Many years ago - and I mean like 55 years ago, my family lived in Columbus, Georgia. I don't remember that we lived in Columbus 55 years ago - because we lived in a 100 cities...but I do remember a weekend jaunt to Callaway Gardens, which was only 30 minutes away from Columbus. Even as a 9-year old, these gardens left an indelible mark in my garden memory bank. My mother and I were just in awe of the gorgeous dogwood trees and azaleas. I don't know how large these gardens were so many decades ago...today the gardens and lakes sprawl across 2,500 acres. Anders and Kelley kept asking me what it was like so many years ago...and all I could remember was the amazing display of azaleas and dogwoods. Today this is a full-fledged and year-round resort. National Geographic claims it's the 5the best Christmas Light display in the world...with over 8 million lights throughout these fantasy gardens. Who cares about Christmas lights in March...we were here to see flowers!

This vista was our first stop...most of these azaleas are over 6' tall. It made me realize I need to add white azaleas to my azalea bank at Fox Hollow...it makes the pinks and corals pop! Amazed that we hit this garden exactly at peak bloom....just worked out that way...there was no planning involved!

In this image with Kelley and Katie, I see I'm wrong about the size of these azaleas - much taller than 6'!

These "king" daddies were everywhere....maybe 20' tall!

Every turn of the pathway presented different varieties and groupings of these stunners.

Of course masses of tulips and daffodils were also on full display....everywhere there wasn't an azalea.

These chartreuse colored Japanese Maples were scattered everywhere throughout the gardens adding this amazing color into the mix of the pinks, corals, reds and whites..they are HUGE - and they are everywhere!

I'm sure this Snowball bush isn't the tallest in the world...but until I see a taller one, it gets my vote as the KING!

If you ever get to Atlanta during the Spring around the end of March, Callaway Gardens is a short drive...and so worth the visit.

Spring has Sprung...enjoy this wonderful garden season, and the beauty that surrounds you.

Happy Gardening!

Anders & Terry

As we are in the midst of finishing up the last few AC Dwellings projects, we face a bittersweet change. We have both called Oklahoma City home for many years...and even though neither of us are from here, it has been the place we call home. The work we have done here in Oklahoma City has been beyond gratifying - in every way you could measure happiness. Anders started the business in 1998, and now 20 years later we drive through this city, and smile at the beautiful homes we have been fortunate and blessed to work in. Our family of dear friends here has kept us in Oklahoma City, even when the Blue Ridge Mountains were harkening us to move East. This is the bittersweet part, the gut-wrenching part...the leaving our friends part....

When you face such a big and life-changing event as shutting your business down and moving across country you make it cautiously and with a measured speed. That time has come...we are moving to Asheville, NC. We have a little place in the woods and find ourselves happiest when we are there. I have several acres to garden in....and Anders has a huge AGA, so we are both perfectly happy...life couldn't be any better...except for that part about the friends....nothing else to say. Come see us!

Lots of love and gratitude.

xoxoxo

Anders & Terry

PS...it's time to work in the garden - please read previous blogs on gardening....

It was a genuine privilege this year to renovate the Ocean Forest Golf Club on Sea Island, Georgia. First of all, if you haven't been to Sea Island I cannot more highly recommend a visit! There are so many things about Sea Island that are unique and special. The magnificent live oaks. Yes that's a big fat period. The magnificent live oaks.

Every inch of this island is covered in live oaks...dripping, and I mean dripping with Spanish Moss. As you drive along the streets you won't know which way to turn...think grand slam tennis match....but with better views!

The beautiful homes that dot this island both along the tree-lined streets, and on the ocean, are also a feast for the house-lover in all of us. This home sits on an ocean front lot....I would love to see the back of it!

There are 3 very nice resorts on the island ....The Cloister, The Lodge and the Beach Club. They each have several nice restaurants and bars...the food is really really good, as a southerner I can vouch for this. Before I forget...3 golf courses.

This is an eagle-eye view of The Cloister - Sea Island's Crown Jewel resort....Addison Mizner was the original architect...and though rebuilt in 2006, Mizner's genius is ever present.

This is the stunning 2-story Lobby of The Cloister.

