Feng Shui Garden Podcast

If you've been following my Feng Shui in the Garden series (part one and part two) ... then you don't want to miss my Nest in Style podcast interview with Feng Shui expert Linda Binns.

In the podcast, Linda demystifies the ancient art and science of Feng Shui ("fung schway") and explains how these principles can be applied easily to your gardens today.

• Hear how people are using Feng Shui in their outdoor spaces to coax positive energy (or Chi) inside their homes.
• Learn how a few changes to your garden can bring improvements to other areas of your life.
• Get expert Feng Shui tips, using simple items like bird feeders, fountains, firepits, trees and more.

Hear podcast. Or keep on scrolling for more on Feng Shui gardens.

Feng Shui in the Garden - Part II

The ancient art and science of Feng Shui can be applied not only to your home but also to your garden, as revealed in Part I of this post.

In fact, the exterior of your home and garden are important ways to create harmony inside the house, according to Feng Shui consultant Linda Binns, who owns Harmony Inside and Out, LLC.

“Your outdoor areas are an extension of your indoor living spaces,” says Binns. “To create positive energy inside, you need to create a positive feel to the energy that surrounds and leads to your home.”

That’s why Part II of Feng Shui in the Garden focuses on how to create harmonious energy outdoors by incorporating the five elements of nature – earth, wood, water, fire and metal – in a positive, balanced way in your garden.

“It’s not always practical to represent these natural elements in a literal manner,” she admits. “For example, fire and water features aren’t always possible in apartment settings. However, there are other ways to use these natural elements in a more symbolic way and get a similar effect.”

To get you started, Binns offers these tips for understanding and using the natural elements of Feng Shui in your garden:

Earth: In most gardens, the element of earth is already quite prominent. However, if you live in an urban setting with not a lot of soil and too much concrete, you may need to add more earth.

Bring more earth elements to your outdoor spaces with yellow and cream-colored plants, terra cotta pots or brown furniture. Square and rectangular shapes – such as square stepping stones, rectangular paving bricks, carts or flowers boxes are other ways to bring earth elements to your garden.

Wood: Do you have a lot of greenery in your garden? Then you already have a strong wood presence. Want to add more? Add blue and green elements to your outdoor space, such as the above plant containers. Or, add striped pillows, pots and other accessories. Stripes also represent the wood element in Feng Shui.

Water: From fountains and ponds to swimming pools, there are many ways to add water to your garden. Other ways include flowing pathways, organic shaped garden beds, as well as flags, banners and mobiles. The downward movement of hanging plants also conveys water’s energy.

“Many people associate the color blue with water,” says Binns, “but black is actually the strongest color to represent this element.” Consider adding black iron furniture and black garden accessories, if you need more water energy.

Fire: Outdoor fire pits are a great way to bring the fire element to your garden. But they certainly aren’t the only way. You can add cone-, pyramid- and triangle-shaped trellises and objects. Even conical-shaped trees and plants add the fire element.

Not surprisingly, fire is also represented by the many shades of the color red. That includes pink, burgundy and orange, as in these cheerful orange lanterns.

Metal: Accessories, such as the above decoration, are one way to add metal. But round and arched objects also introduce the metal element. Gazing balls and circular stepping stones are a simple way to add this element, as well as arched trellises.

The color white represents metal too. By adding white painted furniture, rocks or statuary, such as these lovebirds, you can add metal and balance the other natural elements in your yard.

Going Forward: Use your creativity when bringing these natural elements into your home. As you’ve no doubt noticed, objects will often represent several elements, and that’s really the ideal situation.

Take this simple hummingbird feeder, for instance. It not only represents fire energy (red color) but also the water element. Plus, it attracts birds, which bring positive Chi to your home, reports Binns. Birds, animals and people also symbolize fire. So, the white lovebird statues, shown above, can be considered metal as well as fire.

“Over time, you’ll see it’s easy to add natural elements to your garden,” says Binns. “With a little practice, your natural eye will determine how various objects can represent these elements, whether by their design, color or shape. The important thing is to select the items that you enjoy, and have fun while creating a sense of balance and harmony throughout your outdoor spaces.”

Learn more:
Linda Binns of Harmony Inside and Out, LLC  On Twitter: @LindaBinns

Feng Shui in the Garden - Part I

It's no secret that a beautiful landscape can lift the spirits. But many gardeners are moving beyond just creating a lovely garden, and are applying the ancient principles of Feng Shui to their outdoor spaces as well.

Feng Shui - pronounced "fung schway" - is an ancient art and science developed more than 3,000 years ago in China. This complex body of knowledge guides people in their choices of colors, shapes, materials and object placements in their homes and gardens.

