Stop & Go

I just snagged this pic from a friend's Facebook post. I'm thinking we should try this in Wedgwood. 

Winter Beauty

Garden design rule number one: design a garden that has interest in all four seasons. Mission accomplished.
~ Rebecca

A Shrine for St. Nick

Yesterday I was doing some long overdue yard clean-up and I was, once again, struck by how beautiful the yard clippings were. I decided to celebrate what would normally go in the yard waste bin and start a new Christmas decor tradition, The St. Nicholas Shrine. Here are my shrine "rules": 1. Only natural objects(okay that tree is in a plastic pot and I threw-in some old red ribbon, but that's it). 2. Don't fuss(too much) over placement; once you've put the offering down, that's it, no messing. 3. Encourage family participation. 4. With each offering, thank St. Nick. He was a pretty generous guy and, he's a saint.
5. If you build a shrine, tell me about it and I'll come visit you and make an offering. That's it.
~Rebecca

Great Plant Combo

Sumac with an understory of swords ferns and bergenia...great winter plant combination for sure.
~ Rebecca

Roosevelt Vision Source, Exterior Paint Colors

I had the great pleasure of picking the colors for this business. It used to be a beige mass hidden behind some trees.. I chose some C2 Paint colors and am very happy with the results.. Robin Daly even put it on her blog, Thanks Robin!
If your business or home needs some updating.. give me a call.~ Anne

Backyard Pavilion 10x10x10'

Hey Seattle-ites, I just came across this awesome outdoor, rainproof pavilion for your backyard. What are we waiting for? Doesn't it look like an instant party, even if it's pouring rain?

Brick House / Purple Trim

On a rare occasion, the right purple makes a lot of sense on an exterior, just sayin.

AFTER

AFTER

BEFORE!

BEFORE!

More Collections

I took these pictures last week before Anne started blogging about collectables. A birdhouse collection, what a great idea.--R

Forest in the front yard

Mike and Robin wanted a forest in their front yard (love that) so we suggested Jaquemonti Birch trees with an understory of rhodys, ornamental grasses, perennials, and ground covers. Look mom...no grass!!

The BEST tree care and yard care

Confession--I, Rebecca Dietz landscape designer, call these people to work in my yard:  

Tree Care: slam dunk, City Foresters
Garden and Lawn Care: In Harmony (totally organic, totally the best)

I love concrete!!

Who doesn't love concrete? My hands-down favorite concrete guy is Tom Smith and his team at  A-1 Northwest Partners. They are on time, on budget, know what they are doing, are creative problem solvers, and they are fun to work with. That's as good as it gets.--R

Giver's Gain.

I'm going to follow Anne's lead this week and share my favorite places to buy materials and the names of my favorite builders and craftspeople.

Today it's all about stone. I've got two favorite stone masons to tell you about. The first, Greg Marris @ 206-795-5315, is a true artist and a pleasant guy to have hanging around your house. He listens to the stone and builds the best blue-stone patio in town (see photo). The second, Nigel O, is your man for walls and big projects. He has a great team working for him and he wears a utilikilt--and looks good in it!

Both of these guys will buy your stone for you, but you may want to look at all of your choices first. Take a day trip to Marenakos and get acquainted with stone. Bring your camera and take pics of your favorite choices or just pick up some samples and live with them for awhile. The stone will start talking to you.--R

Lovely stone wall. Laurelhurst.

Dietz Design. STAT landscaping job.

A few months ago I got a call from a couple. "We are having a baby shower at our home in two weeks and the entryway is a post-remodel pile of dirt...Help!"  Dietz Design to the rescue.  Here's what we did: Day 1: Thanked God that the husband was doing a bunch of the labor, also convinced him to call some stone guys and have them install the patio.  Day 2: Took wife to the retail plant store and figured out her plant palette on the spot, had clients select pots they liked online. Day 3: Picked up pots, told husband to purchase topsoil and prep the planting beds. Days 4 and 5: Patio installed.  Day 6: Planted small garden and several pots. Two days later--the party.  "911" landscaping-- I love it.  Rebecca

Great back yard. Wedgwood.

Hey Balch home owners of Wedgwood here's an idea: Don't build a huge deck off of your dining room and block out all the light to your first floor. Instead build a beautiful staircase off of your kitchen that connects the two levels of your home to your yard--genius! Rebecca

Lawn Ornaments: Stained Glass Window

I think this qualifies as a found object. --R























p.s. Here is a link to a spinner store online. I received it from a well done follower this week.
http://www.ironstopwindspinners.com/

Lawn Ornaments: Day 4

Perfection--R

Lawn Ornaments: Day 3

Okay, WoW!  I find the greatest places on my walks in the neighborhood.This yard has it all: found objects, statuary,whirlygigs, mosaics, and I think I saw a birdbath in there too. --R

Lawn Ornaments: For the Birds

Confession, I have a "thing" for pink Flamingos. They are perhaps my favorite lawn ornament. I love how my neighbor paired ms. Flamingo with an eclectic duck family that changes its formation on a daily basis. I walk by this property on a regular basis and I am always eager to see what the birds are up to.--R

A Glossary of Common and Not so Common Lawn Ornaments

This week on the blog, lawn ornaments.  Let's start with a quick review of the common and not so common objects used for lawn ornamentation.--R

• Bird bath: A structure designed to hold water for birds to bathe in or drink.
• Bird feeder: stake, post, or column mounted types.
• Nest box: Bird House--A small house for a bird normally made of wood and on a stake.
• Bathtub Madonna: (my personal favorite): A statue of Mary, the mother of Jesus, placed in a bathtub half buried under the ground. Statues of Mary are most often made of white concrete but are sometimes painted with a blue garment.
• Garden gnome: A small, generally colorful gnome statuette.
• Lawn jockey: An often diminutive statuette of a black horse attendant dressed in slave clothing, also called a Jocko. Groomsmen were often used as hitching posts. The "Cavalier" variation typically depicts a white figure.
• Human Form:  Examples of human form lawn ornaments include the lawn jockey and groomsman. Examples of two dimensional human form lawn ornaments include renditions of Amish and Pennsylvania Dutch people. A variation of the Pennsylvania Dutch human form is a depiction of an older female bending over a garden revealing her undergarments.
• Yard globe: A light-reflective sphere, as large as 16" in diameter and generally displayed on top of a support structure. Also called Gazing balls.
• Animal forms: Popular animal statues such as frogs, turtles, rabbits, or ducks cast in plastic or cement.
• Plastic flamingo: (another favorite) A generally life-size replica of a pink flamingo. According to some, the origin of the plastic flamingo was in 1946 with the company Union Products in its "Plastics for the Lawn" product line. Their collection included dogs, ducks, frogs, and a flamingo.
• Whirligig: An often animalistic sculpture characterized by at least one rotating member often designed to appear as a body-part of the sculpture.
• Spinners: Usually shaped like flowers with petals that spin in the wind. Variations include birds or insects with spinning wings.
• Jigglers: Plastic or metal flowers, birds, and insects fitted on spring loaded stakes so that they jiggle when the wind blows.
• Francis of Assisi: A saint associated with nature and animals.
• Lighthouses: Small-scale representations of local lighthouses are popular in coastal areas.
• Topiary: Shrubs that are sculpted to look like birds, planes, superman, you name it.
• Statuary: Concrete or stone statues of gods, goddesses, and people.
• Found art: Recycled found objects. Can include toilet seats, farm equipment, anything!
• Archeological finds: This includes half buried pots and objects that look as if they were just pulled out of the ground.