The last three years were particularly fabulous for us. If this is your first visit to our NEWS peruse 2010, 2009 & 2008. |
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Queen Anne Gardens has joined Facebook!
Queen Anne Gardens Facebook Photo Albums. See the NWFGS' award winning garden album: APLDWA garden display.
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FOLLOW OUR BLOGS:
Daniel's BLOG:
d4collective
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Another painting SOLD!
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Another garden published!
An Outdoor Kitchen Blooms in the Rain City
Written by Chris Mordi for Landscapeonline.com
Secret in Seattle Written by Robyn Roehm Cannon for the April issue of Home by Design.
Yellow Mountain Stoneworks has chosen one of our gardens to display on their website:
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Queen Anne Gardens LLC has sent out an on-line newsletter since December 2007
Our Newsletters share photos of a few of our gardens during the process of their creation. We also have short articles and information on plants, materials, and tips on making the most of being in the garden. To view past issues please click on our new
Daniel M. Lowery, APLD
About
Daniel M. Lowery, APLD
Owner, designer and general contractor with Queen Anne Gardens LLC in business since 1988, Daniel enjoys helping a few residential clients per month create custom designs. He and his staff oversee, build and maintain select landscape designs. Daniel was the third landscape designer in Washington certified by the international organization Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD). He has served as president of the Washington Chapter of APLD and is a mentor to fellow designers in the certification process.
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Paintings
by Daniel M Lowery
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Past News Pages
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Queen Anne Gardens LLC is proud to support the following organizations:
Queen Anne Helpline
Seattle Youth GardenWorks
Sanctuary Arts Center
Spruce Street School
For additional information about Queen Anne Gardens call 206-285-6770
or email us.
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Links to some our [independent business] friends:
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Lake Washington Technical College's Environmental Horticultural Program
When Don Marshall asks to have one of his students shadow your business for a few days you say "Yes"! Don, shown below in the college greenhouse, founded the 
Environmental Horticultural Program of Lake Washington Technical College (LWTC) back in 1985 with a mission to prepare the students to our vast horticulture industrywhich ranges from agriculture to ornamental businesses.
LWTC, Don and his students have been big supporters of the Northwest Flower & Garden Show. Last winter Merisa George was one of the great student volunteers that helped us build the d4collective Signature Garden. This week she chose to obtain part of her LWTC required 'job shadowing' by joining Daniel for two days in the life of Queen Anne Gardens. After two days of revealing every business detail possible, I was reminded how much I love my job!
Sometimes the note-taking gets interrupted for a much needed dog-love break.
One of the gardens Marisa worked in during her 'job shadow' was the Wallingford Boys and Girls Club Play-Garden Courtyard. After three years of constant activity from nearly 150 children per day, some of the plants needed a boost of tender loving care. Along with nutrient rich compost and protective pruning we added a gentle reminder to care for the plants and tied ribbons with "Get Well Soon" wishes for the largest tree.
Daniel Lowery APLD attended "Creativity Rocks" conference to gain inspiration in the art of garden design
At the Conference Daniel's fellow APLD designer, Ann Cicarella, opened her garden for a tour. The terraces were an elegant extension of the family home made for entertaining with style.
Photographed from a ground level point of view, this highly colored family of figures is also seen from the third floor condo of sculptor and gardener, Mr. Zayac.
Daniel won his fourth national APLD garden design award.
"Midwest born and having been to Cleveland twice before, I knew the conference would be a treat. [Plus it was a warm and sunny JUNE!] I have been attending APLD conferences for a decade and each year I reap benefits from experiencing the practice of landscape design from different points of view, different climates, regions or countries." Daniel M. Lowery
Ever hear of Goodyear Tires? This is part of the garden that rubber built. It is an enclosed and intimate garden that was a favorite sanctuary for Mrs. F.A. Seiberling at her garden and home known as Stan Hywet Hall near Akron, Ohio. The 64,500 sq. ft. manor house was designed by Charles S. Schneider and the 3000 acres of gardens were designed by Warren Manning.
The Northwest Horticultural Society (NHS) mission is to provide a forum for gardeners and plant lovers in the Pacific Northwest to share their interests and learn about horticulture. Two gardens from Queen Anne Gardens LLC will be represented during the August 12 Garden Tour and Daniel Lowery APLD will be present to share his inspiration and design process.
Please register to attend at the NHS webite or contact Karin Kravitz at 206.780.8172 or nwhort@aol.com.
