Nice video Tessa; I like the classical guitar. True that plantings can hide the sound of a road, but the best way to get rid of traffic noise is a water feature!

@gardenpartystudio

3 ай бұрын

Oh, that's so true! Fight sound with sound. We installed one last year near a sitting area and it helps make us forget about the traffic in that spot!

I just found your channel with this video popping into my feed during coffee-on-patio time. So glad it did! I really enjoyed this video, so had to sub!

@gardenpartystudio

3 ай бұрын

Thank you! I can't think of a better setting to watch gardening content than coffee-on-patio!!

Great video. The idea to use paint to camouflage items was used by the 18th century English landscape designer Humphrey Repton. He used the color ‘Invisible Green’ to visually minimize fences, railings, posts…. The paint color is reproduced by the Little Green Paint company and is now in the US. SW has a similar color called Muddled Basil. I’ve used it to paint AC condenser units which works well and is very easy.

@gardenpartystudio

3 ай бұрын

Thank you!! Repton was a clever fellow, for sure. What a great piece of historical info... wish I'd included that! I didn't think to look up precedent but of course, there would be precedent. I'm glad to know about the Muddled Basil; I hadn't landed on an exact shade for that spot yet, and I may get a sample of that one.

Great video, thank you for the information!!

@gardenpartystudio

3 ай бұрын

You're welcome; thanks for watching!

Hello! This is my first time on your channel. I really appreciate the artistry you bring us, along with the gardening tips! Thank you! I will hope for the occasional nod to native plantings and alternatives for us northern gardeners. Thank you, again 🌸

@gardenpartystudio

3 ай бұрын

Welcome! I'm actually spending two weeks this summer up at Chanticleer garden in PA and am hoping to absorb some ideas for planting farther north. A lot of things transfer, but some don't. Native plants are very close to my heart and I do plan to talk about them more in future videos.

Very informative video. In the Bay Area of California we have very small yards but we still have ugly things. To hide the telephone pole in our back yard we have planted a 6-foot flowering tree in front of it and then surrounded it by two taller trees. To hide the garbage cans in the front yard my husband built a 6-foot extension perpendicular to our fence that is open to our driveway for easy access but hides them from the street view. Your paint idea was something new-thank you! Good choice of soft guitar music and your drawings really illustrated what you were explaining. Bravo!

@gardenpartystudio

3 ай бұрын

I love the Bay Area! You do have to get creative with a smaller space, and it sounds like you're doing all the right things to great effect. Someone else in the comments recommended the SW color "Muddled Basil" as a good one for painting utilities.

For the new white units with the plantings in front... with the added 1/2 fence as a cover... I would do one on each side to make it look intentional rather than hiding something on one side. Also , being OCD, I would definitely have to stain the new fence panels in the back.

@gardenpartystudio

3 ай бұрын

Great ideas! We may do both of those things before long.

Little by little I’ve been trying to beautify my neighborhood. As my mother always said, “Leave a place better than you found it.” Erosion is my worst problem. However, I’ve used buckets and buckets of balls from gum trees to fill in gashes in the streambank since I discovered gum balls in quantity tend to stick together and stay put even when it rains.

@gardenpartystudio

3 ай бұрын

The gum balls are such a good idea! If you can build soil and then add some plants to hold it, that will stabilize erosion prone areas.

@botanicaltreasures2408

3 ай бұрын

@@gardenpartystudioSince I’m a bit impatient I put some topsoil on top of the gumballs and then wedged a few irises in. I think I’ll direct sow some annuals there as well.

Your garden and video reminds me of the English gardener’s KZreadrs, I like it .

@gardenpartystudio

3 ай бұрын

I love to hear that! I'm so inspired by English gardens, and I've always wanted to create that feeling in my own, and inspire others to do the same.

