Planting the Terrace at Skylands
Skylands, my home in Seal Harbor, Maine, is a magnificent place and one of my favorite areas is the grand terrace with its fabulous views. This commanding space deserves amazing plantings and every spring, one day is devoted to filling the many urns I have collected over the years. You may recall from a recent blog, that many plants were taken to Maine by trailer, from my greenhouses in Bedford. Skylands also has a greenhouse where many other tender tropical specimens are protected throughout the long and frigid winter. Planting the terrace is satisfying work and my Memorial Day guests were very happy to pitch in.
1 Here I am planting kalanchoe beharensis - Velvet Elephant Ear - a slow growing succulent tree-like shrub with large, undulating leaves which have a soft, velvety texture.
2 A native of Madagascar, kalanchoe beharensis is frost tender and spends the winter in the greenhouse at Skylands.
4 To save on potting soil, in large urns, fill the bottom space with upside down empty plastic pots and set your plant material on top of them.
10 Hannah planted dracena in a couple of urns which are a reproduction of one of several designed by British garden designer Gertrude Jekyll.
12 After finding Francesca nibbling on a kiwi vine, I explained to Kate how Francesca blogged about eating medicinal styrex bark last week.
13 This is one of a pair of glazed terra-cotta sphinxes designed by Emile Muller, which guard the entrance to the house.
17 Planting another Gertrude Jekyll reproduction urn. Gertrude Jekyll was one of the twentieth century's most important British landscape designers and writers.
20 To protect these rather porous and fragile pots, I lined them with garbage bag liners so they wouldn't soak up too much water.
21 The garbage bags have drain holes at the bottom and are neatly tucked inside the pot and after planting, are no longer visible.