Announcing my new book...

Uncle Wilco, as he is depicted on his web site, We *Heart* Sheds (well, this was a holiday version from 2007)

Here’s some background about SHED OF THE YEAR and its creator Uncle Wilco, a cyber friend who lives in the UK in South Wales, and is the creator of We (Heart) Sheds and several other projects.  I was thrilled to discover that I was not alone on this quest for finding and documenting awesome backyard structures, that many kindred spirits existed on this globe to share my journey. Here is the original story I wrote about Uncle Wilco nearly two years ago. A memorable quote about his Shed of the Year contest:

. . . the British have a love affair with the shed, so really it’s just snowballed. I was lucky to do a few radio interviews. I got the impression they thought I was a nutter . . . ! But at least people realise that I have a passion for sheds, so that’s all that matters.

Imagine my surprise when Wilco asked me to join his illustrious team of judges to represent as the International Judge for the 2010 Shed of the Year competition! The event culminates with an announcement in early July, during National Shed Week, and I’m eager to participate. I’m hoping to get over to the UK to join the others, but at the very least, I will do my part on this end. I encourage any of my readers to submit photos and enter. That is all it takes!

Thought I’d kick things off by telling you a little more about the competition. In the words of Mr. Wilco himself:

Q. You started Shed of the Year in 2007, right? So you’ve had 3 winners!
What has surprised you most about the scope and diversity of sheds
around the globe?

Tony's Roman Temple took honors in the 2007 Shed of the Year contest

A. I have run readersheds since 2001  and thought it was time I should celebrate all these great sheds. So I started Shed of the Year. The last three winners have been very different: 1) A Roman Temple,  2) A Pub Shed, and 3) a Cabin. I look forward to shed of the year 2010 — it could be a workshop or studio or even a hut. That’s the thing – we don’t know until the public have voted and the judges have made their decisions for Shed Week 2010.

Q. Who does Sheds better, the UK shed aficionados or the North American ones?

A. Well, I am biased. UK sheds Rock- or should I say UK Sheddies rock. But you US sheddies have a different view on sheds. The UK history with sheds as mainly a man thing is very long and it’s the sheddies that make readersheds.co.uk

Q. Can you please describe “wossname” and how I can explain it to US readers?

A. I am not great with words , so I tend to fill in things I can’t think about with “wossname.” So it’s a term in the UK, like a thing or a “wotsit,” when you can’t think of the real word!

Here's where Uncle Wilco hangs out and enjoys his home brew

Q. If you had to spend your final days inside your own shed, what three essential items would you need to bring with you?

A. That’s very difficult. I would say family and friends and  my dog, but as for items it would have to be some home brew (beer).

Q. What kind of swag can I expect for being a Shed of the Year judge?

A. What, the glory of being a judge in the World’s most favourite Shed competition is not enough?

Q. How many entries have you had from North American shed owners (in past years)?

A. Well, it’s not just North American sheds. It’s International, too. We love sheddies from the Americas, Canada, Europe and Australia and New Zealand. You can view all the international sheds entries (199 of them to join the 1200 UK ones) here.

Q. What else do you want my readers to know?

A. That we are welcoming entries to Shed of the Year 2010 now and would love to have some more  Stylish Sheds added. All I ask is that the sheddies add a few good images — including external/internal shots. The more images the better, so the public can get a  good look.

Thanks so much Uncle Wilco – I will do my best to pump up the entries from the International contingent. See you soon.

Garden Writers Association Annual Symposium, Part III:

Lotuses thrive in the sultry Southern heat at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens in Raleigh

 Thursday morning kicked off with our keynote speaker Dr. Lowell Catlett, a fascinating economic futurist who really put things into perspective in his talk, “The Greening of America.” Dr. Catlett tailored his remarks to our profession and totally blew the audience away. We were inspired and challenged (in a good way) to rethink our definition of “green” and “sustainable” lifestyle choices.

You can find several clips of Dr. Catlett’s lectures on YouTube, so check him out. He ended the lecture with this charge: “Do not sell people products and services. Sell them dreams.” It resonated, because we know that seeking and creating beauty in our surroundings is a basic human desire. If you didn’t make it to the symposium, Dr. Catlett’s lecture is one CD to purchase and listen to.

