July Feature: HOME OUTSIDE - Creating the Landscape You'll Love [ Edited ]

[becke_davis]

Home Outside  There's only one featured book this month (for now, anyway) because there was an availability problem with the other book I had selected.

I am excited about our July feature, HOME OUTSIDE. I wrote a book on this topic once (AT HOME IN THE GARDEN, out of print) so I was very interested to see how this author approached it. I was very impressed -- it's got a lot of practical advice, as well as a wealth of photographs that are sure to give you ideas for your own garden.

The author's website is impressive (LOVE the picture on her homepage): http://www.juliemoirmesservy.com/

She also has a blog:  http://blog.jmmds.com/

and there's even a video where the author talks about this book:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ECarbl-GH0

And here's a few more related links:

 http://blog.jmmds.com/category/press/

 http://eachlittleworld.typepad.com/each_little_world/2009/03/julie-messervys-new-book-for-me-and-a-c...

 http://heavypetal.ca/tag/julie-moir-messervy/

Message Edited by becke_davis on 06-27-2009 05:03 PM

Message Edited by becke_davis on 07-13-2009 12:23 PM

Message Edited by becke_davis on 07-31-2009 03:57 PM

[becke_davis]

I've updated my blog: http://the-garden-muse.blogspot.com/

[becke_davis]

See a related topic (emotional landscapes is the subject title, I think) on the In Your Own Words thread.

[JulieMM]

Dear Becke,

Thanks so much for including my new book, Home Outside: Creating the Landscape You Love,

as your featured book this month!  I'm so pleased that you like it.  I wrote it for homeowners who would like to create a personal, functional, and affordable landscape around their house. While there are many wonderful garden books that explain how and what to plant, there aren't many that show you how to lay out the many different elements of your property, like where a driveway should go, how to think about using enclosures, or linking parts of the landscape together. Using clear and direct language, I try to explain for the layperson (and other professionals) the six-step design process that I use when designing a property, big or small.    

Also Becke, thanks for featuring the Toronto Music Garden on your blog a few weeks ago.  Designing that garden, while working with Yo-Yo Ma and the City of Toronto, was one of the highlights of my life!  It shows that design inspiration comes from a variety of sources--even a piece of music like Bach's First Cello Suite.

You can also get inspired by coming to Creating Home Outside, my upcoming Landscape Design Workshop on Saturday, August 22 in beautiful Saxtons River, VT.  This fun, interactive one-day workshop takes you through my signature design process and will leave you with the skills and confidence to design a landscape for yourself or a client.  Click here to sign up!  

I also hope people will have a look at our Blog and Website!

Happy Gardening!

Julie 

[becke_davis]

Julie!! I was hoping you'd find your way here -- we hardly ever get visiting authors, so this is a real thrill. I've been posting updates about the book on Twitter, but now I'll go send out bulletins on Facebook and MySpace, too.

The Toronto garden is gorgeous! As you've noted (I think), we were talking about it elsewhere on this board. Your website is beautiful!

Is your workshop in Vermont anywhere near Woodstock/Norwich? My brother and his wife live in that area, and I'll pass this on to them. I'm in Cincinnati so it's a little far for me to travel. Our board participants are from all over the place -- you can check out our introductory thread, but, as you can see, we have a lot of people reading the threads who don't actually post. (And those people buy a lot of books!)

I featured this book because it's beautiful to look at, but also offers a lot of practical suggestions. I think it's a topic that is relevant to a lot of gardeners today. In fact, I just bought a copy to send as a gift to a friend of mine who is renovating her landscape.

Can you tell us a little about yourself and some of the landscapes you designed? You can insert images of your designs by clicking "copy image" and pasting it into your comment. 

Message Edited by becke_davis on 07-10-2009 01:44 PM

Message Edited by becke_davis on 07-10-2009 01:46 PM

[becke_davis]

We've got Julie's name spelled incorrectly in the icons on the top right - sorry about that! Hopefully that will be corrected shortly.

[KathyS]

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JulieMM wrote:

Dear Becke,

Thanks so much for including my new book, Home Outside: Creating the Landscape You Love,

as your featured book this month!  I'm so pleased that you like it.  I wrote it for homeowners who would like to create a personal, functional, and affordable landscape around their house. While there are many wonderful garden books that explain how and what to plant, there aren't many that show you how to lay out the many different elements of your property, like where a driveway should go, how to think about using enclosures, or linking parts of the landscape together. Using clear and direct language, I try to explain for the layperson (and other professionals) the six-step design process that I use when designing a property, big or small.    

Also Becke, thanks for featuring the Toronto Music Garden on your blog a few weeks ago.  Designing that garden, while working with Yo-Yo Ma and the City of Toronto, was one of the highlights of my life!  It shows that design inspiration comes from a variety of sources--even a piece of music like Bach's First Cello Suite.

