Steve Snedeker’s Landscaping and Gardening Blog

Here are a few more examples of the placement of rocks, boulders and even smaller rocks used as mulching in a few of the landscapes I have designed and installed. The primary virtue of boulder use is in their sense of permanence over time. Plants and lawns evolve, change into something more – sometimes too much more – and form the mutable and changeable side of a landscape. No one would have it any other way, either. We are talking life – imperfect, sometimes rampant, sometimes even ill-chosen, just like the lives we all live.

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The fact is, the intentions of most applications on plant design plan on about 15-20 years at best. Naturally, the environment they exist in is geared to be more permanent. Some plants have literal life spans. Others exhaust the nutrients and the available root space owing to the confinements of their planting mediums and locations. Other become overly shaded by larger plants and trees and suffer from sunlight deficiencies – in fact, there is an entire book on what can “go wrong” when, in fact it is simply part of the evolving nature of a natural garden. And this is particluarly the case with the smaller residences I have dealt with, historically.

Residential landscaping requires some fairly immediate satisfaction. Clients can be most patient to wait a year for things to develop, especially inasmuch as they probably had something highly unsatisfactory prior – or else – as was the case in many of my Reno designs – they had dust. The sheer satisfaction of the change can be rewarding enough. But they will thence be studying what they have in hopes of seeing something develop that will please them and their neighbors to a much larger degree. Unlike commercial projects who either have huge budgets and who can plant larger specimens right away or they have the wherewithal to wait for the development of their plants over time, residential customers want to get happy sooner but with less budget.

So the result can be dramatic and even far more fun. With this expectation goes a intense desire to satisfy – a fact which is especially important for the informed but newer business. Satisfying customers leads to abundant new leads as their friends and neighbors cast about for someone to address their new landscapes. With these sorts of expectations, one is impelled to make it work just that way, producing plants that develop rapidly in a mix with those who have a more permanent and slower development. It becomes, at its very best, dramatic, in the end.

It can go, for example, from this:

To this, in a year.

The use of  just a few larger plant specimens (such as the more mature Tanyosho Pine above at the top of this picture) can be mixed with the more profuse and rapidly growing perennials, as was the case here, to provide dramatic color and growth over a relatively short period of time. What appeared “boney” as we call it in landscaping (with rocks, rocks and then a few more rocks and a few struggling little plants, can become something else entirely.

Or from this:

To this: (in 2 years)

The basic fact is, once we discover this tactic and approach, it is a net gain for everyone. The other super cool benefit is that we become Hot Dogs:

The point remains, regardless of how it all works in the end – rocks form the basic structure of a landscape. It is why I wax long and hard about the sense of absoluteness involved in setting boulders. Once set, they are not going anywhere. The effort to lodge them into place – many of which can weigh up to two tons – was far too rigorous to allow for changing. Once in, always there. Therefore getting boulders “right” is not a question – it is a demand – and often makes the difference between a successful landscape and a miserable one.

Where boulders are numerous, such as Reno, Nevada and Portland, Oregon – where I have plied my trade – they become additional options for things such as merely special effects to catch the eye such as the grouping of 3 up at the top of this entry (one of which is a “bubble rock”, bored with water running through it and trickling down). They can also be used as seats – as in the picture above – clustered around a fire pit.

In fact, the mixture of boulders and pavers makes a particularly interesting combination. Both are completely permanent but they come from such radically different origins – the bricks manufactured painstakingly by the most modern equipment, geared for precision and the boulders, made by God, shaped by water and weather, and maybe a billion years old apiece – just a tad more “experienced” than the brick pavers.  I often insert them in the lines bordering patios and walkways, just to break things up and to remind one of Nature Herself during the course down the edges. The hard and disciplined lines of walkways and patios find some intruding naturalness this way.

These are a few of the ways we “naturalize” a modern landscape project. I have always held that boulders serve the “softer” function of intruding Nature into our retentive business. I can assure you this – that won’t change.

Next, mulches and some other unique roles played by rocks and stones.

