I was ten. The many plates full of cookies we would wrap up and deliver to friends at school, church, and the neighborhood. The tins I would carefully fill with special cookies for a boyfriend or two. The mailing boxes carefully filled with sturdy cookies and bubble wrap after my husband and I moved 2000 miles away and couldn't come home for the holidays. The trays full of cookies I brought for classroom parties over the years, and the many boxes of cookies I sent to my son and his room mates when he was away at college. All these memories flood my mind and make me smile when I think of Christmas Cookies. So, yes, I do love everything about Christmas Cookies, and you probably do too! I hope you will create some memories with these Candy Cane Cookies"...recipe...

Lastly is This Month's Color in the Garden-The Power of Red from yours truly! "In landscape design and architecture, the color red tends to dominate when compared to other colors. Red tends to make a strong, dramatic statement and creates an illusion of boldness and depth. Red can be used to brighten a space in all seasons, including winter, with the incorporation of architectural elements or perhaps some berry producing shrubs in the garden against a white snowy background. Red foliage creates striking contrast in spring throughout fall, and red flowers, especially tubular-shaped ones, are an attraction to hummingbirds and other pollinators. The color red will have a lot more impact in your garden when used sparingly, and is nicely complemented by the the color green, which is considered neutral. Examples of red blooms in the landscape include Red Knock Out Rose, Tulips, Peony, Zinnia, Dahlia and Lobelia cardinalis (Cardinal flower). Red berry producing plants include Nandina domestica, Winterberry, Holly, Skimmia and some varieties of viburnum. Plants exhibiting red or maroon foliage include...read more...

Thank you for visiting and I hope you enjoyed #PB Color Our World Round-Up for the month of December. Wishing you joy and happiness in the holiday season and always! Next up is "Garden Year in Review 2016", taking you through twelve months of blooms and foliage from my garden, with anticipation of a new year in the garden for 2017!

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For more gardening tips and design information, you may be interested in my book, A Guide to Northeastern Gardening: Journeys of a Garden Designer (Gardening in Zones 3-9) available on Amazon.

As Always...Happy Gardening..and Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Author: Lee@A Guide to Northeastern Gardening, © Copyright 2016. All rights reserved

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day & Foliage Follow-Up December 2016: Winter Garden Color!

December 2016 Garden

Well, the weather outside is frightful, but our gardens are still delightful. The winter crops we can sow...til it snows, til it snows, til it snows! December on Long Island has been bringing frigid temperatures in the 30's and 40's, which are more normal for this time of year, but the temperature for Bloom Day is in the 20's, with a chance of snow flurries showing in the forecast! I took this venture outside wearing three layers of clothing to keep warm and was delighted to see that there is still a lot going on in the December garden. Come along with me. Better bundle up!

Azalea Foliage December

As an avid gardener and designer, and now very determined photographer, I am constantly inspired by the beauty of the garden, no matter what the time of year. I have come to appreciate that there is always something amazing lurking around the corner and when there are no blooms, it is important to look deeper. As Albert Camus once said, "In the depths of winter I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer."

Nandina domestica Berries & Foliage

Speaking of finding the inner beauty of the garden in winter, one of my favorite plants for this time of year is Nandina. Its evergreen foliage turns to hues of pink and yellow in the colder temperatures, while bright red berries form and grow more intense as the winter progresses. 

Young's Weeping Birch Bark

Even the bark of some trees can provide winter interest. The beautiful white bark of birch trees becomes more noticeable as the foliage disappears.

Blue Globe Montgomery Spruce

Montgomery Globe Spruce continues to shine with its bright blue foliage, that is even more prominent in winter...

Coral Bells & Sedge

and evergreen perennials highlight the garden with their contrasting colors. This is a combination of Caramel Coral Bells with Japanese Golden Sedge.

Nandina domestica Berries

Here is Nandina once again but with a closer view...and Hellebores, as they set their buds for winter bloom.

Hellebore 'Shooting Star'

  I added these Hellebore 'Shooting Star' to the garden two winters ago and get so much enjoyment from them. The foliage stays evergreen all year long and large creamy white blooms with pink highlights start in late December and continue through early spring.

Spirea Foliage December

Even though the cold has set in, the fall season has been warmer in the past couple of years, resulting in continuing foliage on these spirea through December.  This is the foliage of Spirea 'Lemon Princess' still holding on with its deep orange hue.

Frosty Heuchera

Here we see frost on Coral Bells as the temperatures plummet...

