URBAN JUNGLE BLOGGERS | A wish for Christmas and New Year

I cannot believe how much time it was since my last post but I am very happy to be back on time to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. And there is no better way to do it than joining the Planty Wishes challenge of the Urban Jungle Bloggers community! We won't be spending these holidays at home as we will join my family in Italy but I managed to get some shots of our essential Christmas decorations for this year (have a look to my holidays inspirations here).

Christmas has always been an amazing time for me since I was very young: I used to put on my wellies and go for hunting in the family nursery and its surroundings and coming back with berries, fresh branches and funny things that I would decorate with ribbons and gold hues. In the older age (oh my..), I shifted from ribbons to a more minimal greenery style but foraging is still the best and funniest part of this. I have to go know for long strolls outside Barcelona ( and get my hubby's car a mess- which his allergy and himself are always grateful for...) but it was so special to do it this year as a family for the first time.

This was such a crazy year and, undoubtedly, the most amazing one as we welcome our little Bianca into our hearts and home. I hope to be able to share with you some moments here soon.

In the meanwhile, let me wish you all a wonderful Christmas time and a 2016 full of love, peace and happiness. A special thanks to dearest Igor and Judith, who created an amazing green hearts community.

Until my next post - that I promise will come much sooner -, let's keep in touch in Instagram!

 All images © facing north with gracia

URBAN JUNGLE BLOGGERS | My green workspace

Here we are with the September issue of the Urban Jungle Bloggers's Back to Work. This month's theme couldn't fit better the atmosphere of my studio that, after the holidays, has been transformed into a real jungle. I really felt an urge for green tones and luxurious plants next to me recently so, before coming back home from the seaside, we stopped at a local nurseries and did some shopping. Placing green plants in interiors, especially in a workplace, is extremely important for the relaxing effects greenery has on our mind and brain.

 

Monstera deliciosa is always a great choice and I was very happy to find a small specimen that could fit our flat: the idea is to let it grow a bit more and later place a grid where it can climb through. We bought also a Rhipsalis paradoxa, an epiphyte cacti, that has been placed on the String Pocket. An epiphyte is a plant that grows non-parasitically upon another plant,such as a tree, and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain etc. Therefore, they can be a bit tricky when grown on soil, like orchids. And last but not least, an Asparagus, one of my all-time favourite for its airy look and woodland memories.

 

All images © facing north with gracia

Kristina Dam | The Danish way

Kristina Dam is a artist and graphic designer based in Copenhagen. Her work aims to visualize the dialectics among art, graphic design and interiors. In Paris, at Maison et Objet 2014, she presented her newest creations: the Botanic Series, a modern and poetic interpretation of the urban jungle trend of the moment created in collaboration with the Danish photographer Tuala Hjarnø.

In her works, tropical plants becomes shy interpreter of a new way of understanding nature in the interior world: they appear not mere adornments of our home but characters of the tale of everyday life, each of them with a different and peculiar personality. Though Monstera (Phylodendron) is still my favourite, I find a Sanseveria has never been so beautiful. And surely some of fellow Urban Jungle Bloggers will agree with me.

I particularly appreciate Kristina Dam's new work I decided to team up with The Poster Club and run a very special giveaway on my Instagram account: one lucky follower will have a chance to win one of the poster in their selection (value 80 euros). It is an amazing opportunity to be among the first ones to get one of these original prints; in fact the prints can be now only pre-ordered. Head to my Instagram profile here to know how to participate.

URBAN JUNGLE BLOGGERS | Watering your plants

We are at the end of July and this means one thing for most of us in Southern Europe: August is almost there and summer holidays will start eventually! I really cannot wait for this year as we have arranged a pretty busy schedule of travelling to see families, dispersed in three different nations.

Though we have arranged a stop in Barcelona on the way down South, this is quite a lot of time away from home and a great challenge for any plant lover, surely for my fellow Urban Jungle Bloggers. In these years, I have tried several tricks to manage to keep my plants alive in the hot Barcelona summers and I have to confess some of them resulted in a massive botanic hecatomb. I learned the hard way to accept I must select drought tolerant plants for the outdoor but I find difficult to compromise with my indoor plants. Moreover, unlike the crazy plant collectors of my friends who actually choose not to go on holidays to avoid any risk, I strongly believe in the "holy days" of relaxation. 