The golf club at Ocean Forest is where we got involved - and Anders and I had.a whole lot of fun traveling back forth to Sea Island while we worked on this project. It's a private - uber exclusive golf club...so sorry to all of Anders golfing buddies - we can't help you get in....

This club was beautiful, but after 20 years was starting to feel a little tired and some spaces weren't being fully utilized and functional for today's lifestyle....casual yet elegant living.

Anders and I decided to put the bar in the first section of the old living room. We built the bar, which is a beautiful rift cut white oak wood, in Oklahoma City and transported it to Sea Island. Lots of brass, leather, RL lighting and vintage accents make this bar fun to belly up to.

The other side of the living room...is the more formal seating - but the friendly staff will happily bring you a glass of champs or a Ginny while you wait for dinner.

We decided to completely change this room...previously the formal dining room. The addition of more casual cocktail seating, banquettes, and several TV's make the room a little less stuffy...oh yes and we removed the doors to the old patio, so the ocean is now visible from this room.

This was a previously "never-used" outdoor patio...brand new windows and flooring, lighting and charming tile tile top tables make this a popular new place to dine at the club.

This room is also totally transformed...formerly half bar and half tables ... the space didn't work well for either one...so now this is just fine dining.

Storage off the old bar was removed, glass doors and walls installed to display the new wine collection at the club...previously not available for viewing.

Project of a lifetime - check! We love the country club business...hopefully Ocean Forest won't be our last.

It's been a busy summer for us...lots work and lots of fun bucket list trips....Yosemite was so fun...ashamed we hadn't been there before.!

'till next time...xo

Anders & Terry

The roses are in full peak bloom about now...everywhere! They have rested, well actually gone into a nice hibernating sleep over the winter. The longer days, warmer weather, and Spring rains have awakened them and they are displaying in their colorful and fragrant glory.

This David Austin Heirloom variety is one of my favorites. A heavy and fragrant bloomer...

but my perennial favorite is this Abraham Darby....a better repeat bloomer and in my book more is better when it comes to roses and how often they bloom.

There's nothing like a French or English climbing rose that makes my heart go pitter patter. Those pretty petaled ruffles resembling small cabbages just sing to me!

Books have been written about good plant combinations and pairings...but the ultimate plant pairing is planting a clematis at the base of every climbing rose...double your pleasure! The clematis and rose will bloom at the same time and the rose actually provides a perfect trellis and shaded base which the clematis vines love.

I prefer a contrasting or complimentary color clematis to the rose color....but hey doesn't matter....whatever color they are they are just more beautiful together.

Roses need a little TLC now and then and please heed the deed...you will be rewarded.

In the last week, I have had a few messages from clients with "yellow' leaves on their roses they lovingly refer to them as looking "puny"....a perfect description. This usually means a diagnosis called chlorosis, which is the term for yellowing of leaves - when they exhibit a pale green or yellow color they suffer from chlorophyll insufficiency. The insufficiency can be due to high pH levels in the soil, low iron or lack of oxygen due to overwatering or poorly drained soil. If your rose looks like this it is suffering and needs help!

This or similar copper sulfate product will help if not eliminate the chlorosis.

Epsom Salt may be good for sore joints...but it's an amazing supplement for plants. I pour the salts into my Miracle Grow feeder attached to a hose...and water away...this helps with aphids, black spot, rust...and is a great fertilizer. Although the the thought of putting salt on a plant just doesn't jive ... it's actually not salt...but Magnesium Sulphate!

Roses are actually one of the easiest and most rewarding plants to grow. Now is a great time to plant a potted rose bush available at all the garden centers. You might consider some climbers like this...and call David Austin Roses in Tyler, Texas. Best time to plant English or French climbers is in February or early March as a bare root plant. I planted these Abraham Darby's 5 years ago - the fragrant approach up these stone steps is intoxicating!

Happy gardening!

Terry

Spring does not officially begin for another month....but it's definitely in the air. Garden interest, garden love, and all sorts of gardening chores and musings are beginning in earnest; after all winter is nearly over and it's time for a fresh beginning - a chance to start over with your garden. No matter how big or how small your little slice of heaven might be, you can always use Spring as the excuse to get out in the dirt. Inspiration surely abounds, as lawns of fescue and rye seem to turn dark green overnight, only to be outdone by the earliest pretties as they emerge from the earth. Those green leaved wonders with yellow smiley faces aka daffodils, pretty blue, pink and white hyacinths, and prettiest in pink - cherry and quince. The clown-like faces of pansy and violas will bounce back after their long winter naps. The garden planning and work done in good faith last fall are now paying us back with their due respect, and gratitude for the patience over the winter months.

