Blogs

Welcome to Teacup Gardener

Posted on August 9, 2010

A premier gardener and landscaping company

which has been creating outdoor leisure space and curb appeal for the sophisticated home and business for the past 19 years in the Middle Tennessee and greater Nashville area. The business of landscape gardening is ever changing as people find themselves drawn to living outside whether it is on a new porch, deck or meditation garden. With these changes come a variety of choices that include container gardening, water features and a number of architectural elements and design choices.

With this in mind, Our Mission and Purpose is to help people see, discover, and experience their lawn and gardens as a world of imagination, infinite possibilities and healing. We do this by sharing our extensive knowledge, ideas and stories to help you realize your dreams for your outdoor spaces in a way that is sustainable now and into the future our children will inherit.

Landscaping is a Powerful ROI.

Posted on August 9, 2010

Recently I read an article about home improvements. It is often difficult for homeowners to determine what to spend money on so that they get the best return on their investment. Since home ownership is the single largest investment for most Americans, it is important that folks spend their money wisely.

It turns out, that landscaping is one of the better, if not the best ROI (Return On Investment). In the first place, a home that is for sale won’t have even one showing if the house does not have an enticing curb appeal. Curb appeal means that the house looks good from the street. The grass is mowed, the shrubs and trees are trimmed and colorful, and pretty flowers are planted in the beds.

An irrigation system is another way to be sure to receive excellent return on investment. Where I live, an irrigation system would be invaluable as we have had days and weeks and months of 90+degree weather. Any prospective homeowner would be relieved to know that an irrigation system was in place to water all of the landscape.  The irrigation system insures that the grass is green and the trees, shrubs, and flowers are thriving in the summer heat.

Spending money wisely so that homes increase in value, or in this real estate market, maintain their value, landscaping is an excellent choice. Whether it’s maintaining what is there or adding new plants, it just makes sense to spend money wisely on improving the areas around the outside of your house. Call Teacup Gardener today so that we can help you add value to your home.

How to Divide Daylilies

Posted on July 28, 2010

In the heat of summer it’s hard to know what kind of work to do in a perennial garden.  If the fall and spring work were done well, it should be a time to sit back and enjoy the riot of color.  But part of having a garden is being in the garden with all the sweet smells and sounds of the outdoors.

Dividing daylilies is the perfect task for this time of year.  The flower colors are still fresh in the mind.  Weedy or empty spots in the garden can be filled with the divisions.  Ordinary orange daylilies, attractive in their own right, should be kept in a separate garden bed so that they do  not take over more  interesting varieties of daylilies.

The task is simple .  Just dig up the clumps that need moving.  Once they are out of the ground, separate them with a garden fork.  Examine the divisions for disease and/or insect damage.  Remove any damaged plant parts and   old flower parts.  Cut the leaves back to about 6-8″ to create a nice neat clump.

Now it’s time to reset the divisions. It is acceptable to leave the divisions out of the ground for a week or so, stored in a cool dry place.  This will help ensure no disease or insects are present. A mild bleach bath or sulfur dust will control problems if any are present.

At planting select a new part of the garden in need of color.  Dig nice holes arranged in a diamond or rick-rack pattern and set the divisions in the ground.  Fill in the holes, lightly mulch and water in the recent transplants.  Now the garden has grown and will be an even more pretty place to enjoy.

Designing a Rock Garden

Posted on July 21, 2010

We are currently working on a design to create a 40′ long and 5′ deep rock garden in Old West Nashville.  The landscape design process can be complicated, especially  when we begin to visualize a future effect of the garden over time.  When the garden grows and matures the effect can be fabulous combining the best effects of the disparate elements blending together to create a pleasing aesthetic experience.   The rock garden is an unusual dilemma, especially when the rock is not naturally occurring on the site of the future hillside garden.  For more info on Rock Gardens click here.

The first thing to consider is the placement of the rocks and stones to create a naturalistic effect.  I pay close attention to the chance formation of stone on naturally occurring hillsides to become more acquainted with the basic fractals of the non-repeating patterns of stone.  I use these impressions when I calculate how much stone we need and the basic layout.  Once the stones begin to take shape on the slope, the detail stones can be installed and the chirt loving alpine perennials and shrubs can be placed creating an interesting blend of stones, plants, and slope.  This is the best solution for a sloping hillside that has a pleasing view from the comfort of the house and/or patio or along a busy street to enhance the curb appeal for the neighborhood.

Early Bloomers

Posted on March 8, 2010

No matter how long Winter seems to last,  Spring always eventually arrives. Some of the earliest signs of Spring are already here in Tennessee and beginning to show their color.  Yesterday I walked past the Mahonias in my front yard landscape and I realized they were in bloom. Mahonia belei, commonly known as Leatherleaf Mahonia, has a fragrant yellow cluster of blossoms.  Later the fruits resemble tiny grapes.  Another one of my favorite harbingers of Spring is Helleborus orientalis, Lenten Rose.  This evergreen perennial is lovely when it blooms the pretty creamy flowers during, you guessed it, Lent.

Early bloomers are a real treat in a landscape that has been relatively brown or evergreen all winter.  I value Cornelian Cherry Dogwood because it blooms so early and so prolifically.  It’s  loaded with tiny yellow flowers that can stop traffic.  Many people are surprised to find out it is a dogwood because the flowers lack the showy white or pink bracts that are the well-known and easily recognizable dogwood flowers.

The early Spring flowering bulbs really let us know that Spring is here.  I have looked in the garden and found a few crocus in bloom. The daffodils are getting tall and the flowers are noticeable inside their protective green casings.  It won’t be long until they fill the garden with color and fragrance.

Mulching in Late Winter

Posted on February 1, 2010

Take advantage of this slow period in the landscaping industry and hire Teacup Gardener to mulch your landscape and garden beds. Late winter mulch is very well timed because it protects perennials from winter burn and frost heaving.  It   prohibits weeds from getting started in cultivated areas.  It conserves water and saves valuable weeding and watering time once the growing season is upon us.  Teacup Gardener is offering a special 15% off mulch -furnished and installed during the month of February.

