We had a client with a quite religious orientation. He was Italian, as can be readily concluded from the start here. He was also very Catholic and he was intimately involved with his church and things related to it. He was a premier chef at one of the casinos in Reno – a very nice man who wanted a private and peaceful spot for his meditations. He is in a moderately-populated but upscale neighborhood, with a few acres, actually. The idea of a recessed area with some religious motifs around is what he very directly asked for. This would give him not only privacy, but the quiet he so craved. We excavated a huge hole about 50 feet round and 6-7 feet deep. We would use a floor of sand for a soft subsurface, put a ‘crust’ of decomposed granite about two inches thick on top of that and put a couple of rocks in strategic locations, perfect for sitting and relaxing. For walls, we used local rocks and tried to go for a sort of early Romanesque look, a little primitive, yet stacked nicely. The rocks add a sense of permanence to the overall effect. We placed a few Christian Themes around: a grotto, recessed in the wall, which would double as the “Tomb of Jesus”, an opening into which he placed his own very interesting Salvador Dali print of “Gaia On The Cross”.
The visible plants here are two Viburnums Opulus ‘Roseum’ flanking the “Crypt” and a steamy and creamy Tree Hydrangea behind. Others include junipers and some lavender, for scent. We also put a number of smaller grasses around with some perennial color, including a pitch black-bloomed Hollyhock plant.
We also made a small fountain, bubbling in small amounts but audible and visible, to double as a sort of “Lourdes”. In this picture, we reveal the small water feature, our “little Lourdes”, embedded in the rocks to the top. A kneeling figurine prays there, lending some placidity and a serene contemplative subject for the eye. As can also be seen, we dealt with potential drainage issues in such a trapped little scenario by making a sort of French Drain around the base of all the rock walls and connected to a pipe which we ran under the walls and the soil to the rear of the property, where it “daylights” and drains.
He placed statues around appropriately, for example The Pieta by the “Tomb”. It is a delightful area, rather serious, very quiet. The privacy was achieved immediately, simply by the depth of the structure. As plants develop, it will only increase the sense of isolation and privacy. It is a place of repose and meditation, an interesting project for us, and the client was delighted with the overall result.
This shot above the “Little Lourdes” goes across the top of our little Garden Grotto towards the front yard and the driveway and street. The trees at the top I arranged to be a grove of ornamental cherries (”Shirotae”) which make a spectacular Springtime look. Inasmuch as this was taken soon after completing the project, their growth is not as visible or rewarding as the current look offers, 4 years later. The branches are all nearly touching now and the blooms tend to the spectacular. There are abundant perennials planted throughout the trees near the edges of the upraised planter walls as well. One of our grasses is visible in the foreground.
We placed a meandering band of lawn, from the driveway itself, connecting generally with this aspect. Naturally, the Garden Grotto will not be seen from there, which was the initial purpose of this little sunken hideaway in the first place.
Here are some looks at this project from other angles, beginning with the actual construction of it itself:
We spent literal weeks building walls at this home. For the grotto itself, we actually went with a more primitive look than with other rock walls. I was happy with less-than-perfect, the truth was. I felt it somehow reflected the hoped-for era better……..more like a Pre-Romanesque look.
He got plenty of bells and whistles with this project, make no mistake. The Grotto was but one element of one of the more complex projects I ever worked on. Here are a few:
You got – for instance – your average gigantic tumbled brick paver rear patio:
And who could forget your very individual and rather unique Infinity Edge water feature at the end of this big old patio?
Contractors are infamous for many things which become typical and almost, (in their defense) unavoidable. Time issues and constraints are the primary worries they have. Notifying people that they might be late to an appointment, or maybe not coming at all is one of the primary sources of exasperation for potential clients. Time, for the contractor is everything and some handle it better than others. I was once told simply answering the telephone would be the best method of acquiring work. It turned out they were very nearly correct.
Here are a few “for what it’s worth” rules, some etched in stone, some not, when you consider hiring a guy to come in, make a huge mess and completely take over the land around you:
1. In the states where it matters, make sure he has a contractor’s license, first and foremost. Does he/she have references? From clients? Did you check them? You should. Another rather primary consideration would be acquiring other bids, although there are times when the eyeball test and a client’s intuitions can over rule this, based on many other factors, including reputation.