Those who follow Feng Shui often report improvements in their relationships, financial situations, health conditions and careers, according to Linda Binns, a Feng Shui coach and owner of Boise-based Harmony Inside and Out, LLC.

"Our homes express a great deal about our lives," Binns explains. "Energy, known as 'Chi' flows through our environment. Just by making a few adjustments to your garden, you can coax positive Chi into your home and enhance your life."

Binns - who specializes in long-distance consultations - offers a few Feng Shui tips for the garden:

Keep plants healthy and remove all dead trees, shrubs or flowers right away. Make sure plants aren't obstructing the path to your door, or blocking a window. Avoid sharp-edged or pointed plants such as holly near doors or entrances.

Create a protected and private garden environment with evergreen hedges, trees or fencing in the back and sides of your yards.

Curvy pathways allow the Chi to travel more effectively than straight narrow paths. Incorporate curves and organic shapes in your garden as much as possible, and soften sharp edges and angles with flowing plants.

Encourage birds and butterflies into your garden by providing food and plants that attract them. These critters' movements keep the Chi flowing in the right way - not to mention, they make Mother Nature happy too.

Protect your home from difficult neighbors, power lines or busy streets with guardian statues (such as Buddhas, angels, etc...) on either side of the door. A wind chime outside the front door also welcomes in rejuvenating energy, says Binns. A tree in the right place will slow and stop negative Chi from hitting your home.

Invite positive Chi into your home with a small water feature, such as a bird bath or fountain, near the front entrance. Water represents wealth and prosperity, says Binns. Keep these water features clean, and always make sure the water is running towards - not away from - your home.

Coming Soon! Don't miss Part II about the five elements of nature and how to apply these Feng Shui principles to your garden.

Learn More:

Linda Binns of Harmony Inside and Out, LLC

On Twitter: @LindaBinns
Her book: Feng Shui for Your Relationships: Changing Your Environment to Create Better Relationships

The World's First Grocery Gardening Party

Not long after Grocery Gardening hit bookstores in February 2010, I received a congratulatory call from some good friends in California. They wanted to celebrate by hosting a potluck dinner featuring recipes from the book. And since they know I'm a big fan of local foods, they wanted to buy many of the ingredients from their local Farmer's Market.

The world's first Grocery Gardening Party (or GG Party) was born.

I knew this GG party would rock, because: One, these folks are not just supportive friends, they are excellent cooks. Two, they know how to throw a good party. And three, for better or worse, most national trends do tend to start in California.

Being thousands of miles away myself, I lived vicariously through real-time Tweets and emailed reports, but you can see for yourselves how much fun they had.

Here's their menu, as well as mouthwatering pictures photographed by Kurt Triffet. There is even a recipe below for you to try. Cheers!

The World's First GG Party - Menu

Chive Dip and Vegetables (shown above)

Asparagus and Goat Cheese Tart

Baby Spinach Salad with Blueberries and Pecans

Butternut Squash and Brown Rice Risotto

Blue Cheese Baked Apples (recipe included)

Mascarpone Crostata with Strawberries and Apples

Asparagus and Goat Cheese Tarts (pages 150-151) offered a way to enjoy all the asparagus available at spring markets. This vegetarian dish provides a healthy dose of this low calorie, nutritious vegetable.

Baby Spinach Salad with Blueberries and Pecans (page 197) combines tender spinach with berries, nuts and feta cheese to provide a new twist on an old favorite.

Butternut Squash and Brown Rice Risotto (page 181) is the ultimate comfort food, featuring aromatic sage and fennel seeds.

Blue Cheese Baked Apples (page 92) were a big hit at the GG party. So, I'm sharing the recipe for you to try yourself...

Blue Cheese Baked Apples (from Grocery Gardening)

1/2 cup chopped, toasted pecans

1/4 cup dried currants

1/4 cup dried cranberries

4 large baked apples (such as Courtland, Pippin, Braeburn or Gravenstein),

well-washed and cored (don't pierce the bottoms of the apples)

1/4 to 1/2 cup cubed and crumbled blue cheese (such as Roquefort, Stilton or Cambozola)

1 cup boiling water

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine the pecans, currants and cranberries in a small bowl; mix well. Fill the apple cavities with the pecan-fruit mixture. Top with a cube or spoonful of the blue cheese.

Place the stuffed apples in a small baking dish and add the boiling water to the pan. Bake 20 minutes, until the apples are softened but not falling apart.

Mascarpone Crostata with Strawberries and Apples (page 140) provided a decadent way to end the meal. This Italian fruit pie/tart concoction is easy to make too.

Plus, there were even leftovers. What could be better than that?

Some of the brains, cooks and planners behind the world's first GG Party take a break to pose for a picture. Special thanks to all who made this happen... Lori, Claudia, Cathi, Jim, Kathy, Carrie, Kurt, Rhonda, Ti, Isabel and Lee.