We furnish and install three types of mulch.  Shredded pine, pine straw, and hardwood mulch.  We highly recommend shredded pine and pine straw over hardwood mulch.  Here are a some reasons why we suggest a pine product for mulching:

1. Shredded pine and pine straw increase the acidity of the soil as they degrade.  This is highly desirable for evergreen and flowering plants such as azaleas, laurels, and rhododendrons.

2. Pine straw is a completely renewable form of mulch as it is harvested from the forest floors.

3. Shredded pine and pine straw, because of their acidic nature do not promote fungal growth as they degrade.

4. Shredded pine and hardwood mulch are both byproducts of the construction industry.

5. Hardwood mulch is an aggregate material that is very dense and prohibits weed growth.

6. Hardwood mulch may also inhibit water and nutrient flow to the plant roots.

Late Winter Boxwood Pruning

Posted on January 26, 2010

Winter is here in the South and there is no changing it. We may be able to steal a few warm days every once in a while, but for the most part we will be cold for the next four to six weeks or so. Besides waiting for the daffodils to poke their heads through the ground, what is there to do in the garden on those nice days when a person just has to get outside.

Late winter is a great time to deadwood and cloud prune boxwoods. Deadwooding is a term used to describe trimming or snapping out all the dead internal branches of a boxwood so that new growth can form and keep an old boxwood full and lush. Cloud pruning is a term used to describe a pruning technique that lends a soft airy texture to boxwoods that also allows new growth to form on the inside of big old boxwoods.  Cloud pruning is a method of pruning each cluster of branches as a whole with the intent to round off the branch clusters.  This creates an overall appearance of a cloud with a nice natural lumpy puffy look when the pruning is completed as opposed to the mechanical human-made perfectly rounded look.

Pruning in late winter, before bud break encourages the boxwood to put on plenty of new growth in the Spring, both on the tips of the branches, but also on the older, established interior stems of a mature boxwood. Fresh green growth coupled with dark lush green growth is a beautiful sight to see on a well manicured landscape. It’s a real sign that spring has sprung.

Warm Up with an Outdoor Fireplace

Posted on January 9, 2010

Now that Christmas is over, and all the outdoor decorations are put away, the patio is clean to consider new and exciting ways to use it, even in the winter. Underused in the colder months, patios are valuable space that can add outdoor square footage to the home. Why not consider adding an outdoor fireplace to an existing patio to add a winter dimension to outdoor living?

This has been an especially frigid and cold winter.  I have heard that we are experiencing some of the coldest nighttime temperatures in five years. Winter is winter, but enough is enough! We need to find a way to warm up that winter air. An outdoor fireplace it just the right thing to do that. It’s perfect for heating that outdoor room that many of us refer to as a patio. Just imagine how much fun it would be to host a sledding party (if it really does snow) and warm up around that outdoor fireplace.

The added dimension of light and heat on the patio make it a destination in winter as well as spring and fall. Evenings are cool and days are shorter during those seasons and the outdoor fireplace makes the patio a desirable place to relax and enjoy family and friends.

How About a Live Christmas Tree?

Posted on December 17, 2009

Christmas is getting really close and many tree lots are sold out of fresh cut trees. If you have not purchased a Christmas tree yet, but would still like to have one, your timing is perfect for a live balled and burlaped evergreen to use as a Christmas tree. When Christmas is over, the tree can be planted outdoors in the landscape. Evergreens are invaluable in a mature garden.
Several evergreens make good selections for Christmas trees that transition into the landscape. An Eastern White Pine is a soft choice and soft makes for easy decorating. Carolina Hemlock is another good choice and relatively soft to the touch. Spruce will also work as a Christmas tree, but it has coarse texture.
A few precautions should be taken so that the tree is not only a pretty Christmas tree, but also a showy tree in the landscape for many years to come. First of all, keep the tree indoors for a very short period of time. Warm it up for about half a day in a garage or porch. Then bring it indoors. When the holiday is over, cool the tree off the same way you warmed it up.
The second important thing is keep the tree watered. It is best to set the ball in a shallow pan or tub and water as the tree uses up the fresh supplied water. It is not a good idea that the tree stand in water. Wrap the tub and burlap ball with a bed sheet or tree skirt and it will take the shape of a pretty tree.
Third, plant the tree as soon after the holiday as possible. The extreme temperature changes will be hard on the tree. It is important to restore normal conditions as soon as possible. With good selection and a few precautions, your family can have a very memorable Christmas tree this year.  Merry Christmas!

-Beth

The Happiest Christmas Tree

Posted on November 29, 2009

With Thanksgiving behind us and Christmas less than one month away, many families will be heading to a tree farm, nursery, or retail outlet to choose their Christmas tree. It is the focal point of the holiday decorations and it is loaded with traditions so it is an important purchase at the beginning of the holiday season.

I am often asked “What kind of tree should I choose?” and my response is always, “A fresh one!” It seems like a no brainer, but many trees are cut in the summer, put in storage, painted and then sold as fresh cut trees. That does not seem very fresh or sweet to me. I always buy from a local source who can tell me where the trees were grown and who grew them. Since I live in Nashville, I have learned to purchase a Frazier Fir. That’s the same kind of Christmas tree that the White House always use and they are beautiful and well shaped. Grown in North Carolina, they are soft , dark green, and full branched. They hold up well to the weight of the lights and all the decorations. They are very dark so a good decorating technique is to use white lights to light the trunk and interior of the tree and then use colored lights on the outer branches to electrify the child in each and every one of us.

If I still lived north of the Ohio River, my choice for a Christmas tree would be a White Pine. To me it is important to decorate a soft tree. If it is to be a family activity, little people quickly tire of being poked by the needles of a sharp tree.

