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.

Color in the Landscape: Yellow-Orange-Pink

Do you have a favorite garden color scheme?

Photo collage created by Artful I Design Studio. Please do not reproduce photographs without permission.

Here's the Proof: You Can Grow Collards Pretty Much Anywhere

A few weeks ago, my child was sent home with a packet of seeds from his school - collard greens, our state vegetable. We were given instructions to plant them over spring break as part of a class project on plants. We'll, um, they were planted, just using a very unconventional method. I'll explain - When I removed the seed packet from my child's book bag, it was partially opened. Seeds spilled everywhere! So, I grabbed the dustpan and swept them up, saving what seed I could for the project. And since I had the broom and dustpan out, I might as well sweep the entire house, right? I sat the dustpan out back on the deck and that was that - onto the next mommy drama episode. I suppose that dustpan sat there for awhile (please don't judge me by my less than frequent cleaning skills) because when I finally went looking for it, this is what I found:

Here's the proof that you can grow collard greens pretty much anywhere - even in dust, dog hair, and other miscellaneous crud that you sweep off your floors! In the words of Doris Day, "Que sera, sera, whatever will be, will be!"

Three Girls and a Guy

Meet the newest members of our family. Sunday was "Make way for the Chickens" Day. We are now the official owners of Rhode Island Reds: 3 hens and one cockerel.

Rhode Island Reds are a hardy breed; happy to adapt to almost any healthy surrounding. They come highly recommended. They are also excellent layers of light brown eggs. We wanted our birds exclusively for eggs - no meat birds in our future. Did you know that the color of a chicken's ear lobe determines the egg color?

We were a little rushed to prepare the run and coop for them. The run is a old chain link dog pen that, for the last ten years, has been used as a storage area for bags of garden soil and peat moss. It was a bear to clean out. The run is located in the back corner of our lot, where grape vines and sassafrass saplings had completely "swallowed" the dog pen. It was unrecognizable. We've still got some work to do, but it looks a thousand times better!

Since they were raised together in a smaller pen, the  chickens are very happy with their new surroundings. They have lots of room to run around and scratch, peck for bugs and take a dirt bath!

 We are using an old dog house as the coop. The girls won't be ready to lay eggs until the end of the summer. My oldest son wants to paint the coop a funky color; he says it will "be fun for the chickens." Right now it's just boring beige. Did you know that chickens see in full color? I wonder if they respond to color in the way that humans do. Silly thought, I know. I just don't want to freak them out or get them "riled up" by introducing a color that they don't like. Hmm, maybe I do have too much time on my hands...

Anyways, they are here, and I am ecstatic. Thanks to our wonderful friends for raising them for us. We're probably not finished bugging you with our chicken questions, but at least you know we are finished begging you for fresh eggs!

Are any of you considering adding chickens to your family?

Asian Kitchen Planter Freebie

If you noticed on my last post, I love to come up with planter "recipes." Since edible gardens are such a hot topic these days, I came up with a new planter that I'd like to share with you:

This recipe uses specific cultivars that are very popular in Asian, mostly Thai, cuisine. If you have trouble finding all the cultivars in your garden center, feel free to switch to one that is available and appeals to you. If you would like a pdf version of this recipe, please post in the comments below. As always, let me know if you create this planter -I would love to post your completed planter photos. Check back often, I have many more planters in the works!
Happy planting and eating!

Asian Kitchen Planter Diagram is property of Artful I Design Studio.
Please do not reproduce this graphic without permission.

Recipe for a Planter

I love to come up with "recipes" for container plantings. The inspiration for the example that I am sharing with you today comes from Garden Design Magazine. One day, years ago, I received a subscription packet in the mail from the magazine. The packet contained gorgeous imagery, including the one below. I have carried this image with me to garden centers, posted it on my wall, kept it at my desk. It's quite worn out, but for whatever reason, this is my "it" planter. I absolutely love it. To some it may be a bit schizophrenic, but I love everything about it! The combination of textures, colors and heights really speak to me.

Photo from Garden Design Magazine

Since this was an ad to sell the magazine, and not an article on container plantings, there was no guide that listed the plantings. Sooooooo, I've taken it upon myself to dissect this planter, even down to the cultivars, to give you a guide on how to create this gorgeous look!

First, the tallest plant, is Canna 'Tropicanna Black'

Canna 'Tropicanna Black'
Photo credit: Garden.org

 The second tallest plant is Gaillardia. This is the only plant that I was unable to find the specific cultivar - photo below is a placeholder. I would make sure to use one of the taller Gaillardias, something in the 18" - 24" height range.

Gaillardia
Photo credit: Proven Winners

 The third tier of plantings is Crocosmia 'Lucifer'

Crocosmia 'Lucifer'
Photo credit: Better Homes and Gardens

 Right smack dab in the middle is a dark succulent called Aeonium 'Atropurpureum'
(Note: In the original photo this plant is flanked with more of the Crocosmia 'Lucifer')

Aeonium 'Atropurpureum'
Photo credit: findmeplants.com.uk

 In the lowest tier, arching up from the left and right is Lantana 'Dallas Red'

Lantana 'Dallas Red'
Photo credit: Central Coast Growers

 Located in the center of the lower tier is an ornamental pepper plant, Capsicum annuum.

