Ideas for Natural Barriers in Your Garden Design

Plants, shrubs and trees are beautiful in and of themselves, but they also make wonderful screens for creating even better spaces in your backyard. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

  • Define a Space – The savvy use of a combination of plants, shrubs and trees can create anything from a cozy, shaded nook for relaxing to a large, dedicated space for entertaining.
  • Add Some Privacy – Given time, most trees or hedges will completely obstruct the view from your yard to the street and vice versa. The key to getting it done in a resonable time is to use foliage that meets your needs in terms of density and speed of growth.
  • Eliminate an Eyesore – Another great use of natural barriers is to hide the necessary but unsightly equipment needed to run a modern home. You can use small shrubs around HVAC units and pool pumps but keep them well away from the equipment.
Traditional Landscape by Maine Landscapers via Houzz

For more specific recommendations on natural plant barriers and other creative garden design ideas, please contact us at Marvin Gardens.

Create a Garden That Connects Your Interior Design to Your Yard

One thing that homeowners don’t always consider when it comes to their garden design is how it will connect with their interior design. The following are a few ways that you can help create a more balanced home design by visually connecting your garden and your interior design together:

  • custom garden design
    Source: Marvin Gardens Facebook

    Color – Make the colors of your garden design compliment those of your interior design. For example, if your interior color scheme is more on the neutral side of things, add soft yellow or purple flowers and plants to your landscape. If your home’s colors are bolder, then use bolder colored landscape elements.

  • Architectural features – Consider the best architectural feature of your home, then make it stand out. You can do this by clearing the space around it or by repeating its color or shape.
  • Style – Different architectural styles will work better with different landscape features. For example, a Victorian style home will look fantastic with boxwood hedges, while open lawn areas and picket fences tend to work better for traditional Colonial style homes.

Use these tips to connect your garden design to your interior. Be sure to contact us at Marvin Gardens for all of your garden needs.

A Piece to Peak Your Interest

strong man with ice cream
This strong man with ice cream is a fantastic example of adding a touch of flair to a space.

In any home design there should be at least one element that boasts unexpected, yet interesting qualities. A space that has an extra design element, a bold color, or a unique feature, tends to be remarkable and memorable. On the contrary, spaces that have nothing unique to offer tend to end up looking generic and undistinguished. That’s why at Marvin Gardens, we feel that a piece to peak your interest has become a necessity for any design scheme!

After looking through our gallery of inventory (which is always changing) you might have noticed that many of our garden and interior accessories are one of a kind. In offering products that are visually interesting, we help our customers achieve a distinctive look for their home that won’t be replicated anywhere else.

As you look through the garden and home accessories on our Facebook page, can you think of any pieces in your own home that showcase creative qualities? We would love to hear about them!

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!

Design Your Own Garden Oasis, Year Round

In the harsh winters of the northeast, the challenge of creating a year round garden seems out of the question. But imagine designing your own lush paradise, full of the unique and exquisite plants that you admire. Fortunately, there are ways to keep this environment accessible all the time, with a clever greenhouse.

For decades, master architects and garden enthusiasts have designed greenhouses that ensure a thriving garden throughout the year. Take a look at some of these inspiring greenhouses from all over the world.

greenhouse

Built by ON Design Partners, this Japanese greenhouse provides access to lively plants and fresh vegetables (used for local restaurants) in the middle of a busy city.

 greenhouse

This contemporary greenhouse, designed by Gora Art & Landscape is situated in a Sweden courtyard.

Some additional stunning greenhouse designs.

 greenhouse

greenhouse

greenhouse

Designing a greenhouse is something that can be done in virtually any space. Even with just a few square feet and sunlight, a remarkable greenhouse can be created to keep you connected with nature all year round. Next, we’ll share more with you about how to create your very own greenhouse.

What do you think of these greenhouses?

Images via Garden Design (1-2), Etsy (3), EcoFriend ( 45

Highlight Your Plants With Exclusive Garden Accessories!

bird
You never know what unique finds you'll discover at Marvin Gardens!