Learn More about Grocery Gardening.

Seed Advice, Heirloom Seeds, Plant Lists

Purple carrots, blue corn, spotted lettuce and rose pink beans. These are just some of the unusual and delicious vegetables you can grow from seeds in your garden.

Nest in Style Podcast: Eager to learn more about seed starting? Have questions about heirlooms and hybrids? Or, just want more professional garden design tips? Don't miss this Nest in Style podcast episode and hear from three nationally-recognized gardening experts: Nan Sterman, Chris McLaughlin and Rebecca Sweet.

What I'm Growing: While you're listening to Nest in Style, why not look over some of the seeds that I'm growing in the garden this year? You'll see they aren't your average grocery store vegetables.

Beans - "I was determined to know beans," wrote Henry David Thoreau in the late-19th century. And I know just what he means. I love growing beans from seeds. Here are a few beans I've grown in my garden already or that I'm trying this year for the first time.

Bean, Purple Podded Pole - Shown in picture above; purple heirloom bean of northern European origin. Turns green when blanched.

Bean, Ideal Market Pole - Very productive, stringless green pole bean, shown in picture above from harvest 2009.

Bean, Red Swan Bush - Beautiful dusty, red-rose snap bean, which I'm eagerly trying for first time this year. Just think how lovely it will look with purple podded pole beans.

Bean, Pencil Pod Wax Bush - Stringless yellow wax bean that is great for freezing or canning. Trying this one for first time. As you can probably tell, I prefer my beans in unusual colors.

Bean, Painted Pony Bush - Dual purpose bean with long stringless green beans, which later grow to become attractive dry beans in brown and white. These dry beans are highly recommended for soups and stews. I'm trying this variety for the first time, because I'm eager to taste and compare both types of beans.

Bean, Dragon's Tongue Bush - Wax bean with cream-colored pods and thin purple stripes, which disappear when blanched. Below is a picture of some beans I grew in 2009.

I'm growing a lot more than beans, of course. Below are just a few vegetables I'll sow in my garden this year.

Carrot, Cosmic Purple: Bright purple carrots with shades of yellow and orange. Trying for first time.

Carrot, Jaune Obtuse Du Doubs: Lemon-yellow carrot with fine, sweet taste. Trying for first time.
 
Carrot, St. Valery: French variety dating back to at least 1885, handsome bright, red-orange carrots. Trying for first time.

Carrot, Tonda di Parigi: Round in shape, these orange, 19-century Parisian heirloom carrots are 1 to 2 inches long. Ideal for rocky soil. Trying for first time.

Radish Helios: Yellow, olive shaped radishes; Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company reports this heirloom came from Alzbeta Kovacova-Pecarova of Kosice, Slovakia (very near the village where my grandfather was born!) Trying for first time with great delight.

Radish, Purple Plum: Bright-purple skin with crisp white flesh. Trying for first time.

Radish, Long Scarlet: Long and slender, bright red radish that dates back to pre-1870s.  Radish that looks a bit like a carrot -- How cool is that! Trying for first time.

Plus, I can't wait to try ...

Corn, Blue Jade: Steel-blue cobs that become jade-blue when boiled. Dwarf plants that grow 2 to 3 feet bear 3 to 6 ears of corn. One of the few sweet corns that can be grown in containers. Trying for first time.

Squash, Lebanese White Bush Marrow: Rare variety of cream, oblong summer squash, which is delicious baked or fried. Trying for first time.

Speaking of squash, I loved this winter squash I grew last year:

Squash, Musquee de Provence: Averaging 20 pounds, this French variety of winter squash has orange, blue and green colors that ripen to a deep, rich brown. The deep orange flesh is great for baking.

Salads will be made with greens such as these:

Lettuce, Merveille Des Quatre Saisons (Marvel of Four Seasons): With a name like that, how could I not grow this French variety? This bibb letuce has ruby-red leaves with tightly folded green hearts. I've grown this tasty heirloom several years.

Lettuce, Forellenschluss: This old Austrian heirloom is a favorite of mine. The green romaine leaves are speckled with deep rose, and stand up well to salad dressings.This lettuce is as beautiful as it is delicious.

Arugula, Apollo: Productive variety of domesticated rocket; high in vitamin C; excellent in salad mixtures.

That's not all I'm growing this year either. They'll be more cool-season and warm-season plants, which I'll start inside from seeds, direct seed out in the garden, or buy as transplants from local nurseries or farmer's markets. We're lucky here, for instance, to have many unusual varieties of tomatoes, peppers and eggplants available for purchase.

Whatever you decide to grow this year, just remember, it's important to rotate your vegetable crops each year. Want more information? Read the Seasonal Wisdom post on crop rotation.