It is very important to put a fresh cut at the bottom of the trunk on the tree no matter what kind of Christmas tree you choose. You can ask the tree retailer to make the fresh cut.  I then allow the tree to soak over night in a big pot of warm water in a freeze free environment. That allows the tree to soak up plenty of water before it comes in the house. Then, I never allow that tree to dry out once it comes in the house. This will keep the tree soft and supple throughout the holiday season.

Now comes the happy work of hanging the ornaments and making your Christmas tree the Happiest Christmas Tree while listening to Nat King Cole.

Pansy Garden Maintenance

Posted on November 22, 2009

When the summer annuals are finished and the time has come to take them out and the colorful sweet pansies take their place in the winter garden, I am not at all sad that summer is gone.  I love the freshness and rich tones of the many colors of pansies.   They come in almost every color and they bloom all winter long. I want to share some tips in this post that will help keep those winter pansies looking great all season long.

Pansies benefit from frequent deadheading. Deadheading is garden speak for pinching the old flowers off. Pansies will set new flower buds all winter as long as the daytime temperatures are as warm as 38F. Pinching the spent flowers off speeds the process for new flower bud formation and keeps the display fresh looking in a cold snap.

Pansies also suffer from frost heaving. Frost heaving describes the process of the soil pushing the plant out of the ground when the temperatures drop and freeze causing contraction and heaving.   At planting, make sure that the plants are set firmly in the ground. It is also important that pansy beds are well mulched to stabilize surface soil temperatures. I recommend any pine mulch product as best whether you choose straw, shredded bark or pine fines. Pine fines are also sold under the moniker of soil conditioner.  And finally, it is important to fertilize pansies with an organic or low number chemical fertilizer to make sure that your plants have the ability to produce flowers all winter and well into spring.

These simple tips will ensure your winter gardens have some pizazz with splashes of brilliant color throughout the cold drab Winter season.  Enjoy.

-Beth

Container Gardens for the Winter Patio and Deck

Posted on November 11, 2009

One of the prettiest things about summer are the gigantic containers of geraniums and ferns that homeowners use to decorate their front porches, decks and patios. It’s a lot of work to empty and drag those terra cotta or stone containers under the house or in the garage once the night temperatures threaten frosts.  Consider leaving those containers outdoors and create cold hardy beautiful showy container gardens all winter long.

When I design container gardens for winter, I always start with one to three evergreens as the centerpiece, depending on the size of the container. Boxwoods, Nandina, soft Hollies are all good choices. These can either be transplanted into the landscape when spring arrives or remain in the containers as a year round centerpiece surrounded with Summer color and Winter color.  I have come to really love the constant evergreen look that I have in many of my containers so I only change the seasonal color at the base of those particular year round pots.  Small Japanese maples make beautiful container plants and it’s a great way to get a less expensive tree and use it as a decoration on the patio before moving it into the landscape as a more permanent fixture.

Once I have made my mind up about the centerpiece, I go about adding lots of pansies for winter color.  I choose light colors so that they show up during the winter when the days are so short. I also use plenty of evergreen ground covers to simulate a miniature micro garden.   English ivy, Pachysandra, and Holly fern are all good choices. Perennials that are evergreen or semi evergreen work really well in winter containers to provide contrast in texture and color variations.

Some folks might be thinking these look like another version of a Christmas tree. Well, it’s easy to put lights on these evergreens and they do look really pretty for the holidays. The added light is nice during the winter when the days are so short. Here in Middle Tennessee, as the winter solstice approaches, it is dark by 4:30pm. That is a very busy time of year, and a little light by the front door might not be a bad idea. There is no harm in letting your neighbors know that you are celebrating the holiday season.

Container gardens bring color and texture to your patios all year long.  This is great when you can spend time in your outdoor leisure spaces throughout the coldest season of the year, especially those frequent sunny warm days we have in Tennessee in the Winter.  Enjoy!

-Beth

Colors and Trees in the Fall

Posted on October 27, 2009

Summer is long and we are surrounded by green.  Everything is green and in a matter of days the leaves begin to change and a magical time of the year explodes in color.  Responding to day length, the green pigment in the leaves of trees (chlorophyll) begins to break down and the other pigments in the leaves which have always been present, have their time to shine.

The seasonal affect is wonderful and the colors are spectacular.  Red, orange, and yellow make up the color  scheme that all of us who live east of the Mississippi River know as autumn.  I want to share with you a way to tell trees by their fall color.   Trees turn the same color every year so it’s easy to understand what the woods look once the leaves change colors.  Fall color lasts for about two weeks and in Middle Tennessee we are beginning to see dramatic change right now.  Unfortunately, the colors have been dampened by the unseasonably excessive rain we are experiencing, especially the weeks of rain from the late summer continuing through early fall.  I am afraid that this year many of the leaves will drop green due to the fungal growth and no time for the leaves to dry out and release the tannins and other pigments.

In spite of the rains, fall is still here and the colors are changing on many of the trees.  Dogwoods are the red leaves in the color scheme.  Their ripe berries are also red so that makes their color change have  even more depth and impact. Red oaks and Shummard oaks also turn red or maroon in the fall.  Boston Ivy and Virginia creeper are famous for their red fall color, even the dreaded Poison Ivy has a spectacular deep red color.  I can’t forget about all those pretty maples that turn red, but some of the best color comes from maples that turn orange or golden yellow.

The best known maples that turn orange in the fall are the sugar maples.   The sweet nature of these trees that provides us with maple syrup in the early spring also makes certain that orange is prevalent in the autumnal landscape. Some cherries that are grown for their spring blossoms and not for fruit also have a  lovely orange fall color display.   One of the most dependable trees that changes to orange is the Tulip Poplar.  One of the giants in the forest and the state tree of Tennessee, its color in the fall is breathtaking.

