Domino's Gardens, Oscar de la Renta's style

Domino magazine has given us exquisite photos of a vast range of interiors. I love them all! Domino also dedicated a portion of every magazine to the outside of our homes, as well. Being a lover of gardens and gardening, I always started with that part of the magazine first every month. Below is one of my favorite gardening articles. Again, Domino showed us we can do it on a grand scale or on a smaller scale. They told us every month, "Yes you can!"

Oscar del la Renta's potager garden is magnificent.

Domino September 2008, photos by Richard Felber

This is kitchen gardening at it's finest. This layout requires some space but kick it down a few notches and it can be tucked into a very small space. Take it down a few more notches and plant different elements of the design in pots. Yes, vegetables can do very well in a potted garden. Below is the article as seen in Domino. The illustrations are done by James Noel Smith. Enjoy!

THE POTAGER GARDEN

Inspired by fashion legend Oscar de la Renta's garden, this design can turn even a suburban backyard into a potager (loosely translated as "a garden to make a pot of soup"). Gravel paths divide four rectangular beds, anchored by a central terra-cotta oil jar. Each bed is about 6' wide and 8' long, so you can reach in for weeding or harvesting without having to step much into the tilled soil (vegetables don't like compacted earth).

The Berry Patch

harvest smart Think about how and when you will be picking each crop before you plant. Strawberries ripen daily (and grow low to the ground), so it's important they be reachable from the path.
guilt-free snipping Cutting flowers, like these assorted dahlias, are traditionally grown in rows like vegetables. That way, you don't feel like you are spoiling a garden composition every time you gather some.
decorative herbs A row of flowering herbs like lavender provides fragrant ornamentation and can be harvested late in the season to dry for the house.

Highs And Lows

add some height Towering plants like these 'Russian Giant' sunflowers create a living fence. The rows of flowers will make an attractive see-through screen.
keep things tidy Even small plants like onions should be cultivated in strict, evenly spaced rows. They'll always look better. Use a 6' wooden stick marked every 6" to 12" as a supersize ruler to help space your seedlings.

Herb is the Word

useful herbs Mix up this area with mass plantings of several kinds of herbs. Some annual types such as basil and cilantro will go to seed quickly in hot weather, so include perennials like rosemary, sage and thyme.
themes and variations Formally designed beds can be symmetrical without being mirror images. Contrast the yellow 'Russian Giant' sunflowers at upper left with a row of dark-brown 'Velvet Queen' sunflowers here.

Morning Glories Meet Garlic

all-season structure Nonbotanical elements like obelisks have an appealing formality and give composition to the beds early in the season, when seedlings are small.
not just mixed greens Introduce extra color by planting varieties with unusual-hued leaves like dark 'Red Sails' or frilly 'Lolla Rossa' lettuce.

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Thank you, Domino magazine for all you have already given us. Now, please figure out how to keep it coming.