Author’s accessible advice can help create beautiful garden
Some gardens, although filled with pretty flowers and cute accents, fail to make much of an impression.
Others, however — even with many of the same plants and features — immediately elicit oohs and aahs.
These gardens just seem to possess an elusive something that makes them more than a collection of annuals, perennials and decorative doodads.
That magical “something” is what author and garden expert Jan Johnsen demystifies in her new book, “Gardentopia: Design Basics for Creating Beautiful Outdoor Spaces.”
Drawing on decades of experience and an artistic eye, Johnsen shows and tells how and why dozens of design techniques work, and how you — Mr. or Ms. Average Gardener With No Formal Training — can implement them.
Perhaps you’re pondering creating an ornamental border but aren’t sure how to start.
Consider curves, Johnsen suggests. “By laying out a plant bed or walkway in a strong, curving line, you invite people to explore,” she writes.
Or maybe your front entryway is overwhelmingly, well, blah.
Her advice: Add planters with eye-catching flowers; “paint the front door a jazzy color”; and create a wide front walk, with the emphasis on “wide.”
“I chose to write (my book) as a series of basic tips so that you can easily grasp each concept and say, ‘That’s a good idea — I can do that!’ ” she said.
Although some might require professional help or specialized skills (such as building stone steps or walls), many are satisfyingly within reach for the weekend gardener. This is not a coffee-table book whose sprawling landscapes require earth-moving equipment and a large crew.
The book is organized by theme, an approach that helps casual browsers as well as readers seeking to address a specific issue.
Sections include “Garden Design and Artful Accents,” “Walls, Patios, Walks, and Steps” and several others:
• In “Theme Gardens,” she writes that “you can focus on a type of plant, a color, or even an artist.”
For instance, a tropical theme garden, even in a temperate climate such as Ohio’s, can feature canna lily, elephant ears and other exotic-looking specimens.
• In “Color in the Garden,” she suggests painting a gate, door or bridge to match seasonal foliage or flowers.
Consider a red structure to match the autumn hue of a Japanese maple, or a purple bench to pair with springblooming purple irises — spectacular!
• In “Plants and Planting,” she profiles some of her favorites for flowers and foliage, including Russian sage, lamb’s ear and coleus.
A striking and versatile example is ornamental onion, including both fallplanted bulbs and perennials such as Millenium. Alliums produce white or purple orb-shaped flowers sought by pollinators and shunned by deer.
As for the title, “Gardentopia” charmingly combines “garden” with “utopia” and refers to “an outdoor space of serenity and delight,” Johnsen writes.
Whatever your style or level of expertise, she can help you create a gardentopia of your own.
Diana Lockwood, a freelance writer covering gardening topics, posts on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ mrsgardenperson.