Ever wondered how designers go about creating their designs, how they address the challenges of site and soil? This year we will explore the work of five outstanding northwest designers. Spend a morning touring the beautiful gardens they have designed and learn about their design philosophy and how they meet the unique challenges of each individual project.
1. Friday, July 15, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Beers/Withington Architect's garden photo
Designers: 2 Unique companies and designers
A. Chip Ragen, Ragen & Associates
B. Linda Withington, Beers/Withington Architecture
Location: Mercer Island
Fee: Members: $35.00 Non-members: $50.00
Limit: 15
2. Friday, August 12, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Queen Anne Gardens' garden photo
Designers: 2 Unique companies and designers
A.
Glenn Withey and Charles Price, Withey-Price Landscape & Design LLC
B.
Daniel Lowery, Queen Anne Gardens LLC
Location: Queen Anne/Seattle
Fee: Members: $35.00 Non-members: $50.00
Limit: 15
3. Thursday, September 22, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Designer:
Stacie Crooks, Crooks Garden Design
Location:
North Seattle Area
Fee:
Members: $35.00
Non-members: $50.00
Limit: 15
Crooks Gardens' garden photo
Diverting the storm runoff from your roof or driveway into a rain garden may seem a very small contribution to our city's water quality, however creating a collective infrastructure of rain gardens does make a difference garden by garden. When we capture the storm runoff, the slowly filtered water recharges the groundwater. During dry seasons a healthy groundwater system will prevent the loss of stream water flow necessary for migrating fish. During the wet season it reduces the immediate worry of flash floods and out-pouring of pollutants into our waterways.
The rain garden has an important job to perform. The design structure and size depend on how much runoff is to be captured. The type of plants also needs to be appropriate with the soil. Plants with deep roots who can survive well during dry periods, but do well with temporary standing water are an essential. A properly designed raingarden is rich in plants, beautiful to the eye and wonderful habitat for birds, bees and butterflies.
Now is the time to see what bulbs you want to buy in the fall for NEXT year!
Every Autumn we make additions to our garden's tapestry of spring color by planting bulbs. Yet one of the most important assets when adding bulbs to a mature garden is remembering where the bulbs already in your soil are! So please go out and take pictures of your flower beds so when you add bulbs in the fall you will know where they should go.
Modern Shed brings a piece
of your home into your garden
The modern garden is distinctly personalized to each of our unique interests. In our damp climate it can be useful to bring a bit of our home's warmth and shelter into our garden space. The "MODERN SHED" combined with a personalized garden design placing it within your garden and connecting it to your home can do that in an amazingly simple manner.
"When the world wearies and society ceases to satisfy there is always the garden." ~M. Aumonier
The classic old shed was meant for outdoor tools, the lawnmower, a corner with a window to pot-up seedlings and a convenient wall that had a little shelter to stack the firewood. The MODERN SHED becomes a getaway from the busy-ness of the modern home. Whether your life cries out for a yoga sanctuary, a guest room, a private office or a reading nook there is a simpler solution to going through the disruption of redesigning your home. Here is a solution that can reconnect you to your outdoor space and the year-round creative power of the earth.
With the use of a MODERN SHED the tricky part of adding a garden room is no longer necessarily getting the permit and building the structure, but rather how to place the room in the garden so it feels like it belongs.
Pair a green roof with your MODERN SHED. There are many low-maintenance groundcovers, rich tapestries of sedum and riotous native grass and wildflower mixes that ground a green roof within the environment. Still, whatever your roofing solution, placing a shed in the garden requires integration with your particular home style. Pathways and connections between plants and buildings are essential to maintaining the tranquility of the garden experience. [ It doesn't enhance your yoga relaxation or the professionalism of your office if you track mud on the way out to your sanctuary and then back again into your clean house!] Furthermore the addition of a "living shed" should enhance your garden view, enticing you out, away from hectic distractions, into your private world.
Creates the mood of your garden space!
Sculpture within a garden provides the owner with a personal 
atmosphere. Queen Anne Gardens' designs have advocated the use of large containers as art within the garden beds. They bring year round color and provide vertical and focal interest within the structure of the mature plants. However, our favorite clue to creating a truly special garden for a homeowner is to observe their art collection within their home and design a garden that extends the homeowners unique art preferences into their outdoor space.
At the 2011 Northwest Flower and Garden Show (NWFGS) there were examples of many different kinds of sculptural art.
The d4collective Signature Garden, "The Garden in Verse" displayed a wide variety of forms of sculpture ranging from the papermache Ibis which would never survive the
rain to the protective
arbor structure of wood and copper that could survive an earthquake!
