Showhouse Season, Volume V, Issue 13--Party Time!

Last night was the gala opening for the VNA showhouse at 99 Rumson Road in Rumson, NJ. Over 650 people wined, dined and danced after touring the house and gardens. I highly recommend that anyone who can attend this event does. I've participated in many showhouses, and this one is special. No expense has been spared and the house feels like a home instead of a series of individual spaces--it's lovely.

The Garden ready for a Party

Back to last night. The weather was perfect! Michael Deo, my lighting designer, and I donned our party duds and hosted the garden's debut. As a designer, I always try to create a space that will draw people out into it and be interesting enough for them to linger in it. Of all the gardens at the show house, people congregated and lingered in two --the way over the top poolhouse and mine. I don't think it was because of the wine either!

The two photos were taken just before the party and a few minutes after it started. Once things got going I was too busy talking to everyone to snap away! Peter Rymid is going to photograph the garden on Monday and then I should have some great shots.

A Jazz Quartet, Guests & Party Time!

Showhouse Season, Volume V, Issue 12--The Home Stretch

Things were hopping at the showhouse garden today. I'm beginning to be somewhat satisfied with the results...

My assistant, Joanne, and one of Frank's guys drove out to Steven Snyder's Cedar Maze studio in PA to pick up the bird sculpture. The geraniums (an odd choice for me, but it works) from Hamilton Farms and Ajuga from the Perennial Farm for the parterre arrived in two separate trucks. You know what happened don't you? The sod also arrived early this morning.

Everything everywhere

With all that good news, the bad news is that half of the Heliotrope for the containers has decided it's too cold and windy and gave up the ghost. We're going on a nursery run tomorrow to find replacements. At this point I want to see everything since there's absolutely no wriggle room. The gala party is on Saturday.

I concocted a center piece for the table that is almost finished and will hold postcards and business cards for people to take on their way through. I also bought some cushions for the chairs to soften up the space since it wasn't really looking too comfy.

Here's some photos. We're heading down the home stretch.

The Bird

Showhouse Season V, Issue 10, Mud & Mayhem

Here's some photos from today. Furniture and pots arrived. Irrigation and lighting was installed. Today was complicated by too many people in too small a space and downpours.

The plywood & tarps are protecting one of our walks
It's the only access the adjacent garden has. Tomorrow we cut them off

The first container planted--there are 8 in total

Sod, the bird sculpture and a bazillion annuals will arrive tomorrow. After I left at lunchtime I went shopping for something to go on the table. More about that later.

Showhouse Season V, Issue 9, Simplicity

Yesterday I took a walk around the gardens, mostly because it was the only way to a port-a-potty that didn't have a mud pit in front of it.

All of the gardens are formal. Mine is formal and simple. No busy planting scheme. Just boxwood parterres and an ultra simple planting plan. I want the space to feel modern and traditional at the same time. We'll see if it works or if it looks like I phoned it in...

Showhouse Season V, Issue 8, Mud & Annuals

I will try and post short bits until we're done--hopefully on Friday. No progress pix today since nothing's really changed since the last ones.

We delivered as many annuals for the containers as my pickup would hold. The staging areas were so muddy that two volunteers had their shoes sucked right off their feet and another sunk in up to her knees.

After dropping off the plants we went to the nursery to get the remaining ones. Here's what's going in the containers...with a few pictures...

• Deutzia gracillis--I know it's a huge shrub, but a #3 full of buds and about to burst works here
• Heliotropium arborescens 'Atlantis'--great fragrance also fully budded and ready to bloom

• Bellis perennis 'Strawberries & Cream'--a punch of color that will tie into the rest of the planting

• Euphorbia 'Diamond Frost'--just because it's pretty
  
• Helichrysum petiolare --the grey loose structure and felted leaves create a nice contrast

Tomorrow--rain or shine--we're planting up the containers so I'll take a photo and post tomorrow evening.

Showhouse Season V, Issue 7, Rain

Here's a laundry list (with today's progress) of most of what has to be done this week and it's going to rain until Thursday. ARGH!

• Irrigation intstallation
  
• Lighting installation (outlet installed today via electrician)
• Pick up and deliver containers (done today I think, one is in my garage so I can stage it here)
• Choose container plants and purchase (some was done today)
• Turf delivery and installation (delivery Wednesday)
  
• Mulch garden beds
• Plant 300 annuals and 1000 groundcover plants
  
• Prune boxwoods into hedges
• Pick up and deliver sculpture from PA
• Install sculpture
  
• Pick up and deliver table and chairs from Western NJ
  
• Install stanchion for info
• Work with graphic designer to make stanchion insert
• Deliver business cards and postcards to site
• Stage table & primp garden
• Photograph garden when finished
  

The majority of this will have to happen Thursday and Friday. Like I've said elsewhere, my head might explode.

Showhouse Season V, Issue 6, In Real Life

Yesterday morning was dedicated to show house business. Frank Scheppe, my contractor extraordinaire, and I were at a local wholesale nursery soon after it opened to choose two Styrax japonica for the garden. After they were loaded we delivered them to the show house site.

