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Edibles are fun with "Food Head Fred". Let's get creative with food!

Ideas for vegetable gardens, kitchen gardens & edible landscapes.

creative illustrations of food, food faces
© Food Head Fred, Elaine Callahan
"Food Head Fred", by artist Elaine Callahan, helps me to look at fruit and vegetables in a different way. Just as this artist presents tasty tidbits in ways never before imagined, I strive in my designs to combine food into the landscape. Vegetables, herbs and berries can be planted alongside flowering shrubs and perennials in any sunny to part shade niche in the landscape.

Besides, when combined with other flowering plants that attract beneficial insects and pollinators, you will have a more healthy and vibrant garden. The vegetable garden does not need to be crammed into the far corner of the rear yard. Imagine it conveniently located near your new outdoor kitchen and part of your outdoor living experience. What if the only place in your yard with adequate sun is in your front yard? No problem! I've created many front yard edible gardens that are absolutely beautiful. So whether you want an herb garden, salad garden, home orchard, or edible estate, there are ways to integrate that into your landscape. Look at this idea ...
raised beds front yard edibles
Pretty front yard, organic salad garden

hidden vegetable garden front yard
Edible garden is hidden behind the pink azaleas
where it can't be seen from street
I have many more ideas to share with you. See upcoming posts to this blog from my recent seminar "Interesting Edibles: New, Unusual and Creative" that was first presented at the 2014 GGIA Wintergreen Conference. Discover how edibles are being incorporated intro trendy urban & suburban landscapes. Learn how to attractively integrate perennials, annuals and herbs that will attract pollinators & beneficial insects. Enjoy examples of how the design principles of color, texture & form are utilized to create beautiful results. 

If you're too anxious to wait for the upcoming posts, you can peak at a few photos of  organic edible gardens on our website.

Be sure to also visit  elainecallahan.com  to discover more "fresh art available in several delicious flavors". I'm certain you'll enjoy her refreshing illustrations.

Let's have some fun with edibles!
Danna Cain, ASLA
Home & Garden Design, Inc., Atlanta
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Interview with writer from HGTV.com

Small patio in Cobb County gets attention!



So excited to have been interviewed today for a potential article to be featured on HGTV.com. We talked about how to make small patios special. The Cooper alley project caught their attention due to the high level of detail and it's special appeal.

Danna Cain, ASLA
Home & Garden Design, Inc., Atlanta
HomeGardenDesign.com
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Danna Cain is featured speaker at GGIA Wintergreen State Conference



Interesting Edibles: New, Unusual & Creative is topic for seminar

I'm excited to be one of the speakers at Wintergreen 2014. GGIA invites renowned leaders in Georgia as well as nationwide horticulture specialists to share their knowledge of the latest info and trends related to landscaping. I'm very honored to be in the lineup of speakers that includes Michael Dirr & Alan Armitage of UGA fame as well as Jenny Edge Hardgrave, owner of Simply Flowers, one of the most talented landscapers I've ever meet.




GGIA's conference has been Georgia's #1 top horticulture conference for decades. Everyone who's anyone in the horticulture/agriculture world has attended this event since it's inception in the 1970's.

In addition to the fabulous educational sessions, GGIA Wintergreen features a trade show of companies from all over the Eastern U.S. who have the highest quality plants and other materials used for landscaping. It's always a joy to see and learn about the new introductions that will be on the market soon as these items will make my designs and your landscapes shine!

The current trend in the industry is to develop plants that are more dwarf, disease resistant and with longer blooming seasons. For my clients, that means plants that are very colorful, easy to maintain and small enough to not require pruning. I'm always looking for problem-solving plants so hope you contact me when you need advise or are ready to renovate your landscape.

At the conference, I will be presenting "Interesting Edibles: New, Unusual & Creative" ways to incorporate vegetables, herbs and fruit into the landscape. Explore how edibles are being incorporated into trendy urban and suburban landscapes. Receive inspirational ideas and information about extraordinary new plants, containers, vertical gardening, pollinators and more!

If you miss this conference be sure to check upcoming blog posts where I will be posting excerpts. I'm also available to present this hour long presentation at your conference, retreat or meeting. Inquire regarding details by sending email to contactus@homegardendesign.com

Danna Cain, ASLA
Home & Garden Design, Inc., Atlanta
homegardendesign.com
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AJC writes about our storage spaces with style!

