iBlog

Posted on September 4, 2010 by Garden Walk Garden Talk

The Blog Trigger and a Little About ME – Down the History Trail

Since I showed the lousy addition to the front of my home, which was bastardized back in the early 60′s, here is the interior of the space. My office and me. Crappy photo because it was taken by the computer video cam with it’s blinding light, hence the washed out look, and hunched down pose, but that is a sunburned me today, well, yesterday actually in blog time.

I have been reading blogs for a long, long time. My favorites are of course gardening, but I also like the interiors blogs. Beautiful architecture and gorgeous gardens are shown along with the highly designed interiors.

I am an inside/outside/connection kind of designer. My gardens are usually an extension from the inside of the home to the outside, creating views and vignettes along the way.

I love architecture and interior design. And you probably guessed by now, fine art, and illustration too. Pretty much, design of all kinds. I have been drawing and building stuff since I was three.  I used to draw horses and build miniature stables and tack rooms.  I had real horses, by the way.  Here is my first prizewinning P.O.A. pony below. Wasn’t she a beauty?

My background and education includes years of graphic design as an illustrator (all during the year) and window dresser (during Christmas only) for a prestigious department store in Pennsylvania. So beware, I will post a lot of holiday decorations at 664. And I use flowers too, like the faux roses on the live Christmas tree below. But our next holiday is Halloween, so here is a taste.

I am quite the little crafter at Halloween. No pumpkin is left unadorned. If fact, a pumpkin patch and corn maze is at my partner’s business for the kids this year. His family owns and runs Erway’s Christmas Tree Adventure in Wilson, New York. I designed the website, so I know I have updating to do. So if any of you lovely readers are in that neck of the woods, it is great fun for all. Just a shameless plug here.

These are some of the hundreds of ads that I hand illustrated. All were in pen and ink wash. Very rarely did the store do color ads, and when I did one, it was a one color run.

I also designed store floor plans and store fixtures for housewares and toy stores. My work below.

This is what led me to pursue architecture as a career. One type of design leading to the next; small to big; flat to 3-D.

This is a project of an Interpretive Center that I designed while working for a local architecture firm.

It was one of the first projects that I was given to execute from the conceptual beginning to the final presentation to the client, a local town board.

The building was on a floating slab and elevated above the brown field site. It was to serve as a pilot program to assist other communities faced with similar problems reclaiming brown  fields.

The project was one of fifty industrial waste sites along river front property, reclaiming lands compromised by past actions.

The land is a wetland, nature preserves property, and the building and landscaping were designed sympathetic to this constraint. A landscape architect was responsible for the site, I was the architect selected for the building design. This project leads to the interest in landscape design.

Hey, the long road has been interesting and fun, and I like fun. Lots of computer work and experience, but never a blog. Until 53 days ago.

So what was the catalyst, you ask, after my varied and interesting careers?

How my inception into blogging came about was really pivotal. One day I was reading The Garden Fairies post here.  Siobhan had made a comment on Niagara Falls and I felt compelled to comment. My first time commenting ever on any gardening blog. And not only did she graciously answer my comment, she did a post about it. WOW. I was excited. I then started commenting all over the place, thinking all garden bloggers must be so nice.

Blogging is actually easy for me because most of my design work is done on my Mac computer, usually seven days a week. When I think of something to say in the blog, I type it into a text editor and keep working. Both huge monitors are covered with windows of job designs, photos and reading fun.

So what comes to my inbox one day, but a message from Meredith at The Enchanted Earth blog. I won a contest! And I did not even realize I entered one. Cool and happy, happy, happy. I never win anything, so I guess forging into the world of blogging and commenting has a reward. I was so right; all garden bloggers are nice people.

So I am expecting a present, and guess what, it arrived today in the mail along with a very thoughtful hand written note. I received a beautiful, and I mean beautiful, set of post cards, gift cards and greeting cards designed and photographed by Meredith. She has a site where she sells the images and cards, here. You must stop by, her work is really incredible. My favorite image is on the left. So pretty, it makes me wish I were right there in that blue sky filled field on that puffy cloud morning.

