Pottering Around

Oh yes, we do like pottering around with pots.

Since we began our landscape design business in 2003, our name Pottering Around has generally been well liked and understood (Marina is from England and we potter around in our client's yards until everything is just right). However, we have been asked more than a couple of times if we make and sell pots!

The answer is we do often source and provide pots and other planting containers as decor and part of our landscape design, styling and installation services. We also do annual container plantings, but we are not a pottery company and do not generally sell pots that are not part of an overall styling project. That is until now.

We have several high quality pots that we've aquired over the years and have just listed them for sale here in the Chicagoland area.

Pinning everything from flowers to dresses and even brick patios.

If you haven't yet discovered Pinterest you are missing all the fun, not to mention a great way to organize your home & garden ideas and picture reference. Pottering Around is now pinning like a couple of over-caffinated accupunturists! As designers we've always collected books on art, craft, history and technique ranging in subjects from gardening to architecture.

Pinterest gives us a clever and useful tool to organize images that catch our eye and inspire our work. As our pins and boards grow we are sure the collections will be beneficial to our creative process and to share with clients when discussing their projects.

Garden Season Creep

Well it appears summer is here! To tell you the truth, as garden designers, spring always seems to come at odd and unexpected times. Sometimes its too early and other years seems to take forever to arrive. More often than not we have the rollercoaster of weather, including snow and rain, that makes this the special time of year it is. We shall see.

Pictured above is False Rue Anemone (Isopyrum biternatum) a native northern Illinois woodland wildflower that normally blooms in April or May. We took this shot last year on April 15th and will see how early these delicate white flowers spring up this season. Very soon it looks like.

Phenology is the study of periodic plant and animal life cycle events and how these are influenced by seasonal and interannual variations in climate. Known as Season Creep, warmer winters and earlier springs have been recorded since the early 1950s. Changes aren't just seen in the landscape but also the first appearance of butterflies and migratory birds.

Flower cuttings - Home and Garden Style.

Rose by Nick Knight

A client has asked us to design and install a cutting garden in their backyard. This is very exciting and something we’ve been interested in incorporating into a landscape design. Even though our gardens always include plenty of perennials and annuals which can provide beautiful flowers for arrangements, having a dedicated area just for creatively useful flowers and vegetables is a lovely feature.

It's also a great opportunity to explore the craft of flower arranging!

Flower Decorator Constance Spry

As with most forms of arts and crafts, the degree of skill and mastery of floral arrangement varies from the casual hobbyist to the legendary artists. This, together with the natural beauty of even a single bloom, makes the genre interesting. You don’t have to be a professional to stroll into your yard and snip some ephemeral decor for your home.

The not so little project on the prairie.

Wolf Road Prairie Nature Preserve

Continuing our virtual and literal trek through the western suburbs of Chicago, Jamie had the chance to dig right in (or at least haul right out) by volunteering some maintenance work at Wolf Road Prairie Nature Preserve. About 20 nature enthusiasts showed up to help stop the advancing wooded area by cutting back rogue trees and brush from the edge of this important piece of the Illinois landscape.

We plan to visit and document this beautiful public place throughout the coming season. Today we have some early springtime pictures and a brief history of an area that may have disappeared long ago if not for the Great Depression and some determined individuals.