The focal sculpture by Troy Pillow ,shown in the above photo, is a wind sculpture that creates movement within the garden on a breezy day. The white balls that were floating in the pool infront of the moving sculpture can glow as battery operated luminaries. The many pools throughout the garden also had large white spiral Glass Orbs, by Nick Ashman, floating in them as gorgeous reincarnations of the classic Japanese fishing floats.
The NWFGS provided the visitor with many examples of durable garden art. There were several examples of functional structures falling into the category of arbors and living walls or in the case of the "wave" shown below a green roof arbor. One of my
favorite examples was in this years Association of Professional Landscape Designers' (APLD) garden based on the nursery rhyme "The old woman who lived in a shoe"--the toe section of the high-heel shoe was the "bedroom" protected by the living fence pictured below.
The art form of water sculptures is probably the most accepted form of Garden Art. The bubbling glowing sphere shown below was an elegant example that gave life to the still pool.
Though functional art is one of the mainstays of garden design the addition of a static standing piece of art remains one of the most powerful additions to any garden. Some art like the threaded pipe below appears simple, yet evokes the complex feeling of social disconnect : by showing the juxtaposition of nature absorbing the industrial driven sculpture.
Some art simply grabs the viewer's attention, whether they find they like an art piece or not most people will agree that the presence of art makes one think. Adding a piece of outdoor art as a focal point within your garden can emphasize the mood you are trying to create and help to make your outdoor space exactly what you want it to be all year round.
The outdoor art with the most powerful impact is often an integral part of the original garden design.
"THE GARDEN IN VERSE"
After a successful 5-day run, d4collective has dismantled "The Garden in Verse" display garden and "Design Office" display with the Modern Shed. The wonderful experience of sharing design ideas at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show is over, however it has been invigorating! One goal was to go beyond an ordinary garden show experience creating excitement and mystery for the show attendees. d4collective's "Garden In Verse" honored poets and writers of several cultures and centuries who wrote of their love of nature. We thank all of you who came down to share the experience with all of us!
d4collective's "Design Office" from Modern Shed at the Washington State Convention Center during the NWFGS 2011 with Daniel Lowery, APLD.
Come to the Preview Gala!
Vectorworks 3D model created by Barbara Lycett of the d4collective team.
"THE GARDEN IN VERSE"
The four designers that make up d4collective are preparing all their materials for the BIG BUILD. They enter the Washington State Convention Center on Friday and work like mad until "everyone puts down their pencils" on Tuesday at NOON sharp. Then we all collapses for a moment before putting on our party clothes for the Tuesday night NWFG Show Preview Gala!
Please come to the Gala and enjoy the spectacle and first viewing of the finished Display Gardens. "The Garden in Verse" Signature Garden aims to create the ethereal dreamy quality of a magical poem. We will have docents present in the d4collective's garden all next week to share the Garden's magic with all who visit.
Come see this years Signature Garden, "Garden in Verse", and you will see this Ibis!
The four designers that make up d4collective are finalizing all the details of their display garden, "Garden in Verse". Part of that process is bringing together all the art that has been developed to create the ethereal mood of the dreamy garden. Lene Sangster and Julie Waldeck created the Ibis flock and also guided the creation of a a flock of songbirds made by the 4th grade class at McGilvra Elementary School. The students song birds will also be displayed in the Signature Garden. Please visit Daniel's d4collective blog to hear and see more birds and to hear about the flying pig!
Come see this years Signature Garden, "Garden in Verse", designed by:
The four designers that make up d4collective designed the 2010 APLDWA triple award winning garden at the Northwest Flower & Garden Show (NWFGS). These four designers were asked back by the Show owners to design the first ever NWFGS 'Signature Garden'. Daniel has been blogging for the last several months on the d4collective design process and building preparations for the garden named "A Garden in Verse". The blog shares many of the creative ideas and organizational progress for the hardscape and plant development. d4collective allows the four designers, who each have a separate design business of their own, to bring together and showcase their diverse backgrounds, talents and resources.
A garden Queen Anne Gardens designed and developed last year has been published in Landscapeonline.com where it highlights the state of the art otdoor kitchen with durable Kalamazoo outdoor appliances.
They say it rains half the time in Seattle and the rest is often cloudy however we are intrepid barbecuers and some of us need to go the extra mile with an outdoor kitchen. Wouldn't it be fun to grow your food in your garden steps away from where you cook it up and have an outdoor dining experience. If it rains 150 days a year on average that means we have 215 days to eat outside--right?