Happy growing!

Crop Rotation and Vegetable Plant Families

For healthy vegetable gardens, it's best to rotate your crops each year. By rotating your vegetable crops each year, you'll reduce pests and pathogens and add nutrients to the soil. That's why you should avoid growing vegetables from the same family in the same place more than once over a three-year period.

It's not always easy to remember which vegetables belong in the same families, which can make crop rotation a bit challenging. To make it easier, I've listed vegetable plant families and the common names of popular vegetables in each family:

Alliaceae: Chives, garlic, leek, onion

Chenopodiaceae: Beet, chard, spinach

Brassicaceae: Broccoli, Brussels sprout, cabbage, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens, radish, rutabaga, turnip

Asteraceae: Endive, globe artichoke, lettuce

Cucurbitaceae: Cantaloupe, cucumber, pumpkin, summer squash, winter squash, watermelon

Poaceae: Corn

Fabaceae: Green bean, fava bean, lima bean, pea, snap bean

Liliaceae: Asparagus

Polygonaceae: Rhubarb

Solanaceae: Eggplant, pepper, potato, tomato

Umbelliferae: Carrot, celery, Florence fennel, parsley, parsnip

Tips: Keep a notebook to remember what you planted each growing season. If you grew eggplant in a certain place in the garden over the last two years, don't plant family members peppers, potatoes or tomatoes in the same spot this year. Instead, plant a vegetable from another family, such as carrots.

Perennials such as asparagus or rhubarb don't need to be rotated annually. Crop rotation is used for annual vegetables planted each year.

Plant Information Source: "California Master Gardener Handbook," published by the University of California's Agriculture and Natural Resources Department and the University of California Cooperative Extension.

Photo Credit: Isabel Gomes

A Tour of Naples Botanical Garden

Driving up to the Naples Botanical Garden in the seaside town of Naples, Florida, you can't help but notice the bromeliads. They are everywhere in shocking oranges, yellows, reds and greens, scattered among the snow-white stone mulch. Even on a cloudy, surprisingly chilly day in February, the contemporary design cheered the mood of our small group.

Opened in November 2009, the Naples Botanical Garden has 170 acres with various gardens, including The Florida Garden and The Asian Garden (not yet completed). The botanical garden also features an 90-acre nature sanctuary with seven different ecosystems -- not to mention, giant pines, twisted mangroves and unspoiled marshes that are home to eagles, otters and gopher tortoises.

On my visit, I had the chance to tour the three completed gardens, including the charming Children's Garden.

The Vicky C. and David Byron Smith Children's Garden is an interactive world with butterflies, flowers, edibles and play spaces. Front and center is the two-story tree house, complete with climbing platforms and rope bridges. Robinson Crusoe would feel right at home here, and your kids (of all ages) would no doubt feel the same way.

An amazing banana tree (Musa 'Saba') flanks the entrance of this children's hideaway. Look closely and you'll see this plant has a number of bananas almost ready to pick. The huge purple flower offers enough wow-power to make this tree worth growing, even if you don't like the fruit.

Talk about the ultimate playhouse. This kid's sized cracker house garden invites you to meander among the fragrant flowers, herbs and vegetables.

Off in the corner, a Hidden Garden inspires the imagination of children.

Flowers, vegetables and herbs sprout from strange places, such as these handbags of all shapes.

The imaginative displays are located at kids' eye levels, which encourages them to smell and touch the plants.

Even young boys might be surprised where flowers and vegetables can turn up.

The message of the Children's Garden is loud and clear: Please Touch! Colored chalk invites kids to play, imagine and draw their impressions on the sidewalk of the garden.

Butterflies are the main attraction of the Pfeffer-Beach Butterfly House, where a variety of brightly colored species can be seen fluttering around the flowering plants.

Travel further down the path to the Brazilian Garden, and you'll see a celebration of the South American country's rich diversity of flora.

The bold, dynamic garden is a tribute to Roberto Burle Marx, known internationally as the "father of modern landscape architecture." Already a popular spot for weddings, the Brazilian Garden was designed by Raymond Jungles, who was a fan and friend of the world-renowned landscape architect for many years.

The Kapnick Carribean Garden is further down the path with landscapes that reflect the Caribbean Islands. And...as can happen, when one is in the Caribbean, the skies opened up and poured rain down upon us.

So, after taking shelter in this cute Caribbean house, we reluctantly headed back home. But we can't wait to return, especially to tour the highly anticipated Asian Garden and Florida Garden still under development.

As for the garden's spectacular bromeliads, well let's just say I'm a big fan now. In fact, I'll never look at these semi-tropical and tropical plants the same way again.

Learn more: http://www.naplesgarden.org/