Ladies and Gentlemen,

My website is completed and up!

www.batesongardens.com

Let me know if there are any things I should tweak, rather, that my wonderful designer should tweak.

!!!

Now I'm off to the mass email list.

Wreath making

Today was also my last day of work for the season.  I hired my friend to help carry a 7 foot christmas tree back to the garden to set up in a stand... 

Sam did so well in the garden.  It's hard to find good help. Sometimes helpers have a hard time just sweeping properly, no joke.  Not our Sam, I had him spray the whole garden with the preservative, add length to a boxwood rope, put accents on these wreaths, I was so proud of him!!  See how nice!!

We hung a HUGE garland (15' long x 8'' wide) over a large print in the clients front entry way.  The garland rope felt like a huge python, it weighed so much.   

I feel funny taking photographs inside the homes, privacy issues and such, so use your imagination.

Lastly, the client needed a way to hide the wooden box that held the paper-whites (winter indoor daffodils)... I suggested cinnamon sticks glued around the base. My grandmother used to wrap her candles with cinnamon sticks and a ribbon.  It looked very festive when I finished.  

So, now what do I do for the winter? 

I need a job. 

Not any job, one that will not steal my soul, time or energy.  I would like it to be flexible, creative and totally into the idea that I will leave in March to start up Brooklyn Planting for it's second season.

Universe, listen up!  I need a kick ass winter job! 

Spice up her life

Tuesday was the beginning of the end.  I got my final delivery of garland ropes, wreaths and accents.  

I started by laying out all the greens and spraying them with the preservative. It's like a wax coating on the leaves, keeping in the moisture and staying green for almost two months!!

I really made a mess.

Next I made winter window boxes that would, in theory, withstand the Hudson River winter winds.  It's like Siberia on that side of the house!

This is what they looked like.  They live on a small balcony on the west side of the house, and for some reason didn't take photos of them over there... oh, because my camera batteries are rechargeable (thinking about the environment) so they don't work for very long.  blast!

The juniper and cedar incense  were added to the flower beds to give dimension to the pine branches.  Holly sprigs and winter berries were added for a punch of Christmas color.   It looks so beautiful with the lights at dusk.

Before the storm

It looks like we may get a real sloppy storm tonight!  I LOVE major weather phenomena's... Heavy rain and lightning storms, wild blizzards, thick fog... But a calm sunny day is equally as sweet.

So,in preparation for the big storm, I had my friend John over to make snowflakes and corn chowder.  

Pretty!  I taped them to my kitchen windows.  

I took down the curtains to modernize the house this fall (it's the new trend people!), but now the neighbors can see in WAY too easily.  

The flakes actually create a great looking screen.  I may come up with a window treatment that is inspired by the cutting of the snowflakes... oh the industrial designer in me.

This morning I did a very last minute favor for a gardening friend, Josh from Urban Landscaping Concepts.  

The front garden beds needed some dressing for the winter.  A few pine boughs and incense cedar did the trick. Simple. 

The neighborhood folks in Yorkville are wild.  I saw a set of dogs wearing CRAZY holiday outfits that the owner said he and his wife had made.  They were so outrageous, I wanted to take a picture, I wish I had now. 

holiday party decor

This weekend is the big holiday party weekend!  

My friend meg has requested some greens/mistletoe for the party tomorrow night, I thought that little bunches of greenery mixed together would create traditional holiday look.

So, I spent the afternoon on my kitchen floor swatting at the cats to stop eating the pine needles.

I made small bunches of incense cedar, juniper and white pine branches.  I figured most of our friends don't know EXACTLY what mistletoe looks like, so this will be the poor mans version.   

With some pretty ribbons and perhaps some fake berries, these will be a sweet touch to Meg's holiday decor.   

Now I need to put together a festive outfit since I have to work tomorrow.   

Kickin it old school

In the process of cleaning out some of my paperwork, I stumbled upon my old college portfolio.  

For those of you who don't know, I studied Industrial Design at Pratt Institute (class of '03).  I designed and built my first piece of furniture in the fall of 2002.  

It's amazing that without any idea of gardening in my future, I was designing furniture that incorporated plants.  

The concept evolved into a centralized zone or island idea.  One piece of furniture functioned more like a bench, bed, planter/storage box, stage all in one.

 

The headboard became something more than it's traditional use.  A bent wood L shape could be moved to hug the corner of any of the four sides of the platform.   

Learning the secret behind bent wood made complicated wood shapes seem so possible.

The base outline of the platform bed had one rounded corner, mimicking the rounded corner of the planter box/headboard.

This currently lives in Connecticut at my mother's house. The bedroom I grew up in is now a graveyard of old sculptures, drawings, paintings, ceramics...

I still sleep on it when I go back. The headboard is now full of books. 

Cant stop til I get enough

Yesterday I had a super productive day in the office getting all my paper work in order and trying to settle myself in financially for a long winter.  

I also had a bit of left over holiday greens and used them in my window boxes at the office/home.  I spray a preservative on all the winter greens to keep them fresh looking through most of the winter.  It acts like a wax coating, holding in the moisture.  Oddly, it turns the needles from a dark green to a yellowy-green when first sprayed.  They quickly deepen back to their natural green... in these photos, you can see some of the spray's droplets on the tips of the white pine branches.

I was back in Tribeca today, expecting a delivery of boughs at 9:30Am. 

At about 10:30Am, I called my wholesaler to see what the problem was.  

Four (4) calls later, at about 11:30Am I was told they were sending someone out to deliver my goods.  

UGH.

Within that time frame, I bit off ALL my finger nails. 

