Designers in Wilton – Page 2

Espalier: Creating Art With Trees and Shrubs

Espalier, a unique outdoor design idea, can help transform your garden into a work of art. Espalier is the process of training shrubs, bushes, trees, or woody vines to grow against a wall. The process can also work against a fence or a trellis. The end result is beautiful and the process is surprisingly easy.

You should begin by planning the pattern you would like for the growth and then select the location. Make sure to choose a location with a sturdy wall, plenty of room, and adequate light. Determine which plant you are going to espalier by selecting a variety with naturally spreading leaves similar to the pattern you desire. Before you plant, you must prepare the supports by running wires between nails in the wall creating the horizontal lines you desire. Plant a foot in front of the wall, position it so at least two branches run along the wires, and trim back so only two shoots are on each branch. Over time you should remove side shoots and keep branches trimmed to limit the amount of new shoot growth.

To learn more about espalier, or other unique design ideas, contact the professionals at Marvin Gardens.

Plan a Garden Tea Party This Summer

Summer is upon us, bringing beautiful weather to New England. Why not take advantage of the warmer temperatures to create a garden tea party with friends? Here are some ideas to inspire you:

Light afternoon tea: This easy to plan idea takes little effort on your part, as all you will need is traditional English tea and a few light snacks. Let the flowers in your garden provide the decoration.
The fancy tea party: Adorn a small table with bouquets, floral napkins, tiered cake stands, and vintage china for an intimate gathering.
Signature drinks: Use crystal glasses that will sparkle in the sunlight to serve a beverage such as Arnold Palmers. Glasses do not need to match; flea market goblets are a perfect way to add to the charm of the event.
High tea: Host a high tea offering guests a four to five course meal along with a range of teas and condiments.
Mix matched teacups: Gather a selection of vintage teacups and teapots and let everyone have fun choosing theirs.
Themed tea time: Choose a fun tea-related theme, like Alice in Wonderland, and have guests dress the part.

Stop by Marvin Gardens to take a look at our collection of garden accessories to inspire your tea party this summer.

Use Skeleton Keys for an Antique Touch Around Your Home

gardening — Source: Marvin Gardens Facebook

For people who love antique touches in their home and garden, few antiques have the personality and versatility of skeleton keys. These small and beautifully designed trinkets have a wide variety of decorative applications that make them absolutely irresistible to collect. If you want to unlock some antique charm in your home, consider these ideas for decorating with skeleton keys:

Frame skeleton keys to turn them into decorative wall art. You can either hang the keys on the wall and hang an empty frame around them or you could get a shadow box decorated with parchment or scrapbook paper and arrange keys artfully within it. Skeleton keys also display nicely hung on a simple piece of wood or arranged between photos or vintage-style artwork.

In addition to hanging beautifully on a wall, skeleton keys can be arranged with other objects to create a centerpiece for a table. For example, you can tie a few keys around some candles with a pretty ribbon or arrange them on a vintage plate with some flowers or another, larger antique find.

Other great ideas include using skeleton keys in a bouquet or as a way to indicate seating for a dinner party. They can even be hung together in your garden as a fun wind chime.

If you want to get creative with skeleton keys in your home, be sure to stop by Marvin Gardens in Wilton, CT. We have plenty of skeleton keys from which to choose!

Keep Your Plants Healthy and Safe With a Small Garden Greenhouse

Though summers in New England are beautiful, gardening successfully throughout the four seasons has its challenges. If you are ready to take the next step, a small greenhouse will allow you the flexibility and freedom to garden year round.

When designing an outdoor space, a greenhouse design is available for any size space. People have come up with extremely creative greenhouse designs that blend nicely into current landscapes. However, even a small greenhouse can provide you with the means for successful greenhouse gardening.

There are many advantages to using a greenhouse in your garden. By growing fresh vegetables and herbs in seasons other than summer, you can save on grocery expenses. No season gardening means that you control when you want to start or grow plants. In a greenhouse, you can start some plants ahead of time, delay plantings, or even grow plants not normally grown in your area, such as tropical plants.

You can consistently count on good weather in a greenhouse environment. There are no issues with wind, drought, or frost, all things that can damage young plants. Also, a greenhouse serves as good protection against outdoor pests.

Come visit Marvin Gardens and see how we can help you find garden tools, accessories, and decorations to make your garden beautiful, healthy, and easy to care for.

Mention Seeing Our Blog Posts and Get 10% Off Perennials Through Mother’s Day

garden accessories design — Image via Marvin Gardens Facebook

If you are looking for a Mother’s Day gift that will give your mom joy, Marvin Gardens can help you and save you a little money at the same time.

Mention this blog post at checkout and receive 10% off select perennials between now and Mother’s Day!

Perennials make great gifts as they will continue to bloom year after year. They’ll even come back each spring right around Mother’s Day – it’s like the gift that keeps on giving!

