July 1, 2014

Landscape Design Principle No. 4 – Texture

Texture is simply the different leaves, forms, and shapes of living plants and hard surfaces.

Sango kaku Coralbark maple has fine leaf texture.

Sango kaku Coralbark maple has fine leaf texture.

Your grass has a different texture than your home. Your textures should compliment each other. Not fight against one another.

 

Contrasting the textures in your landscape is simple to do, but also easy to mess up. Don’t overdo it!

The best way to approach texture is to choose your favorite forms and use them again with other plants mimicking that form or copying it.

I typically pick a tree texture, then shrub, finally two-five textures at or near ground level. Again, the easiest way to design is using your favorite plants.

Here are two more images of different texture groups.

Red Firepower Nandina, Chinese holly, and Miscanthus grass.

Red Firepower Nandina, Chinese holly, and Miscanthus grass.

Little Blue Stem grass has excellent thin texture grass blades.

Little Blue Stem grass has excellent thin texture grass blades.

 

What is your favorite landscape plant texture? Mine is definitely a broad leaf matched with needle leaves.

Filed Under: Landscape Design, Right Plant In The Right Place, Speak Landscape Like A Pro
June 25, 2014

How To Build a Raised Bed for Vegetables and Herbs in 30 Mins.

Have you ever wanted home grown vegetables? Of course you have! Raised beds are the fastest and easiest way to grow your own food.

Cedar raised bed for veggies and herbs.

Cedar raised bed for veggies and herbs.

Sunlight

Find a sunny location. 6+ hours of direct sunlight. This is the most critical step. Many gardens have failed without this critical ingredient. I don’t know of any shade loving vegetables. (If you do, let me know in the comments below).

Easy Access

Leave an area for walking around the raised bed. It’s important to consider aesthetics along with the practical nature of the bed. Your raised bed will give strong lines and neatness to an otherwise chaotic endeavor. Veggies and weeds grow quickly. You’ll want easy access to pull weeds and harvest your crop!

Materials

Choose untreated wood. Cedar is great, but can be too expensive. Untreated pine is economical. Purchase three 2″ x 10″ boards 8 ft. long. Cut one board in half to create a rectangle. Use a deck screw that will slowly rust. Or go all-out with stainless steel screws!

Do you want a tall bed so you don’t have to bend over so much? Stack the wood until you reach the desired height. There is no wrong answer.

Soil Mix

Fill the empty rectangle on top of the ground with 50% topsoil and 50% pine tree bark or a suitable alternative. 100% soil will be too thick unless your soil has a lot of sand and silt. You want moist, well drained soil all the time.

Finish the top inch of soil in mulch or more pine tree bark to create a clean look. Install plants before or after the mulch. Read the spacing guidelines on the picture tag included with the vegetable start or plug. Normal spacing starts at 8″-24″ depending on plant variety.

Start to finish: 30 mins!

How long did it take you? Let me know in the comments below.

 

Filed Under: Edible Landscaping, Landscape Design
May 28, 2014

How to Design Your Landscape Like a Pro Step 2 and Save Money

After framing your vision, let’s look at budget. Budget determines how large your plants will be.

Small evergreen plants save money and grow quickly.

Small evergreen plants save money and grow quickly.

Budget can be a tricky subject. How much should I spend? (There is no wrong answer).

Landscape plants are sold based on how old they are. The larger and older, the more expensive. Some plant varieties like Japanese Maple seem really expensive for their small size. The reason is age. They grow more slowly than a red maple or sugar maple.

I’ve planted huge plants and small ones.

I can say with 100% accuracy that older, larger plants required more nursing. Small plants establish more quickly. If you’re new, start with smaller, less expensive plants.

Your budget can also deal with delayed or instant gratification. What do you want? If you want an instant, mature landscape, prepare to pay. If you have time and aren’t planning to move, consider starting small.

If your budget is less than $100, look for bargains and prepare to landscape parts of your yard each year. You probably won’t be able to do it all at once. I recommend beginning with evergreen plants and installing small, young units around the foundation and in privacy screening areas. Evergreens frame the open space and create uniformity.

A budget over $500 allows you to invest in larger, older plants. Less plants may be needed. Remember to space plants correctly. An expensive mistake is installing plants too closely together.

After budgeting for evergreens, do you want color? Annuals and perennials (flowers) are inexpensive. For the most color, choose annual varieties. For the thrifty homeowner, choose perennials. Perennials return year after year. Remember to design with the same colors. Uniformity and consistency define pro landscapers and homeowners.

Check out Step 3 Next!

Filed Under: Expensive Mistakes, Landscape Design, Speak Landscape Like A Pro