I have a thing for the blues...always have...so my go-to viola and pansy color is always blue...any shade of blue...all shades of blue with white tulips to make them pop

....also love purples and all shades of violet

For decades my "brand" seem to involve a certain kind of tulip...the Darwin Pink Impression. I started planting en masse in 1979, when it was introduced...I still love it so, but have become more expectant of my tulip $...so now I blend many varieties in similar shades to extend my very own Easter parade.

Love, love, love the color combination of these 5 blends of apricot and salmon colored tulips ... with these violas - hot and cold! These 5 different varieties of tulips were chosen from the earliest blooming to the latest...I had 6 weeks of continuous bloom with this method of blending tulips.

This is a favorite 'charmer" dripping with so many details...it has been great fun to transform the house, but the hardscaping and garden design is a personal favorite...it sure makes the landscaping fun and easy to do for my garden-loving client.

It's very common these days to see containers of all varieties and sizes being filled and planted in the fall with bulbs and overwintered, shall we say, put to bed for a few months.

This photo from the Dirt Simple blog site by Deborah Silver (amazing landscape and garden designer) is impressive...I can only imagine what these will look like in the Spring.

Perhaps a few of these were planted with.yellow narcissus and pretty hyacinths

or this...lots of muscari in shades of blue with just a pop of contrast with apricot colored violas resulting in lots of visual impact

...or even as simple as a plastic bucket of bulbs planted and placed later in the spring in a pretty gray willow or wicker basket.

This photo saved a while back from the French blog site Bulles & Bottilons, is a charming display of tulips and pale yellow daffodils...or their reference to them as jonquils. These bulbs were all planted in the same type of container...terra cotta. These particular pots have taken on the patina and character that comes with time and use - could they be any more perfect with these pale shades of flowering bulbs?

Here's an entirely different approach for planting a mass of bulbs in containers...Claus Dalby an amazing gardener and florist in Demark calls these "crashing colors". they are planted in every imaginable container from crockery, terra cotta, to rusty old and steel and zinc bins.

Get your garden on!

Terry

When asked to speak at Garden Club meetings, I have learned over the years how important it is to keep the message simple when it comes to garden advice. Born into the landscaping business, as well as the much appreciated gifts of a green-thumb and an artistic eye; with the added for-good-measure dose of Aggieland education, I feel armed me with a fair amount of knowledge about all-things garden. My true passion from a young age has always been to mentor, coach and prod people into the joys of gardening. Many are simply overwhelmed by past failures, lack of knowledge, or intimidation of possible, shall I say less - than optimal outcomes. Enough about garden failure, let's get back to the simple part....Terry's KISS principles for late winter gardening. February is upon us, and it's an important month on the garden calendar. These are your winter garden "to-do's"...

Pruning your trees and evergreens...this is the month to do it - don't procrastinate this...buds are already forming and will be in full force next month. The number one fear from my mentees seems to be the fear of pruning. There are hundreds of how-to's and images just a click away...you can share these helpful tips and pics with your "garden helper", or just grab the pruners with your new found handy dandy instruction's via the WWW. It's always good to show what not to do as well....the infamous and now over-used term of crepe murder is a good case in point.

This is an image of What NOT to do...this photo pains me....

This is an image of a crepe myrtle with a proper, stylish haircut. Since they bloom on new growth, eliminating the old woody spent blooms will keep your crepes fresh and everblooming.

Evergreen shrubs like yew, boxwood, hollies of all varieties and so many more, need to be pruned now to keep them healthy and happy. Please understand your shrubs may not need to be pruned..this is primarily for shaping and editing to keep the size right for the space.

This boxwood could be left in it's natural state...

I personally prefer a tighter look - this might be design goal for your boxwoods

The image of a yaupon holly pruned in this painful fashion is a lot to maintain...it doesn't look natural to me - and feels a little too much like the '50's Leave it to Beaver landscape design. In my opinion, this is not a good pruning design goal for this plant.