So, I want to share with you two tricks that seem to work quite well for houseplants. A good option is watering your plants by emerging them until all the air bubbles have come out, let the excess water dry out and then placed them above the bath tube filled with a bit of water to grant a consistent humid environment.  This works well in case your trip is just a few days long but, if you are planning a longer one, I strongly suggest you to rely on science.

How? Have you ever heard the word terrarium? You probably have because they are a must-have green trend. The use of keeping plants under a glass dome dates back to 500 BC but it was in 1827 when the modern version we know was accidentally discovered by Sir Ward in London (check the history of terrarium here). The principle is simple: the sealed environment recreates the rain cycle through the process of evaporation and transpiration and allows plants to flourish inside for a long time (even 60 years). 

During summertime, we can take advantage of the water-recycling principle of a terrarium recreating it with a simple DIY: 

1 - get as many clear bags as you can;

2 - divide your plants into groups that can fit inside each bag;

3 - place a moist towel in each bag and then the well-watered plants on top of it;

4 - tear the bag while blowing air inside to make the bag puff out ( you are adding carbon dioxine) and sealed it quickly with a rubber band. You can place it in another clear bag sealed with a second rubber band to make sure air won't go out.

The temporary terrarium will work just fine for a few weeks, only remember you must placed it in a room outside direct sunlight (but with light). The water will be released through the leaves as a result of the natural process and its excess will drip back down onto the leaves and the soil for the roots again.

I love terraria  a lot for their perfect fusion of science and beauty and there are some very nice modern versions now available on the market, like this Small Terrarium by Danish Pop Deluxe. In case you do it, please let me know how it worked out!

All the URBAN JUNGLE BLOGGERS post here.

MONDAY CRUSH | Outdoor Inspiration #1

Summer has arrived and here it is my collection of inspirations for a contemporary urban patio. I like the idea of mixing raw concrete with architectural plants, like tall grasses or wetland plants that will be planted in pots. A great possibility are these contemporary fabric pots  produced by French brand Bacsac. For the seating area, the Boiacca concrete table by Kristalia is a great solution for the outdoor space. Finally, for an extra seat, I love the idea of using thin bamboos hold together by metal elements like in the natural bench created by  Steven Banken.

Enjoy!

| 1 | Miscanthus in Bacsac pots

| 2 | Fig Tree via Stil Inspiration

| 3 | LucidiPevere's "Boiacca" table for Kristalia

| 4 | Steven Banken, Sheaves

| 5 | Equisetum japonicum in a concrete low pot

BARCELONA | Palo Alto for the Design Market

Last weekend took place the first Barcelona Mercado Condal del Diseño, an event where to young designers can present their work to the wide public. The location is one of the greenest in Barcelona, the Palo Alto foundation in Poblenou, a cultural landmark in the city for being, on one side, a real jewel of industrial archaeology (the long factory chimney gives actually name to the complex) and, on the other, an attraction spot for creatives, such as Mariscal the designer of the 1992 Olympic games logo (Cobi).

The industrial warehouses and factories (naves) are perfectly conserved and nowadays covered in a dense green canopy of Parthenocissus. For sure, the extremely favourable climate of Barcelona helped a lot in the creation of this urban jungle and its gardens, where people working in the companies located in Palo Alto can have their lunch. I believe this is one of the greenest spots in the city and the special character of the area just makes you want to pack your stuff and move in.

This unique mix of rough industrial and jungle was the perfect location for the first Mercado Condal del Diseño and a great background for these young talents to showcase their works. I was very impressed by the quality of some of the products, so much some came home with me! 

But I will tell you more in the next few days about my most favourite ones, so stay tuned because there were some amazing surprises!

All images © facing north with gracia

URBAN JUNGLE BLOGGERS | Green in the Replay Store

Here we are with my third Urban Jungle gang. Dear Judith and Igor invited to go beyond our yard and search in the city for "social urban jungles", nests of nature cultivated in cafés, shops and restaurant. In Barcelona, I have no doubt my favourite ones belongs to Replay Flagship Store in Passeig de Gracia.

The store designed by Florentine architectural firm Studio10 reinterprets the concepts already applied to the brand’s spaces in Milan and Florence of creating first a mental and emotional island to the hustle and bustle of the busiest commercial street of the city and offering people a meaningful emotional experience that goes beyond the usual "pick, buy and move on" one.

