Wednesday Walkabout: Lincoln Park

Today's Wednesday Walkabout took place in the Lincoln Park neighborhood, just north of Armitage.   You can read about previous walks in the Chicago Loop and in Old Town.  This neighborhood, just north of Charlie Trotter's famous restaurant and Lori's famous shoe store, is jam-packed with amazing container gardens!  

Notice how the white urns contrast nicely against the black door and red brick.  Wonder what it might look like if the urns were skinnier and taller?  Or do the squat urns give the tall entry some human proportion that's necessary?

This pair of copper window boxes plays up the existing dark trim and metal at the entryway.  Too bad the sun got in the way of a perfect picture.......

This parkway design is probably the best one I've ever seen! A container was literally created out of pavers and filled with a good mix of perennials.  Usually people just stick a bunch of hostas in and call it a day.  

These clean-lined planters, planted with a very formal topiary are not the expected urn.  It works because the plantings are true to the style of the house.  Nice.  

Another built-in container that should be called "An Ode to the Coleus:"

I'm digging the repetition and symmetry here:

A quintessential Chicago greystone.  I do hope the builder thought to include a water source, but it looks to me like the owners have to water this from the inside and clean up the drips.  But it's so pretty!

Repeating plants in various planters, creating uniformity and definition.....love it!  

Here's a better shot of the front door:

And here's a close-up of the window box design:

Another solution to the parkway dilemma, just park some containers there!  A little creeping jenny in the surrounding soil adds the perfect counterpoint to the black containers.  

Another set of white urns planted out with begonias.  Gardening ideas can be contagious - I saw many more versions of this design on the same block!

Another set of window boxes on the front.  I prefer the all-black to the hayrack style on this house, it gives the plants something more to contrast against.  I might have added creeping jenny rather than ivy to really play off these containers.....

Your turn, which is your favorite?

Lincoln Park Residence Complete

When I posted a picture of my friend Angela's town home rooftop container garden on Facebook.  I expected people like my mom and sister-in-law to make nice comments.  I didn't expect my very first job, but that's what I got!  An old book club friend messaged me asking if I could add some color her ivy- and boxwood-filled front yard with container gardens.  Of course I said yes!

The first step was having my client look at some container gardening books and magazines, which I brought over to her house.  Based on her reactions to different colors and textures, we came up with this amazing Deborah Silver design as our inspiration.  Deborah is a Detroit-based master landscaper and my personal gardening idol.

Next, we took closer look at her yard and decided where it made sense to add containers:

We decided to add two 18" diameter hanging baskets to the front porch.  (In my opinion, that is the absolute smallest size anyone should plant.  Otherwise they dry out too quickly and the plants die.)  I recommended a tall container on the front porch and some small containers on the stairs.  When the client pointed out a hole in the ivy-covered front yard where a bush had been removed, it seemed to make sense to put a huge container there.  Adding color and covering up an ugly spot?  I love two birds, one stone kinds of projects!

After waiting a while for our perfect containers to arrive, this is what the yard looks like now:

Th container in the front yard will get even more beautiful and massive as the cannas flower in red and extend to their full height.  The petunias and scaevolas will really begin to knock out lots of flowers, trailing over the sides.  Bye bye all-green front yard!  We sourced the container here.  

The front door planter is my client's favorite.  She loves to sit on the porch swing with her gorgeous little baby girl and see this planter, which we sourced here.

I got out my hand-dandy drill, climbed a ladder and installed screw eyes rated to 350 lbs. before hanging up these giant hanging planters.  I chose to plant these in my garage and transport them to the house.  What I sort of neglected to think about was how little 5' 2" me was going to get these suckers up a ladder.  Thank heavens my friend Rebecca was with me that day.  I don't know what I would have done without her!

While I was planting, I found these cute little urns collecting dust on the side of the house.  I potted them up with some geraniums and petunias for a wonderful welcome to the front porch.  Note to self:  always bring extra plants to the job site.

I'm so excited about this garden!  Look for some planting recipes for the two large containers later this week.  

Wednesday Walkabout: Chicago Loop

I was down in the Loop today for an appointment and thought I'd use the opportunity for Wednesday Walkabout.  If you missed this new feature, the first one is right here.  Mother Nature did not cooperate with me.  It rained buckets and buckets and I was wearing inappropriate footwear - 3 inch wedges?! - what was I thinking?!