I prefer the more natural tree-like shape of this specimen...yaupons can actually start taking on the look of a live oak.

Woody shrubs like forsythia, quince and spiraea also look best with a more natural haircut.

These forsythias have been pruned into round shaped bushes...I personally do not think a forsythia should ever be pruned like this.

The image here is a beautiful example of forsythias they way they are intended to look.

For more tips on proper pruning of other shrubs and bushes check out

What about hydrangeas? I didn't read your mind, as this is my most asked garden question...

There is mucho confusion in the air as we approach a hydrangea - everyone seems to know now that pruning hydrangeas varies based on variety; yet when it's time to do the pruning or not...the panic sets in...pruning trepidation! Check this out to boost your pruning confidence...Pruning Hydrangeas

r it has.

Dormant Oil spray is also highly effective in prevention of scale and other nasty ailments that plague ornamental trees like Flower Crab, Redbud, Peach & Cherry.

Fertilizing your fescue or rye lawn around the middle of February can create an enviable "Easter Parade" kind of front yard....Cool season grasses like fescue, rye and blends will benefit from a light feeding of fertilizer...whichever your pleasure may be...organic or not...some nitrogen will green the blades up. Mark your calendar for the middle of February to get this chore done; and when March rolls around and is feeling like Spring you will have a green lawn and palette that enhances your other plantings.

BUT this is the way most of our yards look now in the dead of winter.

This photo from one of my gardens shows what a blend of fescue and rye looks like when it's fertilized around the middle of February.

I'll take one of the fertilized versions please...with extra toppings in those blue and purple shades.

Planting trees, both deciduous and evergreens now, before the Spring rush is so smart...so very proactive of you. Spring at a garden center is like "black Friday" at the mall! The nurseries will have the very best selections as they receive fresh stock from the tree farms - so go in for the early kill.

Cleanup those messy flower beds, as spring is literally just a few weeks away now. Whereas it was wonderful leaving your perennials with top growth last fall going into the winter; and you were correct in letting the fallen leaves blanket your plants for the long cold winter nights...now is the time to get out the shears and rake.

With early Spring comes more sunshine and rains...so it's important and beneficial to expose your plantings to the elements. This wonderful exercise (work and fresh air) should be done by the end of February.

Assess & Planning - I do my best garden design and plodding in the dead of winter...usually in my "friendlies!" I prefer the calm, quite beauty that a winter garden brings to see it unveiled without all it's pretties and colorful frosting. A winter garden should be beautiful, and enhance your home's curb appeal If you look at your garden design from down the street, across the street, from your front door looking out, how does it look? How do you want it to look?? Scout out some gardens that inspire you, and start making the changes to achieve your goal Plan now, March and April are stone's throw away, and are an ideal time to make changes.

Happy Gardening!

Terry

A little pic of what's to come to inspire and motivate your inner gardener!

God Jul - Merry Christmas! Heading to Sweden to enjoy the holiday with Swedish family and friends is always a joyful, fun, and food-filled event in our year. Anders and I very much look forward to this annual trek with great anticipation...of seeing and loving his 89 year old mom, only sister and favorite brother in-law, daughter and son-in-law, and yes our GRAND DAUGHTERS!

Nora and Amy are our darling, funny, precious and did I say beautiful grand daughters. We come armed with holiday dresses, barbie dolls, everything "Frozen" and too many other American "hard-to-find" in Sweden, toys. We look like we are moving abroad when we travel, but truth be told, our travel attire fits nicely in a small roller board...it's the stuff that dreams are made of that fill the other 3 very large suitcases! The Barbie pink jeep got shipped a few years ago, as it was just let's just say ... a little to large to carry on the plane. The photo below is amazing Nora a few years ago hopping into the American dream - the extremely pink Barbie jeep ...we think it was a big hit and is still running strong several years later thanks to extra batteries and electrical genius son-in-law - Johan.

As much as we enjoy spoiling Nora and Amy, I also get super excited to see the Scandinavian Christmas decor (christmassy). After all these years of going to Sweden to celebrate Christmas, many of our friends and clients know that we make this annual trek and ask me what Christmas is like there...so here are a few of my favorite things - mostly having to do with their imaginative and creative use of all things nature - with a few flowers thrown in for good measure.