I want to thank Meredith very much for this gift, and pass along my sympathy for her recent loss. I lost my mother last Christmas, so I very much know how hard it is for her at this time. Stop by her blog and send your condolences. I know from experience how much that means.

She has a great many friends in the blog world, and I am sure many, many prayers are with her.

I am having a great time blogging. And either learn something or I am surprised by something almost daily. Today is full of surprises.

I just got back from Blotanical and guess what, another good thing just happened. I was been accepted as a blog only a few days ago and my blog is appearing all over Blotanical. Whoa. Hold the ponies, there.  I am surprised.

Looky here.

Since I am so new to Blotanical, I do not even know what all this means yet. Blogging is a learning experience. Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you, readers and Blotanical.

I am overwhelmed with gratitude, but I have a favor to ask.

And Here.

My favor has to do with why I am blogging in the first place. It is not for all the cool things that are happening today and lately, but I have to admit they certainly make blogging rewarding.

And Here Again.

I did have a bit of a motive for starting to blog.  And I hang my head low as I admit this. I shared my reason with one blogger, but now my reason has morphed into many.

I have been reading blogs anonymously for eons, and have been watching from the sidelines. But when the bloggers came to Buffalo during the Buff10 meet, those that I have been following for some time, I saw the fun that they were having traveling and visiting. I wanted to be part of that experience.

So I went beyond mere commenting, to creating a blog. Since then, I have met some of the bloggers by commenting on their blogs, and some I met while they were in Buffalo, like Siobhan and Lisa, the Garden Fairies. Again, I was right, garden bloggers are the nicest people.

Great fun. So, now that you know me a bit, I am hoping to get an invite (my favor) to the next Bloggers meet in Seattle, if the rumors are true. Shameless I know, but I do not want to resort to begging. LOL. 48 post later and happy (my new motive) to blog,

Donna

Posted in My Designs | Tagged | 9 Comments

Let There Be…

Posted on September 3, 2010 by Garden Walk Garden Talk

And so shall it be written. Grass was laid upon the Earth for the good of all mankind.

All grass is not bad. In fact, some grass is necessary to achieve the desired design intent. Some grass can be sculptural. Other grass can preserve and support a fabulous view. It allows a borrowed view to take center stage without competition to impede the sight line. Some grass is functional as in the case of tennis courts and putting greens.

Sculptural grass has form. Working with positive and negative space, the grass becomes the yin to the yang. The image below has deep beds filled with colorful perennials. The grass is a purposeful addition, a break between beds of blooms.

It can be sensuously curving or rigidly geometric. The shape of the negative space is equally important as the intricate design is seen from many windows of the two residences, both above and below.

The image at left is the finished design from above. This is what they see from the front door and bedrooms above; at least before the gardener fills the urn with annuals and trims the barberry.

The image above is seen from the porch off the veranda of the home. It repeats shapes on both levels and the curves soften the rectilinear Georgian home. The design pays homage to the arches found in the windows.

The grass can border a paved path which is actually a gentle wheelchair route, or be a wide path as shown below.

This grass is also a truck maintenance route. In both cases, the paths provide for wheeled access.

The terrain is gently terraced with different ground covers; Buffalo juniper, Impatiens,  Vinca, and new sod. As a new installation, the Vinca and junipers need time to grow.

The grass can support the view, by subtly fading into the background. The Niagara River, below, and the six white churches above are worthy of this deference. Only two weeping mulberries and a scrub tree set for removal interrupt this view. The small fountain was replaced with a larger model and a set of stairs navigate the new terraces. The mulberries remained.

Both of these images were predesign, but the photos illustrate my point, none the less. The top property, the grass was terraced for entertaining, and the next area was paved with flagstone for a dance floor. Both properties were deigned with function weighing heavily in the directive. My analysis photos are always taken for the view so I can get a sense of place and what I want to preserve.

The grass can set off a wildly colorful bed of perennials and wind its way sinuously though the landscape like above.