Nellie Stevens Holly Berries

and Nellie Steven's Holly forms its berries for winter.

Sedum 'Brilliant' Seed Head

Sedum 'Brilliant' extends the season with its interesting seed heads, which are also looking a little frosty right now. I try to leave these in the garden for as long as possible, for they add interest, plus the birds enjoy the seeds.

'Yaku Jima' Grass December

Here is Dwarf Maiden Grass.  Its plumes glow in the sunlight in the December garden.

Skyland's Spruce and Coral Bark Maple December

Over the years the number of evergreens in my garden has grown, as well as plants that provide winter interest. This Golden 'Skyland's Oriental Spruce was planted in 2008 as a memorial tree for my mom and has grown into a magnificent specimen. The Coral Bark Maple behind it is starting to show its reddening winter bark.

Rainbow Leucothoe December

Leucothoe also adds nice interest to the winter garden with its multi-colored foliage...

Japanese Golden Sedge December

while golden sedge continues to add color and whimsy to the garden with its spiky evergreen foliage.

Weeping White Pine

Here is Weeping White Pine with its cascading branches...

Weeping White Pine Cone

and large pine cones that form at this time of year.

Weeping Norway Spruce

I rescued this Weeping Norway Spruce from a client years ago whom no longer wanted it.  It was thin and pretty much left for dead, but I took it on and gave it lots of tender loving care. This is the tree today after years of believing in it. It is thriving and has become one of my favorites in the back garden!

Weeping Pussy Willow Catkin December

It's mid December and this is a rare sight for right now. The Weeping Pussy Willow usually sets its buds at this time of year, but it is not usual for the catkins to be popping. 

Knock Out Rose December!

While catkins are fooled by a milder fall until now, reminders of summer still linger as Knock Out Roses continue to bloom...

Rhododendron Buds December

and signs of future spring are present as Rhododendrons set their buds.

Winter Visitors

There have been many more bird visitors since the cold set in, as they enjoy their favorite seed...

December Trying to Keep Warm

and seek shelter in the trees away from the chilling winds.

In A Vase on Monday (Spreading Yew, Gold Lace Juniper, Dwarf Maiden Grass plumes, Rosy Glow Barberry, Sedum seed heads and Knock Out Rose buds)

Some of the garden is brought inside to enjoy...

Winter Bear!

 and new Winter Bear watches over the garden, as Adirondack Bear hibernates away for the winter months.

December Garden 2016

  I hope you enjoyed your stroll through my December garden. Special thanks go out to our hostesses Carol at May Dreams Gardens, who makes it possible to see blooms on the 15th of every month with her meme Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day and Pam at Digging for hosting Foliage Follow-Up.  I am also linking with some other wonderful hosts and hostesses at Today's Flowers, Floral Fridays, Macro Monday 2, and Nature Notes at Rambling Woods. Also check out What's Blooming This Week Garden Update, In a Vase on Monday at Rambling in the Garden, Garden Bloggers' Foliage Day and Saturday's Critters.

Planning your garden for next spring, looking for some winter reading or perhaps a gift for the gardener in you life?  Check out my book, A Guide to Northeastern Gardening: Journeys of a Garden Designer (Gardening in Zones 3-9). It covers a wide range of information on garden design, tips, maintenance and more! If you have read my book and found it to be helpful, please consider leaving a short review on Amazon. Reviews are vital in getting a book noticed and your help would be very much appreciated! Click on the photo or links for details!

As Always...Happy Gardening and Happy Holidays!

Author: Lee@A Guide to Northeastern Gardening, © Copyright 2016. All rights reserved

This Month's Color in the Garden: December 2016-The Power of Red in the Landscape

The Power of Red in the Garden Clockwise Left to Right: Dahlia, Landscape Architectural Element, Dahlia, Winterberry and Knock Out Rose (center)

In landscape design and architecture, the color red tends to dominate when compared to other colors. Red tends to make a strong, dramatic statement and creates an illusion of boldness and depth. Red can be used to brighten a space in all seasons, including winter, with the incorporation of architectural elements or perhaps some berry producing shrubs in the garden against a white snowy background. Red foliage creates striking contrast in spring throughout fall, and red flowers, especially tubular-shaped ones, are an attraction to hummingbirds and other pollinators. The color red will have a lot more impact in your garden when used sparingly, and is nicely complemented by the the color green, which is considered neutral.