If mom is in the process of planning her garden for the season, know that perennials will make an awesome addition to her outdoor space. Why?

There’s a wide variety of perennials out there, each of which bloom in different ways and at different times.
By picking perennials that flower at different times throughout the year you can give the gift of flowers all growing season.
Perennials such as irises grow bigger year to year, the ability to dig them up and separate them means a gift that keeps on giving.
Some perennials have attractive foliage so even when not fully bloomed, they’re still absolutely beautiful!
Mom doesn’t need a large space for a garden. Some perennials can even flourish in pots.

Come on in and visit us at our new Marvin Gardens location. We can help you pick the perfect perennial for your mom.

Mention this blog post at checkout and receive 10% off select perennials between now and Mother’s Day!

Custom Refinishing Offered at Marvin Gardens!

table — Custom refinished furniture is a great way to boost the style and individuality of a space!

The goal in any home design is to create a space as custom and unique as possible. Though it may seem easy, discovering your own personal style amidst the onslaught of generic home products can actually be quite a challenge. At Marvin Gardens, our goal is to bring clients of blend of items from many styles and functions so that you can create a design specific to your tastes. One of the ways we do this is to offer custom refinishing for furniture.

As one of the largest design elements in your indoor and outdoor space, furniture is certainly something that should close care should be dedicated to. Furniture welcomes you to a space and then makes the space more comfortable while you’re there – this is how refinishing comes into play.

To accent your style, we can refinish your furniture in whatever way you choose, creating a truly exceptional look that won’t be replicated anywhere. To learn more about these services and more, just contact Marvin Gardens by calling 203.544.2020!

The Lavish Look of a Garden Trellis

Tapping into your creative juices can come more easily for some than others. Since a landscape design reflects the style and aesthetic of those who dwell in it, sometimes gathering a little inspiration for your home is the best place to start.

One of the ways we have seen creativity flourish is through the use of our beautiful trellises. In garden design, there is a host of ways that trellises can be used to amplify the lavish look of the garden. Since garden trellises are a product that we enjoy bringing to our clients, we thought we would gather up some of our favorite ways to display the beautiful feature.

Did you notice all the different ways to display a trellis? Installing a garden trellis opens up a world of possibilities for your landscape and adds character to the area by allowing plants to continue to thrive.

In what other ways have you been creative in your garden lately? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below!

Images via Sunset (1), ApartmentTherapy (2), BHG (3-4)

Everything You Need to Know About the Philadelphia Flower Show

It’s finally time! We have been sharing with you our excitement for the Philadelphia Flower Show for months now, and this weekend marks the opening weekend of the phenomenal show. As you can imagine, Marvin Gardens has been busy getting ready for the show, bringing in new merchandise and setting up our space at Booth #301.

If you haven’t had a chance yet to research the event and purchase tickets, we wanted to make sure you have all the information you need. The Show will run from March 4^th through March 11^th and will be held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center (12^th & Arch Streets, Philadelphia, PA 19107-2299). Tickets may be purchased online and there’s also a floorplan available that you can use to find us! There will be dozens of special surprises as well, like a special “Man Cave” for guests who need to relax for a bit.

Visiting the Philadelphia Flower Show has always been a wonderful experience for us and we look forward to seeing each of you at the event as well!

You'll find garden inspiration at every corner at this year's Philadelphia International Flower Show!

Image via M T Miller

A Fanciful Find – The European Factory Mirror

Today we are excited to share with you yet another special find that our team at Marvin Gardens has just acquired. Arriving soon, this impressive European Factory Mirror is just what we’ve been looking for, for our vast garden collections.

The design possibilities for a garden accessory of this nature are endless. We all know that with an interior space, a mirror helps to open up a space, making the room seem larger and more grand – so what better area to recreate the same ambiance than in the garden, where the more openness, the better!

The size of the mirror is just remarkable. Standing 7.5’ high and 5’ wide, the grandness of the piece creates a bold statement. Built during the early 1900’s, the mirror also offers us a glimpse into the architecture and designs of the time over a century ago. The piece is absolutely stunning and we look forward to sharing it with you all! Stop by the Marvin Gardens shop soon to view the stunner.

Boasting Architectural Individuality in Your Garden

Recently, we illustrated to you some of the bold looks that can be achieved through the use of wrought iron products in your garden. Similarly, we have come across some equally as beautiful, large architectural elements that can be used in landscape design that will not only enhance the style of your exterior, but often have a fascinating story to tell as well.

When we come across these unique garden elements, their size, history, and potential, constantly surprise us. Often using these items in a completely different way, we can achieve an innovative design that stresses individuality and is far from the “mass replication” that we see so often in larger companies. This passion of ours can be seen easily by viewing some of our past products below.

Large Teak Root Ball

Garden Cloche

Hand Hewn Antique Beams

Iron Sculpture made from Reclaimed Agricultural Elements

To see more of our architectural garden elements, just stop by Marvin Gardens.