Sweden being closer to the North Pole than most countries, does not have a lot of daylight this time of the year, so the Swedes create their own. I had never seen Advent stars shining in what seems like every window, in every building, on every street until my first Christmas in Sweden. These stars are really beautiful, and you are seeing them today in every possible color and in all sizes...today they are even available here in America, at lots of different retail stores.

The use of amaryllis and hyacinths hanging from chandeliers and at the tops of windows - gets me every time! I just look at this in utter amazement....who does that! You just add water to the hollow stem...they last for weeks! Having the amazing Swede in my artillery...I will ensure this happens next year in our home - we have a perfect spot - or two, to hang these amazing flowers.

The land of gnomes! The Swedish gnomes are also one of my favorites this time of the year. They come in all sorts of sizes and colors, but of course I'm partial to the gray ones, also like the green ones...the red ones are pretty too! Swedish mystique lives in these gnomes...I will be on the hunt for this grey beauty below...just need to figure out what his name will be???

The use of natural picked-in-the-forest materials to make their decorative items is inspiring....twigs, moss of all varieties, fir limbs, berries, nuts, and pinecones; but to add beauty on top of beauty, they top it off by adding forced bulbs like hyacinth and narcissus to add fragrance.

Look at the shape of this heart below bedazzled in moss, berries, pinecones and fir - I think it is stunning.

Amazing gnarly twig wreath and hyacinths bulbs budding,,,,

Did I say they love to use hearts...Swedes apparently have a thing for hearts!

I spotted these fir "gnomes" for the first time last year....they are magical sitting out in a yard, at your entry, or at the edge of the woods for more mystique. These little creatures are fashioned from fir limbs and I'm so doing this next year in our North Carolina forest. Sometimes they even have a "face" made out of pine cones and nuts. I've decided gnomes look particularly dashing with a stocking hat but more whimsical with the simple felt ones and a little embroidery embellishment. I love the clusters of these little fellows standing guard.

.....and real reindeer - yes really.

as Anders would say

skål & God Jul!

see more Swedish inspiration on my

Holiday - Swedish

The holiday tradition of decorating a tree for the holidays is in full force all around the world. The "would you mind bringing all those boxes and plastic bins of decorations down out of the attic?" conversation we have....and while you're at it "put the tree" together is taking place as I write this post.. Those of you who still bring in fresh trees get the added chore of carefully stringing hundreds of lights. It's actually quite a "messy" process...but oh the fragrance! Holiday tunes, or a classic Christmas movie going on in the background surely helps set the stage; a shot or two of Bailey's over ice definitely sets the mood!

I was at a friends this past weekend, and couldn't believe how beautiful and nostalgic her flocked tree was all dressed and gussied up in white. She said it was an artificial tree - it looked better than a real tree that's been cut and flocked...without all the mess...so this inspired me to poke around at more flocked trees that are seeing a big resurgence in our homes.

At the end of the day, it is always gratifying to transform your home to make it a little more magical...however you do it and whatever you do. Please take the time to just relax and enjoy the season!

Cheers!

Terry

Anders and I love everything about this time of the year....the cooler weather, putting on a sweater and a scarf, tasty food and treats. We really like egg nog, holiday decorating, Christmas music and every movie about Christmas that comes on TV....no matter how many times we have seen it...call us suckers for the holidays.

We are lucky in that we celebrate the holidays here in America, and also fly away to Sweden to enjoy the traditions "over there" - this is primarily focused on food and our Swedish family. Something I always look forward to is walking into a Scandinavian flower shop. They force every kind of bulb you can imagine into the most beautiful flowers...hyacinths, narcissus, amaryllis - and in ways you have never seen before. The Christmas trolls and decorative items are so unique and not seen in the U.S. so it's a real treat to take it all in. It's hard for me to resist wanting everything in these shops...but then oh dear how to get them back home....

