How long have you lived in your house?

"How long have you lived in your house?" is the most commonly asked question of people who come into my garden. On Sunday August 2^nd 2009, my answer will be thirty years! I was thirty-one on my first birthday in this house. You are invited to come celebrate my sixty-first birthday and thiry years of living in this house.

People ask me how long I've lived here, because the garden has so much detail -- in plants, sculpture, water features, benches, walls, planters, and paving. While this has all happened in a thirty-year period, the whole rear garden was put in with the studio which was finished in 2005. For example, the long mosaic bench, patio, and flying goddess sculpture were installed in 2007.

With a good blueprint to follow, you'd be surprised at how quickly you can turn your garden into a work of art.

In upcoming blog entries, and in my new book titled Fearless Color Gardens, there are lots of tips on how you can quickly transform your garden.

To make a mosaic-covered bench, first start by making a wood form to pour cement in. Once you have removed the forms, you are ready to mosaic the surfaces. This bench has glass tile mats that are adhered to the cement with thin set.

Flat ceramic tiles were also installed with thin set. After the thin set dried, sanded grout smoothed out the surface. The columner bases were wrapped with the glass tiles and were also grouted. Making the form is the hardest part of this process and you may need to employ a contractor to help you figure that out.

Hope to see you in my garden soon!

Keeyla

Pre-order my new book now!

Hi,

The release date for my new book, FEARLESS COLOR GARDENS -- with 250 gorgeous pictures and many useful tips -- is getting closer.

You can pre-order a copy on Amazon by clicking here.

Happy gardening,

Keeyla

Dancing with Matisse video

Here's a mini video of DANCING WITH MATISSE.

Nasturtium

Not being able to stay in one place, running about the garden, making friends easily, wanting to get into everything at once. Not a mirror, but a nasturtium. I identify with this plant. My mother's mantra to me -- "Can't you ever just sit still?" -- rings in my ears with this plant. My answer to her mantra is: "Definitely no!"

There are so many places to go, people to meet, plants to see. Nasturtiums like me are on the run. Born on Runneymead Street. Run Keeyla Run, Run Nasturtium Run. Fits me!

I think of pulling them out as they pop up in unexpected places but then think again. Maybe a touch of orange, a touch of lion-roar yellow, might be nice here. Let's see what happens.

Here's a beautiful tiger lily crossing paths with nasturtiums in a dance of fiery oranges and reds.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cultural requirements:

Get a seed from a friend, get a seed from a neighborhood walk, or out of a package and just plop it in somewhere. A corner of a pot, among an already orange planting of perennials or grasses.

Or get seeds from a package. Spread them in your lawn! Never did like all this lawn anyway. I've been wanting to put a color garden here for years, days or just got the idea at this very moment. "What happened to the lawn, honey? It's covered by orange flowers?!"

Well, Monet didn't mind having nasturtiums. They challenge his garden's visitors to try to find a footing on pathways. Plants first, please! Go to Giverny with your sketchbook in the late summer or early fall to sketch the scattering habits of nasturtiums.

Sometimes I purchase small starts, especially if they are labeled for definitive shades of fiery reds or icy white to bespeckle leaves or apricot frills. If I'm not looking, you can sneak some of the delightfully "Owl and the Pussy Cat went to sea in a pea-green boat" pea-green seeds into your purse to help nasturtiums be the great travelers that they are.

Happy gardening,

Keeyla