2. Does he or she work with you? If a homeowner has ideas of their own, I always treat that as half the battle in terms of design. It makes my job easier, not harder when someone has a notion and a concept of what they want. Plus, you can feel more involved, as a client, literally designing your own place.
3. Do you have a budget? This matters hugely. It does not pay to set a budget then try and work underneath it. What works best, ultimately, is to design a wished-for scenario/environment, have the guy work on it at home, then get back about what he thinks it might cost, ballpark. At least, that’s my normal modus operandi. If indeed, it appears your budget will work, and if, by some lucky stroke of nature or your own brainpower, your original budgeting leaves you extra money, Great!
4. Typical pay schedules: I typically do the following: 50% up front, 25% at the midway point on larger projects, then the final 25% at the conclusion of the job………when satisfied! Another approach I have used divides the c0ntract by thirds. 33% up front, 1/3 halfway through, then the final 33% on satisfactory completion. There is a reason for all this. Typical costs for doing work involve enormous up front expenses for landscaping. Soil, bricks, water pumps – in short, nearly everything except for plants and grass occur almost immediately upon entering the project. And this omits such other costs as payroll, machines/tool rentals and the rest, many of which are specialized to landscaping for most-specific tasks. Let me be clear – no one gains from stressing a tradesman’s ability to purchase products for your project.
And who wouldn’t want to pay this guy?
A landscaper’s references will depend, in the end, on how happy or upset he left his client when all was said and done. At times, the gnarly little details can derail everyone’s satisfaction. Landscapers should meet this reality head-on. It’s why they ask for more than just what the gig costs, after all. Pleasing a finicky client is not a problem for the best at what they do. And – to any client or potential client – Do not be afraid to mention small things. They are also a part of the job. Being aware has never been a crime that I know of. The music to a landscaper’s ear, and, yes, I have heard this, is the following: “We knew it would be pretty, but we had no idea it would be this beautiful!” This is what happens when all things proceed with a relationship based on respect.
5. I have mixed some stuff together, but hope it becomes clear that professionalism is not an option in this trade. It is an absolute must. It is an expensive trade, often following the rules of anywhere from 5% to 15% of the value of a house. This is serious money. If you have a bad feeling about someone related to his professionalism or lack thereof, then do NOT use him. A person can be casual without being sloppy.
6 Sign a contract. No if’s and’s or but’s. Make sure the language is crystal clear and you should have zero problems.
7. Check progress. There is nothing worse than a landscape contractor realizing 90% into a project that the client is not happy with something. If there is an item missing, a troubled client needs to make it known. We expect, as contractors, to hear these things from clients. Alas, we are not perfect either. I wish I had a buck for every client who saved me by mentioning a problem he was having and, ahem, thought maybe I had forgotten about, say, the garden sculpture. Or the, um, grass, heh heh.
Conversely, when a client realizes that perhaps the design they both agreed to does somehow just plain not work, a few words with the contractor right away might just rescue things. Landscaping can be very fluid – the realities on the ground can become problematic with some weird events – the discovery of underground cables, a huge boulder impossible to move, etc - so do not hesitate to ask questions or offer opinions. The contractor may ask you as well, of course, about adjustments owing to these events. Be flexible and creative. In the end, as ever – The only dumb question is the one not asked.
8. Remember this: (I tell every single client I have the following words:) “Landscaping is 80% preparation and 20% finishing. ” There will be an unholy mess, with machines moving dirt all over and mud and seeming chaos. Beirut of the 70’s. Fear not. We know what’s up. Longer projects can be exasperatingly dusty or dirty. Just remember how the final result will make one feel. A bit of patience here is called for and very much appreciated.
In the end, we’re looking for something to feel wonderful about. It is possible, too.
I am running extremely whimsical with this. In a way, I am just showing pictures from my Mighty Massive photo file system which have not appeared here before. New blood, as it were.
It also gives a chance to plain have some fun without too much hyped-up thematic discipline, so it’s even cooler. The pic below is my brother Mike posing with our very own Mother, often referred to as “Mom”. They both seem reasonably happy, so why not etch that rare moment on historical online Eternity? I lied, of course. We spend most of our time laughing, the truth is.