Trees that turn yellow in the fall may seem a little ordinary, but reliable golds and clear yellows are valuable elements in the landscape and make for great pleasure while driving around leading our busy lives.  Gingko trees have the clearest golden yellow of any tree that I can think of. The golden fan-shaped leaves make  the tree seem like something from another time.  In fact, Gingkos can be traced to the fossil record.  Maples can provide a showy clear yellow fall display.  Eastern Redbuds provide a lower story yellow to light the dark days of fall.

I love this time of year and I encourage all of you to take some time and notice how special the changing of the seasons  really is.

Leaf-Chronicle Article: Couple Finds Tranquility in Backyard

Posted on August 26, 2009

August 18, 2009

By STACY LEISER
The Leaf-Chronicle

The family’s backyard in Rudolphtown had its appeal, dropping down to the Red River, then farmland beyond.  But it was steep and craggy enough that it was unusable by Troy and Tawyna Sinitiere, their then-teenage daughter Brooke, and even their dogs.

“You couldn’t walk back here, really, because of the slope of the land, without breaking your ankle,” Tawnya Sinitiere says.

“You couldn’t use the space for anything,” Troy Sinitiere agrees.

Today, all that has changed for the better. The Sinitieres’ new landscape will be featured on the
Montgomery County Water Garden Society’s 10th annual Water Garden Tour, which is 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Aug. 22. In honor of its 10th anniversary, the tour features 10 local people’s ponds for the first time this year.

The Sinitieres are relatively new to town. They chose Clarksville and moved here from Atlanta a few years ago, bringing with them their business, B.E.S. Security Systems.

“I like to fish. I like the outdoors. I liked the Cumberland River coming through, and close proximity to the lake,” Troy Sinitiere said. “Clarksville has restaurants, shopping, everything we were looking for.”

The climate was part of Clarksville’s appeal, so they wanted ways to better enjoy the outdoors at their home. They tried with little success to find a local landscaper to redesign their yard. After a year of looking, they found Robert Edwards, a Nashville-based landscaper known as the Teacup Gardener
(www.Teacupgardener.com).

They first hired Edwards to landscape their front yard, but that went so well they gave him a crack at redesigning their much more challenging backyard.

“I like different,” Tawnya Sinitiere says. “I wanted something like a Southern Living garden, something for all seasons.”

Troy Sinitiere and his father-in-law already had a major deck rebuild and expansion in mind, To add to that, Edwards proposed a plan that made the backyard’s rough terrain into a peaceful walking path alongside a lovely stream.

“I was always interested in having a stream in my backyard,” Troy Sinitiere says. “I never wanted a pond with koi.”

Now, Troy Sinitiere has two ponds swimming with 29 koi.

“We were originally only going to have one pond, but he (Edwards) said with the slope of the land we could have another pond,” Tawnya Sinitiere says.

The backyard now features a ground-level deck overlooking a waterfall-fed pond. The surface is at deck level near the house, but is at the top of an impressive rock wall as the ground falls away on the back side. Tens of thousands of pounds of natural stone were trucked in to build the pond walls, as well as a walking path and stone steps that circle two ponds connected by a stream.

Many people go on the annual water garden tour to get ideas for their own backyard water gardens.  The Sinitieres joined Montgomery County Water Garden Society to meet other pond people, who share ideas about filtering, pumps, liners, koi, health and other issues that people don’t encounter elsewhere.

“We joined to help learn how to take care of our pond,” Tawnya Sinitiere says.

“It has taken us a while to figure out what it takes to get it balanced and how to keep it balanced,”
Troy Sinitiere says.

Tawnya Sinitiere has enjoyed using the new space as a showcase for her gardening experiments.  She said she loves going on the Montgomery County Water Garden Society tour to get new gardening ideas. People can participate in the tour Aug. 22 by purchasing a ticket ($10 per person ages 13 and older; free ages 12 and younger) that includes addresses and directions to each of 10 stops. Tour attendees then drive at their leisure to each location, where the water garden’s owners will be on hand to chat or answer questions.

Tawnya Sinitiere loves bright colors and enjoys trying new combinations of color, texture and scale in her plant choices. And she’s happy to pass on all she has learned. Black coral elephant ears, petunias, limelight hydrangeas, azaleas, cattails, knockout roses, Japanese maples, blue pickerel and lizard’s tail are among the profusion of plants that make their garden a four-season wonderland.  Crape myrtles, trained to grow tall like trees, add whimsy and privacy at the side property line.

The Sinitieres now enjoy their resort-like backyard so much it is hard for them to imagine how unwelcoming it once was.

“It’s peaceful out here in the evening,” Tawnya Sinitiere says. “We like to eat dinner out here.”

Dramatic lighting creates warm pools of light at night, enhancing the magic of the space.

“When it’s lit up at night,” Troy Sinitiere says, “it takes on a whole different appearance.”

http://www.theleafchronicle.com

Leaf-Chronicle Article: Envisioning the Garden

Posted on August 26, 2009

July 16, 2009

By STACY LEISER
The Leaf-Chronicle

Eric Berg is a forensic pathologist, by nature slow and meticulous in his work, performing autopsies
for the Army.

But working for himself, choosing a home, his scientific method went out the window.

“Before I even looked inside, I said, ‘This is the house,’ because of the backyard,” Eric said about the
home he and his wife, Elaine, bought in Clarksville’s Rudolphtown neighborhood 10 years ago.

It was improvements to the house that eventually led the Bergs — 9 years later — to revise their
backyard landscape. In 2005, they hired local builder Don Sharpe to expand their master bathroom,
adding a seating area and picture window overlooking the backyard in the process.

The Bergs’ backyard slopes down to boggy bottomland with the Red River beyond. Eric said he fell in
love with the yard’s “potential,” but that potential didn’t begin to be realized until last year, after the
couple grew tired of the ho-hum view out their new picture window.

“It took a while to dream this up,” Eric said, looking out at the elegantly curving stone walls around a
pond with two waterfalls that is now the centerpiece of his backyard. “I think it started with the bird
feeders.”