Anders is an amazing florist, and I'm a pretty gardener, so we love to combine these two skills and force plant paper white Narcissus and amaryllis bulbs and scatter them throughout our home in every container we can find. The temptation of rosemary in any form, but especially shaped into topiaries is also an irresistible favorite of ours. Scouting around for fresh greens and colorful pastel toned poinsettias, all add to the way we like to style our home for the holidays....a pretty tree with nature-inspired ornaments and lots of fresh and fragrant flowers along with the aromatics of evergreens and rosemary.

From our home to yours, we wish you a joyful season and hope you find some inspiration in these photos.

Pinterest is a social network, and a tool that allows users to discover and share ideas in every imaginable way. With over 100 million active users, it's one of the fastest growing networks since the "invention" of the Internet. As an early adopter and beta user, I did experience their growing pains, glitches and outages, yet slowly became a more prolific user. More and more evenings were spent pinning, and less on watching TV or skimming through magazines. Before I finally came out as an active Pinterest addict, Anders would look at me with curiosity and wonder...."what could be so interesting and time consuming?"

The Pinterest network and site is working great these days, and as a designer, gardener, and lover of all things that enhance lifestyle, it is a fun and easy-to- use tool that I engage my clients in. Check out my boards for more ideas to enhance your fall season and holidays...but be careful ...are you prone to addiction?

In looking through our portfolio I had lost count of just how many large renovations we have done over the past years...my how those transformations creep up on you...so here are a few more beauties...before and after.

If you liked seeing our Before and Afters in Part 1...here a few more real life "move that bus" extreme makeovers...ala Anders & Terry style - renovation vs. tear down.

Fall is the best time, the only time to freshen up your garden and landscape for fall...but more importantly this is the time to do the work to make your yard shine next Spring. As a long-time gardener, I have learned through trial and tribulation that timing is everything....and that Mother Nature has her way with the calendar...so head the signal of cooler weather and get going on these fun and gratifying chores.

Scalp and over seed your lawn with a blend of fescue and rye grass seed...water, wait a few weeks and your lawn will be dark green through the winter and early Spring.Time to take out the scrappy summer annuals and plant violas, pansies and spring bulbs like daffodils, tulips and hyacinths .... wait until November to plant the bulbs.The garden centers are brimming with fresh plant stock...so assess your garden plantings and remove plants that aren't performing for better varieties or just replace plants that didn't make it through the summer to maintain your garden design.Swap out plantings in your garden containers to add a seasonal touch - mums, ornamental cabbage and kale along with pansies and violas will re-invent your containers with a fresh look for the season.Don't overlook your front entry - this is your ground zero for seasonal decor...containers dressed up for fall, with mums and pumpkins will welcome your guests and Autumn.Check out these garden containers and ideas to jazz up up your entry for the season from my Pinterest site....

We are blessed with the gift of being able to visualize possibilities; add the good luck of being creative, and throw in Anders' "MacGyver" tendencies...and you end up with the surprising ingredients which have allowed us the good fortune of transforming many homes into things of beauty...when some might wonder that why the house wasn't just torn down.

There can be many reasons for the choice of renovate vs. build new...but here are some great examples of the renovation route we took for several clients. Check out these Before and Afters and more to come...

You can always smell the change of season - when the dog days of summer finally fade away and we welcome the fresh, cooler air of Autumn. When the trees begin to show their colorful personalities, it's time for the season's first pot of chili, sweaters and a crackling fire. We started building outdoor rooms with fireplaces years ago...long before they were as prevalent as they are today. These rooms and fireplaces really extend the enjoyment of your outdoor space...here are a few of our favorites!

Not sure whether it's the 1000 hand-rolled Swedish meatballs Anders fries in butter the day of the tour - or curiosity about what our latest kitchens look like...either way we see lots of familiar faces and enjoy this opportunity to showcase our work.

We are in the business of updating homes....so after 17 years it was time to update our website...the Internet home of AC Dwellings. Anders built our business working with clients and their homes - one house at a time...fast forward a few years and it was time for help...enter Terry into the business...fast forward a few more years and we realized that it is also time to make sure the name of our company is reflective of what we do..and that is our team approach to transform your happy place...by Anders & Terry.

I thought it would be fun to show the house we renovated...the little white house that put us on the map in the neighborhood we have called home for so many years. Follow more extreme makeovers to come...we have had fun doing them. No, we did not tear the house down...that little white house survived in entirety .... just got revamped in every possible way.

Terry