Anyways, sashay with me through various and sundry pictures, none of which match.
(left click all images to enlarge – sometimes twice for real detail)
Here’s a hole in the wall at the Chinese Garden in Portland, Oregon.
Modernistic planting, somewhere.
A highly-suspicious plant.
Some interesting Iron Work a very good iron man did at a project of ours.
The Portland Japanese Garden is inspiring, quiet and beautiful. Even the fish agree:
Yew Dell Gardens in Fall. Dude could use a haircut and a shave.
Now, this is a river.
Multnomah Fall just outside of Portland.
I always loved traveling this stretch of road between Reno and Portland, Oregon. It was about 540 miles – which is a grind no matter how scenic – but this approach to Mt. Hood not only meant I was getting into more treed areas, it also meant I was within about 60 miles of home. Even in Summer – with the snow nealy gone – Mt. Hood was like a relaxing sight.
Dealing with the desert – you can find some strangeness, for sure. Here is a mulch only a lizard could love. The good news is it grew up nicely.
Prune This!!!!!!!!!!
This is a lot of moving water. 6,000 gallons a minute, to be exact.
Making Bubble Rocks can put you in some tight spaces.
And some are tighter than others:
I always have liked what we did in making this little creek.
I absolutely love this picture. I shamelessly add it here, not knowing where I got it. I hope the author does not mind.
“Sobering” applies to this military cemetery in Louisville, I’d think. It is amazing quiet here. Speaking as a veteran, I often wish more of us would visit these places. You’d be amazed at how many connections you have here and elsewhere.
You know you’re up early when this sight greets you on the drive to work. Of course, then again, it could be lunch time in the Yukon in December.
Would this be called a “Green Building”?
Here’s something you DON’T want to see when you get low on gas.
Those nutty Barcelonans will do anything for a laugh.
An interesting landscaping idea?
Here’s Louis XIV and an escaped horse in downtown Louisville.
This is what it’s like driving from Reno, over the mountain to lake Tahoe in Winter.
A patio and landscaping project in Portland.
You don’t see rocks like this every day. Nor woodwork, for that matter.
An interesting Architectural feature from the Portland, Oregon Chinese Garden.
The Truckee River as it courses through the midst of downtown Reno, Nevada. This shot is at the head of the fabricated kayak run, designed for competitions. Yes, it is in the middle of town.
A luxury swimmin’ hole we helped construct in the woods near Lake Tahoe. We did everything on top – just not the pool itself. The paving, rocks and all that are ours,
Interestingly, modern recommendations in tree-planting have become much more “Nativistic” regarding soils. Whereas, the ’70’s and ’80’s had everyone running for copious amounts of compost and better materials for the bedding of new plantings, current thinking has changed. In a way, it is actually more casual. Anyway, the reasons make sense. I also have to believe a smarter selectivity of species puts this idea over the top in terms of credibility as well. Landscape designers and even DIY homeowners do enough – or should do anyway – reading these days to be acquainted with Zonal tolerances. This is a huge concept, as the many folks digging up and replacing what looked so great for a year or two have found out.
(Left click any image to enlarge – they are designed for this larger view)
In the end, the “simplicity” referred to above indicates these days that planting in native soils is by far the most intelligent method of planting. A “native soil” is the dirt you already have. Heck, it could have come from down the road or about anywhere at all, but it is what a homeowner must refer to as “native” because it’s what he’s got. There, that solves a definition! And these can most certainly vary wildly in terms of Ph, clay content and draining issues and, unfortunately – contaminants. In this case, I don’t use the “C” word with respect to much of anything more than the typical spills of diesel, oils and hydraulics that come from any job site where the earth has been adjusted or added by an excavation. But I mention it from first-hand experience – and disappointing experience at that. To wit:
In my experience, my nursery suppliers used to wait long periods for me to bring back some poor dead plant. They were always sort of surprised when I did and they were always more than delighted to replace them for free, simply owing to the fact that I made them live pretty much more than just about anyone else. But everyone has a “turkey”, I reckon. I had a large Scotch Pine we had planted in a hugely prominent area which always seemed to plain lag in development. In fact, it was a one way visit to Dead, the truth was. It surprised me because my record for successfully planting the huge specimens I loved dealing with was pretty much 100%. Well, we undid the guy wires and staking, dug the sucker out at great pain and finally replaced it with a gorgeous replacement – which started going downhill, almost immediately. The needles yellowed, making me wonder if we had not over watered it somehow. We went to the drastic moves, one at a time. Adding Superthrive (a great refurbishing root hormone with crazy art work on the little bottles), then adding some M-Roots, another tactic which literally regrows an alternative root system. Ugh – nothing worked and she blinked out on us. It was obviously in the dirt.