These two views would not be the same interrupted with beds of flowers. The mood would be quite different. Grass is beautiful viewed from the front windows, shown above, and makes a carpet for many specimen trees. A mowing nightmare, but that is the trade-off for a park-like property.

Both above and below, the grass is a terrace. Gentle curves make mowing a breeze. The terrace below became a dance floor, as this was a predesign shot. The grass terrace was also very lovely.

The grass below forms an interesting shape along the drives of concrete, brick and asphalt, in the next three images.The first image is prior to the layered perennial beds.

Above, Iceberg roses line the drive, as does English Ivy. In this image below, the grass borders the asphalt drive. You can see some burning, but as the trees mature, shading will help out a bit.

The three examples below are from my files and not designs I have done. They show interesting patterns of hard surface materials very dependant on the grass as a partner.

There is no doubt we are talking a lot of grass. A lot of chemicals. A lot of mowing. But a lot of beauty as well.

I always must end with a bit of humor. So I will show you a schematic for a small courtyard area designed for a gastroenterologist. This is a portion of the entire, traditional design. Believe it or not, I was asked to design a grass area in the shape of….

This is not the working drawing but what does this look like to you? This is a design seen from the upstairs office of the doctor. I have to admit, I was very hesitant because one thing I learned in architecture school, is DO NOT make representative forms. Always abstract, hint and suggest, do not be literal. I tried that here, but the client gets what the client wants, period. Kidney shapes are a common form in landscape design, but this has to be a new one. And it is not a kidney, but close.

The client actually wanted the paving as the form, but took my advice and allowed the grass to create the shape. This way I could three dimensionally mask the form somewhat with the green plants, surrounding it with beds, and at ground level, it does read as such.  Still not telling you guys, but I think you might know already. All it needs is an ulcer.

Posted in garden | Tagged | 6 Comments

Always an Alternative

Posted on September 2, 2010 by Garden Walk Garden Talk

But seriously….

Google actually employs goats at their Mountain View headquarters for grass mowing. Rent-a-Goat. The newest eco-friendly alternative. Free fertilizer, too.

Here is a Google Goat. Find the story here and here.

Cute, Huh? One of 200 goats from California Grazing. And the herd below.

Some of the goats appear to be taking a break or sleeping on the job. Hum.

The image below is from the Google Blog.

Posted in Urban Landscaping, garden | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Grass Week

Posted on September 1, 2010 by Garden Walk Garden Talk

Mow Mow Mow Mow Mow Mow ……….

Tiring isn’t it? Well some homeowners have this problem licked. What a better way to kick the habit of the Saturday ritual, but to plan, plant plan, plant, plan, plant.

Typo. No, but say that three times. I know I can’t even say it once.

Planning is the key for good design, whether making a butterfly garden, hummingbird refuge, or songbird haven. Or just kicking the grass to the curb.

Joining the crowd of converts willing to shed the burden of mowing for perennial planting, or any other groundcover for that matter “is a good thing”, like Martha always says.  Tending a garden is so much more rewarding than revving the engine and pushing the mower to mere exhaustion. At least you get something out of it and so do other creatures, tenfold.

Well these Buffalo residents have started a phenomenon in the area by literally turning over their lawns into lush and beautiful gardens, replacing grass with flowers. They create magical spaces for butterflies, bees and birds, and a few rabbits, but they are cute little critters. Chewing machines, but that’s another post.

Yes, those tall perennials create shelter as well, but that helps to create habitat. Today is all about the aesthetics of this type of garden, not the ecological benefits. Gosh knows, eco articles abound and they are written about ad nauseum. Reduce mowing and add beauty. What a great concept.

Word is that a cute little bunny has moved in here, to the potager in the rear yard of this gorgeous home, to the left. In fact, bunnies moved in throughout this neighborhood if I remember correctly. Our street is similar, as we have acquired families of bunnies setting up residence. They have been spotted all along the south side of the street.

They are cute until your prized vegetables are missing or five-foot laceleaf Japanese maple pruned to artistic perfection is gnawed to death. Another story all together. Someday I will be over it enough to talk about it. So sad. Blasted wabbits.