Love the gothic gates at the entry to Duke Gardens; made of metal but inspired by stained glass

After the morning workshop sessions and a working lunch at the trade show, we hopped on buses for the first of three days of garden touring.

Thursday was the hottest, most humid day during the conference, so I have mixed memories from our late afternoon tour of the Sarah P. Duke Gardens.

Canna tropicana and a cluster of coleus, backlit in the afternoon sun

The 55-acre public garden graces the campus of Duke University and features several special areas, including a formal Italianate-style terrace garden planted with an explosion of colorful tropicals, annuals and woody plants. I spent a lot of time here and was drawn to the twin historic stone structures. Not quite sheds, but shed-like for sure.

I love the placement of these round millstones providing transit across the pond

I then escaped to the shade with a few friends walking through the understory of the H.L. Blomquist Garden of Native Plants. Filled with more than 900 varieties of regional natives, it was a beautiful and serene enclave. It was especially fun to hang out here with Nan Sterman, aka PlantSoup, my symposium roommate and Duke University alum. She spent a lot of time studying plants as a biology undergrad, so I had a personal narrative to connect to this amazing place.

We experienced that languishing, Southern state of mind, what with the heat, the humidity, the sun and the sleep deprivation from staying awake late the night before and getting up early in the morning.

Dreamy, visually restful: the Virtue Peace Pond

A buffet dinner led to some fabulous conversations with new friends, despite the climatic challenges (it was all I could do NOT to throw myself into the “Virtue Peace Pond” to cool off – seriously). Those water lilies, lotuses and other water-loving plants looked so much happier than the humans seated around the pond’s perimeter.

Most memorable that evening were two conversations my good friend (and collaborator) David Perry of A Photographer’s Garden Blog and I had with Susan Reimer, garden and op-ed (!) columnist and “Garden Variety” blogger for the Baltimore Sun, and later with Rizaniño “Riz” Reyes , an up-and-coming plantsman, horticulturist and designer from Seattle. I recall sharing a table (and prior conversation) with Riz at a Northwest Perennial Association event several years ago. Inspiring to know him – and new friend, to be sure. (more…)

Kathy Fries, framed by her new gazebo

Most gazebos are a little twee for my liking. If you think of a traditional white latticework structure, the kind that looks as if a gust of wind or a swiftly-kicked soccer ball might knock it over, you probably don’t love gazebos either.

Ever since I started scouting great garden architecture for Stylish Sheds and Elegant Hideaways several years ago, I have changed my tune.

Case in point: When I was in Seattle earlier this summer, my friend Kathy Fries invited me to see her new copper-roofed gazebo. Situated in the heart of Kathy’s prolific vegetable garden, the structure was built by John Akers. I’ve written about Kathy and John’s collaboration before, both in this blog and in the pages of Stylish Sheds. He is a salvage-artist-carpenter who knows how to take Kathy’s grand ideas and construct them into fanciful garden buildings.

It's a lovely addition that enhances the vegetable garden

What I love about Kathy’s new gazebo is that it is both beautiful and functional (not to mention sturdy!). In it, you can gain shelter from rain or sunshine; you can pause while picking raspberries and sit on one of two facing interior benches. You can “gaze out” over the garden, looking through openings on either end or the side walls.

The gazebo’s charming rooftop joins several other turrets, cupolas and domes that populate the skyline of Kathy’s garden. Plus, it gives the vegetable garden a new point of view. When John erected the gazebo, it allowed Kathy to realign some of her paths and planting beds on a main axis. It’s beautiful and I know everyone who sees it will start dreaming about a new sort of garden gazebo.

And did you know that Gazebo is believed to come from the Latin for “Gaze About”? I’ve added definitions from several sources to my Shed Glossary, here.

