Author Archives: michael

Another Dimension

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GobbleWell-designed topography adds richness and dimension to a landscape. In gardens, grade changes offer opportunities for artful design and dynamic compositions. While terraces, rockeries and retaining walls are often put in place to capture views and manage functional needs (such as drainage and steep slope), they are also opportunities for mindful garden design.

With some forethought, plantings cascading over walls, graceful terraces, and bubbling streams can look completely natural. On a hillside, cozy grottos create welcoming entries or back yard escapes. Terraces that have been made to maximize views are also excellent vantage points to enjoy gardens below.

If you are building or remodeling, think about how your landscaping will integrate with the architecture of your home and other site features. Consider landscaping from the outset while making decisions about grading the site.

Bring together your engineer, garden designer, architect, and general contractor to collaborate on a holistic design. By planning ahead you will probably be surprised by all of the creative options those professionals can suggest. You’ll be able to choose the one that best suits your own vision for combining form + function in your garden.

Are you ready to remove the guesswork and increase your success rate with plantings and garden features? Contact us to learn more about garden planning, landscape design, and solutions for challenging sites.

 

 

 

April Plant Of The Month

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For April we’d like to introduce you Paeonia japonica or Mountain Peony.

Shade Peony BloomThis choice woodland species from Japan thrives in the dappled shade in contrast with other species of Peonies that require full sun.  It has delicate,clusters of ovate leaves and simple single white, cup-shaped flowers that hover above its stems during springtime.

It requires shade with dappled morning sun or bright light but never direct sun.

As a perennial, it also has a dormant period at the end of summer so it’s a good accent amongst other plants with a longer growth cycle while it is dormant.  Peony japonica blends with favorites such as Ferns, Hellebores, Hosta and Trillium.  However, it needs loose, fertile soil to grow well and will be overtaken by more vigorous plants so give it some breathing room.

It is captivating as a shade specimen or in a pot nestled among others in light shade.  Pictured here in bud and bloom.

Not for the impatient, it is slow to establish, grows slowly and needs ideal conditions to thrive.  A great plant for the connoisseur gardener!

To learn more about garden planning, landscape design, and easy plants for your garden, please contact us.

Shade Peony 2 BloomsShade Peony

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

February Plant Of The Month

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The Silver Dollar Lenten Rose is one of the first Hellebore to bloom during winter.  Its muted emerald green foliage is mottled with soft yellow variegation and begins to emerge in late fall just a couple months after going dormant.  Once the stems and leaves develop in late fall, flowers buds begin to appear at the end of the year.  Each blossom consists of a profusion of intricate flowers clustered on large, arching, stems. The creamy moon yellow flowers bring out the same color in the foliage.  Together they create an eye catching display at a time of year when most plants are not doing much.

In contrast to other Hellebore, it foliage is as interesting as its flowers and holds up throughout summer, even though it is technically a perennial.  Because of it long life cycle,  it can be a mainstay of an ornamental landscape.  It prefers some indirect or morning sunlight to keep the foliage robust, large and brilliantly colored, but keep it out of deep shade or afternoon sun for best results.  Like most Lenten Rose it is pest resistant and doesn’t need rich soil or much water once established.

Silver Dollar is a good companion with dark green or blue-toned conifers, burgundy foliage and any rich, deep green.  Pure white and bright yellow are best avoided in direct vicinity as the tend to compete with the otherworldly lemon chiffon color of the flowers.

Contact us to learn more about garden planning, landscape design, and stunning plants for winter landscapes.

March Plant Of The Month

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For March we’d like to introduce you to Tsuga canadensis ‘Abbott’s Pygmy’, also known as the Abbott’s Pygmy Miniature Canadian Hemlock.

This little dreamboat is in the same genus as the sky-high Canadian Hemlock, but, by contrast, miniature. It reaches only about 12 inches in diameter over several years. This is one Hemlock that will never outgrow its place in the garden.

Its form is an irregular, bun-shaped mound with tiny, shiny needles — like the rest of the genus, but smaller.

Abbott’s Pygmy is the jewel of a miniature garden,  rock garden, or anywhere it can be viewed in close proximity. It thrives in humus rich soil with good drainage, but should not be allowed to dry out. Plant where it will be sheltered from afternoon sun.

To learn more about garden planning, landscape design, and stunning plants for winter landscapes, please contact us.

Big News For Small Gardens

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COYALIPINEGARDENGardening in small spaces?

Living with small outdoor spaces is becoming more and more common and designing for them is getting more and more attention from the landscaping industry. At the recent Northwest Green Conference small gardens were a hot topic.

Rest assured that even if your space is limited, a dynamic garden is still possible. In fact, small garden spaces offer great opportunities. (See my landscape design galleries for some examples.)

The keys to success for small gardens are creating visual spaciousness and engaging all the senses.