Battling the wild winds off the Hudson River, I placed all the pine boughs and staked them into the ground.  The boughs add an extra layer of protection for the spring bulbs from the cold.  This is a container garden, so insulation in necessary in keeping the soil not too hot in the summer and not too cold in the winter.

The boughs also add a bit of color and holiday cheer to a sleeping garden.

I also finished wrapping that final Chamaecyparis with lights.  A completed 90 mph christmas light display.  I hope the neighbor doesn't mind the bright lights from below!!

Side note: I went to the premiere of "There will be Blood" last night. It's the new P.T. Anderson film... The lead character was played by Daniel Day-Lewis, who is one of the most hansom, well spoken men I have ever been around.  I highly recommend the movie as well as all of DDL's other films.

New Discoveries

A couple months ago I got a call from the people at the Discovery Channel.  They had asked me to come and do a screen test for a co-host spot on a new eco-friendly show called Waisted.  Ha Ha!

 It was a show about how to change our every day habits to benefit our delicate environment that we are so quickly destroying.

I obviously wasn't "TV" material and I said "um" too many times... but, it did get me thinking about my impact on the environment and small ways I can shift my habits for the better. 

-My friend zack influenced me to change my regular light bulbs to energy efficient florescent bulbs.  Super simple.

-I am a member of zip car which offers hybrid cars. (check out my Dec. 7th post)

-I want to start composting.  It's a great way to put nutrients back into the flower beds without using all those chemical fertilizers.   

NYC should have composting locations... BUT WHERE ARE THEY???  I cant even believe how much natural material I'm tossing into the trash! And there are hundreds of other gardeners who are producing the same trash as me, I just KNOW it.   

Union Square has a little booth a couple days a week, but how convenient is that? That location is terrible to bring large amounts of anything to. I couldn't imagine dragging ten bags of composting material from blocks away. 

So, for now, we just have to start small.

I found these cute little pots... They sit in your kitchen and somehow aren't stinky.

You can find these great items at www.gardeners.com.    

And lastly,

- If you don't know already, you can go to you energy provider's website and there usually is an option to switch to a natual source, like wind power. 

Let me know if you have any tips for this topic... We need to make a change, and it has to start now. 

Satur-daze

Wowza, today was long!   

This morning I spent the day in Park Slope jazzing up their window boxes and front garden bed. 

 I always feel doubtful before, during and after, that the clients will not like it or that it won't survive or something to that effect.  But I need to just get over that. Every person who walked by today commented on how nice it looked and how much it would cost to do theirs... granted the one woman who asked how much it would cost to do hers  looked at me like I was crazy when I gave her the price, but at least she still liked it.  

Not everyone can afford a professional gardener in the city.

Some people just have NO idea how much gardens cost.  This is NOT a hobby y'all.  It's takes a lot more work than just digging a hole and putting a plant in it.  

But I digress.

Here are a couple shots of todays garden and winter window boxes.  The purple flowers are Heather, there are branches of White Pine and sprigs of Incense Cedar and Juniper.  

I was very happy with the way the boxes turned out.  I will use the left over scraps to do my window boxes in a similar fashion.  Maybe that will be my project for tomorrow.  

My second garden of the day was a quick clean up as well as tea with the client.  We sat for almost an hour rambling on about art and friends and life.  She is 89 and super cute.  

I'm looking forward to a day off.  

Going green in December

This week has been in the 30's... layering is essential in my gear these days.

I have silk cuddle duds, top and bottoms with thick wool socks.  

The only thing I am missing is a non-itchy hat. 

After spending the beginning of the week working for my gardening friends, I got down to work on my last two garden projects.  

I wrapped the trees on a terrace in Tribeca with christmas lights... I still have to finish a large Chamaecyparis, the strands kept blowing out and now the lights on that tree are all funky.

Also, I did a small job in Prospect Heights on Thursday.  I had to pick up some mulch at Shannon Nursery.  Normally, I would get a delivery... but I needed to get it done super fast and couldn't wait around for them. Deliveries are notoriously not on time.

So I reserved my very first Zip Car.  I signed up last week and I couldn't be more excited!

I chose a hybrid because I can feel our little planet choking on car fumes... It's like walking down my street On any weekday from 8am-6pm. Metropolitan Avenue should come with a surgeon generals warning. 

 ANYWAY, I got a prius.  It was cute and had a joystick like shifter, a button to turn the car on and off, a touch screen for the radio and heat!!! EVEN a video that displays what is behind you when backing up.  

Tomorrow I reserved a cute car, but not a hybrid, there were none available... Come on car companies! Make more hybrids!!  Who killed the electric car?

(not the best photo I've taken, it was 7:30Am and freezing)

the start of a very cold winter

Yowza!  It has been really cold this week!   

I've been outside the past three days closing down gardens.  

The winds were clocked at 50mph on Monday!! 

Here are a few of my close-down tasks:

- emptying out pots and storing them til spring.

- planting the last of the bulbs 

- removing the last of the annuals

- cut back perennials that need it

- clean out leaves and re-mulch

- blow out irrigation pipes

- spray preservative on holly's and delicate shrubs

- lay winter greens (pine boughs, incense cedar, juniper clippings)

 

Also, Monday I was at an amazing terrace on 5th Avenue, facing east overlooking Washington Square Park.  The woman who owns the apt has an amazing home as well as a view.  She has bright bold colors, tons of pop art, some signed to her and her dog... 

  

I was on the terrace three floors above the top right side of the arch.  

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I have three more gardens to finish the winter tasks.  

It's looking like my season has an official ending date.  December 19th.  

Cant wait for my website to finally be finished!!!