Fairy Yardmother Landscape Design: Descanso Gardens -- Veggie Garden

Fairy Yardmother Landscape Design

by Kathy Oberg, Landscape Designer, Central Coast CA.
FairyYardmother[at]gmail[dot]com

Thank you for visiting my site. I enjoy bringing you pictures of gardens, plants, and ideas from sunny California. I love sharing after-photos that show how my landscape plans, plant lists and layouts come to life.
As a designer, I use plants to create drama, provide color and form, and compliment the architectural style of your home.

I strive to provide a buffer from sun, street, and neighbors while still fostering connections.
Inspired plant choices and site layout can make any space a success.

I am a Certified Watershed Wise Professional, with techniques to improve soil health and keep more water on your property.
I can help you makeover your patio, paths, planting areas, or entire property. I will consult with you, choose a look you love, and compose a plan and plant list to update your landscape, re-using what you already have wherever we can.

Each project is different because it is about making your space really shine.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Descanso Gardens -- Veggie Garden

This vegetable garden is just about my picture of the perfect plot! They used branches and sticks as material for the trellises, the borders around the plantings, and the arches that stand at each entrance. There's a nice mix of vegetables, herbs, and flowers.

This is a new installation this year at Descanso. I am told that Horticulturist, Mike Brown played a big part in creating this lovely Garden they call "Nature's Table." On Saturdays, he is happy to talk about what he learned while building the garden.

Now us urban farmers don't have a lot of extra sticks and branches around for building these charming garden accoutrements! I should talk to a tree trimmer. I love this look!
This is a vegetable garden with the feel of a farm, but in a space that is not completely out of proportion with a homeowner's plot -- bigger, yes, but still adaptable to a normal suburban yard.
I am charmed by the materials and impressed by the vigor of the plants. Veggies can be messy and out-of-control. Their leaves can often be mottled or mildewed. But very little of that is seen here. Everything has its place even when it sprawls a bit.

These steel circles bring to mind the shape of a pumpkin, even Cinderella's coach. Their simplicity allows me to imagine them in such a way.

The arches make me feel like I'm entering a sacred space. I think we often forget how much the earth gives us to build with, and how creative humans have always been with simple materials. I like thinking about the relationship between harvesting materials and harvesting food, and I think it's illustrated here very nicely.
I come away from this garden really appreciating nature's bounty.

The mix of Yarrow, Black-eyed Susan, Sunflower, Miscanthus, and Scabiosa with the corn and squash creates a wonderful plot to behold. It gets me in the mood for Fall.

Now that is one cool way to keep your tools handy! This cart is so iconic to me. It reminds me again of simple human ingenuity. Look how much can be carried by making simple materials into something useful. And look at how many can be fed from a well-tended garden!