It turns out, yes, it was. Somehow, the area of this soil was so utterly concentrated with diesel, hydraulic fluid and the rest that we found out it was indeed the spot where all the machinery had been serviced for the entire neighborhood during the initial excavations. Obviously – and too late – we discovered what a simple soil analysis which cost a red hot $25 told us – that the soil was poison. Anyway, we took more samples as we excavated, discarded and completely replaced the soil and we were golden. The next tree we replanted grew nicely and is still looking good today. So here are 2 lessons: don’t take your soil for granted and don’t hesitate to get it analyzed. For the record, no matter how many amendments we may have added for this tree, the roots would have eventually discovered this little Mine of Death.
Eventually, every single plant escapes the “planting zone” where it was initially planted. From that point on, what is native is what will either sustain it or kill it. Yes, I most definitely augment my plantings with some amending components. Inasmuch as most of any landscaper’s products come, pampered and spoiled, from nurseries, one wants to lessen the shock of transplantation. So I add the obligatory Vitamin B, even sometimes toss in some Super Thrive or a bit of root hormone just to get them going. I over-excavate as well, for sure. Loosening the soil for a young plant is merely smart. There are some stunning compaction levels in even the most regular soils, particularly if they have a severe clay content. That density can definitely retard a plant’s rooting process, so some over excavation is definitely called for – usually about twice the size of the root ball itself. Now this can mean some real digging!
Now THAT’s a root ball!
I will also admit that certain soils I encounter need less than the hearty monster excavations. Softer soils can accommodate a virtual slit planting for success. Water and grab a beer.
In the end, successful planting requires just a bit of forethought and some luck. Needless to say watering is a huge key at the onset. I actually rarely fertilize my young trees and plants, outside of some liquid additives. such as the hormones and Vitamin B I mentioned to lessen the shock. I did have good luck using water soluble fertilizers, especially at planting times when the blooms were about to burst. A little Miracle Gro, which is almost immediately systemically-absorbed, can be reflected in mere days with a glorious result. But this is more salesmanship and client-stroking than the more long-term effects we are most definitely looking for.
Here – below - is a bad scan only a landscaper could like. This is the 10 acre residence I have spoken of often enough in here – the one which had a semi-catastrophic rain and snow event which required much regrading – next door. We got all his water plus the hillside above which stretched for countless acres. It was The Deluge. Anyway, you can see we planted in virtual “dust” from looking at the hillside itself. You can also see the style and sizes of the plants we planted with regularity in the line-up of root balled Cherries and Crab’s in the bottom picture. We got about a truck a day for a while with about 3 times the amount of plants shown there. The large Sequoia in the “root ball picture” above was also for this property. It was 22 feet high and absolutely gorgeous. Planting was absurdly easy here and the fact is, aside from The Deluge, everything grew like crazy.
Nor did I add anything to that soil. It is a lake basin-type soil, soft and non-clayish, mostly very sandy. It required severe adjustments in terms of watering, however, where we settled for watering often after initial deep waterings, as opposed to watering for sustained periods. That’s another useful trick – an analysis of soil can determine watering frequencies. Clay-ish soils will require far, far less water than sandier types.
Needless to say, by the way, everything mentioned about trees applies to plants. Yes, all plants very in their particular needs, thus some research is still required for Zonal tolerances. But it can be quite surprising which plants can literally adjust, with maintenance – or lack thereof. The Variegated dogwood shrubs, for example, adapt to Reno, Nevada’s high-alkaline typically near-desert soils by dropping their leaves and by those leaves breaking down, supplying a natural rise in acidic levels by a natural process.