If you have a Gazebo you want to share, please send me the photo and I’ll post it in the future. Here are a few more photos from Kathy’s garden:

It’s tempting to describe all 28 sheds in Debra Prinzing’s “Stylish Sheds and Elegant Hideaways,” but that would take the fun out of discovery. Here’s a tease: A tiny, rustic cabin in the woods; an astonishing, asymmetrical, steel-framed structure over a pool; a grass-roofed, Norwegian stabbur; a stucco-and-tile pavilion surrounded by desert plantings. OK, that’s enough.

For those of you who read Kym’s Q&A interview with me and then moseyed over here, I thought I’d share the photos of each of the stylish structures she highlighted in her tease. These photographs reveal the incredible talent of my collaborator William Wright.

Enjoy!

A Tiny, Rustic Cabin in the Woods

Separate from the main residence but as comfortable as a little cottage, the 14-by-14 foot writing shed is nestled in the Connecticut woods

 A Stucco-and-Tile Pavilion Surrounded by Desert Plantings

Grass-Roofed, Norwegian Stabbur

 I hope you find inspiration from these incredibly diverse garden destinations!

A tiny chicken coop with loads of style

Last week’s visit to Santa Barbara included a stop at “Rooms & Gardens,” a wonderful home furnishings, antiques, accessories and interior design emporium on State Street.

I needed to check out the store’s new backyard chicken coop and garden.

Owners Eric and Jami Voulgaris recently created the sweet coop and romantic garden, where four Buff Orpington hens reside.

When I met Eric a few weeks ago, at the Santa Monica “Rooms & Gardens” store (they own this location with a partner, actress Mary Steenbergen), he told me about the chicken coop project.

The little building measures about 6-by-6 feet in size, with a charming shingled roof, board-and-batten siding, a country-style screen door and shutters. Stained that dreamy grey-blue shade, it looks both elegant and timeless.

A curved cobblestone path leads from the store’s back door out into the postage-stamp-sized garden. Picket fencing contains the four gals in their little yard.

The Voulgaris children named the Buff Orpington chicks, born on Easter morning: “Henny Penny,” “Rosy,” “Cornflake,” and “Scramble.”

The 800-square-foot garden’s renovation came about because it had to be ripped up when the neighboring Apple store was moving in. When that construction came to an end, Eric and Jami saw it as a chance to dress up the space, which really hadn’t changed much since Rooms & Gardens opened 16 years ago.

Happy chickens living in a happy garden

Pretty and inviting, a corner garden

Fully organic, the Martha’s Vineyard-inspired garden is landscaped with espaliered apple trees, Meyer lemon trees, ‘Iceburg’ roses and clumps of lavender. One corner holds a display of potted hydrangeas and an iron chair.

The garden and hens complement the carefree lifestyle settings inside Rooms & Gardens. Eric describes the store’s look and feel as “a fusion of British Colonial, ethnic accents, Chinoiserie and a relaxed coastal theme.”

I love the happy vibe that you feel upon entering. It’s a store where sink-into furniture is paired with uncommon accessories, all of which suggests well-loved and well-lived-in environments.

The garden is open to visitors during store hours. If you want to taste the yummy brown eggs produced here, check with the staff. Eric mentioned that a plan is in the works to supply Tuttini’s, a cafe around the corner, with their daily source of eggs!

In my past life as a garden writer in Seattle, I had several opportunities to interview landscape architect Alan Burke of Classic Nursery & Landscape Co. in Redmond (outside Seattle). I profiled Alan as one of the “Hot 40 Landscape Designers You Need to Know,” for Northwest Home + Garden Magazine in 2005.

Now we’re just Facebook Friends (since I’m here in Southern California; he’s still in the PNW; and I don’t get to see what he’s up to).

But today, out of the blue, I received this little communique from him on FB:

Today at 4:29pm

So I am having a meeting with a client, we’re talking about an outbuilding. She is thinking of many ideas for the shed, a greenhouse, a writer’s studio, a music room, a conservatory…. As we’re talking I am thinking: “I have to refer her to Deb’s book.” She says: “I saw some great ideas somewhere wait, I…”

I say: “You need to get a copy of Shed Style,” and she almost screams, “That’s it! That’s where I got the idea!”

