Two friends, Rebecca Sweet and Susan Morrison, have teamed up to create a fun new gardening book, Garden Up!: Smart Vertical Gardening for Small and Large Spaces
Susan and Rebecca take this concept to a whole new level with vertical plantings, vines, living walls, and other methods to raise your garden awareness.
I’m excited the first chapter was all about outdoor trellises and arbors. I have five arbors in my back garden, and I’m considering building another one to lead into the potager. If so, I’ll need to get Bill on board. Perhaps, I should show him their book? There is good information on where to place these beauties and how to incorporate them into garden design where they will best show off their visual appeal.
With pictures and their clear writing, they explain and solve design problems like screening an unattractive view (of a neighbor’s property perhaps?). Dealing with that skinny space next to most suburban homes where nothing, but a vine will grow. Focal points are shown and explained. I found one photo especially cute. It appears to be a variegated ivy wall, with accents of vintage watering cans. So cute.
I also enjoyed the use of color within the book to highlight an area, or to draw the eye away from an eyesore. I do love color.
Large, vertical pots with tall slim trees are another way to garden up. When you live in an urban space, you need to use every liveable space you have to make your garden, and Susan and Rebecca have plenty of ideas. I loved the DIY projects, and I’m inspired by the succulent wall art. In fact, I think I’ll make a succulent wreath and write about it for Lowe’s.
For those who don’t have in-ground veggie garden space, a pocketed wall of vegetables is another project. I can also see this as an herb garden right outside the kitchen. Just snip off a bit of rosemary and make something good even better. You may have watched Jamie Durie’s new season of The Outdoor Room, and if so, you’ve seen vertical walls on several shows made with Woolly Pockets. One thing I always wondered about Woolly Pockets is how I would keep them watered in a hot and dry landscape like Oklahoma. I’d definitely need a drip irrigation system to run behind the pockets, and I’d want them in a lighter color than black. Uh oh, I can see another project coming on.
As you can see, this book, like its creators, is full of inspiration and fun, fun, fun.
This is such a timely topic! More and more people are gardening on small spaces. (Me, for instance.) Thanks for the review.; I hadn’t known about the book before.
–Kate
Great review, Dee. Actually just ordered it! Oh happy Spring, dear friend … it found me 🙂
Thanks Joey. I’m so glad spring has found your corner of the world again. It makes my heart sing to hear it.
I’ve seen “Living Walls” that Kathy Spencer creates for Living Green Solutions in Eagle, ID. http://www.livinggreensolutionsinc.com/portfolio.shtml She is supposed to be opening a retail store soon at that little mall on the corner of Chinden and Eagle…I’m anxious to see what she will have to offer.
Belladonna, sometimes, I wish I could visit every single place where spring has sprung. I hope to see your living walls one day at least on your blog.
GORGEOUS! I’m pretty intrigued by wooly pockets too. Def going to pick up Rebecca and Susan’s book! Love vertical gardening 😀
Btw Dee, have you heard about Yes to Carrots Seed Fund? Stumbled across it while I was at Whole Foods. I guess they teamed up and they’re giving away grants to help schools build gardens! Love it!
Thank you so much Charisse. I’ve thought a lot about wooly pockets in my environment. Cool about the Carrots Seed Fund. I know Fiskars also does Project Orange Thumb every year to promote gardening for non-profit organizations like schools too. It is wonderful.
Yes! I’ve heard about Fiskars too 😀 Wonderful that these brands are doing good (esp about gardening!) Going to help my son apply for the Seed Fund grant. So important for kids to learn where their food comes from!
Amen to that!
This sounds like such a good book! I’ve read nothing but positive reviews. Gardening upward is something I really need to enhance around here.
It is a good book and deals with a topic which often only gets lip service in more traditional gardener books. Thanks so much for stopping by.
What a lovely view of your garden. I need this book because we could really use more arbors here.
Thank you so much Sweetbay. The book has so many different ways to garden vertically. Lots of good design ideas in there.
A friend of mine got some wooly pockets. Interesting things. I loved the book. It is chocked full of ideas.
Lisa, I guess I’d test some, but they are quite the investment, and I always want more plants. 🙂
Dee, I’m so pleased you’re enjoying the book! And particularly happy you’ve found the first chapter on arbors and trellises to be useful. Some of the other chapters like Garden Secrets and Living Walls are much flashier and are garnering a lot of attention, but we really enjoyed writing about arbors as it gave us the opportunity to share our design perspectives on one of the most popular garden features around. But I guess I’m preaching to the choir on that one. FIVE? Really? 🙂
Yes, I really have five which is a bit of overkill, but when you grow so many climbing roses, you must have many places. 🙂
Dee, your garden is so welcoming, what a wonderful photo. And you’re right, Rebecca and Susan’s book is filled with amazing photographs that lead us all to inspiration for our own garden spaces. My list ‘of must do’s’ is growing…
Thank you so much Sheila for stopping by. It is a wonderful book I think. My to-do list is horrible this time of year.
Oh Dee, what a lovely, lovely review! I’m so glad you’re enjoying reading our book, and am especially happy you like our chapter on Trellises and Arbors. As designers, that was a fun chapter for us to write! You obviously know what you’re doing in your beautiful garden – your arbors are gorgeous (as are your blue chairs!!). Hope to one day sit in one of those chairs with you in person, perhaps drinking a cup of your famous Londonderry tea!! 🙂
Rebecca, I’m glad you liked the review. Thanks for the kinds words about my garden. I do love it so, and would love to have you over. Let me know if you ever get to Oklahoma.
Hello dear Dee,
Yes, this is a fun and informative (and lovely) book. I am enjoying not only reading it, but going back and perusing certain things over and over.
YOUR BLLUE CHAIRS! Wow, they look fabulous out there in your wonderland garden. I love the photo.
Big hug to you my dear friend,
Sharon
Thanks so much Sharon. I’m glad you like them. I just painted them blue last year. Many hugs to you too.
Dee, More verticals are needed in my garden! I may have to get this book to get more ideas~Your summer garden looks lovely and I think the blue chairs are a wonderful focal point. gail
Gail, you have some verticality with your purple tuteurs. They are such a great design accent in your garden and inspired my French Blue chairs. 🙂
Dee,
Which is more lovely in your yard, the multi-stemmed trees or the French blue chairs? I will definitely look for Rebecca and Susan’s book.
Thank you Jackie! Those multi-stemmed trees are a crapemyrtle on the right and a climbing rose on an arbor at left. It’s fun to watch a garden mature.