Eric and Elaine were already avid bird watchers, with Eric hanging feeders topped with two curved
baffles from zip lines spanning the yard, his most successful effort in making them inaccessible to
squirrels.

“I have an acrimonious relationship with squirrels,” he said, laughing.

But other than that, the backyard was still a blank slate.

“We were looking out at grass and mud and decided we wanted something better to look at,” Eric
said.

Impressed with the water garden of their neighbors, Troy and Tawnya Sinitiere, the Bergs hired the
Sinitiere’s landscaper, Nashville-based Teacup Gardener, to re-envision their yard. Workers started
with the front yard, then moved on to the much more challenging task of remaking the sloping
backyard. Rather than straight, squared fences Eric had in mind, designer Robert Edwards proposed
curving black fences.

In addition to being beautiful, the fences are practical. The Bergs had walked their two Scotties on
leashes for more than an hour a day for nine and a half years before the fences were installed. Now,
the dogs have the run of the yard, and Eric and Elaine can sit back and watch them romp.

The newest addition to the landscape is a waterfall that leads to a pond that leads to a waterfall that
leads to another pond. If that sounds repetitive, it is, by design. The curving rock outlines of the ponds mimic each other, continuing the sinewy S-curves of the rock walls and fence lines.

“The bridge where the waterfall is — the birds can come there and drink and bathe,” Elaine said.

“You don’t need a birdbath when you have a pond like this,” Eric added. “Birds are attracted to still
water, but when you have moving water, it really attracts them.”

In the ponds are the Bergs’ newest pets — 19 comets, shebunkins and butterfly koi. The couple
strategically placed benches and a swing near the pond, so they can relax and take in the natural
beauty as it unfolds in their own backyard.

“This has made it so much more livable,” Elaine said. “I don’t want to go on vacation, it’s so restful
here.”

In the dark, the scene takes on a little more drama.

“I like the sound of the water. After dark, it’s illuminated,” Eric said. “Robert (Edwards) did a great job
of placing the illumination. He was very judicious about where he aimed the lights. You get pools of
light here and there. It gives an ethereal look to the backyard.”

Because it is held 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Aug. 22, attendees of the Montgomery County Water Garden
Society’s 10th Anniversary Water Garden Tour won’t see the Bergs’ romantic pools of light. They will,
however, get a firsthand look at the newest pond on the tour, completed just this spring, the
realization of 10 long years of potential.

http://www.theleafchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090716/LIFESTYLE/9071… 7/20/2009

Leaf-Chronicle Article: Water Garden Finally Fulfills Yard’s Potential

Posted on August 26, 2009

July 15, 2009

By STACY LEISER
The Leaf-Chronicle

Eric Berg fell in love with his home at first glance — of the back yard. He hadn’t even set foot inside
when he realized “This is the house.”

The backyard that won him over has, at long last, become a restful oasis for him and his wife, Elaine
Berg, with the addition of two ponds connected by waterfalls. Read all about them and see
photographs of the ponds, which will be featured on the Montgomery County Water Garden Society’s
Water Garden Tour in August, in Thursday’s edition of The Leaf-Chronicle.

http://www.theleafchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090715/NEWS01/9071502… 7/20/2009

Leaf-Chronicle Article: Gardens Galore

Posted on August 26, 2009

July 16, 2009

By STACY LEISER
The Leaf-Chronicle

Earl Parrish said this year’s tour will be the best ever, and he may be right.

In honor of its 10th anniversary, the Montgomery County Water Garden Society’s Water Garden Tour
will feature 10 local ponds — three more than last year.

People can participate in the Aug. 22 tour by purchasing a ticket ($10 per person ages 13 and older;
free ages 12 and younger) that includes addresses and directions to each of 10 stops. Tour
attendees then drive at their leisure to each location, where the water garden’s owners will be on
hand to chat or answer questions.

Eric Berg joined the group in 2001, hoping to learn more about water gardens eight years before he
had one of his own.

“I decided to go on the pond tour,” Berg said. “I’ve been on all the pond tours but one since.”

This year, Berg finally put all his plans into action, building two large, curving ponds with two
waterfalls in the backyard of his Rudolphtown home. He said going on the Water Garden Tour is an
excellent way to get ideas and advice for designing or caring for your own water garden.

In addition to Eric and Elaine Berg’s water garden, this year’s tour features three others that have
never before been open to the public, the ponds of:

.
Chris and Suzanne Goff.
.
Les and Rhonda Shanks.
.
Troy and Tawnya Sinitiere.
“It’s fun to get out and see neighborhoods you wouldn’t normally see,” Berg said, but warned: “They
might want a pond of their own.”
A sneak peek at all 10 water gardens on the tour will be offered in The Leaf-Chronicle in August.

http://www.theleafchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090716/LIFESTYLE/9071… 7/20/2009

www.theleafchronicle.com

ONLINE: Montgomery County Water Garden Society — www.mcwgs.org.

2009 Montgomery County Water Garden Society Pond Tour

Posted on August 26, 2009

Last Saturday, Beth and I and our children, attended the 2009 Montgomery County Water Garden Society Pond Tour in Clarksville.  Teacup Gardener designed and installed two of the ten koi ponds on this years tour.  We are also proud to say that the entire landscapes of these two homes, both the frontyard and backyard, were also designed and installed by Teacup Gardener.  Both ponds and gardens were featured in the Clarksville daily newspaper, the Leaf Chronicle and you can also read the four articles written by Stacy Leiser from the Leaf-Chronicle in the following posts to our blog.

A premier landscaping and construction company

Posted on August 10, 2009

Teacup Gardener has been creating relaxed outdoor leisure space and outstanding curb appeal for the sophisticated home and business for the past 20 years in the Middle Tennessee and greater Nashville area. The business of landscaping and gardening is ever changing as people find themselves drawn to living outside whether it is on a new porch, deck or meditation garden. With these changes come a variety of choices that include container gardening, water features and a number of architectural elements and design choices.