HGD in the AJC Homefinder's Jan. 7, 2014 issue

This time the article about our projects focuses on innovative ideas for outdoor storage spaces.  I love that the writer called them "Snazzy"! Three of our projects are pictured with one of them being on the headline page shown below! In addition there are tips from Danna Cain on how to make your storage space attractive, functional and certainly not ordinary!







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We're featured in UAC professional journal

Interview with Danna about her background and interests.

Every month the Urban Ag Council selects a member to feature in their journal. We're honored to have been the one selected for the December 2013 issue.



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Landscape consultation donated to GLA

Georgia Lawyers for the Arts fundraiser


HGD supports Georgia Lawyers for the Arts by making a donation to their 38th annual Gala's silent auction. The winning bidder received a landscape consultation & design with Danna Cain, our landscape architect.
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5 Modern Fire Ideas for outdoor living areas … think outside the circle.

Photo by Terraflamehome.com
Low maintenance fire features in the landscape

I’m loving these contemporary and low maintenance ways to add the warmth and glow of fire to the landscape. Think outside the circular fire pit and imagine linear fire! Here’s some examples I’ve found that introduce strong horizontal and vertical design elements. These are all easy to use and clean to use because they don’t require firewood. These modern fire features use either gels, propane or natural gas.The torches shown above are odorless, smokeless and portable. I can imagine so many ways to use this idea: scattered thru plantings, outlining a path, clustered as a focal point or anchoring the 4 corners of an outdoor dining area. These deliver the warmth and glow of a fireplace in a small space that will get people talking around your fire and about your fire.


Gel fuel powers the torches and the vertical flame pictured below. Both are instant fire that can be extinguished just as quickly and simply.
Photo by Venturi Flame


Linear burners, especially those with electronic ignition, are also easy to use. The fuel source doesn’t need replacing as often because most are fueled by hidden propane tanks. There’s also the option to connect to your gas line.

I love the simple, clean lines of the granite & stucco fire table pictured below. I would place comfy outdoor sofas around this for a very relaxing outdoor living area. The patio below it could be stained concrete or bluestone possibly edged with Japanese garden pebbles to echo the sleek luster of the granite on the table.

Uptown gas fire pit table


The reflecting fire wall below would certainly be the focal point of the landscape where it’s used. The bench shown, though beautiful and artistic, would not be very comfortable or practical in a residential back yard. I would suggest different furniture unless the theme is Minimalist or Zen.
Photo by Colombo Construction

The fifth idea I’d like to share is of a wrap around linear fire. Give me an circa 1950’s/60’s brick planter around a carport or patio and I’ll transform that space into something interesting, exciting and usable.

Photo by outdoorkitchenandgrills.com
All of these products make sense for the way we live today. Upgrade your home. Enjoy your outdoor space. I can design one of these ideas into your back yard. Construction is available also.

Danna Cain, ASLA
Home & Garden Design, Inc., Atlanta
http://www.homegardendesign.com/contactus.php



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New walkway and interesting plants transform curb appeal at this John’s Creek home


Patterned concrete ront walk after
After

Soft textured plants and meandering walkway create a welcoming entrance

There are many things to consider when designing a new entrance walkway. Orienting guests, slope of the land, ease of use and architectural style are all very important. The most special entrances, however, are the ones that create an ambiance that reflects the owner's personality thus truly welcomes guests to the home. Given the style of the house, the walk could have been very linear and formal however we chose a more informal design. The owner wanted a much softer and more welcoming look that would incorporate low maintenance Southern color and texture. Tops on her list were old fashioned favorites such as forsythia, gardenia and daylilies.

On my first visit to this home, I was shocked to see that the builder had provided only a stepping stone path to the front door. It was difficult to walk on and completely too small as the approach to this huge front porch. The landing that made the transition between the path and porch was settling and of mismatched materials. This all needed to be replaced.





Front walk before
Before

Before
The goal was to have the existing porch, landing and walk match. Since the porch paving had several issues, we initially planned to redo it plus all new paving in matching bluestone. This became far more complicated and costly due to the manner in which the builder had installed this porch. The contingency plan was then to renovate/refinish the existing porch’s colored, stamped and patterned concrete then match it on the new surfaces. To my surprise, it’s not always easy to match 20 year old architectural concrete! What initially appeared to be a very typical slate pattern ended up requiring an obsolete proprietary tool. An exhaustive search led to a pioneer in the industry who still had the tool needed. The project was underway!
Patterned concrete ront walk after
After
I oriented the new, wide meandering walkway so that there would be a view of the front door as guests approached. All grass between the walk and the house was eliminated. A new large bed was added in front of the landing to soften it and to balance the porch. Large French urns were placed on the porch as focal points.