Nandina domestica berries

Examples of red blooms in the landscape include Red Knock Out Rose, Tulips, Peony, Zinnia, Dahlia and Lobelia cardinalis (Cardinal flower). Red berry producing plants include Nandina domestica, Winterberry, Holly, Skimmia and some varieties of viburnum. Plants exhibiting red or maroon foliage include Heuchera ‘Palace Purple' (Coral Bells), Weigela Spilled Wine, and annuals such as Coleus, Impatiens and Begonia. The most prominent red in the garden that keeps coming to mind is that of the traditional red rose.

Red Knock Out Rose 'Radrazz'

Roses have been grown throughout civilization and are a timeless tradition, speaking the language of love, beauty, courage and respect. Historical evidence shows they were grown in China about 5,000 years ago, and have carried their special meaning ever since. A deep red rose can be used to convey heartfelt regret and sorrow. or twelve red roses conveys "Be mine" and "I love you. The red rose began its history during Greek and Roman times, where it was tied to Aphrodite, or Venus, the mythical goddess of love, who was often seen with roses around her head and covering her feet and neck. The red rose throughout time has symbolized an immortal love that could never fade, even through time or death. In early Christianity, the rose became associated with the virtue of Virgin Mary and in the Tarot it has been considered a symbol of balance, promise, new beginnings, and hope. In Shakespeare's writings, roses had become a poetic standard throughout his works. Throughout its history, the red rose continues to hold its status as the ultimate symbol of affection. Other flowers and their meanings include red Amaryllis, a statement of splendid beauty and pride, red aster which symbolizes patience, Anthurium symbolizing happiness and hospitality and poinsettia symbolizing good cheer and success. 

Architectural Elements Old Westbury Mansion Long Island

In landscape architecture the color red is often used to draw attention or create a focal point, as in the use of red brick for walkways, labyrinths, benches or perhaps some red Adirondack chairs to highlight a sitting area. Estate gardens are known for their mass plantings of red tulips, dahlias and rose covered arbors. In color theory, red tends to make a space look smaller and can be used to make a large space seem more intimate. Red brick also brings to mind thoughts of mansions from colonial time, and can be implemented in modern day to create an old world feel. 

Clockwise Left to Right: Red Knock Out Rose, Dahlia, Tulips, Nandina 'domestica', Amaryllis (center)

Do you have any design or architectural elements in your space that are red and if you do, when and where are they most prominent? I invite you to share whatever shades of red you have going on in your garden in the comments below, whether it be in the form of plants or otherwise. I hope you enjoyed "This Month's Color in the Garden". I'm already thinking about next month's theme, which is the color white! Next up is Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day & Foliage Follow-Up on the 15th. and Color Our World Round Up on the 30th. 

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Landscape Design Combinations

As Always...Happy Gardening!

Author: Lee@A Guide to Northeastern Gardening, © Copyright 2016. All rights reserved.

Color Our World Round Up: November 2016

Welcome! I've recently met a group of wonderfully talented bloggers with vast knowledge on a variety of topics dealing with the home and garden. Each month the participants focus on a particular color, bringing you a variety of posts on topics such as gardening, home remedies, decor and culinary delights. There is a little something for everyone. This month our color is Brown and our bloggers are from Project Beautiful. Here's what's happening for the month of November! 

First let me introduce Susan Brandt at Blooming Secrets with her post The Year in Color-Brown the Natural Color. Susan describes brown as a natural color and an important one at that. "After all, the very soil that we gardeners gleefully toil in is generally a shade of brown and this earthy quality makes brown a symbol of stability and reliability. Unfortunately, it also has a reputation of being boring and in many surveys, on color it is ranked as the least favorite color of them all. Regardless of our personal tastes, it is an appropriate color for November. We watch the leaves turn colors, including brown and the centerpieces on our Thanksgiving tables are often adorned in colors of yellow, red and brown.  You may have to dig deep to find an appreciation for the color brown but sometimes the simplest of colors can be the most interesting"...more

Terri Steffes at Our Good Life shares her recipe for Homemade Cough Drops. "Last week I introduced you to a homemade cough syrup that I loved. I found that I needed something that I could carry around, so I did some research and found a lot of recipes for homemade cough drops. I combined a couple of recipes and made these, which I like for a couple of reasons.  One, they are cheap to make and two, they are very effective. To be perfectly honest, these cough drops do require a bit of time spent on the making of them.  Some tips I would offer are these: use a good pot, use at least a two quart pot, and cool the mixture before making the drops.  I'll explain more as I go."...more on Terri's homemade remedy at Our Good Life.

