I hope the coming year will bring you lots of love and light.
On the photo olive trees as Christmas trees in Algarve, Portugal.
December 25, 2015
Merry Xmas!!!
To all my Dear Readers I am wishng Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2016!
I hope the coming year will bring you lots of love and light.
On the photo olive trees as Christmas trees in Algarve, Portugal.
I hope the coming year will bring you lots of love and light.
On the photo olive trees as Christmas trees in Algarve, Portugal.
250 tulips planted... ohhhh... so much pleasure on the way...
Just finished planting 250 new tulips today. Outstanding varieties: Angelique, Light and Dreamy, Victoria's Secret and Cacharel.
There will be so much eye candy in the spring.
There will be so much eye candy in the spring.
October 30, 2015
Biggest Seattle's tree taken down...
What can I say... it was heartbreaking to watch, but this amazing elm had to be taken down due to large crack in the trunk... if you can... watch it being removed piece by enormous piece.
October 27, 2015
APLD 2016 Landscape Design Awards still calling for entries! But ending soon!
Ewa in the Garden appreciates superb landscape design more than anything else. This is why I decided to blurb something about upcoming awards by Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD). This is for designers from anywhere in the world. Rush! Deadline Nov. 30!
“The APLD International Landscape Design Awards Program honors excellence in landscape design. The program brings exceptional talent to the attention of peers, potential clients and the world of design.
All entries will be part of an intensive multi-level screening process. A distinguished panel of experts judges the entries to select Gold, Silver and Bronze award recipients. Projects are judged on the basis of difficulty, craftsmanship, attention to detail, and specific criteria outlined in the awards entry packet. There are no set number of awards to be presented. Judges may select multiple Gold, Silver and Bronze awards in each category based on qualifying scores. Awards may or may not be given in every category.
Each entry category is evaluated independently. The type, size, and cost of the project will not be criteria for judging. The judging criteria totals 100 points.
Projects scoring 90 points or above will receive Gold awards.
Projects scoring between 80 to 89 points will receive Silver awards.
Bronze awards are given at the judges discretion for projects scoring between 75 and 79 points.
From the gold award winning entries, the judges will choose the 2016 APLD International Landscape Designer of the Year.
Awards will be announced in February 2016 and will be promoted to the media throughout the year.
Presentation of awards will take place during APLD's International Landscape Design Conference.
Publicity opportunities for entrants
• Recognition at the APLD International Landscape Design Conference
• Promotion in APLD's quarterly magazine, The Designer
• Promotion on the APLD website, as well as other online publications
• Promotion through dedicated press outreach
• Promotion to local media outlets provided by award winners
• Ability to self promote as a 2016 APLD International Landscape Design award recipient
Landscape Design Categories
Submissions in each of these eight categories will be judged based on the criteria outlined elsewhere in this packet:
Residential Design
Design of a single family residential property regardless of size and based on the following cost categories:
Residential #1: under $25,000
Residential #2: between $25,000-$100,000
Residential #3: over $100,000
Non-residential Design
Non-residential #1: under $100,000
Non-residential #2: between $100,000-$500,000
Non-residential #3: over $500,000
Small Gardens
Designs in a limited space of no more than 1500 sq ft. (140 sq meters)
Planting Design
Any installed project where the primary focus is planting design
Specialty Projects
This area includes garden features, theme gardens, therapeutic gardens, educational gardens, rooftop gardens, sustainable designs, green roof installations, historic preservation, permaculture, etc.
Show Gardens
Temporary gardens, including conceptual gardens that are designed and constructed for a garden show or exhibition
NEW! Details
This category recognizes a specific, constructed hardscape detail from a residential project. There is no dollar limit, the main criterion being that the detail be unique, creative, and unusual. However, focus on sustainable or repurposed materials, a challenged budget, and/or a high degree of difficulty would be particularly remarkable.
Click here to get more details
#APLD2016awards #APLD #landscapeawards
“The APLD International Landscape Design Awards Program honors excellence in landscape design. The program brings exceptional talent to the attention of peers, potential clients and the world of design.
All entries will be part of an intensive multi-level screening process. A distinguished panel of experts judges the entries to select Gold, Silver and Bronze award recipients. Projects are judged on the basis of difficulty, craftsmanship, attention to detail, and specific criteria outlined in the awards entry packet. There are no set number of awards to be presented. Judges may select multiple Gold, Silver and Bronze awards in each category based on qualifying scores. Awards may or may not be given in every category.
Each entry category is evaluated independently. The type, size, and cost of the project will not be criteria for judging. The judging criteria totals 100 points.
