GARDENING: GREEN GARDEN IN PROVENCE & ROCKY MOUNTAIN GARDEN IN UTAH

DAY 2

GREEN GARDENS

Not every garden explodes with a riot of color

some have a quiet beauty all their own in verdant, calming shades of green 

green shrub garden

I recently realized that that among the photos I had collected of gardens I love, there were a lot of gardens created from trees and shrubs - a garden of greens, a palette of textures in every imaginable shade of that color.  I love this type of garden.  It is a calming place to rest the eyes.  I like everything about these gardens from the rounded shrubs, to the ivy climbing the wall of the house bringing height and another dimension to this garden.  The potted shrubs add structure and focal points.

shaped hedges

When I look at a green garden, there is a calmness and serenity.  Maybe that is what I find so attractive - I might just need that in my life...  I learned that this type of garden is actually from the ancient Romans. 

I  also learned, from La Vie en Claire magazine, that there is a true artist creating these gardens in Provence.  Dominique Lafourcade is world renowned for her 'green gardens', creating rich beauty and structure in her native France.  I love her work and I hope you will enjoy it as well in these photos.  She doesn't rely solely on green - she also uses native lavender, roses and other flowers - but the basis and the structure of these gardens and living spaces is created with green shrubs, trees and pots.

dominique lafourcade

Garden lesson:  create places to sit and enjoy your surroundings

potted shaped shrubs

Garden lesson:  shaped boxwoods have a sculptural effect

potted green garden

Garden lesson:  pots allow you to add a garden even where you thought there could be no garden

covered walkway

garden armillary

Garden lesson:  create relief from the bright sun with a shaded pergola or arbor

Garden lesson:  urns can create strategic focal points

garden in provence

Garden lesson:  varying leaf shapes, hues and heights creates visual interest and texture

sculpted hedges, pots and climbing ivies

Garden lesson:  vary heights, shapes and shades of green in the same hedge or area

gravel path to a water feature

Garden lessons:  create hidden rooms in your garden - paths that lead to a fountain, a bench or an urn

chateau's entrance

.

border shrubs punctuated with large pots and planters

Garden lesson:  add vines to cover certain walls, softening them and creating height and drama

Garden lessons:  herbs and vegetables don't need a separate plot - include them in the border

french patio and seating area

Garden lesson:  rounding your shrubs creates softness and informality

straight trimmed hedges create formality

secret garden door

Garden lesson:  add a surprise..... a hidden doorway

garden fountain

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Garden lesson:  add the music of water

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alfresco dining

Garden lesson:  create a space to dine and enjoy the beauty of nature

I hope you have enjoyed exploring these green gardens as much as I.   My sister-in-law, Colleen has a garden with some of the same elements as the green gardens above. 

We visited her garden while in Utah recently:  



COLLEEN'S SALT LAKE GARDEN

cool green canopy

I loved the canopy of tall mature trees

ivied tree trunk

Bailey enjoyed the shade they created near the pool deck.  Notice how the ivy has been allowed to cover the tree trunk - I love that little touch

viburnum

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her viburnum (snowball tree) was dripping with blooms

ivy ground cover

I'm also a fan of the curved pathway and the bed of green ivy

garden cherub

and who can resist the charm of this cherub?

petunia pot

all that green accented with pops of color - like this pot of petunias

Heavenly!



I HOPE YOU ENJOYED TODAY'S LITTLE TOUR

MORE TOMORROW

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