Kim Brush at Day to Day Adventures gives helpful tips with her recipe for Brown Bag Low Carb Freezer Chimichangas. "Once a month we go to Kansas City and take lunch. Sometimes we take sandwiches but that doesn’t work for some of my peeps who don’t like/can’t have sandwiches. Our solution? Brown Bag Chimichangas from the freezer. My kids barely know what brown bagging it means. We homeschool so most of our lunches are eaten at home!  Since we get to KC early in the morning, the chimis can warm up in a small crock pot for a few hours and be ready for lunch! Best of all they can be low carb and super healthy!  Another way to eat these chimis is to heat them in the oven before leaving the house.  Then wrap them up or put them in a thermal bag(the kind you put your casseroles in to keep them warm"...read more  

Lynee Cherot at Sensible Gardening talks about Chocolate Brown Gardening. "Not the most usual colour in plants, brown adds a touch of mystery to the flower bed. Normally a rather unassuming colour, brown in flowers and foliage stands out when grown among the brighter tones in the garden border. It almost adds a touch of class to plantings and a sense of style to containers. The slightly unusual always draws us in, and brown flowers and leaves are no exception. Would I like an all brown garden, probably not. I prefer these tones to be given specific placement in the garden for the element of surprise and wow factor. Finding brown plants will take a bit of looking but they are out there. Below are some"...read more

Karen Creel at Garden Chick discusses cover crops for the winter garden with her post Cover Crops: Turn a Brown Garden Green. "My garden is now finished, and as a gardener, I’m still looking for reasons to be out in it.  The weather is mild, the garlic still needs to be planted,  and the strawberry and asparagus beds are yet to be cleaned out. Instead of letting the garden lay idle all winter, open to weeds and erosion, I have decided to plant a portion in a winter cover crop. Cover crops are a great way to turn brown gardens green. Here are a number of reasons to plant a cover crop: They keep the soil covered from the harsh winds,snow and rain, helping to prevent soil erosion. They help loosen the soil, in turn making the garden easier to turn over the next spring"...read more

Terri Schuler at the Freshman Cook presents Three Simple Ways to Decorate an Acorn Cookie as she puts together a Dessert Bar for her holiday dinner guests with some simple sugar cookies. "These Acorn Sugar Cookies couldn't get much easier... Even if you have never made decorated sugar cookies, these will be no problem for you! The only thing to remember when making these cookies is to allow enough time. It takes time for the dough to chill, time to decorate them and time for the icing to dry after they are decorated. So, if you are serving these cookies on Thursday, you might want to make them the weekend before"... read more

Nikki Wills at Tikkido talks about "Gingerbread for Beginners" and shows us her wonderful talents. "If you know me at all, you know that gingerbread is totally my thing.  My mother started our family's tradition, and I've continued it, baking 100+ gingerbread houses a year for family, friends, neighbors, and classmates.  I've finally collected our decades of hard-earned gingerbread insights into one simple e-book, Gingerbread for Beginners"...read more

And finally, here is my post This Month's Color in the Garden November 2016: The Changing Garden-The Many Shades of Brown  "As a designer and avid gardener, I have developed a deep appreciation for all the changes that take place in the garden and for what nature has to offer throughout the entire year. The garden can be beautiful, even after the prime of autumn, when shades of brown become more prominent throughout the landscape. For this meme, I have ventured out into the garden with my macro lens to get a close-up view of the many shades of brown that come my way! Multi-colored leaves grace the landscape...hostas fade as the edges of once vibrant green leaves turn to shades of yellow then brown. Even though they are going dormant for winter, there is much beauty there"...read more

Thank you for visiting and I hope you enjoyed #PB Color Our World Round-Up for the month of November. Wishing you joy and happiness in the holiday season and always!

Informational Links:

A Guide to Northeastern Gardening on Facebook

Landscape Design by Lee on Facebook

A Guide to Landscape Design & Maintenance Blog 

NEGardening on Twitter

For more gardening tips and design information, you may be interested in my published book, "A Guide to Northeastern Gardening: Journeys of a Garden Designer (Gardening in Zones 3-9)",
available on Amazon.

As Always...Happy Gardening!

Author: Lee@A Guide to Northeastern Gardening, © Copyright 2016. All rights reserved