Projects scoring 90 points or above will receive Gold awards.
Projects scoring between 80 to 89 points will receive Silver awards.
Bronze awards are given at the judges discretion for projects scoring between 75 and 79 points.
From the gold award winning entries, the judges will choose the 2016 APLD International Landscape Designer of the Year.
Awards will be announced in February 2016 and will be promoted to the media throughout the year.
Presentation of awards will take place during APLD's International Landscape Design Conference.
Publicity opportunities for entrants
• Recognition at the APLD International Landscape Design Conference
• Promotion in APLD's quarterly magazine, The Designer
• Promotion on the APLD website, as well as other online publications
• Promotion through dedicated press outreach
• Promotion to local media outlets provided by award winners
• Ability to self promote as a 2016 APLD International Landscape Design award recipient
Landscape Design Categories
Submissions in each of these eight categories will be judged based on the criteria outlined elsewhere in this packet:
Residential Design
Design of a single family residential property regardless of size and based on the following cost categories:
Residential #1: under $25,000
Residential #2: between $25,000-$100,000
Residential #3: over $100,000
Non-residential Design
Non-residential #1: under $100,000
Non-residential #2: between $100,000-$500,000
Non-residential #3: over $500,000
Small Gardens
Designs in a limited space of no more than 1500 sq ft. (140 sq meters)
Planting Design
Any installed project where the primary focus is planting design
Specialty Projects
This area includes garden features, theme gardens, therapeutic gardens, educational gardens, rooftop gardens, sustainable designs, green roof installations, historic preservation, permaculture, etc.
Show Gardens
Temporary gardens, including conceptual gardens that are designed and constructed for a garden show or exhibition
NEW! Details
This category recognizes a specific, constructed hardscape detail from a residential project. There is no dollar limit, the main criterion being that the detail be unique, creative, and unusual. However, focus on sustainable or repurposed materials, a challenged budget, and/or a high degree of difficulty would be particularly remarkable.
Click here to get more details
#APLD2016awards #APLD #landscapeawards
October 23, 2015
21 New Charming Varieties of Primrose
Old fashioned primrose comes again to play when you see these 21 new stupendous varieties of primrose (Primula auricula) that I would like to share with you today – if you let me and see the rest of the post.
I have spotted them on the exhibition in UK and that have changed my approach to the lady primrose names as cowslip or mountain cowslip.
Hopefully you will like them as I do and maybe you will change your mind about her as well.
My favourites are "Merlin Stripe" and "Susannah". What's yours?
#mountaincowslip #flowers #primrose #primula
I have spotted them on the exhibition in UK and that have changed my approach to the lady primrose names as cowslip or mountain cowslip.
Hopefully you will like them as I do and maybe you will change your mind about her as well.
My favourites are "Merlin Stripe" and "Susannah". What's yours?
"Ancient Society"
"Doublure"
"Fred Booley"
"Ginger Spice"
"Grey Lag"
"Hawkwood"
"Mandarin"
"McWatts Blue"
"Meadowlark"
"Merlin Stripe"
"Millicent"
"Nickity"
"Nymph"
"Paragon"
"Pierrot"
"Prometheus"
"Purple Prose"
"Red Mark"
"Susannah"
"T. A. Hadfield"
"Three Way Stripe"
#mountaincowslip #flowers #primrose #primula
October 6, 2015
Mouth Watering Olives, Flying Fish and other on the Market in Loule
Being in the Algarve and not visiting the market? Rather not. These markets are not tourist attraction, despite the fact they are, you may see locals buying the freshest you can get fish and sea food.
Why it is worth to see it? You may buy the sea food that fishermen of the Algarve brought from their night shifts. You may see the sea food that you haven’t seen before and you may try olives in tens of different tastes.
These photos I have taken in Loulé, the Algarve. If you want to enjoy it, come early in the morning, before 8 am. The air is fresh and the market is not so crowded. Later, slowly gets packed with buyers. Usually after 12 there is not so much left to buy, all fresh sea food and best veggies and fruits are gone.
#thealgarve #seafood #loule #fishmarket
Why it is worth to see it? You may buy the sea food that fishermen of the Algarve brought from their night shifts. You may see the sea food that you haven’t seen before and you may try olives in tens of different tastes.
These photos I have taken in Loulé, the Algarve. If you want to enjoy it, come early in the morning, before 8 am. The air is fresh and the market is not so crowded. Later, slowly gets packed with buyers. Usually after 12 there is not so much left to buy, all fresh sea food and best veggies and fruits are gone.