Below is posted a portion of the Kalamazoo e-Newsletter that features this same Kitchen Garden :
The Rain City, better known as Seattle, isn't the first place you think of when considering locations for a spectacular outdoor kitchen. In a city that sees rain about 150 days of rain each year, you would think homeowners would do most of their cooking indoors. But when their indoor cooking results in smoking up the house, an outdoor kitchen that also served the indoors was the right remedy.
The project was fit into a whole-house garden design that was commissioned to beautify a bungalow nestled among a soaring stand of western red cedars near the Pontiac Bay of Lake Washington. Daniel Lowery, APLD, owner of Queen Anne Gardens and the project's designer, says "he had to shoehorn the kitchen into a usable space. The full-size kitchen was built into a little corner." But that corner was infused with a tantrum of creativity and usability.
The kitchen had to complement the garden's design aesthetic which featured modern steel forms and ancient basalt columns, as well as neighboring cedars that were 3 to 4 feet in diameter. It also had to endure the area's famous rains and salty ocean breezes.
Lowery had to be inventive. He created a galley kitchen outdoors. Located at the bottom of an Ipe deck and stairway, he seamlessly connected the outdoor kitchen to the home's indoor spaces, making it easy for the homeowner to cook outdoors and quickly serve guests inside the house just by walking up the steps.
Ipe was used throughout the kitchen because of its durability and the warmth is brings," said Lowery, including the walls and the hand rails. It was also custom cut and used as toe kicks under the grill and cabinets.
Sandblasted concrete gave the kitchen's floor texture as well as slip-resistant footing for the cook and guest. In a move that was inspired by the colors of the western red cedars, Lowery used green granite for the countertops and back splash. Another nod to nature was his clever use of a textured glass, appropriately called rain. Designed to be used in a vertical space, Lowery turned it horizontally and placed it as an enclosure for the stairs. "It captures the colors of the surroundings," Lowery said. "On a bluebird day, it shows up bright blue," bringing additional color and light into the outdoor kitchen.
A soaring steel and wood arbor brings the steel of the garden together with the wood of the stairway. It will also have the rain glass installed that will provide protection from Seattle's ubiquitous rain.
Enclosing a space for cooking within the confines of a garden and giving the homeowners and their guests equal access to the house, the designed natural areas and the driveway was no easy task. "It could have looked like just putting appliances in a garden. It's not easy to make appliances look beautiful," says Lowery.e-Newsletter article by Chris Mordi
Each year APLDWA presents a symposium to broaden Washington designer's ability to accomplish their job with efficiency and style. These continuing education units (CEU) are a valuable part of every professionally certified occupation. Yet while some of that education may be the dry and practical changes in local permitting or technological updates on drainage or construction, some of those CEU's deal directly with opening the mind to inspired design possibilities. This year's workshop will explore how the restrictions imposed by a site—whether topographical, ecological, or driven by the client—can result in imaginative, thought-provoking and responsive designs.
Creative design comes from many different elements and Queen Anne Gardens relies on the interconnections with other designers to inspire our inventive nature. Daniel has gained much from his collaboration in the d4collective which is a combination of four of our local APLD designers ( Daniel Lowery APLD, Susie Thompson, Barbara Lycett APLD and Octavia Chambliss).
Vanessa Gardner Nagel APLD, Ints Luters ASLA, Benson Shaw and Randy Allworth ASLA are the featured speakers at this year's symposium. Each speaker will be looking beyond the traditional boundaries of the garden to search for inspiration and will discuss their design process within and outside of garden parameters, sharing a series of case studies that will show how to push the creative limits of landscape design.
I think in terms of the day's resolutions, not the year's.
~Henry Moore
Queen Anne Gardens takes the long view when designing a garden. We consider not only the growth of the plants in the garden but the changes that will occur for the homeowner and how our garden designs can grow with them. Though we make plans for the decade, and have goals and intentions set for the year, we remember that the path to the future, the decade, the year, the day starts here, right now. Explore the possibilities of the moment and let those opportunities take you to the success of all your resolutions, goals and long-range plans!
Tristin Brown
Path of Intention by Daniel Mark Lowery (oil on canvas)
“ Another fresh new year is here...
Another year to live!
To banish worry, doubt, and fear,
To love and laugh and give!
This bright new year is given me
to live each day with zest...
To daily grow and try to be
My highest and my best!
I have the opportunity
Once more to right some wrongs,
To pray for peace, to plant a tree,
And sing more joyful songs!
~ William Arthur Ward
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