Styrax blooms

image via Ambleside Gardens, Hillsborough, NJ

With one week to go, Sheep's Run was a flurry of activity, mud, and mayhem. There were delivery trucks stuck in the mud, people trying to get plants and accessories into spaces that are rapidly being cut off by the spaces adjacent them, and a general feeling of rapid fire problem solving.

All of the gardens are formal. A full trailer of boxwood was delivered last week and ours was included with that. The stonework for the paths & patios was finished earlier this week. We were able to use some bluestone that was leftover from the home's original terrace that is also one of the adjacent spaces.

Peagravel, granite cube edging & bluestone walkways and patio

The goal for yesterday was to layout the big plants and mark off the area that will be filled with groundcover. I also had to decide on what annuals we're using for the parterres and containers. More on that next time...

Defining the four quadrants

The arcs and angles w/space left open for containers

Showhouse Season V, Issue 5--For the Birds

Many of the architectural details at the Sheep's Run showhouse depict birds, so of course I have to honor that. The birds on the grill work shown below are typical of these formal early twentieth century details. They have been restored for the showhouse--some are black wrought iron and some have been re-gilded.

Turkey Detail on balcony

Peacock Window Grill prior to restoration

As the design for the garden has been revised and has continued to evolve, I've become increasingly interested in juxtaposing rustic elements typical of a farm setting within the confines of a formal garden. Originally I wanted a small fountain as the secondary axial focal point, but since that was nixed, I had to explore other ideas. A bird bath--too small, a sun dial--too mundane, an armilary--not appropriate for the rustic quality I wanted for the details of the space.

I wanted a bird. So I turned to Steven Snyder, a stone sculptor from Bucks County whose work I have used and recommended to clients before. Steven very graciously offered to lend one of his sculptures. Although he creates many other things, I love Steven's birds. Shown below, the middle bird still in the studio, worked in terms of height and color, so it will be the new focal point.

Birds in Steven Snyder's studio

Showhouse Season V, Issue 4.1, The State of Things (con't)

Every designer showhouse I've been involved with suffers from the same malady--too little interdisciplinary/committee/designer cross communication. Yesterday, my entire day was dedicated to solving issues with my garden space that could have been a non-issue had all parties worked with each other from the onset. Let me explain...

As you can see from the site map in Issue 2 of this series, my garden space is tucked away between two adjacent exterior spaces and two corners of the building. I used the consulting landscape architect's site plan to create my original concept. I also checked the boundaries of the garden with his office as well as the appropriate committee members. No one told me that the boundaries of the large garden to the south and the large terrace to the east had changed from what was on the site plan.

Confused? So was I. Those perimeter boundaries were modified on two sides without my knowledge and last week when I videotaped the space it became apparent that what I had designed would not be able to be shoehorned into what was actually the space. ARGHH.

I try to be a team player when it comes to these things...but I am the only one being asked to completely revise my plan. It was obvious to me that the original design would have to be modified to work with the space's new proportions. I didn't radically alter the concept, but everything had to be on a different scale and slightly modified. The double axis would now dead end into the south garden's hedge so that definitely had to go. Paths had to be made narrower, garden areas smaller. I was able to make all but one of the spatial transitions work and I can't really spend any more time on the revision (read: I have paying work to do) so it will have to be resolved on site.

So here's the revised design (click on it to enlarge). It doesn't appear to be changed that much but everything is scaled differently. The good news is I'm going to use a fabulous Steven Snyder bird sculpture as a focal point. More on that next time...

Showhouse Season V, Issue 4, The State of Things

There was a big pow-wow between all of the landscape designers, contractors, and showhouse committee members today. I made some short videos of the garden space to share here. I have to make some design changes to create appropriate transitions from my space to the two adjacent ones...they aren't making the changes...I am. I try to be a team player. Enjoy my bad videography.

Notice the portapotty, cherry picker and gravel that have been stored in the space. Hmmmm. Maybe I'll re-name it the Johnny on the Spot garden!



The view out shows the new poolhouse and greenhouse which are still under construction. Major money is being spent to make sure it all looks as if it's always been there. I'll get some better images later.



This last one is really short and a bit mysterious because I could discuss the issues and film at the same time! We were trying to figure out how to make the new transitions work.

Showhouse Season V, Issue 3, Early Decisions

As I said in Issue 2, this is going to be a formal garden. The garden's official name for the showhouse journal and website is 'A Formal Invitation'.

The 'invitations' are implied the the garden's design. Its layout allows views from the adjoining rooms--Invitation No. 1. Entrances to the garden from three other areas of the property--Invitation No. 2. A table for rest and relaxation or a place to enjoy a bottle of wine--Invitation No. 3. A sculpture or fountain as a focal point/feature of interest--Invitation No. 4. Beautiful containers filled with very detailed plantings--Invitation No. 5.

