MUG | Mike's Urban Garden | MUG: July 2012

July 21, 2012

Glen Park Entry Garden

I ran across this perfect succulent garden on my way to a birthday party in Glen Park. The colors are amazing and the textures are flawless. Not to mention each plant was a true specimen. Kudos to the owner, design and installer, whomever they may be.

July 19, 2012

London, England heading back home

Back in London after circumnavigating the sphere of London.

July 14, 2012

Hedges

Before this trip to England in 2012, I didn't have much to say about hedges other than banality. There are a few things I retained from this experience and to have fun with hedges is one of those ideas. The gardens at Hidcote pushed my edge. In the top photo we see two different plants hedge into a single plane. I think those are Yews with a Boxwood silhouette.

Astonishing. (If you haven't noticed, this trip has also made me learn more superlatives.)

One comprised of deciduous Copper Beech and evergreen Holly.

My path

Garden Fluffer, Personal Gardener, Fine Gardening, Market Gardener these are some of the names I have toyed with as my official title or job description. Most would classify me as a maintenance gardener. But i do things much different than your basic gardening crew. It is all about the process or procedures that I use to make my green spaces.

Simple things, done well. A gardener’s influence on a space is through control. Pruning, thinning, dividing and moving plants around to create an authentic natural look. But this is far from Nature. Step lightly and preen like a large herbivore. Leave all clippings around its source to replenish and shade the soil, creating a good environment for seeds to germinate. Only remove weed seed heads, diseased material and anything sharp like rose thorns, all other green material is made into compost either in a formal pile or as a light mulch. Nothing looks more authentic than a plant mulched with it’s own leaves and twigs. That is my gardening process. Simply well.

This is on top of picking the right plant in the right place. When I am looking to fill a void, no matter if it’s an annual or perennial, tree or shrub, evergreen or deciduous; I start with California and Western US native plants. If nothing fits my requirements (exposure, water, form and floral timing, client preferences) then I look at plants from the other Mediterranean regions of the world.

This blog is my chance to show my work and those things that inspire and influence.