Wow – a nice, little review popped up in the July issue of Landscape Architecture magazine’s “noteworthy” column.

Stylish Sheds and Elegant Hideaways: Big Ideas for Small Backyard Destinations, By Debra Prinzing

Don’t expect the sheds displayed in beautiful, full-color photos in this book to house a lawn mower and a jumble of rusty tools. Geared toward an upscale lay audience, this book is intended to inspire affluent home owners to rethink what a “shed” can be: Tea rooms, writing nooks, playhouses, and fanciful creations that defy simple descriptions fill the pages.

It’s nice to be noticed. But of course, we know that stylish sheds do not have to be “upscale” or “affluent.”

As long as they are designed with heart and soul, they will bring comfort, cheer and satisfaction to their occupants.

Even still, maybe the review will inspire more landscape architects to incorporate diminutive sheds and shelters into their clients’ gardens!

A vintage EGGS sign hangs in Kathy Fries's fanciful coop

Fresh eggs, how can you argue with that idea? I love cooking with fresh, organically-grown eggs produced by free-range hens. Thank goodness that I can buy them at my local, Thousand Oaks Farmers Market every Thursday! 

I wonder how long it will take before I graduate from growing backyard herbs, fruits and vegetables to raising chickens? Let’s see. . . maybe after my children leave for college, and perhaps after my beloved Lab, Zanny, has passed on.

Poultry fever has smitten many of my friends, though. I love the way they’ve integrated chicken culture into horticulture (get it?). And I really love the chicken coop architecture created by inspired hen owners.

Bonnie Manion's hens live in a renovated children's playhouse!

My blogger friend Bonnie Manion, who writes at Vintage Garden Gal, often shares stories of her hens, advice on raising chickens and even the care an maintenance of coops. She has just inherited a couple of charming gals – Buff Wheaten Marans. You’ll want to read more of Bonnie’s chicken adventures (and see more photos of her charming coop, which is a re-purposed children’s playhouse, shown here ).

Recently, a writer friend of mine paid me what I think was a lovely compliment. She said, “Debra, I want to create a book just like Stylish Sheds and Elegant Hideaways – but about chicken coops!”

And my response: Go for it!

Bill Wright, my fearless collaborator, would love to photograph a chicken coop book. I call him “fearless,” because how else could you describe a guy willing to get inside a coop with half-a-dozen chickens, two youngsters and a lot of feed flying around . . . just to capture the perfect shot!!!?

Here is that photograph, of our dear friend and shedista Kathy Fries, along with her sons Xander and Jasper. We documented a moment in their daily routine, when mom and boys feed and water the chickens, gather eggs, and generally putter around the coop. That coop, by the way, is no ordinary henhouse. You’ll see what I mean about “poultry fever.”

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Kathy, Jasper (left) and Xander feeding their chickens [William Wright photo

Imagine my surprise when Walton Garden Buildings, a British shed maker, recently notified me that this blog was nominated for its TOP 10 list of the best garden and shed blogs. Yay!

Here’s what Walton + Co. has to say about Shedstyle.com:

“(an) American-based blog from a Los Angeles-based author who does a great job on keeping the site updated with some great content and images.  Some of the images are excellent and really show off what can be done with a garden.  There are also some more standard articles with gardening hints and tips too.”

The voting continues and it looks like Shedstyle.com is currently in third place. That’s not too shabby (as my husband would say), since I follow the BBC’s Gardeners’ World web site (2nd place) and Alex Johnson’s Shedworking.co.uk, a very cool blog that advocates the work-at-home-in-your-shed movement (1st place).

If you haven’t voted and you want to support this blog, follow this link and click away. It’s fun to be recognized, especially by my British friends. We all know they do sheds better than anyone else.

P.S., Thanks to Patrick Moogan of Waltons, for selecting Shedstyle.com in the first place! You are a true “Shedista,” Patrick.