Though the winter months here in the northeast can seem long and dreary, we enjoy the season because it allows us to revamp and build anticipation for all that we’re planning for the year ahead! The Marvin Gardens style, as many of you know, is not something that can be found in traditional garden stores or volume dealers, but rather, it is a style of collections and personal embellishments that make your landscape much more exclusive.

In our preparation for the year ahead, we are once again bringing you the fantastic re-purposed industrial bins and agriculture containers that we are famous for. We’re proud to bring these back because of the way that clean lines enhance the free form and loose structure of live plant material in the garden – a brilliant way to highlight your plants!

Using the look of our products creates a style and a scene that truly sets your landscape apart from others. To guarantee that you’ll have a garden worth bragging about, view more of our products by looking through our pictures on the Marvin Gardens Facebook Page!

What’s New At Marvin Gardens for 2012?

snow covering Marvin Gardens
After all of our garden accessories have thawed out, be ready to stop by for a visit!

With all this time away from Marvin Gardens, you might be wondering what we have been up to. As we shared with you a few weeks ago, preparing for the Philadelphia Flower Show has certainly been one of our top missions this winter, but we have also been preparing to bring you some new items for your landscape this year! Here’s a peak at some of our favorites.

As we begin to unveil our new pieces for this year, we wanted to share the items with our Marvin Gardens Blog readers first! This year, you can look forward to our new wrought iron columns, along with the trellises and arbors that we’ve brought back into the inventory. We will also be offering our custom services to create custom-designed iron pergolas. As always, we will be providing you with the pieces that bring distinction and character to your garden, while also adding a bit of fun to the scene. Are there any pieces that you are planning to add to your gardens this year?

The selection here at Marvin Gardens is second to none in the area. Later this week, we’ll share with you a few more additions that you can look forward to seeing at our shop!

Don’t Forget to Plan for the Garden Essentials!

garden sculptures
Do you have any ideas about what unique pieces you might like to add to your garden this year?

Have you begun planning for your spring garden yet? Though it certainly doesn’t feel like spring temperatures, the season will be here before you know it! This time of the year is always an exciting for us here at Marvin Gardens because of the upcoming garden shows as well as the approaching warmer season. For our readers, it also means that it’s time to start planning for your own spring landscape additions! Planning for you garden isn’t at all a chore, it’s something to look forward to.

First, begin with the basic garden essentials. Of course this year at Marvin Gardens, we will continue to bring you beautiful, large art forms to provide your garden with its staple elements. We will also continue to bring you our classic and traditional cast iron urns and statuary. These crucial pieces provide you with the building blocks for creating any dream garden, whether it be formal, country, eclectic, or contemporary in style.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing more with you about the unique and vintage garden accessories we’ll be bringing you soon! And as we mentioned, take this time to consider how you make your landscape more interesting and dynamic. Feel free to visit Marvin Gardens on Facebook for a little inspiration while planning!

Looking Forward to the Philadelphia Garden Show!

Philadelphia Flower Show 2008
Every year, the Philadelphia Flower Show is highlighted with a specific theme. In the image above, 2008 was the year to "Jazz it Up!"

With 2012 well underway, here at Marvin Gardens we have been busy getting ready for the year ahead! Though there will be many new products, displays, and projects you’ll find at our shop this year, right now we’re excited to be gearing up for the annual Philadelphia International Flower Show. You might recall that last year, Marvin Gardens was honored as a prestigious Blue Ribbon Winner!

Each year, designers and talented gardeners travel from all over the world come to the show to display their fine items and plants, and with a Hawaiian theme for this year, we can’t wait to see what’s in store.

Marvin Gardens will also be proudly exhibiting some of our interesting and new garden products. We especially look forward to finding new, creative ways to incorporate our unique garden style into a Hawaiin theme – the ideas are already pouring in! This year’s show will begin on March 4 and continue through March 11, so be sure to mark your calendars.

Also remember to keep in mind that this month, Marvin Gardens will be closed until January 18th but we are still gladly accepting private appointments and you might even be able to catch Amabel at the shop if you time it right! In the meantime, stop by our Facebook page to share with us what you are looking forward to during 2012!

 

Image via knightp

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!

2012

Image via Ludie Cochrane