I’m going to just plain indulge myself here. I have become quite the camera bug any more and this Spring is particularly loaded locally. I’m going to post pictures with or without comment, simply because I feel like doing it. All the following pictures are from my own particular locality – an otherwise average Portland neighborhood with some serious urban touches within blocks of where I live. These pictures are from my local rambles, a few of which will obviously be mini time capsules as they developed. Pretty much everything taken here is within 3 blocks of my place.

First, for the lovely Ms. Pomona Belvedere, I give you not only pictures of Pieris Japonica, but a picture of what happens when someone nurses an Oregon Grape like it’s a primary object of plant love or something:

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And here is the aforementioned Pieris:

First, a big standard variety:

Then on to the  “Forest Flame”:

A better look, perhaps, later and sunnier:

But there is no end to the eye candy. This is one of my primary enjoyments, living in the Pacific North West – the fact that the Springs are awesome. The variety and color – and the smells, yum – make it something else altogether. Here are examples of local trees, destined for fame:

Comical Interlude, Semi – Natural Style

When things go bad in the Cherry Tree prunage dimension: (Or – Why not plant something else?)

Graft?  We don’t need no stinkin’ GRAFT!!!

OK, back to the serious stuff again – we don’t need a real life rhubarb

The Smaller Stuff – Spring Perennials:

Here’s a delightful mess of bulbs and perennials we’ll be watching develop.

This may seem striking in its lack of pizazz but it is a Trillium – not easily transplanted at all. Although a native to the North West, Trillium just aren’t seen around finished landscapes much. Like many natives, they thrive where they are – usually shady forest environments – but they really resist transplanting for some reason. Same with many local plants, such a ferns, for example.

When I got busted  taking pictures of her lawn, this lady, a postal employee with her own route, said “Well, when I moved in, they just grew there. The people who had the house before me said there was lots of them – all volunteers – and they had a devil of a time trying to keep them out.” Thank Goodness they missed a few. This is a fave woodland plant of mine and a dead surprise, seeing it in my ‘hood.

Incidentally, never having been a cub reporter, “getting busted” taking pictures of yards one admires has meant making new friends. I feel like such a publican. Or is that pelican?

Here is some Soloman’s Seal with a nice copper Coral Bells behind it in a very cute small landscape in front of a local office building. Last year, I planted the giant version of Soloman’s Seal, which gets to about 4-5 feet high – just outsized and outrageously profuse as well. This one here is a whippersnapper but is putting up a nice front.

Local Rhodies: (also just getting under way)

The Dogwoods (just now barely opening up):

This is one of those Portland Specialties. As home to an amazing number of nursery suppliers and growers, Portland also has a fairly astounding number of bizarre plants and species – cultivars and hybrids nursed along by nurseries or even discovered here. From Weeping Spruces to Weeping Sequoia to variegated dogwood, Portland plays around with them all. I have always been a huge fan of variegation – whitish accents on standard leaves – and this Dogwood here may just take the cake.  As a variegated pant, this gets my vote as most “ghostlike” in the entire history of Planthood:

We go from this:

To this:

Here’s the latest report from the Cherry sported out front of the local library. The blooms are so profuse, they have literally broken a couple branches:

Random closing pretty picture: (Super Huge Kwanzan Alert)

Care for some Pollen?

I’m going to let these pictures stand by themselves without a lot of comment.

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From the various very early Crocus bulbs showing up, and the Grape Hyacinth above, there has been a steady unfolding of later arrivals. From Daffs to Helleborus perennials, this Spring has been pretty doggone nice. As I mentioned elsewhere in here, this time around, I decided to do something about my love of it all and record it as it unfolded.

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Many of these shots were taken here in my own neighborhood. Typical of Portland, Oregon, we pay a price for the dreariness and wetness of the weather over a Winter with a gorgeous base of healthy and beautiful plants to take some of the edge off as the weather warms and Winter tries to recede. These daffodils tell a part of this tale from a few weeks ago:

Then a week or two later, leading up to now:

Siberian Irises were even getting into the local act around here as this very severely Winterized one shows..