We'll start with photos on Wacker Drive.  A hotel on this street was, for one week, my first home in Chicago.  I came here for a Chicago Semester  my senior year of college.  We lived here while we oriented ourselves, interviewed for jobs and found apartments.  For the record, I got a job at a big PR firm where I promoted the Butterball Turkey Talk Line.  Now, let's talk turkey about these pots......

First up, the Corner Bakery.......

I noticed while driving home that all the Corner Bakeries (it's a chain) used the exact same plantings in their outdoor space!  Smart cookies.  Here's a close up:

The contrast of black window boxes with the the croton foliage and the lime green sweet potato vine - divine.  Love it!

Next up, a cute row of pots outlining the seating area of an upscale eatery with a view of the Chicago River.  Don't you just want to sit right down and order a glass of wine?  Once it stops raining, that is.

These two pots smartened up the entrance of the hotel adjacent the restaurant.  I'm not so keen on the white color, but I love the placement and symmetry of the planters.  

Next we have a pretty square pot, also framing the seating area of that restaurant.  I'm not sure why the empty pots.  It would be natural to put something tropical and lush in there, like a canna surrounded by lots of calibrachoa.  

Here we have a another tasteful restaurant outdoor area....those lucky little Loop workers.  When I worked downtown, this place was a huge, tacky Chinese place with the greasiest food ever!  

Closeups of the containers....

Flanking the front doors of a British pub were these urns, planted out very appropriately in a formal manner.  Very British indeed!

Last up, this city planter outside a bank and near the Chicago Cultural Center.  

Does your city, town or neighborhood do municipal pots or planters?  Or do any of your favorite watering holes or restaurants have a beautiful garden area?  Do share!  I'd love to see pictures?  

One of My Favorite Designs

One of my dearest friends gave me this glazed ceramic pot several years ago and I'm deeply sentimental about it.  I've placed it in a variety of spots in our four story town home.  With four decks, plus a front stoop, I've got plenty of spaces for containers.....

Here's what I did last year, on a deck with eastern exposure and plenty of afternoon sun.  I used one purple fountain grass in the center - it grew tall enough to help screen the not-so-nice view of an auto repair shop next door.  I filled the legs of the plant with coleus - two lime greens on each side and a red one with green edges in the middle.  Finally, I added three gorgeous spillers.  From left to right they are.....burgundy wedding train coleus, a creeping jenny and a (slightly spent-looking) lobelia.  

Two years ago, I placed the pot on our front stoop.  The conditions there aren't favorable....there is no water source nearby and the south-facing stoop is on a very busy street.  You could literally fry an egg out there most summer days.  And with so many other decks and containers to water - only one of which has a water source - there was no way I was going to make it out there every day to carefully maintain the pot.  My solution was this symmetrical desert design.  It looked great when I planted it up (picture below) and it was super tolerant of the conditions...probably too tolerant.  The three filler plants overtook the yucca and became quite unruly.  I wish my hard drive hadn't crashed so I could show you that little lovely.....but as all gardeners know - live and learn.  The beauty of containers is that if something isn't working, you can just pull out a plant or two and put something else in.  

Next week, I'll be sharing some photos of my other decks/containers throughout the years.  In the meantime, does anyone have ideas for how to take good pictures of window boxes from the inside?

Taking Care of Business

I'm so excited! My business cards have arrived! This "I'm doing some container gardening on the side" thing is a little more official! I think the cards look amazing - they are printed on a beautiful linen paper. The texture and design say - I hope - you can trust me to make your containers tastefully beautiful.

I'd like you all to hear from the creative genius behind my gorgeous new cards....Ben Clark of the Etsy shop Designer Aged. If you need new business cards, contact him. He is creative, fast and a great communicator! I'm a fan, for sure!

Ben, you have an Etsy shop...how did that come about?

My wife, a stay-at-home mom to our two children, had the idea to earn a little extra-income from home by designing custom birth announcements and party invitations. As I helped to get her side-business, Crocogator Prints, off the ground, we found that opening an Etsy shop might be nice platform for reaching her target market. It was then that I realized the vast potential of the Etsy marketplace. On a whim, I opened my own little shop, Designer Aged, for custom business card printing and design. I am delighted by the response I am receiving!

