Archive for the ‘Books’ Category
Books Review: Bringing Nature Home/ Flowers Every Day
Thursday, April 26th, 2012
Bringing Nature Home, by Ngoc Minh Ngo (Rizzoli)
Bringing Nature Home is the newest photography book from the interiors and garden photographer Ngo Minh Ngo. Her love for seasonal nature, blossoming plants and home interiors are the inspiration for this beautiful book. She teamed up with Nicolette Owen of Brooklyn’s Little Flower School to put together a tableaux of styling and plant imagery. Both wanted to present an alternative to the usual floristry and that is in line with the “back to nature” movement. This is the first volume to showcase how to be inspired by nature’s seasonal bounty and bring that nature into the home through floral arrangements.
The photography is simply beautiful, showcasing both the lush flowers and the interiors.
It’s a welcome addition to our coffee table, and you can buy the book through Amazon.
Flowers Every Day by Paula Pryke (Jacqui Small)
The florist Paula Pryke is acclaimed for creating innovative and bold floral designs for memorable events and special occasions. In this book, she demonstrates how the same ideas and techniques she uses for grand floral objets d’art can be applied to create easy, inexpensive, and modern floral arrangements to decorate the home. It is is full of tips to help you fill your home with flowers every day all year round.
Whilst not as wistful as Bringing Nature Home, Pryke has created a wonderfully easy to read and practical book for budding florists. The ideas are simple and effective. The photography is by Rachel Whiting, and the arrangements throughout the book look beautiful. You can buy the book through Amazon.
New book: Painterly Plants by Clare Foster
Tuesday, March 27th, 2012
Image: Painterly Plants
We heard about the recent publication of a beautiful new book detailing the relationship between horticulture and art. It’s a feast for the eyes and celebrates the artistry of fourteen exquisite plants, some are nature’s own work, whilst others are hybrids. A few are already the subjects of famous botanical masterpieces, plants such as the auricla look as if they themselves are the creation of an artist.
Every chapter focuses on a popular plant and explores it spectacular varieties in breathtaking details. From peonies and narcissi to tulips and irises, gardening expert Clare Foster charts the botanical and artistic history of each flower. The beautiful close up photography from Sabina Ruber showcase the jewel-like colours and sculptural shapes of each of the featured flowers.
As Clare explains, “There are some flowers whose intricacy and beauty demand a closer look, drawing us in with colours and patterning so exquisite that we marvel at natures’s ability to produce such artistry. These, above all others, are the plants that have been the artist’s muse throughout history, their forms depicted both with the clarity of botanical accuracy and with the broad sweep of an impressionistic brush.”
Painterly Plants £25, published by Merrell
Essential Balcony Gardening Kit
Wednesday, February 1st, 2012
Continuing our series of blogs in conjunction with the release of Isabelle’s upcoming book “The Balcony Gardener,” we’re featuring our essential guide to setting yourself up as a Balcony Gardener, perfect if you’re a gardening novice.
This week, we’re looking at the essential Balcony Gardening kit which will help you get started. It can be a bit daunting to know where to start and what to invest in, so Isabelle can help you with her top tips!
- WATERING CANS / GARDEN HOSES
To keep your balcony garden healthy and flourishing it will need occasional watering. I would recommend using a couple of smaller watering cans as opposed to one large one which can often get pretty heavy when filled with water. A long spout is also useful to reach plants in a container, I would also suggest buying a rose attachment which gives a softer shower which is ideal when watering seeds and other delicate plants. If you want to use a hose either be sure you have an outdoor tap or you can use a hose attachment for an indoor tap.
- TROWELS AND HAND FORKS
Finding the right tools and the right fit is essential, when you’re shopping try using the tools in the shop. You want to make sure that they’re comfortable and easy to handle. I think stainless steel trowels and hand forks are much more effective and last a lot longer.
- PRUNERS
There can still be wayward plants on a balcony that will need cutting back so you will need a good pair of hand pruners or secateurs. If you decide to grow laurel, bamboo, evergreens or roses they will need a regular tidy-up.
- SEED-SOWING
It’s always best as a matter of course to buy quality organic seeds, produce that is free from chemical interference. As a rule I would recommend coir pots to sow seeds in, they’re much more environmentally friendly that plastic pots or polysterene which can rot down in potting mix.
- BRACKETS FOR WINDOW BOXES
It’s very important when you’re suspending window boxes and troughs on a balcony garden that they are securely fixed. Make sure you hang the box or trough on the inside of the balcony and not over the edge where they could fall and injure a passer-by. You can buy adjustable brackets to match the filled weight of the window box.
- PLANT LABELS AND OTHER USEFUL ITEMS
It’s important to use labels when sowing seeds so that you can recognise seeds after you’ve planted them. Make sure you use an indelible pens on labels and get into the habit of inserting labels as soon as you’ve planted the seeds. Don’t feel that you have to only use plastic labels, there are plenty of more attractive metal, copper and slates. I also think it’s a good idea to use pot feet they help with drainage and deter slugs.
- SPRAY BOTTLES
Use a spray bottle to mist indoor plants, you can also use a spray bottle containing pesticide to tackle pests and diseases. Make sure you label the bottle correctly.
Monday, January 23rd, 2012
We are getting very excited about our new book released next month. See a sneak peek here and watch Isabelle talk about ’The Balcony Gardener’ and share some great tips for gardening in a small space.
New Year Gardening
Tuesday, January 10th, 2012
Happy New Year from all of us at the Balcony Gardener! With it being a brand new year we thought we would start a series of blogs to tie in with the release of Isabelle’s new book for all budding balcony gardeners. Hopefully through the next series of blogs we can help you kickstart your new year gardening resolutions, and help you embark on a fresh start as a balcony gardener.
Here in the first blog we’re going to consider what you need to think of before you even step outside and start gardening. Make sure you check with a qualified architect or structural engineer to check just how much your roof or balcony can take, you don’t want to incur any accidents later, it’s always better to be on the safe side!
Once you’re sure that your outdoor space will work as a garden and will comfortably bear pots and containers, you can then start the fun of planning your garden. It’s helpful to give some thought to the plants that will thrive in your garden, and whilst you don’t need to be too strict on abiding to gardening rules there are a few guidelines that will help your garden blossom:
BE SELECTIVE
Invest in a few larger containers that will create focal points instead of lots of smaller ones. A small space can easily look overcrowded with lots of plants and ornaments.
THINK ABOUT LIGHT
Most outdoor space will have spots that don’t receive enough light, so tailor your planting to the available light. If you have low levels of sunlight pick shade-tolerant plants with lush foliage such as hostas and ivy.
CREATE A BACKDROP
To begin with choose evergreen plants such as box and sweet bay. Lavender is a lovely yearlong green base but won’t flower all the time.
USE ODD NUMBERS
Planting in odd numbers gives the most aesthetically pleasing results, so plant one, three or five plants in a container.
RESTRICT THE COLOUR PALETTE
It can be easy to overdo the number of colours in a planting scheme but this can make it look too busy and overcrowded, so pick a few colours and stick to them.
GROW VEGETABLES AND START WITH HERBS
Herbs are relatively easy to grow in containers and are a great way to start growing your own produce. Mint, chives, parsley and rosemary are good varieties to start with and all grow well in containers. Once you’ve mastered herbs, move onto other crops such as tomatoes, salad onions and carrots.
Hopefully this will give you a few ideas to get started with, next time we’ll look at the essential gardening kit.