Primroses finally got their chance to strut after about 10 months of second place..

And the local Heather population showed up as well…..these from Crystal Springs Rhodoendron Garden, hard by the front entry….

Back to my neighborhood, we witness the tough life of a local Rosemary, stuck in a lawn, of all places…(whose owners were not aware of how tasty they made our meal the other night. )   And who also contributed a sprig from the next early Spring riser…….

This is one gosh awful homely-looking plant, n’est pas? But I loves me some Dill Weed, and the younger the better……thanks Neighbor!!

This Helleborus is all tucked in tight amongst the Sarcococca……….

While these don’t look so shabby either….

The Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden has been around long enough now to present a sort of “Permanent Forest” look on the forest floor. I really like this look – and it only gets better as time passes during a season. Here are a couple of very early looks at what is under so many of the “Rhodies” there…..

And if someone would be kind enough to tell me the name of this plant which I have used but can never remember, I would be thankful. Bad, isn’t it? Getting older is absolutely everything they say.

Anyway…………..These little guys are proliferating at a moderate rate and I am all for it, personally.

I would be remiss if I did not include this early Clematis I found locally, growing near some container and probably neglected and completely untended for long years…….

Infused with some random Kandinsky-esque or the gene motivating Jackson Pollock, we have Nature visiting the artistry of “The Randomness of Unintended Natural Consequences” with this Forsythia putting out a wild set of branches, we see color pop out in the wildest ways, honestly sort of thrilling us. Anarchy is under rated!

Honestly, I am not sure it’s spectacularness (new word) really shows here, but I liked it so much I tried. It is along my normal daily walk and I have watched this unpruned, natural scenario unfold. It literally made me laugh when the higher Yellows began really popping out. They just look separated.

Thanks for bearing with. I’ll close with this most fragrant local………….our library rocks!

ContractSpot.com

I was recently invited to review a site specializing in providing contractors services ranging from marketing to actual accounting. It seemed intriguing, so I checked it out. In the process I came away fairly impressed with the dimensions of their focus as well as their sincerity, believe it or not. It’s not often websites such as this answer your questions in such honest and straightforward ways about not only their origins but their expectations. After joining for free and playing around inside just a bit, I came away with some simple questions I could not really answer on my own. So I picked up the phone and called their main guy, Jude, in Cincinnati. I mean, why wait? His number was listed!

I got an earful of excellent stuff. It made their approach so much clearer and it made sense. Their primary interest – and an important one for guys like me – is in a sort of banking function. My company in Reno did around $450K a year in total volume. Naturally, I did as much as I could of this in cash or check – the “old fashioned way”. However, let me say now, had I been able to process credit cards, I would have done more business. I always turned down those opportunities – even neglecting to offer estimates if they insisted, as a few did, that credit card payments were only what they would use to employ us.

Credit Card Processing

I fully understand the reasoning behind paying by credit card. More and more I see people wanting it, too. They get their “miles” from it, get impressive credit ratings – more reasons than we need to share here. But I honestly had no facility through which to process them and, really, no desire to because I had a slew of work and this became simply a crowd of potential clients I plain ruled out.

ContractSpot offers processing services – for which they take a small slice – and thence refers the money to the bank of the contractor’s choosing. I had an example transaction processed which worked splendidly. The amount taken out is understood from the get-go – there is no mystery, nor is it that much. In the end, it’s the same processing as if one did have the same organization as those who develop the facilities on their own. It is a most interesting and pain-free element and, I think, a timely one, suitable for companies and individuals who prior to this have been loathe to take on this increasingly common form of payment. It therefore opens doors.

Marketing

Upon joining, a contractor lists his areas of specialty. This is in order to lure potential clients who look for help via ContractSpot to contact them via the Internet and set up meetings and potential contracts. An example: I listed a few categories of experience and, the next morning, I woke up to an email mentioning someone had posted a project in ContractSpot. I logged in and found a local guy who had acreage and who wanted it leveled. What was interesting is that, under the potential states of readiness on that end, the guy said he was “just checking prices at this time.” In other words, it was a project he was considering. I liked that, myself. Naturally, I emailed him back and we will be meeting face to face in a week, at his property.