And some patience is most definitely required as we let them develop. After all, the pictures below show the difference two short years makes in a landscape.
Two years later:
Yes, you can have your cake and eat it too!
Or you can also hire out a few million guys and build your own irrigation system, just like Julius Caesar did!
We plant trees for as many reasons as there are – well – trees. Some of them we plant to provide shade and to change the weather around our homes – which they do like few other things. We will often consider their foliage at the time of selection, looking for something especially appealing perhaps, say with Fall Color.
(left click any picture to enlarge)
These proud eventual behemoths dominate and define out gardens and lawns, adding a sense of permanence, shade and beauty. Their shapes tend to offer a completely wide range of opportunities, from climbing them for kids – always a never-ending source of pleasure as I recall – to the entire “shade” provision, with such things as fruits, pretty and interesting bark textures and smells added.
Blooming trees tend to occupy a mid range of heights. It’s rare to find trees which put out seriously gorgeous blooms getting over 30 feet high. Some Tulipfera’s can get up there. Out West, some Locusts dangle fabulous clumps of Wysteria-like blossoms for a couple of weeks and they can get very high. Their one weakness, in my history of dealing with them is that they are a very soft wood. Wind just decimates them, in the end, or huge snowfalls. Having said that, some have survived well indeed and they produce these gorgeous blooms every Spring. This is the Purple Robe variety.
The Deeper South and California can grow some huge blooming trees, such as Jacaranda and Crepe Myrtles. I have not been fortunate enough to play with these species, personally, so my opinion of them remains that of the kid with his nose foggily pressed against the window at the Toy Display at Christmas.
Generally, if I am looking for something to provide blooms, I tend towards those trees which produce impressively. Now, of all these mid-height specimens, there is another range of considerations dealing with timing. The Laburnum (Golden Chain) bloomer in the picture below tend to show up in late Spring. This gives a chance for the earlier blooming Cherries, Plums, Crabapples and the likes to do their thing either before or concurrently with these guys. You’ll even notice a rare Rhodendron sighting in this picture, tucked in close to the house on a “North” side – the only possible positioning for Rhodies in Reno, Nevada.
We place them in locations where they can dominate during their heyday, while waiting for the more Summer loving perennials and grasses develop. Prominently-displayed, blooming trees make quite a statement. Nor do they have to be huge to be quietly effective.
Later, when developed more fully is when we see the pure splendor of the best blooming trees. They can literally take your breath away standing near one or walking by. The simple profuseness of some of the Cherry Trees and Crabs is simply mind-boggling.
We watch the stages as the blooms form, then burst out. It is some great Natural Theatre.
Th real winners are those with some age to them. I love what so many City and Private Parks display on a routine basis. How on Earth can one improve on settings such as these?:
From the Portland, Oregon Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden:
I suspect that railing will never be the same “after Paul”, lol. Pretty nice, though, you have to admit. The designers of Parks have all those great aspects such as time and maintenance to make their stuff work.
But how pretty the blooms are from even the most average of Blooming Cherries?
(rolls eyes) Here goes Steve with the weird music again……………
It’s about sound. Sound is a sense.
I always loved this guy’s music! Joe Zawinul died at 76 – two years ago now. The live performance included here was done in 2007, I believe, with members who are somewhat different to me. I know most of the guys, just not all. The bassist, Linley Marthe is my version of maybe the ‘best ever’.
Anyway, Zawinul was experimental and a virtuoso. Here he plays with sound like few others. Innovative, different, somewhat jazzy, give it some time and let it grow on you while you listen. The best players in the world played with Joe Zawinul. Please give a listen. You might like it.
In no set order. Blooms supply the candy, along with many other items in a landscape. Always sort of breathlessly pretty, blooming things have a set limit of endurance – one reason I plant so many shrub roses any more. They are seasonal and fluid, if planted correctly, leaving something blooming at just about any time of the year not named Winter. Here’s some now:
I’ve always had a secret affinity for Smoke Trees, myself. Their subtle blooms really do look like smoke.
The early seed formation of Sumacs are another very under rated beauty, in my opinion. Naturally, landscapers also use them for dual purposes – their Fall foliage is out of this world.