This property above, has gorgeous plantings and brick paths winding through the front yard. The height of the plants gesture the height of the home so well. No missing the grass here.

Like a green ground-plane, then there is no problem keeping it almost all green. A little shade and instant beauty with no mowing involved can be achieved by using ferns to make a wonderful display.

Want to get out of the shade and into the sun? Go grab yourself a piece of sunshine for everyday. What a better way than using all the hot colors and loading them up all the way to the sidewalk. The plants used give the composition proper height. This home would not be the same with just grass.

Shun the city concrete, take a step farther and walk the gravel path into this paradise of sunshine. All these images were taken on the same day. I swear the sun shines on this property, seen below, every single day. A bird bath welcomes feathered friends. But why stop there?

Plant on both sides of the sidewalk to double your impact. Grass be gone. Phlox. Russian Sage, Rudbeckia, daylily, make a much nicer planting than mundane grass. The color just rings with happiness. And friends, too.

Why stop here?

Get the whole street into the act and give the trees a little company. Garden design is infectious in neighborhoods. When the first gardener takes the plunge and beautifies the Hell Strip, others follow suit.

Once started, there is no stopping. Forge ahead into the center median like below. Plant in groupings to allow for pedestrian passage. A little grass can remain. It acts as a path for the caretakers to care and maintain the blooms. The grassed areas allow for somewhere to put winter snow. Seriously though, maintenance and pedestrian travel are really important. So, plan, plant, plan.

I am a planner by the very nature of my profession, but if any type of garden lets you throw organization to the wind, it is this type.

It is so easy to buy without thought to the placement. The cottage look gives the illusion of lack of planning, but that is not necessarily true. Color combos,  plant height and texture play into the beauty of these garden groupings.

Take planning a step farther and have your landscape coordinate with your home. Just imagine this home, below, without all the color and texture of the plants. The home is stunning, but the clever landscape design is a key to making it really shine. Landscaping should reference the home and does this example ever reference. Look at the two Alberta Spruce. Does that remind you of any part of the home in pairs? I do not have a larger image of this garden, but I would bet the curved walkway and interior planting reference the red wall plaque as well. The little detail of the painted ladder to the second floor shows how much thought went into every decision made on this home.

You can always add shrubs to the mix, to realize anything but lawn grass. This home coordinates color as well. The little touch of the brick edging dresses up the most boring of concrete.

Now pull up the lawn chair and……

Rest Rest Rest Rest Rest Rest……………

Peaceful isn’t it?

And I cannot leave y’all with out this little gem. A real live lawn chair, just in case you are having lawn withdrawal. Hey, fellows I’m talking to YOU!

I found it here.

The ultimate outdoor furniture – a literal lawn chair upholstered in sod. Moisture is dispensed under the sod for happy healthy grass. I suppose it will give the men their mowing pleasure and maybe a wet butt to boot.

Posted in Garden Walk Buffalo, Key Elements of Design, Urban Landscaping, garden | Tagged , , , , | 15 Comments

Grass Police

Posted on August 31, 2010 by Garden Walk Garden Talk

Grass and Groundcover

I could not get Monday’s episode out of my mind. So this is going to be a week-long study on the use of grass.  But not for the reason you would think. It is partially because I did not have the time to debate the Grass Police, but also because I use grass and textural ground covers often in design.

But first, I want to thank all the readers on Monday for stopping by and all the nice comments that many left. I wrote the post on Monday morning in record time.

But what popped into my mind later was a rant I read a while back by an author opposed to grass in urban spaces. While I am effectively decreasing my green carpet down to square inches, I will never reduce it to non-existent. This is both for functional reason (think pets) and the fact that grass and groundcovers do create an area of relief for the eye that acts in concert with the rest of the design. This is especially true for gardens loaded with color and texture.

What was discussed in the blog was how city dwellers maintain their grass. After trying to intensely remember where I saw this, and after going to check the site of the most obvious candidate, I did find it here. A little off where I thought, but not too far. Lucky for me, it was in the sidebar.