Here are just a few of the tricks I have learned after many years of designing small gardens:

  • Create balance and contrast. Select appropriate hard surfaces, then use lush plantings to add a sense of abundance.
  • Connect distinctive areas. Create a theme that connects the contrasting elements in your garden. This can be done with color, repetition or garden art. Carefully placed mirrors can add dimension and depth in dark shaded locations. A simple water feature will provide another sensory experience and create a feeling of relaxation.
  • Think big; free yourself from limitations. Lofty, transparent plants and open trelliswork and arbors increase vertical interest. Take advantage of different elevations: plants spilling over low walls or vines climbing up a backdrop add another dimension. Open areas keep the garden from feeling cramped
  • Create a small pathway. Use strategically placed stepping-stones, shiny pebbles or glass to represent an invitation for entry.
  • As you plan, keep in mind how you want to use your small garden. Is it a courtyard to pass through? Is it mostly viewed from indoors?  Or is it going to be an outdoor room large enough for a couple of comfortable chairs or a barbecue and a small table?
  • Choose plantings that won’t overwhelm the space. Use slow-growing plants and select plants with contrasting leave textures and colors. Choose plants that can be cut back and will come back the next season, fresh and lovely. To create a sense of softness, use low ground covers.
    DeVeraafter
  • Update and refine your design with annuals. Annuals are a great way to add color, keep things changing, and fill tiny spaces for an overflowing, abundant presentation.

We provide garden planning and landscape renovation for gardens of all sizes — from tiny urban gardens to new construction and established estate gardens.

Are you ready to remove the guesswork and increase your success rate with your plantings and garden features? Contact us to learn more about garden planning, landscape design, and gardens in small spaces.

We’d love to help!

Shrubs With Berries Bring Back Color and Spirit

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Winter BerriesIn the stretch between New Year’s and Valentine’s Day, a Northwest garden risks seeming anti-climactic or even bleak. To add color and spirit, look to trees and shrubs that have berries. In the winter landscape they provide an awe-inspiring silhouette, whether set against a backdrop of white snow or gray skies or shimmering in the winter sun.
Plants with fruits and berries that ripen in winter bring lively colors. They’re also an important food source for winter birds and early returning flocks.

When I design and update gardens, I use an all-seasons approach that includes plants and trees that produce berries in winter. A few of my favorite choices for winter interest include:

Winterberry – Ilex verticillata:

A deciduous holly bearing lots of big, juicy bright red berries on erect stems. Winterberry looks stunning against a backdrop of coniferous evergreens like the Blue Ice Arizona Cypress.

Arrowhead Viburnum — Viburnum dentatum:

A striking deciduous, woody shrub with drupes of deep blue berries. Arrowhead Viburnum is excellent mixed with variegated or golden-colored foliage that set off its fruit.

Scarlet Firethorn — Pyracantha coccinea:

An evergreen shrub with loads of big, red berries, often grown on trellises or espaliered. It’s a favorite with birds. I have seen a flock of hungry robins strip a Pyracantha bush of fruit in just minutes!

Gray Dogwood — Cornus racemosa:

A large deciduous shrub or small tree with dusty green leaves and white berries held on deep red sprays in winter. The Gray Dogwood mixes well with burgundy or dark-colored foliage that complements its foliage and berries.

Now is a great time to look around at berries. Take note of what you might like to plant this spring for next winter.

I hope these tips keep you active and motivated to be in your garden space.
 Contact us to learn more about garden planning, landscape design, and winter landscapes.

Evergreen Ground Cover For All Seasons

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KruusFrontWalk10:11_2Evergreen ground cover has endless uses, from serving as a lawn substitute to creating a green cascade on a wooded hillside. During summer ground cover can create a soft backdrop for other plants; during wintertime it becomes a primary part of the garden while other plants are dormant or without leaves. Whether a lush accent at the base of a tree or planted en masse to form a carpet, evergreen ground cover provides a visual break from bare soil and dark sky.

Easy-to-grow ground covers

Some steppable ground covers, especially those that thrive in full sun, like the famous Woolly Thyme, are not picky about soil conditions and need little water. But most ground cover plants used as part of a garden plan need ideal conditions to grow vigorously, spread and fill in. For instance, Pachysandra terminalis (pictured) thrives in shade, but also needs fertile soil and some water to grow well. With glossy green leaves, it forms a 6-inch high pillow on top of the ground with surface roots that need rich soil to do well. Its green stems and shiny leaves create an interesting texture that draws the eye. Gaultheria procumbens also looks handsome at this time of year with its red berries and glossy dark green leaves. Note that, come spring and summer, most hardy bulbs and perennials will grow up through ground cover.

Containing and maintaining ground covers

When selecting ground cover, beware of invasive plants that are hard to control. Invasive ground covers typically tolerate poor soil conditions, which is why they are so tempting to plant in problem areas of the garden. They can, in fact, be an asset in large shady areas like a woodland garden where they will fill in at the base of trees where little else may grow. The less-aggressive Vinca ‘Illumination” has stunning golden variegation, making it a real standout in the landscape .

But be prepared. The more invasive ground covers must be carefully selected and completely contained. Once a ground cover gets away from you, you face an on going battle to keep it at bay. Even favorites like Vinca minor can easily overstay its welcome. Once its roots are entangled with other plants or a rockery, it can only be controlled with continuous maintenance.

Properly selected and maintained, ground cover can play an important role in your landscape. Check your garden this winter and see if you have any bare spots that would benefit from ground cover.