But they can shimmer in the right light and look as good as any bloom anywhere, when happy:
Durable, reliable, easy-to-please and wonderfully fragrant, shrub roses and wild roses are an absolute must-have in my landscapes. These newly-developed cultivars require absolutely nothing special to bloom, look and smell happy and just plain be pleasing.
I think we can all agree that this is a big lump of Phlox. Man, these guys smell fabulous.
Poppies are always good for a solid month, if not more so. I plant tons of these guys as well.
Technically, not a bloom per se, grasses and especially this Purpurea rank highly as objects of beauty similar to blooms. The nicest part about the temporary nature of this “bloom” is the fact that it just gets bigger, rather than smaller as the year unfolds. This was an interesting project, high above Reno. Lots and lots of brick pavers.
We put this Clematis inside an entryway for a satisfied couple and got a satisfied plant as well!
This one is cool, from Vancouver. This time we got the bloomage and the architecture together. Those pots are some heavyweight suckers. Lots and lots of Rhodies and Azaleas here. This is North West landscaping, for real.
Speaking of the North West style, here’s from a project we installed, using about 7,000 Railroad Ties at a massive apartment complex in Vancouver, BC.
Rhododendrons are obviously (as evidenced all through this blog) my favorite bloom. Here’s a few from the Crystal Springs Rododendron Garden in Portland, Oregon. (These enlarge nicely)
Finally – an old favorite. Double File Viburnum. Somewhat “naturalized”:
Landscaping addresses the out of doors. It’s true purpose, dating back literally thousands of years, is to provide an interpretive canvas of beauty and form to allow a human to appreciate the combination of Nature and man’s own work. In my experience, landscaping occurs in two precincts:
1.In the towns and social structures we circulate in. Cities have gloried in gorgeous landscapes from Babylon and before that, to Central Park in New York City. It seems Mankind consistently desires something objective and pleasing amid the social whirl. The fountains of Rome and the fabulously whimsical park of Barcelona designed by Antonio Gaudi prove this utter need in a faultlessly direct manner. Chinese Gardens predate European constructions by, literally, thousands of years, providing a canal city likeZuchou whose Vienna-like canals and garden were constructed some 2,500 years ago. This town was constructed with the express purpose of being that “Garden City”.
We look at cities like Toronto, Canada and wonder what they can accomplish in all the cold winter weather and, yet, we see huge efforts by Canadians to please the eye. This plaza was designed as a wave-like sound scape, a computer-interpreted visual representation of music for those strolling there towards events in their downtown Music Center.
Got Gaudi?
This is landscaping at it’s highest development – a unique brand of expression occupying enormous swaths of our social infrastructure whose purpose is simply nothing more than to please the eye and to provide a pleasant and sometimes- interesting place to meet and enjoy life. This simplicity of experience cannot be overstated. In all our modern angst over events political and personal, there remains these monuments to our common need to enjoy ourselves and experience the positive aspects of growing nature and of man’s innate creativity.
The designers and the installers of landscapes believe in this notion. From city planning on the most massive scale, to a homeowner who wants to enjoy his home far from the madding crowd, landscaping provides a release of the troubled mind – its purpose from the get go. I must also admit that it becomes most obvious that our “modern angst” is nothing new. Pleasure has always served as the antidote to pain. The fabulous cathedrals of Europe were constructed during The Plague and during endless warfare. They gave people hope in a vicious world. The dialogue of landscaping is still working on this antipodal level.
2. The Home
Among the first celebrations of a culture who reach a certain level of prosperity has always been the construction of gardens and natural wonders of landscaping. Recent developments have made far more common a more local urge – to decorate our homes. The American Prosperity of the last Century has made a virtual “Every home a castle”, in strict economic terms. It has developed home ownership into a massive project – from gardening to landscaping – by paying far more attention to how we present ourselves (Front Yard Landscaping, driveways and the likes) to how we relax, out in the back yard. Patios, gazebos, garden structures, night lighting, waterfalls and swimming pools have changed the once-utilitarian abodes from a place to sleep to something more. It has also unleashed the creative juices of landscape and garden designers who have provided absolutely breath-taking scenes of utterly private beauty and sometimes strangeness.