#thealgarve #seafood #loule #fishmarket
October 3, 2015
Pink pepper growing on a tree in the backyard!
Known as Peruvian pepper, American pepper, Peruvian peppertree, escobilla, false pepper, molle del Peru, pepper tree, peppercorn tree, Californian pepper tree, pirul and Peruvian mastic) is an evergreen tree growing up to 15 meters /50 feet.
Exactly that tree (Schinus molle) is growing here all over Algarve. Local people use it sometimes as pepper, but also mix it with black pepper.
It is native to the Peruvian Andes, pink fruits are sold as ‘pink peppercorns’ although the tree unrelated to true pepper (Piper nigrum).
#pinkpepper #algarve #portugal
Exactly that tree (Schinus molle) is growing here all over Algarve. Local people use it sometimes as pepper, but also mix it with black pepper.
It is native to the Peruvian Andes, pink fruits are sold as ‘pink peppercorns’ although the tree unrelated to true pepper (Piper nigrum).
September 27, 2015
25 Photos of Casa Amarela, Organic Mediterranean Garden
Casa Amarela rocks! This organic garden, located marvelously, on the hill with the view to Atlantic Ocean, I have visited early in the morning. Rumor had it that this organic garden was worth to visit.
This 2 000 m2 is run completely environmentally friendly without using any chemicals. That doesn’t mean that the plants do not get sick.
They do, but instead of reaching for chemicals, Anna, the owner of the garden and Nuno Silva, the gardener and the co-creator of this amazing garden, are checking the overall growing conditions and diagnose the possible reasons causing the trouble. Then they talk to the plants and appeal to their common sense, because as we all gardeners know, plants need to be talked to. After some time if the plant does not alter the view and dies, so be it. Everything passes. Every plant and every one of us.
I have asked what is the secret of maintaining such a beautiful garden in an environmentally sound manner, Anna has mentions 3 main factors. As most important she mentioned soil mulching, then matching the requirements of plants and fast response to the first symptoms with correcting the growing conditions.
Indeed, throughout the garden there is not a bare patch of land, every little surface is covered. With what? All cuttings and clippings that are left over the garden maintenance are used for mulching. In addition to the known benefits of mulching, as maintaining more stable conditions of the soil, using material from own garden you are sure that it is healthy and not infected, which cannot be said about mulching materials from the garden shops.
For Anna keeping the garden organically it is quite natural, because in the family, both my mother and grandmother always were gardening the same way, so she’s got patience and organic approach in the blood.
The owner of the garden, Anna is sitting in the middle, on the left Nuno Silva, the gardener and co-creator of the garden, myself on the right.
Thank you Anne for this beautiful experience and the tour!
Ecological, organic garden, run in natural way, without the use of chemicals can be beautiful and foremost is healthy for us, our little brothers and the Planet.
#mediterraneangarden #organicgarden #portugal #algarve #ewainthegarden
This 2 000 m2 is run completely environmentally friendly without using any chemicals. That doesn’t mean that the plants do not get sick.
They do, but instead of reaching for chemicals, Anna, the owner of the garden and Nuno Silva, the gardener and the co-creator of this amazing garden, are checking the overall growing conditions and diagnose the possible reasons causing the trouble. Then they talk to the plants and appeal to their common sense, because as we all gardeners know, plants need to be talked to. After some time if the plant does not alter the view and dies, so be it. Everything passes. Every plant and every one of us.
I have asked what is the secret of maintaining such a beautiful garden in an environmentally sound manner, Anna has mentions 3 main factors. As most important she mentioned soil mulching, then matching the requirements of plants and fast response to the first symptoms with correcting the growing conditions.
Indeed, throughout the garden there is not a bare patch of land, every little surface is covered. With what? All cuttings and clippings that are left over the garden maintenance are used for mulching. In addition to the known benefits of mulching, as maintaining more stable conditions of the soil, using material from own garden you are sure that it is healthy and not infected, which cannot be said about mulching materials from the garden shops.
For Anna keeping the garden organically it is quite natural, because in the family, both my mother and grandmother always were gardening the same way, so she’s got patience and organic approach in the blood.
The owner of the garden, Anna is sitting in the middle, on the left Nuno Silva, the gardener and co-creator of the garden, myself on the right.
Thank you Anne for this beautiful experience and the tour!
Ecological, organic garden, run in natural way, without the use of chemicals can be beautiful and foremost is healthy for us, our little brothers and the Planet.
#mediterraneangarden #organicgarden #portugal #algarve #ewainthegarden