Contact us to learn more about garden planning, landscape design, and fall planting.

 

 

 

Conifers in Containers

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Dwarf HinokiThe change of seasons presents opportunities for dramatic new container garden compositions. Dwarf conifers can be the perfect pick-me-up for sparse-looking containers.

You’ll find that conifers are durable and easy to grow. They need little care and most dwarf conifers grow so slowly that they can thrive for years before outgrowing their spaces.

Conifers come in an array  of dramatic shapes, colors, and complex textures. Colors range from blue and green to yellow and even white variegation. There are dense, compact conifers shaped like globes or buns, ones with luxurious, fern-like foliage that curves and twists, and others with delicate needles that weep and drape. Some conifers look soft and fluffy while others sport stiff, sturdy needles. Whatever shapes or colors you choose, you’ll find that conifers really “pop” against winter skies and glow in the beams of accent lighting.

Dwarf conifers are readily available in most nurseries at this time of year, so now is a great time to update the pots on your patio.

Some of my favorite mini conifers include:Dwarf Conifer

Chamacyparis obtusa ‘Minama’ – Minima Hinoki Cypress. A compact mound with rich, dark-green spray-like foliage dotted with grass-green new growth.

Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘White Pygmy’ – White Pygmy Dwarf False Cypress. A petite cushion of soft yellow-green sprays of needles.

Tsuga canadensis ‘Minuta’ – Minuta Canadian Hemlock. A tight-mounding cushion with a tiny version of the needles of the giant Canadian Hemlock.

Dwarf and mid-size conifers are also wonderful garden specimens that add evergreen structure to the winter garden and take center stage in the dormant season.

Contact us to learn more about garden planning, landscape design, and fall planting.

 

 

 

Fall Is Fine For Planting

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WelchVignetteFall is fine for planting. Almost all plants and trees can be planted in fall, including turfgrass, spring blooming bulbs and cool season vegetables. (While you can plant spring blooming perennials in fall, you’ll probably want to wait until early spring, when the best selection of those plants shows up in garden stores and nurseries.)

The benefits of planting in the fall are many. Autumn’s cooler temperatures are easier on both plants and gardeners. And while the air is pleasantly cool, the soil is still warm, enabling roots to establish themselves before the ground freezes. When you plant in the spring, the plants don’t start to grow until the soil warms up. So by planting in the fall, you are way ahead. Plants with better-established root systems will also need less water next summer.

Typically, the fall rains take care of watering. But keep an eye on the rainfall. If it rains less than an inch per week, you’ll need to help out your plants with some deep watering.

Pests are less prevalent in the fall, so your plants get a healthy head start.

There’s no need to fertilize. Fertilizer can promote tender growth that can be damaged during a winter freeze.

Nurseries and garden centers are reducing the inventory for the winter, which means you can find some real bargains. Get out there and shop now! Keep in mind that the best window for planting ends about 4 weeks before the first heavy frost.

Don’t worry if you get a late start in the garden this fall. There are still many landscaping projects that can happen as long as the soil is not muddy or frozen. Now is a great time to beat the spring rush and get started on patios and walkways. Rainy days can make projects move a bit more slowly but they’ll still be completed well before spring.

The fallow season is the perfect time to reflect on the past year and think about the areas of your garden you’d like to change or enhance. Winter is an ideal time for garden planning.

Contact us to learn more about garden planning, landscape design, and fall planting.

 

 

 

 

Planting Those Really Sunny Spots

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Nearly every garden has a spot that really cooks in the summer. It might be the west-facing wall of the garage, the bed along the south side of the house, or maybe the roof-top garden. Add drought to existing sunny conditions and your planting choices for these areas start to shrink quickly. Fortunately, there are plenty of water-wise landscape plants that welcome the dry heat of these microclimates.

Here are a few hints for establishing plants in those “hot spots.”

  • Don’t plant in the heat of summer. Plant in early spring or fall so the plants will have a chance to establish their robust root systems without the heat of summer.
  • Incorporate water-absorbing crystals like Soil Moist when you back fill the planting hole. Then water your new plants regularly throughout their first growing season. Drought-tolerant plants still need water even if used in a water-wise garden. (Keep in mind that if the soil is fast draining and water is not available, plants may not be a practical choice. Consider alternatives, such as tiles and beach glass. For more ideas, see the blog post Mass Appeal.
  • Be sure to add a 2- to 3-inch layer of fertile mulch to keep the soil cool and retain moisture.

Let’s get specific. Some of my favorite low-maintenance, drought-tolerant landscape plants are:

  • Brachyglottis greyi ‘Sunshine’, also called Sunshine Senecio or daisy bush
  • Euphorbia griffithii ‘Fireglow’, also called Griffith’s Spurge ‘Fireglow’
  • Lavendula angustifolia ‘Vera’, also called Vera Lavender
  • Salvia guaranitica ‘Balack and Blue’, also called Blue Anise Sage
  • Many varieties of succulents

Not only do these plants love heat, they are also wonderfully fragrant and will perfume the air.

Contact us to learn more about water-wise gardens and how to choose plants for specific locations.