Inasmuch as the response time is swift, as well as the notification of posted projects, arrangements can be made in real time rather rapidly. It does not require oodles of phone calls for a potential client and he can check the CV of any potential contractor over the Internet as well in all the various ways that exist for that purpose. To my mind, it is yet another benefit of Internet speed and commercial possibility.

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The Services

What happens over time is a record of transactions commences, including virtually everything mailed out or manually recorded over the time spent dealing here. Invoices are made and archived, leads, quotes, all messages and communications are a matter of record and serve as a virtual accounting service, including the recording of communications in general.

You can even make your own website, complete with personal photos from your own cache, tailored to the marketing niche you might have in mind. Endless photos are allowed to aid in supplying ideas and guidelines to potential clients. Not bad at all, in my opinion and, yes, I have signed up for this free service.

What They Want Out Of It

In the end, they are patient. Jude’s honest statement deals with the fact that they would make any money from the project via the processing of the credit card payments. Naturally, contracts can still be made from the clients garnered through here via checks, cash or services like barter, just like anywhere else. They just believe they have a niche they can develop which could not only aid businesses through the various sensible aspects of business they offer here, but which could also make them some money down the road. This is not a get-rich-quick operation, which made it more believable, somehow. I am not unaware of Internet scams, having been around now a bit. I am also aware of the wild potential as yet untapped at the same time for enterprising and smart people. So far, this fall under the latter for all sorts of reasons, not the least of which was Jude’s sincerity.

He hastened to add that this is a relatively new concept and that it will evolve over time. He asked me for comments or suggestions and wants to keep a line of communication to find out if there are ways to improve things even more. I liked that as well.

My Summary

I like it. Hey -It’s free!

It has the potential to not only offer a newer and very relevant market but also to actually generate a possible community. Obviously, anyone pleased with a contractor gained through here would try again. The record-keeping aspect of things would be new and different to a bad businessman like myself, I admit freely. With the Internet not only developing but growing rapidly, transactions formerly held over the phone can be thoughtfully short-circuited, pondered  at leisure and can allow a more thoughtful response and approach. Estimates can be arranged, references asked for and researched, even the money can be transferred, all in one spot.

At the worst, this is a result of concentrated effort by strict professionals who believe they detect a market for those services they specialize in – banking, accounting and marketing. I am actually somewhat impressed, frankly.

I am recommending it under the proviso that this is my blog and I can deal with disappointment loudly enough to reflect it, and why. But in talking with them, I also developed a really good feel for something I would not have paid attention to had they not contacted me and literally asked me what I thought. I happen to trust them and I do hope it works, not only for me but for purposes of strict commerce. It seems like a novel and interesting new wrinkle to me.

Click here to check out ContractSpot yourself

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Time management has been kicking my behind with all this Springtime madness. Thankfully, I now have an interlude from it all. I have more pictures than should be legal, too.  I have been snapping at a fairly insane rate – it has been “that Spring” – just gorgeous and one during which I actually had the wherewithal to do something about capturing all these sights in real time, just the way I always wanted to. This has been a chore resplendent with pleasure and pride. I take landscaping personally……….it is what I am and have been. I have an ideology which feels landscaping and gardening are something other than idle pursuits of the well-off. My take is that it is a life-enhancer, making us happier and healthier human beings. It is soulful and therefore therapeutic.

Having said that, I suppose, compared to the less fortunate in the world, this truly is something less than necessary. Yet we do live somewhere – in real time and with real lives – and I feel we owe it to our own posterity to leave it better than how we found it. As far as the poorer parts of the world are concerned, Lord knows we want them to share our lives and their love on this planet in the best possible ways. I don’t forget them, let me put it that way. On this Easter Sunday, I am saying a special inner prayer for the less fortunate among us all. I like to think I do this every day. I think that is also our job as people.

My recollections of Easter focus on my boyhood, growing up in Owensboro, Kentucky, with all the scents of early roses and the freshly popped leaves and plants. It always seemed just muggy enough to be a sensual sort of weather, made for romance and experience.