Capsicum annuum
Photo credit: Proven Winners

 And finally, spilling out of the planter on the right side is black sweet potato vine,
Ipomoea batatas 'Blackie'

Ipomoea batatas  'Blackie'
Photo credit: Proven Winners

I hope this planter recipe has inspired you to go out and explore different plant combinations! If you feel like it's too much for you to tackle, scale it back to your three favorite selections and just go with it! All of the plants listed above have wonderful characteristics, so scaling the variety back a little will not compromise the integrity of the planter. As always, let me know your questions, especially if you are stumped in your planter selections. I would love to help you!

So, what's your "it" planter? Do you have a favorite planter "recipe?" Email me your photos and I will compile them in a follow up post.

There's a Dragon Tongue in the garden!

Photo credit: Seed Savers Exchange

Made you look! Actually, Dragon Tongue is a variety of pole bean that I planted in the garden yesterday, along with a ga-zillion other things. It was a great day for planting - cool and cloudy. Hopefully we will keep having these spring showers so all my seeds and transplants can get off to a good start.

So, what did I plant?

clockwise from top left

Fennel

Mustard Tendergreen

Swiss Chard Neon Lights Mix

Sweet Basil

Cucumber Sumter

Summer Lettuce Glory Blend

Bush Garden Bean, Tenderpick

Arugula, harvested seed from last year's crop

Pole Garden Bean, Dragon Tongue

Bush Garden Bean, Contender

White Russet potatoes, not pictured

I'm also experimenting with efficient garden layout techniques to best utilize the "dead zones" between plants. For example, in the areas between my tomato cages I have inserted my fiberglass poles for the runner beans. In between rows of tomatoes, and underneath where my poles are crossing, I've planted bush beans. Hopefully, everything will receive adequate sunlight as it matures.

Other news - keeping chickens may be in our future!

I can't wait to be able to get eggs from our own birds. Plus, they are excellent composters and will thank us with plenty of manure for... our garden. It's all about closing the loop, right? We have plans to convert an old dog pen into a chicken run. Hopefully, we can build a coop to look something like this one:

Not sure how it's gonna go down, but I'll be sure to keep you posted. Has anyone out there raised chickens or have any advice or stories they'd like to share? Post it in the comments below.

Are you up for the challenge?

Meet Little Baby Lovey Dovey!

Our dove family has a new member! I've noticed that mama dove has been sitting rather high on her nest these days. To my surprise, this morning I passed under her nest, looked up, and saw this:

That's mama dove on the left and little baby dove on the right. I swear, baby birds must double in size overnight! Aren't they cute? I'll try to get some pics from another angle soon - not that this angle is unflattering. I think it's adorable to look up into a tree and see two birdy bee-hinds staring back at you. As long as they don't, well, you know... Mama dove is very strategic in where she keeps her baby in the nest. In this view, baby is to the inside of the canopy. Such smart creatures!

Have you had any close encounters with wildlife in your backyard?

We just scored a home makeover!

Digital home makeover, that is. A landscape contractor recently asked me if I could create before and after digital images of home landscapes because that is the type of service some of his customers are interested in. I thought I'd use my own home as a test sample. How did I do? Is it convincing enough?

I used the exact plant materials that we planted a few weeks ago. The exception is the climbing rose on a trellis (left side) and planted urns. These will be added in the near future. Other upgraded items are the blue shutters, blue door and bronze light fixtures. This image is a close representation of what our home could look like in about three to five years.

Here's what our home currently looks like:

Digital home makeovers is a service that I offer to customers who are questioning the full potential of their home and landscape. Artful I understands that everyone sees things differently; some people may respond well to a two-dimensional landscape plan, while others may find a three-dimensional digital makeover more comprehensive and eye-opening. I want to give my customers tools they can use to help them create a beautiful landscape. My digital home makeovers are reasonably priced - all I need is a high resolution photo of your home or landscape to get started. I can even come to your home and take the photo (SC Central Midlands area only). Call or email me for more information.

So, what's on your wish list for a home landscape makeover?

Let the Gardening Begin

I am participating in the 2012 Urban Farm Handbook Challenge. It's a twelve month long, online gardening challege where some of the best gardening and homesteading bloggers lead discussion and provide tips and advice to creating your own little urban farmlette. Anyone can participate - it's free and you can go at your own pace. Since it started in February, I am actually behind in the challenge. But that's okay - better late than never.

As a part of our home and landscape renovation, we have decided to help breathe new life into my grandmother's vegetable garden. It's right next door to our house and it hasn't been used over multiple growing seasons. It's the perfect size for us - not too big, not too small. It has deer fencing around it - believe it or not, even though we are in town, they occasionally wander through.

To prepare the soil, we roto-tilled the existing leaf litter into the soil. I have plans to create a compost bin in the future. Again, I am a little behind on some things. I also don't have a watering system installed either, so it's handwatering for now.

What I planted:

Kaleidoscope Mix Carrots, Clemson Spineless Okra (which ironically enough, isn't without spines - I learned that last summer).

Carrot and Okra rows

'Bonnie Green Bell' Bellpepper

'Crimson Sweet' Watermelon

'Burpless Bush' Cucumber

I've also planted 'Big Boy' tomatoes, 'Husky Red' Cherry tomatoes, 'Black Beauty' Zucchini squash, and Crookneck Yellow Squash.

I have two gardening companions across the fence. Don't know their names yet, but they are the sweetest girls. Maybe the aforementioned deer won't be so much of a problem with these ladies around! I've got to add extra large milk bones to my grocery list...

So, that's it for this week's planting. Next week I'll go through my seed packets and come up with a strategy. It will most likely be beans, herbs, swiss chard and mustard greens. We'll see...

What's growing in your garden? Are you trying something new or different this year?

Happy Gardening!

Join me and take the Urban Farm Handbook Challenge!