While walking down the Passeig, it impossible not to stop at least for a second and indulge in front of the lush vertical gardens that create the store windows: a jungle of several Philodendron species (P. scandens, P. giganteum, P. erubescens),  ferns, Polypodium and many more that extends for more than 100 m2, with waterfall and sculptures. 

Entering the store is a relaxing experience as you suddenly feel in another place, thanks to the sound of the water falling down and the humid verdant surroundings. From the entrance your attention is captured by another another hanging garden located at the rear of the store, in the patio.

 

Here, the industrial look typical to the Replay brand is also expressed by an extensive use of steel but in blocks, some of which become random containers for several plants. In this way, the courtyard is transformed into a sort of grand glass box stage of lush green foliage.

 

The vertical gardens were designed by Swedish landscape architect Michael Hellgren. Urban Jungle Bloggers, hope you enjoyed it!

URBAN JUNGLE BLOGGERS | Greenery on the balcony

Spring is struggling a bit this year with this unpredictable weather and cool nights but my plants are actually enjoying this humid, warmish situation a lot. I managed to bring them all outside at the beginning of March and I couldn't resist to add some new entries to the collection. 

I have to confess it is quite hard for me to have only a small balcony here in Barcelona because I was used to a lot of space in Italy, like a whole nursery and several glasshouses where to make experiments...Sigh! Some of the plants you see here actually come from Italy: I always try to bring one back with me when I go there for work. 

The first picture shows one of the plants I most fond of: it is a Fockea, a Caudiciform plant that my father gave me some years ago. My dad passed away not a long time ago so it is a very dear memory of him and his great passion for these plants ( the small two-leaved-one in the Playtype mug was also part of his collection).

Another great passion of mine are Platycerium but they are hard to keep alive: either they find the perfect micro-climate or they die fast, leaving me furious.  And eventually our last acquisition: a Moscatel vine we bought here in Barcelona. Vines are great for balconies because they grow abundantly and can transform a small space very quickly. The idea is to create a square structure at the top to train in into an umbrella shape - getting too technical, amn't I?

I grew up among plants and "plantsmen" and probably for this reason I have such a strong emotional bond to these green creatures and I struggle to stop talking about the...like today!

Could this be my longest post ever?!  Urban Jungle Bloggers, hope you enjoyed it!

| Props | Playtype mugs | Ikea Glasshouse | Custom-made pots from Italy |

Thanks again to Igor from Happy Interior Blog and Judith from JOELIX.com!

STOCKHOLM | Rosendals Trädgård

Saturdays are made for long sweet hours spent with friends and having fun, aren't they? 

For this reason, I decided to dedicate it only to family and beloved ones. But this post is special for two reasons: it is a way  a way to thank the Urban Jungle Bloggers to have me in the group and the first I publish about part of my main professional duty. I hope you enjoy the little divagation. 

Today we head to Djurgården, the garden island located on the East side of Stockholm, to visit the beautiful Rosendals Trädgård. Infact, part of my work as a RD manager consists of visiting from time to time special plant nurseries and garden shops. As a landscape architect and someone that has literally grown among plants, visiting this kind of places is quite natural: I usually start with the "get the atmosphere" tour, pass to the "professional eye" one and move eventually to "let's have fun" (with a slice of cake and coffee when possible). I have visited garden shops mainly in Italy, France and in the UK, so I was very excited to have a chance to spend a few hours in Rosendals while in Stockholm.

As I was in Stockholm just after the Design Week, the place was not at its greenest moment. Still it was no disappointment, especially because I had the great privilege to enjoy it all by myself as it was closed for some small renovations that day. They obviously sneaked me in - who can resist me? lol - and let me wonder in the little antique glasshouses. It is hard to explain the feeling that always invades me through the scent created by the mixture of the soft ground, the plants and the high humidity. To me it is the fragrance of Life.

Rosendals plants and object selection is very interesting and their colour palette has my complete approval. I know some of you will feel the urge to ask if even the gardens I design are completely white: I confess they are not. However, I always remind my client not to forget white is the last colour disappearing when the night comes and the only one capable to reflect the shy moonlight, therefore it should be highly used in the garden.

I strongly recommend my fellow Urban Jungle Bloggers to spend a few hours here whenever they have a chance to visit Stockholm. 

This post is part of the STOCKHOLM SERIES.

 

Pictures facing north with gracia