You can also get inspired by coming to Creating Home Outside, my upcoming Landscape Design Workshop on Saturday, August 22 in beautiful Saxtons River, VT.  This fun, interactive one-day workshop takes you through my signature design process and will leave you with the skills and confidence to design a landscape for yourself or a client.  Click here to sign up!  

I also hope people will have a look at our Blog and Website!

Happy Gardening!

Julie 

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Hi, Julie! 

Thank you so much for stopping by our little corner of the B&N world, here on the Garden Club Board!  It was great when Becke brought your book to us, and I was able to see, and invision, all the work that you do.  It really is truly inspired!  I would give anything to attend your workshop!   

I've always been inpsired, one way or another, by everything I see and hear in nature.  Music, for me, is a key element in just about everything I do.  But, the Toronto Garden was the first I'd ever seen in a total collaboration in design and building, and planting, as it related to a piece of music.  I'd love to ask you some questions on this topic!

In 1995-1996, I was able to be a part of a large project, which had me designing, building, sculpting, painting, and setting up....an "Island" in a high school gymnasium, if you can believe that!...a one night stand, sort of speak, for grad night....almost a year of designing and construction went into my "baby", with the help of a ton of people, and like you, it was one of the highlights in MY life to see it finished.  I'll never forget it.  The looks on those kids faces when they looked around, was worth a thousand words.  I think everyone needs just one of those moments in their life!  I've had a few, but the ones that take the most creative process, hard work, and gives smiles back, are the memorable ones. 

I really admire all of the areas of creativity that your books touch upon.  They definately have soul... Well done!

Come back to see us when you get a chance?  I know we'd all like to hear from you!

Best wishes, and thanks for stopping by,

Kathy S.

[becke_davis]

Julie - hurray! Your name is now displayed correctly. I was wondering, do you teach workshops in other parts of the country, or just on the East Coast?

[JulieMM]

Thanks, Becke and Kathy S, for your questions about my work and workshops.  Here are my answers to your questions.

First, about what I do:  I've been designing, and writing and lecturing about garden and landscape design for the past thirty years now, from the time I was in architecture school and opened a book on Japanese gardens and fell madly in love with them!  In the middle of my architecture training, I was lucky enough to apprentice with Kinsaku Nakane, a garden master from Kyoto, over two different visits.  I returned, finished my masters degrees, and started building gardens, learning literally from the ground up.  My early gardens were more literally inspired by Japanese garden ideas and principles; over time, my work responds to many other influences as well. There's lots more to say here, but easiest to read my books, especially The Inward Garden and the newest Home Outside, both of which give readers a distillation of what I've learned over all these years, put in a language that all can understand and utilize for their own needs.  I've been blessed to do work that continues to excite and inspire me and, as an educator as well as practitioner, seek ways to pass along ideas, concepts, and information to others.  Some of the newest work is on the JMMDS portfolio site. 

Question re workshops:  Woodstock, VT is only an hour or less away from Saxtons River, VT where my August 22nd workshop is happening.  Please let your relatives know about it.

I'm doing another workshop at CanWest in Vancouver, BC on Tuesday, September 22nd.

I love doing all-day workshops and will happily come to wherever a group of 60 or more can be gathered. Email us at info@jmmds.com to find out more. 

[Sunltcloud]

Julie,

Thank you for the detailed information you provided. I just looked at your blog and the website and am delighted to see the photos of the gardens you design. I read the blog about the conference on Vancouver Island and was thrilled to find the images of Butchart Gardens and the Government House Gardens (not designed by you, I know) because I will be on Vancouver Island at the end of the month. If I ever make it "up North" while you hold a workshop in Vancouver I will certainly pay attention.

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JulieMM wrote:

Thanks, Becke and Kathy S, for your questions about my work and workshops.  Here are my answers to your questions.

First, about what I do:  I've been designing, and writing and lecturing about garden and landscape design for the past thirty years now, from the time I was in architecture school and opened a book on Japanese gardens and fell madly in love with them!  In the middle of my architecture training, I was lucky enough to apprentice with Kinsaku Nakane, a garden master from Kyoto, over two different visits.  I returned, finished my masters degrees, and started building gardens, learning literally from the ground up.  My early gardens were more literally inspired by Japanese garden ideas and principles; over time, my work responds to many other influences as well. There's lots more to say here, but easiest to read my books, especially The Inward Garden and the newest Home Outside, both of which give readers a distillation of what I've learned over all these years, put in a language that all can understand and utilize for their own needs.  I've been blessed to do work that continues to excite and inspire me and, as an educator as well as practitioner, seek ways to pass along ideas, concepts, and information to others.  Some of the newest work is on the JMMDS portfolio site. 

Question re workshops:  Woodstock, VT is only an hour or less away from Saxtons River, VT where my August 22nd workshop is happening.  Please let your relatives know about it.

I'm doing another workshop at CanWest in Vancouver, BC on Tuesday, September 22nd.

I love doing all-day workshops and will happily come to wherever a group of 60 or more can be gathered. Email us at info@jmmds.com to find out more. 

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