@thegonzalezs4953

3 ай бұрын

@@gardenpartystudio me too , I’m glad I finally see someone with the same interest in English style gardens . But like I said , your videos makes me think of the English gardeners

Good talk! I'm just down the road from you, so it's good to see what others in the area are coming up with. I just returned from the local nursery where I snagged 3 Ilex vomitoria (Yaupon Holly). It would look great where you put those boxwoods, and gives you the same evergreen look. Plus, it's a native and you don't have to worry about blights bothering it. The cultivar I chose has a small leaf very much like mouse-ear boxwood. It's also female so I'm hoping I'll be able to enjoy the red berries this holiday season. Honestly, though, I wanted them because Yaupon holly is the only Native plant in the US that produces caffeine and it's a delicious tea. Now I'll have free tea the rest of my days! A few of the taller varieties of the Ilex vomitoria reach to about 15' and would look very nice along your new fence. It'll take them a bit of time to get there, but they'll help with the sound attenuation once they do. The plan for my new acquisition is to keep them limbed up on the bottom 2/3rds so the bare trunks are visible. They have a silvery bark that's rather attractive in its own right, and I think they'll look rather nice. Next on the list is a Cercis canadensis or two.

@gardenpartystudio

3 ай бұрын

I agree that Yaupon can be a great sub for boxwood. I considered it as well as Japanese holly. Honestly, should probably do a video all about boxwood alternatives. There are some valid options out there for creating similar design features, though none are an exact replacement. I did just put dwarf yaupons in a garden that I plan to prune into clouds over time. It's a more contemporary space, I wanted the native plant aspect, and so I think the yaupons will serve really well in that situation. I LOVE the bigger yaupons too... so sculptural! You're right that they take time to mature and need to be limbed up to really show off.

What a great video with very useful and important information. Love it Tessa!

@gardenpartystudio

3 ай бұрын

Thanks, friend! XO

New subscriber 😀 fellow gardener and designer

@gardenpartystudio

2 ай бұрын

Welcome!! So glad you're here!

I wish I could build a fence that fast! 🙂 Really helpful video! I am wondering about the unit behind the boxwoods (and your drawing of structures around units). What advice for you have for maintaining access to those? Is there any concern about technicians when they have to come out and service them?

@gardenpartystudio

3 ай бұрын

Thank you! I plan to prune the hedge with more room on the left side to access through. I also anticipate the plantings staying low enough to hand any tools over top as well. There's always concern about technicians being careful around plants, so that would just be a conversation prior to any service work.

👍✨

@4:00/@5:00, I honestly don't think your A/C unit is placed 'right in the middle of your garden.' Looks like it's installed on the side of your home as many of them are. It also appears that you have a pretty large garden (green/lawn space). The boxwoods are lovely, but why place them so close to your house? Wouldn't that block access to your unit when they eventually fill in?

@gardenpartystudio

3 ай бұрын

Hi there. The unit is on the front of my house, visible from the road and from anyone approaching the front door. If they were on the side, I would not have been nearly so keen to hide them! :) I plan to keep them clipped around 36" tall with a space on the left side for any occasional access needed.

Can you show us your inspiration for the future look for your property ?

@gardenpartystudio

3 ай бұрын

Absolutely - That's a great idea for a video at some point! I do have it designed and would love an excuse to put a vision board together as well.... stay tuned!

Can you tell us the exact name of the boxwoods you planted?

@gardenpartystudio

3 ай бұрын

Sure! They're the cultivar 'Highlander' which are a bit more upright than the standard ones.

Seems most yards have some kind of box for cable or generator or electrical. This seems a lot of expense and effort to hide this one, especially with a species that's prone to disease requiring treatment or replacement. Personally I would focus on creating other focal points instead.

@gardenpartystudio

3 ай бұрын

Very good perspective. I have most of my utilities around the back of my house like most people, but this unit had to be installed right out in front for the mini split access where we needed it. I didn't love the view of the big white condenser for anyone driving by or coming to the front door, so it was worth it to me to invest in hiding it.

The music is too loud.

@gardenpartystudio

3 ай бұрын

You might be right! :) Working on getting the balance just right.