The choice of which style of containers (shown in burgundy on the plan to the left) to use is important in this garden because they will set the tone on the second layer of design ideas. If I choose to use black Medici urns, the garden will not have the modern welcoming feeling that I want it to have. For me, too much formality feels pretentious, rigid and stogy. Mixing it up will give this outdoor space a sense of being in the present rather than the past. I have a fondness for terra cotta planters. They're timeless, their matte finish contrasts and completments many type of foliage and flowers.

For a few years I have been using and recommending Seibert & Rice terra cotta. They are worth every penny. The quality is flawless. Seibert & Rice are local importers who have a keen eye for great design. Depending on the style, these pots can lend a formal or an informal feeling to the garden. Although I haven't made a final decision yet and I've previously used all of the ones pictured below. They could work again.

The Hartford Pot by Guy Wolff--a great simple pot

The Olive Oil Urn--I've filled this urn with Cannas--Wow!

Lemon Flower Box--Great for herbs near a kitchen door

All photos are used with the permission of Seibert & Rice.

Showhouse Season V, Issue 2. The Design Process

All of the landscape design invitees for the 2009 showhouse were provided with a master plan which illustrated the homeowner's and the consulting landscape architect's very formal vision for the property.

There would be an addition to the east side of house to update the antiquated kitchen, create additional living space and add a garage. A new pool and pool house would also be added as well as a sheep barn, greenhouse and an apiary at the southwest corner. We were allowed to re-define the spaces if we chose for future approval. Below is my annotated copy of a later version of part of the master plan.


Some of the project constraints other than the two usual suspects--time and money--were and still are: the rampant deer who eat their way through the unfenced property and that some of the original garden features were to remain or be restored. I added to those caveats my own personal desire to source as much as possible from local nurseries and resources and to limit the amount of work that had to be done by machine for both logistical and sustainable reasons. Once those benchmarks were established, I decided to pursue several ideas within final conceptual design that was submitted to and ultimately accepted by the selection committee. Those ideas, as well as the conceptual plan are below.

Design Idea #1--Go with the Flow. I had the advantage of having done a previous project originally as a showhouse garden for the same owner which was kept as permanently. I knew she loved formality and the master plan clearly showed her input. If there were already 2 votes cast in the formal direction--why rock the boat, formal it would be.

Design Idea #2--Define the space the way I wanted it, excluding some of the peripheral areas. This would tighten up my ability to maximize views out of the house and would enable me to use strong axial relationships and bold geometric forms.

Design Idea #3--Design a space that would draw people into it and cause them to linger as well as creating elegant transitions to and from the adjacent spaces. One of my underlying garden philosophies has always been to make outdoor spaces for living as opposed to being just for viewing.

Design Idea #4--Limit the materials and utilize a very narrow deer resistant plant palette to simplify further. With simplicity the overarching traditional formality will look clean and modern rather than traditional and overworked.

Design Idea #5--Think about adding a water feature. People love water, the homeowner loves water, water makes people linger supporting Design Idea #3.

Design Idea #6--Try to use appropriate native plants without being a slave to that concept. Turf would be allowed since it is a large part of the master plan anyway. Offset the use of turf through of locally sourced pea gravel paths equaling (or close) the same square footage. That boat again.

Design Idea #7--Make the plan as easy as possible to implement since the participating contractors would be partially donating their time. April, the installation month, is the 2nd busiest month of the year.

Although it's a bit difficult to see. Here's the conceptual plan. The koi pond that is noted is a element from the master plan that is to be restored and not part of my garden space. Enlarge it to see the notes.

Showhouse Season V

This is the start of my 5th designer showhouse season. I am drawn to the charitable nature of these month long benefits, which often raise several million dollars for their charities. This one, Stately Homes by the Sea, benefits the VNA of Central NJ.

For me, participation has not been an annual occurrence, although I have done a showhouse garden each year for the last three years. I accept all invitations to view the property, but unless there's a space that immediately inspires me in some way, I don't accept. These gardens are an opportunity for me to experiment creatively without the constraints of a typical design brief. They are also an excellent opportunity for me to showcase ideas for potential clients in a realistic setting.

Last summer I was invited to preview the house and property that would be transformed by the following May. Typically these properties are vacant and in need of a face lift. As seen in the video below--one of several posted on YouTube, this particular property, 'Sheep's Run' in Rumson, NJ was in the throws of a complete overhaul.



Each designer was invited to compete for up to two spaces by submitting a a conceptual design and written proposal for each. I only wanted one--it's at the very start of the video with white pick-up truck parked in it. It's adjacent to a sun porch, a library and a very large terrace. It had beautiful views out from the house as well as being a somewhat independent space from the rest of the very formal master plan. I was awarded the space I wanted.

Here's some shots of the space as it was last September as well as a beautiful detail of one of the window grills. Since this will be an ongoing serial--this is also the end of the first installment. How's that for a cliffhanger?

Above: A view through the space to the gutted sun porch

Above: A view through the space from the sun porch showing the library windows

Above: A view through the space showing the oak that's on it's central axis in the distance
Below: One of the many bird themed details found throughout the property both inside & out