Inasmuch as my daughter was born on the unbelievable date of April 1st, I also have another person’s childhood as a memory as well. I recall living in Santa Cruz and hosting a party for about 80 people on an Easter that coincided with her birthday. We went nuts, my fun-loving wife, Alice, and I. We spent a minor oodle of money on candy and other hosting apparatii like food and birthday cake. I dressed as the Easter Bunny – an experience I hope never to repeat owing to the universal derision of my male friends. Typical response: “Wow, that is hilarious, but I would never do that!” In truth, my make up designer did have me a bit closer to Skeletor, Protector of The Universe, than some cuddly bunny. I drew tears from the younger ones, let me put it that way. I only mention it for purposes of full disclosure.

We diligently hid the candies in places entire age groups would appreciate. We hung candy from the branches of Redwood trees, hid them in more outrageous places and the kids managed to find them all. Imagine!! My best friends, Steve Bare and his lovely wife, Jody, helped prepare a Kentucky special – “Burgoo” – 3 meats, celery, Okra, onions, carrots and Lord knows what else in a hickory-fed “smoker” that really did flavor the stuff with a Kentucky sort of cachet. The food lasted hours, not days. Yummy stuff, like a Louisiana “gumbo” in the end. Those Californians had never had anything like it………..but where was I?

Oh, Spring.

The early blooming Spring time here has me agog at the wonder of it all. There is sometimes some sense in the 4 season thing – Spring becomes something more than what it is. The Eternal Spring exists in our minds as an ideal of youth and budding promise. Easter, in the strictly Christian sense, reinforces this with yet another tale of Renewal, and a wonderful story at that. And make no mistake – renewal is the issue – particularly in the plant Kingdom. The budding glories, the flowers, the overall sense of newness and fresh life opening up around us and we watch it take place on a daily basis. It is truly a wonder of Life itself.

From these Rhodies, taken at the Crystal Springs Rhododenron Garden in Portland, to the blooming Cherry Trees below, taken in my own small neighborhood, Spring is bursting out and reminding us to pay attention to the small details in our lives. Nature doesn’t miss much.

Shirotae Cherry Trees – Prunus Shirotae “Snow Drop” – became very popular in the ’80’s and ’90’s locally and I want to thank them for getting popular. They are a favorite of mine, as always. Here is one big sucker, hard by our local library – here is an up close and personal view:

And here is the same one at a bit more distance -

And yet more distance -

Once again, I’ll have to abbreviate a post owing to server capacity or some such thing. No worries – I have more, this time all bulbs and perennials, next. See you then. May you and yours have a gloriously happy Easter.

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Spring hit a second gear this past week. We had 3 days in the 70’s and the plants decided it was time to put it all together. Funny, it was a full month later last year when I visited this gorgeous urban garden, dead center in the middle of Portland. I now realize we caught the latest-blooming rhodies at that time and that we had missed something really special. Today’s trip through the garden was a revelation of early-blooming species of all types – from rhodies to Cherries to perennials and bulbs. This is an equally cool time to visit this place, my point being.

We were greeted by this charming couple as we arrived. The cherry tree above blossoming like some elegant aristocrat was taken from this spot, hard by our greeters. They were very untalkative and I got the impression they somehow even resented our presence. It’s funny how snobbery can cross species lines. I did not take it personally and showed my maturity by moving right on along to my destination.

This next picture is by my reckoning my best picture of the day. I happened onto this tableau during our first circle of the place and it nearly took my breath away. The picture below this one will show what the bronze highlight in the middle of those branches above emanate from – a Japanese Maple I never tire of photographing. If you enlarge this picture, you get a far better idea of what we were looking at. There are times I see absolute genius in this design. Which, come to think of it – is not very surprising.

I also never tire of the waterfall and running creek. This is set up magnificently with a moderate amount of water but an amazingly well-designed branching of the creek itself. Indeed, there is even another small feature 10 yards away with the smallest little waterfall – a precious and needless addition to perfection but one which is so welcome to the senses. This garden in many ways is an overload of beauty – if such a thing can be said.