Pleasures of Patios

Posted on June 23, 2009

A patio is wonderful place to spend quality time at home with your family and friends. A covered porch offers that same quality of life experience and creates a nice outdoor environment even when its raining. It’s a great place to relax and take in the sights and sounds of your outdoors.
The other day it was raining really hard. I stepped outside to clear my head and rediscovered the sanctuary that is my front covered porch. The area was well protected from the rain and I made myself comfortable and took note of the front landscape and garden soaking up the precious water.
Fortunately for me, I interrupted a gathering of mocking birds, and once my quiet presence established itself, they continued on their happy chirpy ways. The mocking birds were feasting on the berries in my front garden. Even though it was raining, the birds knew the berries were too precious to waste. Holly, Mahonia, and Juniper were ripe and ready and the evergreen leaves would keep the water from their feathers.
It was breathtaking. There must have been five of them–I figure four young birds and a mother.They were almost all the same size, but most were still covered with downy feathers.
I felt so close to home, I could have been anywhere and everywhere, in the middle of the woods or in the middle of the city. A patio or covered porch can provide so many things a family needs; enjoying the fresh air, collecting your thoughts, bird watching, or whatever. It’s the space needed to allow a family to grow confident, comfortable, and environmentally aware.

Dining on Decks

Posted on June 2, 2009

It certainly has become hot in a hurry. I am happy and thankful for the wonderful spring that we had. The spring weather was often a bit too cool by nightfall to eat outdoors when friends came over for dinner; however, now that the days are longer and warmer, dining outdoors is a great way to spend time breaking bread with friends and family.

Last Saturday we enjoyed the evening air with a nice easy dinner party on the deck. I decided to keep the menu simple so that we could all really enjoy the evening outdoors. Grilled pork loin with a spicy fruity pineapple salsa with red peppers and red pepper flakes, cucumber salad with a creamy sour cream, and a saffron rice for even more color on the plate. Candles, place settings and matching white plastic chairs made for a wonderful dining experience.  My 11 year old loves to star gaze, so his telescope and his knowledge of the night sky was the entertainment.

The candles on the table served as a soft and illuminating light source so we could see each other laugh and smile.  I just want to share that outdoor dining can be a simple stress free experience for you, your family and friends.  It really was easy peasy to pull off. We just moved the dinner from one interior room of the house to an exterior room. We were outdoors eating good food and talking story on a wonderful deckspace that has now become another room in our home. Bon appetit!

Mother’s Day Garden Peonies

Posted on May 9, 2009

I feel as though I crossed a rite of passage.  A few days ago, I cut and placed in a bud vase my first peony blossom of the spring.  It will be the first of many flowers from my cutting garden this year, but I am so thrilled with this peony I feel like sharing.

It took me many years to realize the value of the old fashioned peonies as the perennial garden work horse.  Once I recognized this value, it took a few more years for them to produce flowers from my “Irish Cuttings”.  “Irish Cuttings” are the bits and pieces that I collect from my work.   I thought they were easy, ordinary, and old fashioned.  I could not understand why gardeners took up so much time and energy and space with these fleeting blossoms that are always covered with ants.

Then something really special happened to me.  I became a mother.  I celebrated Mother’s Day in a different fashion.  Peonies, tall bearded iris, roses, lilies of the valley, and lilacs make the most lovely bouquets on the dinner table that second Sunday in May.  Suddenly it made sense to me why my grandmother always complimented my mother’s peonies.  Grandma always took a bouquet home to enjoy.  I am a member of that Mother’s club now.  I look forward to that season in May when My children say,”I love you, Mom.” and honor me with the flowers from my garden.

The peony on the kitchen window sill is still a lovely white and looks more like feathers than petals even after almost a week in the vase.  They smell so sweet.  I am overwhelmed with memories awakened in me today.

The pleasures of gardening are many.  Most of them in the fleeting scents, sights, and sounds of a moment.  Moments so vivid they keep memories alive to recreate for another generation.

Five More Of Teacup’s Best 100 Perennials

Posted on May 6, 2009

I have 5 more Teacup Gardener’s favorite perennials to blog on.  This being an ongoing series, there will normally be blogs on different subjects in between, but I have been wandering through my gardens and have five more must have perennials for your garden to share today.

1. Bearded Iris  -Iris germanica Spring would not be complete without the lovely and versatile iris in the garden.. I am extremely fond of tall bearded  iris, also known as German iris from back when I tended the Wills Garden at Cheekwood years ago.  These wonderful cut flowers come in so many color combinations that some of the cultivars are absolutely unbelievable.  They are the state flower of Tennessee for good reason.  Many species of iris bloom and thrive here.  The foliage is gray-green and evergreen–two valuable assets in the garden..  blooming on or about Mother’s Day, they are real show stoppers.  They like full sun and are tolerant of very poor soil conditions.  Iris like to be planted shallow and reward the gardener who treats them kindly.

2. Coral Bells - Heuchera spp. An old fashioned lover of the shade garden are the many types of Coral Bells.  Heuchera sanguinea has mounding, mottled leaves that are showy all summer long.  The plant is tolerant of dry shade and hold its own in the garden all season long.  This time of year it offers tiny fairy-like blossoms on tall scapes in all shades  of red, pink, coral, and white.  There is a native Coral Bells called Heuchera american that has absolutely beautiful red foliage that is practically “evergreen”.  No shade garden would be complete without it.  It’s easy to grow too.   The flowers are golden yellow and are a welcome sight in the garden .

3.  Peony -Paoenia spp. No discussion of the spring garden could possibly be complete without mentioning the peonies, the traditional favorite of every grandmother. These perennial garden work horses have been in cultivation for more than 2000 years.  Many gardeners consider them a shrub but they are susceptible to frost and die back to the ground requiring winter dormancy.  They come in many shades of pink, red, purple, yellow, and white.  The heavily scented blossoms are excellent as cut flowers.