Illuminating the night, we find our spaces expanded outdoors, providing virtual “rooms” which proscribe our patios and outdoor environments, and adding depth and mystery to the foregrounds.
The introduction of water is always a thrill as so many folks have opted to see and listen to the pleasant and encompassing sounds of water in their back yards.
Landscaping is succeeding at its primary goal. More and more people are aware of the healthful impact of a rested and relaxed mind, to say nothing of the microclimatic changes a small patch of land can yield around a house. Counter-designed landscapes providing abundant exchanges of healthy gases and moisture are a side benfit and among the more surprising effects that the study of plants and their impact on human beings can yield.
Landscaping is a total field. The elements in any landscape – at their best – include a myriad of trades and diverse levels of expertise, from electrical issues and plumbing to issues involving soil and bacteriology. For a member of the community devoted to providing all this to a client, I have to say that is has always been a learning journey, from the very start to every single day that passes yet. The thrilling accomplishments of those devoted to the landscaping field can take the breath away – and they mean to do just that.
Ah, now here is a favorite topic! My very favorite!
Innovations in landscape construction technology have brought about an entire industry’s flowering. Say what you will about gorgeous designs configured with wondernew computer programs, all splashy and easy to read, forced on poor landscapers by Draconian architects whose tolerance for ignorance is often quite small. Personalities can be nearly predictable. Ungrateful bastids. Who do they believe paved the way for such exotic things?
I’m mostly kidding, but I often like to ‘pick back’. It’s a fault. Let’s just call it a cheap form of revenge and leave it there. I’m good with that. I’ve met some unbelievably fascinating LA’s, so I’m being a hard case with cause. And some humor. Harry Haggard, are you listening?
Those “on the ground” know. This is not especially cast out because I have some bone to pick with anyone in the industry whatsoever, from designer to client. In the end, many are those in the Landscape Architecture field who appreciate modern innovations and what they can accomplish. My point is this – the advent of field innovations in figuring things out – on the installation end – has lowered prices and has made what was formerly impossible, far more possible. Indeed, I am convinced these innovations have opened doors which had no dream of access prior to their discovery.
Here, for example, from a video from a business I have worked around for years, from Portland to Seattle to Reno – and especially Ren0 – Parsons Rock Walls – is what is possible. Note the machine that does pretty much 100% of the work, with its knuckling fittings and how it moves a virtual 360 degrees while carrying 6,000 pound boulders. These guys actually do perform great work, by the way. Their legacy is all over the cities mentioned – extremely hard to miss. The clip is long and it is a bit of pimping for them, but it gets interesting, machine-wise. Which is the point.
These innovations in hydraulic coupling and rotating technology have lowered the price of wall-building astoundingly and – for sure – made even their very usage far more attainable.
We once had the front yards of 45 homes to landscape in northern British Columbia. It was going to require adding about 1,500 yards of soil, owing to the entirety of the existing land being Glacial Schist. We owned a back hoe with a rear “dipper” or bucket. But, lordy, how to level it all? Since the housing project was contracted by the Canadian National Rail Company and coming as it was on rail cars, stopped to tilt and dump next to our homes, we had a few advantages. We put our heads together with a welder friend and here’s about the closest proximity to what we arrived at:
Except ours was 6″ x 6″ bar, 16 feet wide (!) and had small cylindrical and rounded 1″ spikes on the bottom at 4 inch intervals to stir the soil as it graded. And no bucket – we adapted it so that it would attach directly to the boom itself. (Recent innovations, by the way, in “knuckling”, like above, provide an even more appealing rotating possibility, now up to a full 360 degrees.)
Other innovations just fly off the top of one’s head:
Sod Cutters – now 4 wheel drive and no longer those precarious machines which were incredibly heavy and which broke backs from those trying to steer them over uneven ground.
Laser technology now acquaints us with construction levels which can be operated by one person. To try and locate a half inch increment in a 100′ long plane can be done by pushing a button and walking to hold up a stick which returns the signal and beeps solidly when level. So easy a Cave Man can do it! These same lasers are now attached to graders and informed automatically when to gouge or fill to make a perfect plane. Don’t tell anyone, but modern exhibitions have unmanned graders and even bulldozers producing perfect earth work with the help of lasers.