After
Before

After much deliberation, I decided to keep the old clipped ilex bushes because the house really needed the massiveness of these shrubs. Reclamation pruning has begun on these to equalize the heights, remove dead limbs and encourage healthy, interior foliage.

To soften the look, we added 8’ tall forsythias on the corners of the house behind the old shrubs. More softening was achieved by adding daylilies and perennials in front of the old shrubs. We also introduced evergreen Indian Hawthorne ‘Eleanor Tabor’ and Crown Jewel dwarf gardenias with the intent that these shrubs would grow together forming soft masses.

On the left side, we started reclamation pruning on the large sasanquas. We reshaped the one by the chimney, deciding to keep it shrub-form as a backdrop for all the perennials in the butterfly garden. The other sasanqua by the garage was limbed up into tree form.


After
This project is an example of how existing plants can be revitalized and used in a new design that balances the architectural features of a home. If your home is in dire need of a makeover, I will work with you to develop a concept that will achieve your goals. Start the process by completing this short form

Danna Cain, ASLA
Home & Garden Design, Inc., Atlanta

See our portfolio 

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Transform your holly bushes

virginia highlands landscape home garden design danna cain
These holly trees have been "limbed up" into tree form
plus new, more interesting plants added around
for color, texture and an Italian flair

Morphing a holly hedge into an award winning statement

Here's an idea you can use! When faced with a huge, boring hedge, consider "limbing it up" to morph it into a row of trees. That was our solution when the City of Atlanta arborist would not allow us to remove these Virginia Highland hollies. The raised canopy gave us space and sun to plant the herb and perennial garden that the client desired. This idea won the 2013 Atlanta Home Improvement, Best Before/After Makeover contest in the landscape division.

The hedge was so fat and robust that it was difficult for the owner to keep up with pruning it off of the unique, yet small driveway. The first goal was to give the client more space.


before photo of dense holly hedge
Before photo

holly screening hedge
Before photo

The photo below was taken immediately after pruning the hollies. Yes, that entire hedge was from only 2 plants! Notice how we selected only a few of the best main trunks on each plant. We then shaped and cleaned out the canopy. Strategic limbs were cut back severely so that they would “bush up” to fill in and grow into a more compact form. Drastic reclamation pruning, such as this, should be done in February while the plant is dormant. This timing, just before the flush of new Spring growth, assures that the plant will not be barren for long.


Hollies limbed up
During photo, taken just after pruning the hollies

The next photo shows the holly trees "limbed up" into tree form plus the new, more interesting plantings surrounding the hollies. This client wanted color, texture, herbs and an Italian flair. Notice how we incorporated the Italian cypress that he really wanted for texture. He did not mind seeing the neighbor's house. In fact, he welcomed the more spacious view that this idea presented.


virginia highlands curb appeal home garden design danna cain
After Photo, one year later

Between the hollies, we placed a large Italian Terra Cotta urn as a focal point. This provides color rear round, especially in the winter when the surrounding perennials are dormant.



Italian terra cotta pot with annuals home garden design
Large Italian Terra Pot with annuals

The sunniest place in the yard was at the corner, so this is where we placed the main herb garden. See how the pruning of the hollies, addition of the Italian cypress and the herbs plus perennials have transformed the curb appeal of this Midtown home.
photo before pruning hollies
Before photo
Vir High landscape danna cain
After photo shows how this idea provides better
curb appeal plus space for the herb garden
at the sunny curb

Read more about this project:
Award announcement
Magazine article
Portfolio photo #1 curb appeal
Portfolio photo #2 perennial gardens










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Good Housekeeping features our organic vegetable garden

"Creating an Outdoor Oasis" article about HGD


Good Housekeeping's official website has selected one of our projects to feature in an article about "Creating an Outdoor Oasis". Here, you'll see an interesting oasis in a front yard landscape that just so happens to be a beautiful organic vegetable and herb garden. We're excited to be picked up by this well respected national magazine.

More about this project ...
In Good Housekeeping
In UAC journal
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