Elizabeth made no secret of her distaste of urban grass, and she would probably applaud what I am doing on my property, but her characterization made me shudder a bit. She also wanted to see no grass in urban landscapes, period.  She has a big point on the majority of properties, they are exactly as she described. And if left unmowed and as she described, would start to take on the appearance of a meadow. You probably realize what a meadow looks like through the changing seasons, and meadows have plenty of varmints, like my Grass Officer pointed out.

Elizabeth also had a post on urban wildflower gardens. She was not in favor of them for urban lots and I have to agree with her on this. The urban wildflower garden at this time of year is quite lovely though, but having wildflowers in my client’s gardens, they are work to keep tidy and in bounds.

Here is a test. Which if any of these photos were shot in the city? Click for a larger view if you want to inspect the area.

A  or   B

C  or D

E  or  F

Give up? A, E and F are at the end of my street. B, C and D, as well as the image below are taken in the country.

Elizabeth’s  writing is so interesting and enjoyable, that I am a daily reader. But what she talks about usually gets a reaction. Her comments on urban grass made me think.

Her comments also were discussing the benefit to the environment, by eliminating mowing. I will explore that as well later in the week.

As much as I like the look of flowers to the sidewalk and beyond (hell strip), I actually prefer other less intense gardens to form a break in the long line of this type of gardening space. Houses with just shrubs and trees help play off the more complex or looser gardens. They actually help each other out visually. I plan to show examples through the week.

What happens if everybody is landscaping in a similar fashion, individuality is lost, but more importantly, the gardens lose some of their appeal as one blends with the next.There are some places this actually works well though. I will post my example and analysis later. But, slip in a few breaks and your eye can easily differentiate.

I prefer to see a garden relating to the architecture and the site on which they are built. Not every house should have this type of garden. My house, having a Georgian look may be one such house. The main house is formal in appearance so the gardens should nod to this formality as well. But I do have the poorly added addition, which by the very blandness of the structure, allows me to landscape it away until at some point, I can figure how to rebuild the open porch.

So both formal and informal landscaping will coexist. My little, and I mean little, patch of grass pays deference to the formal home. Back when the home was constructed, it was landscaped like many on my street. A hedge of Bridal Wreath Spiraea and a rug of grass.

There are three homes on the street that still have the original landscaping after almost 100 years. Here is one that is very well maintained with the spiraea. My home was very similarly landscaped.

Stop back. I will show how I use grass in a sculptural way on client’s properties. Another post will explore the phenomenon in Buffalo of landscaping the entire yard. I will show examples of those yards that help support the cottage look by remaining a bit more refined yet give the streetscape a look of diversity. I hope your Monday was a good one.

Posted in Happy Monday, Urban Landscaping, garden | Tagged | 4 Comments

Happy Monday or It Should Be

Posted on August 30, 2010 by Garden Walk Garden Talk

Grass Police

I was out early today watering the garden, preparing for the 90 degree forecast of bright sun. Starting the day right.

Like my little sunflower is conveying, I had a somewhat scrunched up, surprised look on my face because a passerby made a comment about my new front landscaping. And I did not have the time to spare for a lively discussion about the merits of grass.

For the past week, I have been planting perennials in my tiny front bed. All week, about thirty or so neighbors or visitors walked or drove by, stopped and complimented the front planting, oohing and ahhing of what it will become.

They have remarked on my color selection of blues, lavender, whites and pale pinks as well. I have been painstakingly nurturing these perennials all summer, until the beds were prepared and the perennials could be installed.

Well, what does the woman say, but, “Don’t you think you made a mistake by removing the grass and planting weedy plants, they are surely going to attract rats to the neighborhood?” She said this so sweetly, in her squeaky little voice.

I almost said, “Excuse me you insensitive, unknowing,  little…”, but I refrained.

There is pincushion flower, Delphinium, Shasta Daisy, Veronica, and Asters in the front bed. WEEDS?

Granted, few were in flower until recently after the shock of being planted and suffering 90 degree temps for weeks.

They are all planted rather structured for now. If she thinks this is weedy wait until the third year. She will have a petition out and no longer harping sweetly. And I don’t even have a grass-free yard.

