A new service for you, the pet lover.

Just recently, I decided to combine my love for pets with another of my many loves, painting. I am now providing commissioned pet portraits. Celebrate your furry friend with a custom pet portrait. Hand-painted in acrylic paint on a canvas board or acid-free paper, my pet portraits will capture what you love best about your pet. Created from photographs submitted by you, these works of art are reasonably priced, starting at $150 for a 5"x7" painting.

For more pricing info, click here.

Mister Bennie
5"x7" Acrylic paint on canvas board

Scooter
5"x7" Acrylic paint on canvas board

Luna
5"x7" Acrylic paint on canvas board

To learn about my process for creating my pet portraits, visit the tab at the top labeled "Pet Portraits."

































If you are interested, please inbox me at tylabowers(at)gmail(dot)com with "Pet Portraits" in the subject line. I'll send you an information packet to get the process started.

I've got a surprise for you - can you smell the basil, garlic and tomato yet?

Well, no, you probably cannot smell the basil, garlic and tomato yet. I mean, it's February, right? (Unless you live in a warm climate or have a kick-arse greenhouse) But, I have noticed a plethora of mail order seed and plant catalogs trickling through my door these days. I get so excited when this happens. It brings the life back into me, and beats the heck out of an otherwise sucky winter day. I'll leaf back and forth through the pages, eyes glazed over by the mouth-watering heirloom tomatoes, squash, and cukes. I'll dog-ear the pages. They'll get all wrinkly and worn. Ahh, planning a garden is such a labor of love.

Sooo, in preparation for spring planting, I am giving you a planter recipe freebie! Oh, and that planning labor of love stuff, well, I've already done that for you. This printable is all about a favorite appetizer of mine: bruschetta. I wanted to put a little twist on the ye olde "planter recipe," with more of the edible end product in mind, vs. a food-themed planter like my last Asian planter. This planter recipe, once installed, will give you the ingredients to create endless varieties of bruschetta. I've even included a link where you can access lots of yummy bruschetta recipes. Some are very simple, others very savory, and some even a little sweet. That's the beauty of bruschetta!

Click this link to download your printable!

Bruschetta Kitchen Planter is property of Artful I Design Studio.
Please do not reproduce graphic without written permission.

If you decide to give this a go, please be sure to check you area's freeze/thaw times. I am known to jump the gun with spring planting because I get so excited over it. I wouldn't want your planting to be in vain, after all, it's still winter. As always, if you try this planter, send me some photos and I will post them on the blog.
Happy planting and eating!

Should you hire a landscape architect?

Undecided about whether or not to hire the help of a landscape architect. Use this complementary printable to help you decide.

Fall is in the air

From the red spider lilies blooming to the sedum blossoms turning pink - From the pecans, persimmons and pears falling from the trees to the redbuds and crape myrtles showing us their gifts - and even to that last singular Gerbera daisy all awash in orange, it's easy to see that fall is in the air...

 





 

How to Propagate Some Pretty, Poppin', Pow! with Portulaca.

Could your garden stand to use a little more “pop?” How about some “pow?” And a whole lot of “pretty?” Well, here’s a way to sneak all three into your garden. If you’ve never been introduced to Portulaca, then get ready for one of my favorite garden plants; it’ll knock your socks off!

Portulaca, or more commonly known as moss rose, “is a prostrate, trailing, multi-branchedannual with semi-succulent stems and leaves. It reaches about 6 in tall with aspread of 12 in. The reddish stems and the bright green leaves are thick andsoft and juicy. The leaves are cylindrical, about an inch long, and pointed onthe tips. The roselike flowers are about an inch across and come in brightcolors like rose pink, red, yellow, white, and orange. Some are striped orspotted with contrasting colors. The flowers are borne on the stem tips, andthey open only during bright sunlight, closing at night and on cloudy days.”

So are you convinced that this is a must-have plant for all your sunny garden spots? Get ready for more because this plant just keeps on giving – literally! Once you have portulaca growing in your garden, it is super easy to collect and distribute seed. This is a “self-seeding” plant, which means that you can leave it alone and it will drop seed, providing for more future plants. If you are more ambitious like me, you can collect the seed, save it, and plant in different locations for the next growing season. I love to sneak it into little bare spots in my garden that need a little “Pop!” It’s also great in containers, as long as they contain proper drainage.