Summer on Lopez Island

We drove from Seattle to Anacortes, Wash., where the Washington State Ferries depart for several San Juan islands, as well as Victoria, B.C. (Anacortes is about 2-hour’s drive north of Seattle). Jennifer and I were in one van with 2 boys. Her husband David was a few cars behind us with 2 other boys. Suffice it to say that the car-waiting lines were long and even though we arrived around 1:30 p.m., we were given the bad news that we wouldn’t get on the 2:30 p.m. ferry. Instead, we would have to wait until 5-something. Bummer. Setting up camp at the same time you want to cook dinner isn’t great fun. But the holiday craziness started on Thursday this year. Even though we thought we were smart departing for our trip on July 2nd, it appeared that thousands of other people were just as smart!

Mom and son enjoy a glorious 4th of July weekend

We let the boys hop out of the car to run around the beach. Then Jennifer started edging the car forward in the line. Next thing we knew the line didn’t stop rolling…yikes! I had to jump out and run, yell and simultaneously try to dial my son’s cell phone number, to get the kids back in the car. Miraculously! We actually squeezed our car/van caravan onto that 2:30 p.m. ferry. The camping gods were smiling on our little group after all.

With that auspicious beginning, our vacation commenced. Lopez is small island with a population that swells from something like 800 year-round residents to hundreds of thousands in the summer. Especially on holiday weekends.

We found our campsite, located at Spencer Spit State Park, near the water but in a forested area, and set up two tents, a canopy over the picnic table, and multiple chairs around the firepit.

Jennifer gets the fixin's ready for a pocket pizza, camping style

CAMPING FOOD

For dinner, Jennifer had planned “Cook-your-own sandwiches.” She has amassed a great collection of camping accoutrements, including several hinged, cast-iron sandwich-makers with long handles. They are called Pie Irons (and you can purchase them for approximately $15 each).

Hot off the griddle - a Hobo Sandwich!

Butter the inside of each 4-by-4 inch tray (about the size of a bread slice) and lay bread in both.  Add cheese, pepperoni and tomato sauce to make a pocket pizza; Or just use the cheese to make a grilled cheese sandwich. And for dessert, use the bread as “crust” and add apple or cherry pie filling to make a one-person piece of pie.

The “cooking” occurs by sticking the square end over the campfire or on the campstove. Heat for a few minutes on one side; flip it over and do the same on the other side. When you finish and open up the hinged sections, the finished sandwich, calzone-like pizza or sweet pie is ready to eat.

I told my friend Robin about our fun grilling experience. And she proclaimed: “Oh, my husband used to make those when he was a kid! They’re called Hobo Meals!”

LOPEZ ARCHITECTURE

The architecture of Lopez fascinated me when I was there in 2004 and again on this trip. In the center of town there is a restored 1914 water tower and pump house. Tall, square and slender with the look of a lighthouse. It has weathered shingle siding and tiny windows. As it turns out, there are several of these structures on the island; I even saw one incorporated into the corner of a residence.

There is something very appealing about these towers. They are utilitarian as well as incredibly beautiful. They have that New England, maritime architectural style (reminiscent of Cape Cod, Mystic Seaport, Rockport). Having lived in New England as a young girl, these salty, breezy edifices felt comforting to me. And permanent. Jennifer and I walked around “downtown” Lopez and snapped photos of cool architecture. Here are a few that captured our imagination:

Driftwood shelter on Spencer Spit

BEACH ARCHITECTURE

We spent a lot of time beachcombing, and apparently, so did others.

The driftwood that washed up on the beach is obvious inspiration for shelter-builders who stack, pile, lean and construct temporary driftwood shelters.

Here is a beautiful, open-air A-frame made from driftwood (see left). It reminds me of the human urge to create shelter.

Wherever we are; whatever materials are at hand. We find a way to establish “home” for ourselves and our loved ones.

Another structure occupied the beach at Spencer Spit. It was a replica of the original fishing house that once stood here. Simple, clean lines. Open to the air. A shelter in the truest sense of the word. Again, it filled that yearning void for enclosure, safety, comfort and protection from the elements. Open and inviting to anyone who happened along this stretch of beach. I love the “spaces” that create view-framing windows through which to enjoy the gorgeous water, island and maritime views:

The fishing hut on Spencer Spit

A breathtaking framed view