Tag: garden

Bid Farewell to Summer With a Stroll Through an English Garden

This Friday is the first official day of Autumn, and to celebrate the end of summer, we thought we you would take a stroll through this beautiful English Garden.   The Traditional English Garden was featured in the recent Veranda Magazine.  Connecticut Landscape Designer, James Doyle, converted the grounds surround the tutor house into a delightful English escape filled with herbaceous borders, rose garden, folly, maze, parterre, topiaries and water features.

The home is surrounded by formal and intimate garden rooms  as well as greenhouses that were designed to house annuals, perennials and biennials such as Lupinus ‘Russell Hybrid.’ The greenhouses will also shelter the gardens tropical flowers and plants during the winter months.

Take a look at the gorgeous  garden:

See the Veranda Magazine online to view more photos of the Old Mill Farm’s Traditional English Garden.

What do you think about the English Garden?

Preparing Container Plants for Winter

Now that September is here, it’s time again to start preparing our gardens for winter; this includes moving outdoor container plants indoors for the chilly season. While preparing to bring in the container plant, it is critical to make sure your plants are not bringing in any unvisited guests. Outdoors can carry pests and diseases that spread through indoor plants faster than outdoor plants, so don’t convince yourself that you’ll quarantine the plant will treat the problem.  The good news is that plants can be easily treatd for pests with natural home remedies.

The simplest way to fill a basin or water with a natural, non-detergent liquid soap, then take the potted plant and fully immerse it into the soapy water.  You can leave the plant sitting in the water for up to 3 hours, the soapy solution should force any bugs living out of the soil.  Don’t worry this solutions is actually quite good for the plants roots and will the roots nicely hydrated.

Now all you have left is to clean the lefts and flowers; using the same soap solution, mist the plants (you can purchase a new spray bottle from the local dollar or grocery store, but recycling an old spray bottle will just fine too).

Now that you have treated your container plants, you are safe to bring them indoors without fear of bringing any pests as well.

 

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3 Reasons to Plant Mountain Laurels in Your Garden this Summer

If you want your garden to look amazing, why not incorporate the Mountain Laurel?  Not only is it a good addition to the garden, but they are also abundant in Connecticut. Here are 3 reasons why Marvin Gardens recommends planting Mountain Laurels in your garden this summer.

Pink flowers
Adding pink and white blossoms can be a great addition to any summer garden.

1. Its beauty- The Mountain Laurel is the most beautiful of Native American shrubs. It has white and pink blossoms. This can create a great contrast  if you have planted darker plants. This shrub will catch the attention of anyone who walks past your garden.

2. Its fragrance- Not only is this plant pleasant to look at, but it is also pleasant to smell. These plants give off an amazing fragrance that  help your garden appeal to the senses. Most gardens are only appreciated for their beauty. However, with a few of these in your garden, it will be appreciated for its warm and welcoming fragrance.

3. Its the state flower- There’s a reason that the Mountain Laurel is the state flower. They are amazing shrubs that bring life to your garden. Also, it shows that you take pride in your state and appreciate the beauty that grows there.

Why not  plant some of these wonderful shrubs today?

Innovative Reclaimed Garden Orbs

Have you seen the orb sculptures available through Marvin Gardens? Not only are they beautiful, but they’re also green, as they’re made from recycled agricultural parts. An artist makes these sculptures as unique pieces in various interesting shapes, and the inside can even be painted a different color for extra flair.

The orbs’ diameters range between two and four feet, so they can be a great detail in your garden. In fact, we were excited to see New England Home magazine recently featured the recycled garden accessory in their E-newsletter.
Wouldn’t you love to add one of these sustainable beauties to your garden? Contact Marvin Gardens in Wilton, Connecticut, at 203-544-2020 to learn how you can bring one home with you.

And for all our updates on design and gardening tips and trends, find Marvin Gardens on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @MarvinGardensCT.

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Make Walls Come Alive with Urban Metallic Wallpaper

When it comes to wallpaper, there’s an infinite supply of patterns, colors and textures to choose from. This new Urban Metallic collection by Carnegie Fabrics can now be added to the list. We found these wall coverings on Design Milk.

The Midas pattern is sure to add sparkle to any space. At first glance, this pattern would be fitting in either a bathroom or a dining room that often accomodates lots of guests.

Midas wallpaper pattern
Photo Credit: Design Milk

This deeper, more serious bubble pattern is known as Helics. The darkness of this print is appropriate for a quiet room like an office. It might also work for a dining area where quiet meals are held.

Helics wallpaper pattern
Photo Credit: Design MilkThe Glint pattern, a wall of endless colorful stripes, gives off a light, happy aura. This is perfect for a kitchen. Photo Credit: Design Milk

Which of these three wallpaper patterns do you like the most? Leave a comment and let us know!

The Comeback of Chesterfield Sofas

The term chesterfield means couch or sofa in Canadian. Over in Europe a Chesterfield is identified by a plethora of buttons and a low back. The great thing about a Chesterfield sofa is that whether you dress it up or down, it’s going to look fabulous. Period. Take a look at what we found on the Belle Maison blog.

In a goldenrod shade of yellow, this butter soft leather Chesterfield can fit into a feminine or masculine setting.

Sofa
Photo Credit: Belle Maison

This black Chesterfield boasts feminine flair as it’s dressed up with a mini coffee table and a rug.

Sofa
Photo Credit: Belle Maison

It doesn’t get much better than this. A golden and velvety Chesterfield against a bright plum backdrop.

Sofa
Photo Credit: Belle Maison

Turquoise Chesterfields surrounded by polished wooden walls creates a formal yet stylish setting.

Sofa
Photo Credit: Belle Maison

A plush white Chesterfield adorned with touches of navy and midnight blues is ultra chic.

Sofa
Photo Credit: Belle Maison

What do you think of the Chesterfield style? Leave a comment and let us know!

A Closer Look at the Darien Estate

If you’re interested in amassing a collection of objects for your home that conveys a strong sense of individuality and energy, you’ve found your creative partner in Marvin Gardens! Contact us today to learn more about how we can assist with your next design project. In the meantime, take a closer look at one of the residence we recently helped seasonally decorate!

Photo Credit: Marvin Gardens

5 Festive Winter Plants

Contrary to popular belief, it’s very possible to have a beautiful and healthy garden in the winter time. There are a wide variety of plants that can be grown successfully during the cooler months and with a little bit of know-how and some TLC, they can thrive wonderfully into the spring and even the summer of the following year.

At Marvin Gardens, one of our favorite winter plants has always been the Poinsettia with the whimsical Christmas Cactus not too far behind. They both add such a festive touch of cheer to any yard and also liven up interiors just as nicely!

A few others include:

Skimmia x confusa Kew Green: Shiny green leaves with fragrant greenish-yellow flowers. great for under trees in partial shade, drought tolerant.

Choisya ternata Sundance: A rounded dense shrub, evergreen with bright yellow-green glossy leaves. Scented white star shaped flowers in clusters in late spring.

Helleborus niger ‘Christmas rose: Clustered light green flowers on strong stems, forms bold clumps of deeply divided evergreen foliage.

Contact Marvin Gardens today to learn more about how we can help with your holiday decorating!