Here’s how to collect the seeds:

First, you will want to grab a small jar, envelope or sandwich bag to capture and contain your seeds.

Next, locate the seed head. Seed heads form wherever a flower is/was blooming. It will look like a miniature brown paper sack with the top twisted closed.

Once you’ve located the seed head, hold your container underneath the seed head. Pinch the twisted top of the seed head and pull it off.

This will reveal a little “cup” filled with extremely tiny black poppy-seed like seeds. Tilt the “cup” and shake the seeds into your container. You may have to use your fingernail to scratch the seeds out of the “cup,” depending on how moist or dry they are.

Sometimes when you pull the twisted seed head, it reveals a green or reddish cap. This means that the seed head is not dried out enough. Leave it, giving the seed head another day or two to finish drying.

Portulaca produces a million-ga-gillion seeds; really it does! One purchased plant has the potential to fill up your garden in one year’s time, if you collect and redistribute the seed. If you are a patient gardener, you will definitely reap the benefits of this pretty plant. To read up on specific seed planting instructions and soil and moisture requirements, I prefer this version. You will also find that Portulaca can really stick it out during brutal summer heat. It can also tolerate transplanting, as long as you water it in. Portulaca comes in many beautiful colors, giving a rich color palette to the ground plane.

So, now you must be convinced that this is a must-have plant for all your sunny garden spots, right? Do you have any success stories with reseeding plants that you'd like to share? What is your favorite reseeding plant? Let me know in the comments below.

All images and graphics created by Artful I Design Studio. Please do not reproduce images without permission.

It's Going to Be 104 Degrees Today - This Landscape's On Fire!

It's a super hot week here in the South! What better time to start thinking about that firepit for the cooler, fall weather? A friend of mine asked me to create a digital makeover for a new patio that he installed.
Here's the existing patio:

And here's the patio with a digital makeover:

The completed version includes a stone firepit with grill top and a matching stone seatwall. I also added some ornamental grasses to give it a "home" in the turf grass setting and to help transition the look with the existing woodland landscape beyond.

This is going to be a great hangout spot when the weather turns cool! It will definitely be THE go-to spot for listening to the big game, roasting hotdogs and s'mores, or just snuggling with your honey-bunny! These firepits are available as kits, are very customizable, and appeal to a variety of price ranges. They are a great investment, and most importantly, will help you transform your landscape into your lifescape! Call or email me to find out more about this design service.

My Design Process: Schematic Elevation Study

One of my main goals for working with clients is to ensure that they are very satisfied with their design. Recently, I was introduced to a home owner that had paid for design services, not once, but twice, for a landscape plan of her home's front foundation. In both cases, she was left with a plan that she did not like.

That tells me that:
There must have been some sort of communication breakdown between client and designer, and,
The designer did not structure their fees to include any revisions to the plan, leaving the client unsatisfied.

After interviewing my new client I learned the following:

• She is very concerned about her home's appearance from her driveway approaching the house.
• She loves colorful plants that have an extended blooming season.
• She is very influenced by tropical plants and textures.
• She loves a mix of traditional and contemporary.
• She desires a bold, yet simple landscape plant palette.

Over the years, I've also learned that people do not always positively respond to plans in 2D. Sometimes, it is better to present a concept in elevation, section or perspecitve views. I decided to create a concept study for this client and present it in an elevation study.

First, I photographed the facade of the home.

Second, I selected the foundation plantings and sketched those on a trace overlay.

Third, I rendered the sketch in color pencil.

Lastly, I scanned the overlay and labeled it in Photoshop. Here's the final piece:

I am addressing the clients needs by:

• Creating a balanced planting scheme that is appealing from the driveway approach.
• Using hardy plants that provide extended color, such as 'Natchez' Crape Myrtle, Yellow Lantana, and Red Knockout Rose.
• Providing 3 different types of palms, plus a variety of foliage textures, to give the palette a more tropical appearance.
• Blending two different styles by using a traditional boxwood hedge and stone wall treatment, while proving contemporary planters, freshly painted red front door, and Bahama shutters (not shown).
• Providing a variety of bold colors and textures, while maintaining a simple, homeowner-friendly, readily available, plant palette.