I often visit web sites and landscape galleries for the development of my own projects. I get abundant ideas and I have always tried to approach each site with a clear mind, hoping for a gem or two to take into my own designs and projects. Today, I am taking the liberty of shamelessly posting a few of this interesting designer’s pictures, lifted directly from her website. These are not only the designs from the company featured here, but also their installations. Heidi – who I have come to know somewhat via a small and hopefully developing correspondence – comes almost as close as anyone I have yet met on line to the sorts of projects I prefer most. It is not all that often I find someone who reminds me of me, lol. But in Heidi’s work, (and her firm’s, let me hasten to add), I see a similar regard for pleasing clients as well as an obvious urge to do things just a bit differently.

Her Business Site

The picture above illustrates my point. Details such as this can be a hard sell to a homeowner, first. Many don’t really realize the uniqueness they are being provided, bottom line. And, truth be told, some detail such as that above may be small potatoes in the overall scheme. There are certainly larger scale Landscape Architects whose projects in public and commercial centers are truly riveting and outstanding creative examples of the trade. But those, like many of their impressive and unbelievably expensive projects do indeed reflect the possibilities of landscaping itself and are noteworthy for that – by all means – however, making something special for the mid range residential client is what I personally have always prided myself on. Heidi “gets it” in this particular niche and her clients have got to be inordinately pleased.

In short, I like her work and her company’s persona as evidenced by her web site. If I lived where she worked, I would definitely have her come take a look and pick her brain a bit on creative ideas.

Another draw for her site is its navigation. I wish she had put in just a few more examples of their projects, frankly, but I do respect its educational aspects. She explains in adequate detail what factors a landscaper considers in development of grounds and she offers abundant applications, from Japanese concepts to Garden Art.

I am shamelessly pimping Heidi (pardon the reference, Heidi, lol) because I like what she is trying to accomplish. It meets every ideal I have had over the past 35 years, including good relationships with the people who consider contracting her firm. Good stuff, Heidi!

Brick pavers offer an rich, stable and impressive alternative to pathways of gravel and stone slabs set in sand or DG. The chances of these paths outlasting a house are almost as sure as the sun coming up. Often utilized as street paving materials, brick pavers also have the virtue of manufactured durability. High PSI strength, dense composition and a wider and wider range of colors and textures make brick pavers a very permanent solution for pathway construction.

This next picture is a continuation of the above, taken during construction and showing destination:

Other samples include patios embedded in lawns and beds, still curvaceous and thus more appealing:

And still others are attached to existing cement driveways or porches and add another dimension which was not there originally:

And others use a larger paver for similar purposes, in this case 24″ X 24″ :

A desert-like environment like Reno’s impels a designer to use rocks and mulches to draw attention away from how garden-hostile such a waterless existence can be. Points of interest then become something other than those plants, lawns and general features of wetter climate zones. But it also allows some experimentation with color and pathway features.

In the picture above, we see a small sitting area essentially removing the need for a great many plants but still congruent with enjoying the place and looking OK. (A note, the benches were not our idea). The pathway leading to the “patio” of similar materials is simple and welcoming. Actually, this particular material courses throughout this entire landscape, allowing traffic between some disparate elements.

Incidentally, with drip irrigation, plants can do fine. Don’t let me dissaude anyone from using them, lol. Especially perennials, my particular faves.

These two are of the same place, obviously taken on different days. The owner wanted a substantial pathway, needless to say. It is typically a bit wider than we were used to.

Natural slabs make an informal look, somewhere between the informality of gravel and the strict formality of cement or pavers. Some are also easier than others to make work. To be completely honest, the walkway above was not one of my favorites, although it fulfills its function well. We were forced to use smaller slabs owing to market conditions at the time. But – hey – he liked it! He paid!

This series actually begins here::

Goes around the corner like this:

The little creek beds are actually funnels for the odd downpour, leading from the gutters and down spouts into a dry creek which actually functions, taking the water out front to the street. We make these little bridges all the time, lol. They are actually pretty fun.

This one is built around a very adapted water feature which we lowered and made less intimidating. It was owned by an ex NBA ballplayer who went to school where my parents both graduated, Eastern Illinois and had a cool basketball court where my crew lost badly to their boss.  That needed mentioning. lol.

I have a few places I go to almost every day.  The “blogging phenomenon” has grabbed me  and led me to some thankfully truly exotic places.  I sometimes just look at some of the excellent bloggers out there in wonder.  There is simply so much writing and artistic talent blogging anymore, it’s as if there were some fascinating, multi-dimensional book at my fingertips, waiting for the next page to reveal itself in real time, effortlessly and smoothly opening to yet another totally compelling and educational item. I have therefore decided to spread the wealth now and then and feature blogs I really, really care for and tell why. Philip is up today.  I’ll get back to the pathway thing tomorrow or so.

Philip and I have a mutual appreciation thing going.  I sometimes think he likes the practical alternative this blog offers – you know, words and explanations from the designers and – perhaps even more importantly – the installer’s perspective. The truth is, I have not run across a lot of installer’s blogs yet.  I often suspect they are either too busy or too darn burned out to pay attention to a leisurely pursuit like blogging. So I guess my “niche hegemony” is somewhat intact, lol. Now, Jan, from Pond Lady, is one. But I don’t see a lot like me out there, outside of her. Indeed, if someone does know of an installer who is blogging, please hook me up! Hegemony is over rated!

Philip’s blog may be the most fascinating garden blog I have visited.  He has a great literary style, for one thing, which is fine.  But he also deals with the realities and complexities of the histories of things.  One also gets the impression – and rightfully, by the way – that many of the pictures he uses he took himself.  Pictures of ancient and semi-ancient Italian gardens, pictures of garden retreats culled from, say Virginia Wolff’s own garden and residence, pictures of other-worldly and just plain weird Hollywood and Los Angeles residences of the rich and near rich who had remarkable and bizarre senses of “naff”, or “Kitsch” – or just weirdness in general. He mines the exotic and he presents it boldly and in living color, with informed – and I do mean very informed – descriptive writing describing it all in minute detail.

I post this so that whoever reads this can mine some of these fascinating blogs themselves to get a feel of how inspiring I find them and in how enriching in general a garden blog can be.  Gardening is something more than harmless – it is a time-honored method of eye-soothing meditation and of admiring creative combinations and compositions.  It can be complex and fascinating or weird and riveting.  Philip sure delivers on all that and more. Take a visit.

Here is his site:  Philip’s Garden Blog