December 2011 – MarvinGardensUSA

Wishing You a Happy New Year from Marvin Gardens!

Over the last year, we have been excited to bring you all of the latest news and trends from Marvin Gardens. From our ever-growing supply of garden accessories, to our custom made landscaping decor, we enjoy sharing our business with each of you!

We would also like to say “Thanks!” to each of our team members, clients, and readers. Working alongside a dedicated team allows us to continue doing what we love.

To celebrate the beginning of the New Year, we also wanted to take a moment to look back on some of our favorite posts from 2011. While you peruse through the links listed below, consider all that 2011 brought with it and join us in welcoming the New Year ahead; we look forward to sharing it with you!

Luxurious Low Maintenance Container Planting at Your Home

Marvin Gardens Awarded Blue Ribbon at Philadelphia Flower Show

Traditional English Landscape at Greenwich’s Old Mill Farm

Summer Croquet in New England

Marvin Garden’s Philosophy

Artistic Impressions Through Creative Expression

From our team to yours, we’d like to wish everyone a safe and Happy New Year!

Image via Ludie Cochrane

Create Your Own Tabletop Garden for 2012

If you’ve spent much time with us here at Marvin Gardens, you know about our passion for bringing new life to old items and traditions. Though each object may begin with one role in your home, there is no reason why that role can’t be expanded and molded into something new over time. That’s why we wanted to share with you the concept of creating your own tabletop garden!

It’s true – gardens are often something we envision for our outdoor spaces or for sunrooms and windowsills, but there is much more that can be done with nature. Taking the colors, shapes, and textures of nature, and forming them into a tabletop garden can bring an inspirational element of nature inside.

Here's an example of one of our succulant and sedum garden arrangements.

What’s even better about using a tabletop garden in your home is that you are able to craft the setting in whatever way you choose. Selecting plants and potting tools that you love will inevitably create a space reflective of your own tastes. For ideas about what you can use in your arrangement, just visit Marvin Gardens on Facebook!

Fill Your Gardens With Winter Blooms

Now that you’ve found all of your fabulous garden decor at Marvin Gardens, it’s time to think about the plants you’ll have in your garden this winter. It’s often assumed that flowers only bloom during the Spring and Summer months and that during the winter, our gardens are left to look dreary and depleted – but this couldn’t be further from the truth!

During the next few months, the most radiant gardens will likely feature some of the plants we have listed below. These flowers are the essential pieces to creating a unique and intriguing winter garden.

The Daphne bholua ‘Jacqueline Postill’

The Pieris japonica

Winter Jasmine

‘Jelena’ Witchhazel

If you haven’t yet, take a moment to “Like” Marvin Gardens on Facebook, as during the approaching weeks we will have many more additions and products to share with you!

Images via HGTV

Finalize Last Minute Gifts at Marvin Gardens!

With the holidays right around the corner, our team at Marvin Gardens has been busy bringing you the finest garden décor and modern accents available. We’ve also enjoyed being out and about in town sharing our favorite pieces with neighbors and local businesses and of course, spending time with each of you!

Hopefully you’ve finished up your holiday shopping and can take the next few days to relax. But if you still have a few last minute gifts to pick up, don’t worry – we have you covered! Our shop will be open until tomorrow, December 23^rd.

We also wanted to take a moment to say “Thanks!” to our amazing clients, readers, and team members for all the support throughout the year. Working with a dedicated team and eager clients makes our job enjoyable and allows us to take our passion for design to an entirely new level.

From our team to yours, we’d like to wish everyone a Happy Holiday!

Image via Alex Marcano

Winter Care Tips for Your Outdoor Plants

wrap a plant in burlap — Caring for you plants now will ensure that during the spring season, you'll have a flourishing garden!

When the holiday season passes, get ready for the true New England winter weather to set in. While we take the steps to keep our homes well-maintained and warm this season, make sure to protect your outdoor plants as well. Last week, we shared with you how to care for your houseplants during winter, but how do you plan to care for your outdoor favorites as well? Fortunately, the process is simple. Just follow these easy winter care tips to keep your plants blooming and brilliant for next spring!

For shrubs or small trees that are newly planted, create a cocoon of course burlap to cover the plant from top to bottom.
If you’re worried about a heavy snow or ice pulling the plant over, add a few tall tomato stakes to help support the plant before wrapping it in burlap.
For most perennials, simply protecting the crown of the plant is sufficient. Using a glass dome accessory called a cloche can be especially helpful for this.

Then, just in time for spring, uncover your plants and ease them out into the fresh, warm air! You’ll be surprised at how impressive the blooms will be and how Old Man Winter couldn’t touch them. For more winter garden inspiration, visit Marvin Gardens on Facebook!

Source and Image via Fine Gardening

Winter Care Tips for Those Houseplants

While we all deserve a much needed break this time of the year, so do our houseplants! Since winter conditions make life much different for even houseplants, they’ll need a little extra attention to stay healthy and growing. During the colder seasons, there is less daylight, lower temperatures, and dryer air, so to keep the growing conditions ideal, pay attention to these areas.

Watering – Always check the plants’ care instructions first and foremost. Then, keep in mind that during the winter, plants typically don’t need quite as much watering.

Fertilization – To encourage active growth for your houseplants, you’ll need to keep them nourished but during the winter, fertilize sparingly. Mainly, focus on fertilizing your plants during the spring and summer.

Keep Everything Clean – Winter is the perfect time to clean your plants. Like anything else in our home, plants also collect dust and need to be cleaned so that they can breathe better!

Caring for your indoor gardens is as important to us as caring for your outdoor gardens. To learn more, be sure to subscribe to the Marvin Garden’s Blog!

Image via A Cup of Jo

Source Garden.org

Bring New Life To Your Winter Landscape

During the dreary winter months, it can be tempting to allow our gardens to retreat into hibernation. With the fall season in decline, along with the season can go the beautiful warm tones and rich colors. Winter doesn’t have to be a colorless season, but rather it can be a time where we strategically take advantage of the colors of the season. Take a look at a few ways that you can bring new life to your winter landscape this year.

Since it can be difficult to find colorful winter flowers, instead use a natural colored container for your greenery. The warm colors will draw attention to the plant and to the focal point where is is placed. It will also play up the colors of the season.

Add depth and vibrant tones to your landscaping by bringing in inanimate but colorful pieces. Furniture, garden accessories, and even rocks will greatly enhance the space.

Plant shrubbery with berries that bloom during the winter for an added seasonal appeal.

Stay tuned to the Marvin Gardens Blog as we continue to explore new ways to design and enhance your home’s landscape!

Images via Marvin Gardens and Campobello Island

A Customized Winter Update

We’re sure you’ve had plenty to keep you busy so far this December. With the approaching events and family occasions, balancing it all while also having your home in holiday condition, can seem like an overwhelming task. The trick to juggling it all at once is to go to the right people and places for outdoor garden inspiration. Since the exterior of our homes offers so much for our guests, passersby, and for our own enjoyment, let’s take a look a few winter decorative elements we’ve been working on here at Marvin Gardens.

A favorite of ours this year has been the private decorating that we’ve been doing at client homes. Though we thoroughly enjoy working at the store, working directly with our clients in their homes gives us an opportunity to explore many more creative outlets. Take a look at some of our current installations. The urns display a variety of wonderful winter scenes perfect for the entire season.

If you haven’t stopped by Marvin Gardens yet, take some time to do so! We’ll be happy to show you our large selection of vintage, antique, and eclectic outdoor items to outfit your home with. If you’re fond of the urns we showed you above, be sure to ask us about our custom painting service that’s available at no additional charge!