4. Knockout Rose -Rosa x ‘Radtko’ A relatively new perennial that may even be categorized as a shrub.  The knockout Rose is loved by commercial landscapers and homeowners alike.  They are wonderful in the foundation planting as well as the perennial garden.  They begin to bloom in mid April and continue to bloom with little or no care until Thanksgiving.  The roses are pink, red, and new from last year is a nice creamy yellow.  Knockout roses are more resistant to black spot, the fungal pathogen blight that the bane of the rose gardener as it defoliates the roses.

5.  Columbines -Aquilegia spp. Another old fashioned perennial for the shade is columbine.  The botanical name for the columbine is Aquilegia species and it is a perfect compliment for the spring shade garden.  It’s another mid spring bloomer that appears in every color of the rainbow.  Many are bicolor, and the combination of colors are endless.  My personal favorite, although I love them all, is the native columbine, Aquilegia canadensis, which comes in yellow and red and all hues from golden and crimson to cream and pink.  The foliage makes a wonderful groundcover and persists long after the flowers have faded.  It self sows when happy and is willing to make a nice carpet under azaleas.

5 of Teacup Gardener’s Best 100 Perennials

Posted on April 19, 2009

I have been watching my perennials emerge in the gardens this spring with renewed interest. I appreciate the plants that have evergreen foliage or emerge so early that they really hold their place in the early spring garden when the perennial garden really needs perennials.  I am beginning a list of my choices for the top 100 perennials in the garden.  Today I have listed five of these 100 plants that have merit and are worthy of a place in any garden.

1. Hellebores -Helleborus orientalis.  A common name for the Hellebore is the Lenten rose.  Hellebores are an excellent year round foliage plant for the shade perennial beds.  The blooms occur in the late winter and may last until Easter.  The flowers stay pretty for a long time in the early spring garden.  They have evergreen foliage and they are tolerant of dry shade.  When Hellebores are happy they tend to prolifically seed around to create an excellent groundcover for large areas.  In five years you may be a very popular neighbor when you dig and divide and share with all your garden friends.

2.  Husker Red Beardtongue -Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker Red’. The common name for the Penstemons is the beard tongue and was used by North American Indians to cure the toothache.  The best cultivar for me is ‘Husker Red’ and is one tough performer in the full sun, it emerges so early that I feel it is practically evergreen.  The striking red foliage is showy and strong and rises up over the old foliage.  When the blooms emerge it offers a lovely strand of bell shaped white flowers on flowerscapes, the stem of the flower, that cut well to display at your dining room table.

3.  Variegated Solomon Seal – Polygonatum odoratum ‘Variegatum’. This excellent spring perennial stands tall in the early shade garden and spreads easily.  It emerges clean and blooms fresh in early spring yet holds its place in the garden throughout the growing season.  The white bells gently hang in pairs from the stem and offer a sweet soft fragrance.  The Solomon Seal also has the unique benefit in the world of perennials for its nice yellow fall color.

4.  Chinese Fountain Grass -Miscanthus sinensis.  It’s an oldy but a goody and has always had a place in the full sun perennial garden.  The Victorian garden would not be right without a Fountain Grass adorning the mid-day full blasting sun.  It is absolutely gorgeous when it sways in the wind-it is the quintessential amber wave.  The only time this plant is not showy is when it’s cut back in late February to make room for the new growth in late April.  Combine this with daffodils to maintain the space for maximum use of floral display space and the daffodil foliage can age under cover of the new growth of the Fountain Grass.

5.  Stella D’Oro Daylily – Hemerocallis ‘Stella de Oro’.  I never liked this favorite of commercial landscapers until I planted one in a container garden.  I have grown to love this little solid full sun performer as it has been so pretty emerging with bulb foliage as the chorus for spring color.  Soon it will take its turn as a soloist when it produces many, many versatile yellow-orange flowers.

Pretty Green Grass

Posted on April 9, 2009

If you are interested in creating a new lawn in the spring, consider reading the following post first.  Tall Fescue is the type of lawn turf grass most prized in our area.  This is a cool season grass that stays green thru the cold temperatures of winter.  Installing Fescue Sod is the best option to create a new lawn in the spring rather than grass seed in middle Tennessee and here’s why.

The pretty green grass that you have enjoyed all winter was fescue grass seed that was sown last late summer or early fall.  It is a cool season grass.  If Tall Fescue seed is sown now, its germination rate will be less effective and it will not create a thick lush green carpet before the weather becomes extreme and the days are hot and dry.  Hot dry weather is very hard on fescue especially new young grass shoots.  Tall Fescue is a thirsty grass in the summer too, so that you will need to keep it well watered.

If your desire is for that beautiful lawn now, it makes sense to spend a little more money and lay fescue sod.  The new sod will need to be watered daily for the first two to three weeks for the root system to become established and for the sod squares to meld. The look will be instant and consistent since there is no need to reseed where it did not germinate.  Tall fescue performs best when cut between 2.5″ to 3″ tall and cut weekly.  And now you can enjoy your lawn.

The Flowering Trees of Spring

Posted on April 2, 2009

The best part of the landscape in the early spring season to notice when you are around and about are the sporadic and frequent bursts of color at eye level and higher, we are of course talking about the spring flowering trees that pop into color every year for a fleeting period of time.  The flowers are the harbinger of spring and summer.  They are everywhere and many of these trees are excellent choices for your garden.

The first trees to bloom here in the middle South are the Bradford Pear, Star Magnolia and the Saucer Magnolia.  The Bradford Pears line the boulevards of planned neighborhoods and the parking lots of retail malls and are nice for their great oval shape of white blooms.  The Star usually precedes the two magnolias with the large sheer white star shaped flowers.  The Saucer Magnolia is the tree that creates the showy large bright purple tulip looking flowers that make for quite a display.  Unfortunately, the deciduous spring flowering magnolias are extra susceptible to the spring frosts which lay waste to the flowers with a withering color change to brown to gray-black that fall beneath the tree.