I'm fascinated by the journeys that bring people where they are in life. For me, I've gone from detassling Nebraska cheerleader to a high-powered PR career to mom of twins to container gardener......what's your story?

I'd say an important turning point in my journey started with a fateful visit from a college recruiter to my high school art class. I didn't have a lot of direction in high school, but I found myself thriving in my art classes. This recruiter, from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in Savannah, GA, opened a new door for me. I applied, was accepted, and enrolled there for an undergraduate degree in their Computer Graphics program. I soon focused my studies on motion graphics and graphic design. My first industry job was with the local Savannah, GA Fox/ABC news station as their promotions editor. It was a great entry-level position but I was ready to return home to southern California with my wife.

In California, I switched gears from video to print media as the senior designer for a weekly newspaper in Valley Center, CA. On the side, I instructed graphic design courses at a local technical college. In 2002, I started and ran a full-service graphic design and printing company that I later sold in 2007. It was a very rewarding experience to see the fruit of my labor grow into a viable business, but it was a ton of work as I had to perform many roles in the company; from boss to salesman to artist to accountant. I often spent after-business hours to keep up with my demanding workload. I realized, after the birth of our first child, that a 9-5 job would better suit my family's needs. We sold the business and moved to New England, to be near my wife's family, where I now find myself enjoying a challenging and exciting career as an art director for a national retail chain. On the side, I opened Designer Aged on Etsy, which more than satisfies my entrepreneurial interests.

Where do you get ideas for your designs?

I'm inspired by many different artists and medias and I do a lot of research to stay on top of the current trends. I study artists whose work I love by picking apart each piece of their overall look. How do they use depth, color, etc? While studying them over the years, I have created my own style.

What are some tips for people seeking your assistance with business cards and other design projects?

Have a good idea of what you like and don't like. Submit your likes to the designer and ask him/her to be creative and build it into his/her style. Be open to letting your designer take creative liberties with your project. A good designer is going to be thoughtful in their creative approach and give you a look that best portrays your business. Like a good photographer knows how to pose and style you for your best angle, a good graphic designer knows how to similarly complement your business' advertising.

I have to ask, do you have any container gardens?

Not yet! I don't think I have ever put any thought into them before but after reading your blog, a couple sure would look nice out on my deck.

Anytime you need help, let me know, Ben!

Wednesday Walkabout: Chicago's Old Town Neighborhood

Introducing a new feature here at ttwcreative.....Wednesday Walkabout, which is where I walk around a neighborhood in Chicago and capture some of my favorite container designs. Today I'm featuring some designs from a two block radius around Chicago's famous Second City. Yup, folks, I captured all these images within a two block radius in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.

We Chicagoans just love our containers! And we're good at making them look absolutely gorgeous....and now, on with the show!

Feeling inspired? Which is your favorite?

Mirror Image Planting: Recipe for Knit 1 Window Boxes

For the Knit 1 window boxes, I used a technique called mirror image planting. Basically, you just plant the second window box as a mirror image of the first. You want your trailing plants to be on the outsides of each box to soften the outside edges - as the ponytail fern and licorice root do here.

Give this technique a try when planting a pair of window boxes that are placed close together - two front windows, a storefront or on a small deck railing. Mirroring visually connects the design and can be more pleasing to the eye than two identically done boxes in this instance. Don't try it if your boxes are too far apart, though.

Here is my mirror image planting plan for the boxes. No fancy computer work here, I sketch out all my designs by hand at the garden center. That's after I set all the plants on my cart in a pleasing design. I use my often dirt and water-stained plan as a record when I get to the job and start planting. Note that these resin boxes are each about two and half feet in length and 12 inches wide. The planting recipe calls for 12 4" pots per container, but I could have easily squeezed in quite a few more. Because the boxes are quite deep - more than 14 inches - I know these plants will have a lot of room for root growth so I crowded the plants in, but not as much as I might normally do in a smaller container.

Planting Plan: All plants 4" pots

Light: Part sun/part shade

1. Pink upright penta - 1 per box
2. Salvia (annual) - 2 per box
3. Ponytail fern - 1 per box
4. Caladium - 2 per box
5. Persian shield- 1 per box
6. Lime green coleus - 2 per box
7. Licorice root - 1 per box (watch out - these like to take over - don't be afraid to trim!)

Pink and yellow calibrachoa - 2 per box

How do you approach window box planting?