Placing brick pavers has become a bizarre bag of tricks. At the Hong Kong airport, whose runways are entirely composed of brick pavers – and we are talking square miles and hectares – the machine of choice looked like this:
This one takes an entire layer of bricks, holds them together nice and tightly, and lays them down, approximately 50 at a time. Imagine the savings and also imagine the new possibilities implicit in being able to attack huge tracts in mere days instead of months.
The scale of landscaping is somewhere substantially smaller than, say, road building. Yet so many of the same principles apply. Increasing innovations made by sharp in-the-field installers have made steady increments in lessening prices and creating opportunities for newer waves in design. Water pumps alone have virtually revolutionized “pondless” waterfall systems and the newer and perhaps most interesting take-off – Bubble Rocks. The newer pumps’ durability is frankly off the charts.
Indeed, one of the most thrilling developments in landscaping – at least concerning “Hardscapes” – concerns the development of better and more versatile Diamond Blades and edges. The afore-mentioned “Bubble Rocks” are all bored by cylindrical plungers who bore their ways downward through fascinating and gorgeous stones and which allows water to be pumped up through them. For any aficionado of the real color of rock – this is a decided thrill.
My personal favorite machines are fairly obvious ones. In no hierarchy whatsoever, I absolutely adore the skid steer (or Bobcat as has become a near-common name) machine. I have loaded and carried 10,000 yards of soil on one job alone with one of these. Here’s one at work without me in the cab – a rare occurrence.
Secondly, the Excavator – and in particular the modern miniature – the Mini Excavator – are both shown in this picture where they played an irreplaceable role -
The world of machines has reduced the time it takes to make a landscape from the dirt up. Having said that, it has also enabled newer ideas to emerge from a strictly designing aspect. This synergy is essential in understanding why I feel Landscaping as an art is entering – or has entered over the last 20 years – a completely new flowering of possibility and of artistic expression.
From new innovations in lighting and transformer technology, pioneered by my good friends at Unique Lighting (who, I might add also developed their own techniques from field work and who were curious enough to apply this knowledge to actual artistic style) -
To the swimming pool-makers, who incorporate paving into the overall ambiance by utilizing the newest breed of modern adhesives and waterproofing-
All these things combine to make this world even fuller with wonders and which represent the artisitic and craftsmanship achievements and potentials of a fascinating combination of talent, dedicated to a principle of improving our lives.
Now and then I get a hankering for blooms. Especially now as I sit and see the advent of real Winter outside, I am already hurting for my apparently-constant need to see blooms on flowers, trees and shrubs. One of my greatest pleasures in landscaping has always been watching plants develop successfully, especially in some of the more insane climates I have had to deal with, rife as they have been with either sun problems (both too much and too little) or soil dilemma’s the size of – well – Nevada.
The Rhododendron was the plant that launched my career, to be truthful. Seeing it gave me the electric sense of what was possible in moving Nature around just a little for optimal Eye Candy.
(click on images to enlarge. Twice for some for the real close look)
Let’s face it. It doe not take a rocket surgeon to know what is drop dead gorgeous.
Blooms are that rarest element of all our endeavors in landscaping – we feature them for sheer pleasure for us humans. Say what you want about cement patios and ponds, waterfalls and fire pits – a person can feel more than successful with a few plants and maybe some hanging baskets as long as they bloom and do so for long enough to wake up and know they’ll be faithfully and resplendently waiting for another sniff and picture. All we as landscapers and gardeners do is enable them.
No matter how plain weird they may be:
My personal tastes have moved with me within those climates. In Nevada, I happened into Natives which utterly blew my mind. Penstemons became a passion.
Evening Primrose satisfied like few other plants, bursting out at night as they do, then disappearing by lunch
I got to where I would mass them together, just to produce a semi-riot of color
Just because I could.
No one complained. Not a one.
I miss blooms. I miss the roses of Summer already.
I miss the shrub roses I have planted like they were as common as grass
We use blooms to surprise us and please us. Sometimes it works like nobody’s business.
We also put a number of smaller grasses around with some perennial color, including a pitch black-bloomed Hollyhock plant.
I lied, of course. We spend most of our time laughing, the truth is.