The Yoshino Cherry tree, the later blooming Kwanzan Cherry tree, and the Crabapple tree all show their wealth next and create beautiful shows of color from blush white pinks and double pinks of the cherries to the whites, pinks, and reds of the Crabapples.  These flowering trees are something to take in with the eye and the nose for a couple of blissful weeks.

The Redbud trees and the Dogwood trees line the older and newer neighborhoods alike and their wild cousins pop out along the highways and freeways along the woodsy margins.  Redbuds are especially beautiful in the wooded areas for the blast of purple magenta flowers and the occasional white redbud tree.  The Dogwood trees are our personal favorite with their showy bracts of reds, pinks and creamy and clear white flowers.  We picked our home in Nashville in early December of 1993 when we were searching for the perfect house with the potential for the perfect Teacup Garden because of the giant Dogwood tree in the front yard.  We knew what kind of tree it was from the biscuit shaped  flower buds that were at the end of every branch even though it was the biggest Dogwood we had ever seen.

So wherever you live and no matter how many of these trees bloom in your garden, you can always enjoy the flowering trees of spring wherever you are because they are everywhere.

Green Walls for Privacy are not always Twins

Posted on March 29, 2009

I am Beth O’Leary and I am a professional gardener, landscape contractor, and co-founder of Teacup Gardener. I have plenty of experiences that I would like to share in a Teacup Gardener blog.  I want to write about a challenge I am having in my home garden.  We as humans really want plants to do what we want them to do and we become frustrated when they do not comply.

The site I am working on now is the left perimeter of my back yard.  I have slowly been creating a green wall so that we have maximum privacy for our outdoor leisure space.  We lost some big Florida Dogwoods, Nelly R. Steven’s Hollies, Captata Yews, and Skip Laurels along our green wall perimeter bed from the double whammy of the late Easter 2007 hard freeze coupled with the terrible drought of that summer.  These were mostly the big stuff, the height and girth of our green privacy wall.  We are feeling mighty exposed and wish to patch these privacy gaps as soon as possible.  We lost big transplants of Oak leaf Hydrangea in 2008 and evergreen cast offs from client gardens which we hoped to nurture and revive.  It seems easy enough, especially for a person like me, who is in “the business” to plant and enjoy some nice big evergreens and be done.  Guess again.

On the right side of the yard a lovely green wall thrives.  A combination of big old shade trees grow beautifully with azaleas, crape myrtle, hollies, junipers, boxwood, mahonia, yew, abelia and perennials cover the ground.  Penelope Hobhouse would be proud of me.  It is a successful mixed shrub border.  I love it and I want one exactly like it (only different!) on the left side of the yard.

The most recent attempt with some nice hollies has failed.  Why won’t the left side of the yard behave and do what the right side is doing?  The soil quality may be a problem. This side is at the bottom of our driveway and during every big rainfall all the residue from the street and the drive drains down and along this side of the backyard.  We may need to add some soil amendments such as mushroom compost to heal the soil from environmental pollutants.  The large shade trees out compete anything new and small for water and nutrients. We have not yet made the jump to irrigation.

I will focus on what does well, not on what I want to do well.  The happiest plant on that side is a serviceberry that I would have to describe as indestructible.  Not much cover, but the birds love it.  Yews and box do nicely, but it’s a long time before those friends reach a size that I could call a wall. Well I’ll take my time, let my garden grow, feed the birds and maybe get to know my neighbor better. By then I might want a path with a gate instead of a wall.

A Book Review of the Omnivore’s Dilemma

Posted on March 16, 2009

The Omnivore’s Dilemma
By Michael Pollan

This is a fun book, not only is the subject matter intriguing and compelling, but the writing style is beautiful and flows easily. This is a book every American should read. This is a book that may explain our national eating disorder and possibly our Republic of Fat. The Omnivore’s Dilemma is divided into three distinct parts describing the three main aspects of our human food chain. And each section ends with in a meal (actually four meals). The book is intuitively and surprisingly informative and well researched.

The first part of The Omnivore’s Dilemma consist of the spectacular success of our capitalistic enterprising outrageously successful food chain that begins with corn and is infused totally with corn with what Michael Pollan describes as the industrial food chain. The second part of the book describes organics, although he distinguishes between two different aspects of what we call the organic food market. With the rise of the popular movement in organics, Pollan notes what he refers to as an industrial organic system to supply the retail grocery phenomenon like Whole Foods with its economies of scale and its mass marketing global influence. This is almost diametrically opposed to what he describes as a more sustainable and local organic that is consumed at the local level with a stronger emphasis on the small organic farm concept such as CSA’s (Community Supported Agriculture) whereas a community subscribes to a local farm and shares in its probable success or its possible failure. The third part of the book describes the interesting yet totally impractical idea of hunting and gathering one’s total food alone or in cooperation of a limited group of people which he refers to as foraging. Each of the four concept food chain systems culminates in a meal that is representative of the particular concept of each food chain type. The first meal is from the industrial food chain of a fast food meal eaten while in a moving car. The second and third meals using the two types of organic foods that Pollan discusses. And finally, what the author describes as the perfect meal created from foodstuffs that he hunted and gathered and cooked himself. This is about food, a subject matter that Michael Pollan describes painstakingly and beautiful in its prose that both resembles an epic poem and a cook book and a news report.

Michael Pollan is a journalist by trade and I have read an earlier book titled Second Nature. Second Nature is a book I read and completely enjoyed back when we first bought our home in Nashville and his writing and ideas have definitely influenced the overall design of our family homes landscape. He has another book I will be interested in reading in the future titled In Defense of Food. The Omnivore’s Dilemma is an excellent read of just over four hundred pages and the reader comes away with a wow factor and a sense of the innate beauty and community that food entails. I especially enjoyed the fantasy (in my life anyway) of the perfect meal and having a dinner party consisting of foods totally hunted and gathered by the host and the guests.