This lady reminds me of a neighbor, no longer with us and I mean that in the literal way (and no she was not assassinated), who would run the neighborhood like a military encampment. If she was displeased with something a neighbor did to their property, everyone else would hear of it.  She would report on anyone who committed even the slightest infraction to those in charge, police or inspections department, whichever got the most action.

And this concerned lady today alleged I will bring RATS? If I could get rid of the feral cats I would be happy. My Nepeta Walker’s Low had to go, because cats could not ignore it.

She lamented the fact that I was reducing the amount of grass in the front yard and asked me if I might be in violation of an ordinance by the reduction of green space. She apparently does not know how to interpret the ordinance, because green space does not only mean grass.

Thinking, “who made you the grass police and wayward weed inspector” I explained how I am trying to eliminate mowing as much as I can. Not even touching on the green aspect of the issue. My other goal is the reduction of annuals.

These are the same perennials that she admired in my beautiful backyard garden during garden walk that she was now calling WEEDS because of their relocation to the front yard. She expressed that my yard will always have a weedy look because the plants I selected will not be in flower all season. I explained, through proper dead heading and maintenance practice, I picked perennials known to re-bloom or continue to bloom. For gosh sakes, I have five trees planted on my 5000 square foot lot alone and if you count the 14, nine-foot Emerald Green arborvitae as trees, I have 19. I have green space galore, just not much grass.

WEED

Grass is a touchy subject for many. Home owners, especially men, are proud of their emerald-green, weed free lawns. This woman acted as if I was committing grassicide by removing the sod. She felt I was in conflict with my neighbors by having more than half my property landscaped in plants other than grass. To each his own.

This morning I was in a fairly good mood until this lady had to interject her unfounded wisdom. Why is it people think they need to tell others what to do with their property just because they have a minute knowledge of ordinances and a holy admiration of grass. Armed with this information, they go around policing other neighborhoods.

I gave her a little of my own wisdom and off she went. Happy once again. Or at least until I spot her with a weed whacker and rat traps.

Posted in Funny Stories, Happy Monday, My Garden | Tagged , | 21 Comments

Not a Green Leaf in Sight, Only a Green Dinosaur

Posted on August 29, 2010 by Garden Walk Garden Talk

These are amazing images. I am a member of the Niagara Falls Historic Preservation Commission, and I received this link to a wonderful blog posting old historic images of Niagara Falls.

The landscape of the Falls is almost unsurpassed, both in summer, with the falls raging and in winter with the storms railing. These are rare images with the falls frozen or slowed to a trickle. Brave does not describe the guy at left, or the hundred or so other individuals below.

The flow of water stopped over both the American Falls and the Canadian Bridal Falls on March 29, 1848, due to an ice jam in the upper river for several hours. This is the only recordable time that both falls were virtually stopped. The water did not cease to flow, but the surface became solid enough for people to walk out to the brink of the falls.

An ice bridge forms which stretches across the river and allows the surface to freeze. Until 1912, visitors were allowed to walk out on the ice bridge as shown above. In February of 1912, three tourist lost their lives as the ice bridge broke up.

Today, icebergs flow down the river from frozen Lake Erie, as a result of an installation of an ice boom on Lake Erie. The boom is made up of floating steel chains stretching from Buffalo to Fort Erie, Ontario. The ice boom helps to keep the ice from clogging the river and the hydroelectric water intakes.

If you had any doubts about if it is cold in Niagara Falls….

And you wanted to move to warmer climes….

Just hitch up the horses,

and go. But before you go, make sure take a few photos so you can remember the wonder and miracle of the Falls. Even Popsicle, the first Ice Age Visitor to Niagara Falls got his photo taken 18,000 years ago on the brink of the Falls.

My Drawing of Popsicle and Falls Facts

  • Height: 176 feet to the base of the rocks below.
  • Water Volume: 150,000 gallons per second, depending on a few factors.
  • Gets: About 12 million tourists to New York State Park per year.
  • Legacy: Of the last Ice Age
Posted in Niagara Falls | Tagged | 2 Comments