It was nice catching the very, very early development of plants such as the Gunnera below. At this stage it is tentatively stretching out. In two months, those leaves will be as much as 6 feet across – apiece!

This outrageously huge and totally impractical plant is one I have actually planted – almost wherever possible in the North West, anyway. A water-lover, Gunnera amazes kids and has this built-in protective apparatus called thorns, lol, which keep people admiring from a distance. I guess it is the North West version of Cactus, in an odd way. But for sheer effect, few things beat the Gunnera for outrageousness.

This fern is getting ready as well. I have always loved seeing the way ferns “unfurl”. There is a sensuality to their development that is large and obvious. These plants become huge themselves over time and they show us why they are so severely pruned once finished for the year. Obviously, this plant loves starting over.

Even the reeds in the nearby lake are feeling their oats. With such a stunning local environment – the nearby golf course, the lake that separates the park from the golf course and all the just soothing sights and quiet sounds abounding here – this park remains one of my favorites the world over. I am personally delighted we take pride in our parks. I think the reasons for enjoying them – as well as my own personal feelings on the issue – are obvious in here.

There are abundant native plants as well. These Oregon Grapes are looking about as good as they can. Thise flowers will berry later in the season, yielding the Concord-like “grape” which gives this state plant its name.

Back to the rhododenrons – I can see I’ll have to divide this post up. Here are some splendid rhody shots of shameless beauty. I’ll finish my visit in another post. Enjoy………………

Man!  Is this one ready to “pop” or what? 

Thanks for dropping by. I’ll finish the visit in a couple days.

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Driving to projects recently, I have pulled over – of had those driving pull over - to accommodate my photographic whims. This Spring seems somehow more precious for some reason. Or maybe it’s just that I have a reason to make an organized effort at loving it more owing to this blog. But it is becoming a visual feast, for sure. We just had our first 70 degree days (and, sadly, the forecast is to plunge back into some gloom) and it made the blossoms go just a bit nutso. Here are trees around town, just bustin’ out.

Trees add an outrageous mellowing influence in any large town or city. A look at the wires and lights, signs and traffic are about as interesting as watching paint dry. But take a look at these urban zones where trees give some Natural spunk to the surroundings and tell me they are not the single most welcome sight in human existence. The contrast might be even ore outrageous, contrasting the utilitarian functionality of out techno world and that of Nature herself who it pleases me greatly to say will outlive all these human contraptions.

Portland gets a legitimate 2 month Spring. Unfortunately, it can be combined with a lot of rainfall and some exceptionally dreary days but, all in all, much like Vancouver, BC, it can also result in some amazing colors, smells and sights in general with the lushness of moisture and cool air. I’ll be going again to the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Park later, when the Rhodies really get going and who can forget that? Here are a couple of examples from an earlier post of mine during last year’s visit over there:

This Higan Cherry (Prunus subhirtella var. pendula ) has always been a favorite of mine. Scrunched in here between the houses, it actually makes an absolutely delightful “fit”, softening the house lines and now towering over a fairly large home and its neighbor. We’ll keep an eye on this one as it develops more color in the days to comen Under that, is the same lot, but with another Higan out front:

Here, below, we revisit a Star Magnolia, now in all its glory. An early blooming Magnolia, these guys never fail to produce fabulous early shows. Competing as it does with all the paraphernalia around it makes it just that much more interesting to me. It’s unbelievable to me how compelling these plants can be – and not just this one. I am surprised the powers-that-be don’t disallow all this good Nature stuff owing to the neck-twisting drivers do at this time of year!

Back to my neighborhood gives us a few more glimpses of how things are proceeding locally. First up, the Star Magnolia from earlier, when it was just coming on:

The little side street nearby my place is still doing its thing:

As is this other nearby street:

And the local Camelia population are showing up as if invited or something. The gall!

Sometimes moving 600 pound boulders around takes second place to just paying attention to the air and to the things around us. This is definitely one of those times.

These are good days.