Landscape, Plants, Hardscape & Decks
'You'd think that having lousy-looking deck drains was inescapable, given that about 99.9% of them look like a thing you'd find in your shower.' That's how David Tisherman launched into his Details column in the January/February issue of WaterShapes 15 years ago, and he didn't mince many words thereafter. 'Whether you're using PVC or brass grates, they disrupt the surface of any decking material and to my way of thinking are
'I do not understand how anyone can live without one small place of enchantment to turn to.' - Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings As watershapers, we draw upon the sound and presence of water to soothe souls, using nature to guide and inform us. In the small pond project featured here, for example, the watershape component of the composition is meant to
This is one of those "What Is It?" items I hesitated to write, mainly because the material and concept behind exposed-aggregate decking is so familiar (and maybe even so old-fashioned) that most of us rarely think of it. In the case of the poolscape featured in the video linked below, for example, it's possible and maybe even likely
'As fall looms before us,' noted Stephanie Rose in kicking off her Natural Companions column in the September 2000 issue of WaterShapes, 'it's timely to consider a question that should be a factor in every design we prepare: To drop or not to drop?' 'This question is a good one to ask before you start planning and has to do with how much natural debris your clients will be willing to fish out of their watershapes once you're gone. In other words, while it's always important to decide
In recent years, more and more of our clients have asked us to use old hardscape materials on their projects: They love the stuff, they tell us, and they're sold on its aesthetic richness, authenticity and time-tested visual appeal. Living in southeastern Pennsylvania near some of the country's oldest cities gives me the advantage of ready access to these timeless objects - mostly old cobbles, bricks and stone curbing pulled up in the process of infrastructure
In recent years, we've seen a dramatic increase in the use of faux stone as well as concrete flagstones and pavers. Popular for their affordability and ease of installation as well as the ever-improving realism of their appearance, these materials are widely available for use on
'I've taken up a fair amount of my column space in WaterShapes with discussions of the wise use of water, and for good reason: What could be more important to watershapers,' wrote Bruce Zaretsky to open the April 2010 edition of On the Level, 'than knowing how to make the best possible use of the material that defines our profession? 'The common thread in all of this coverage . . . is that, ultimately, our aim must be to preserve the integrity of water, to cleanse it for return to the groundwater system and to
When a backyard has a swimming pool, homeowners generally want their watershape to be a key visual component in the overall composition. Too often, however - and this is particularly true of many of the older ones I see - the pool is unexciting both on its own and as part of the landscape. That's definitely not the style these days. Homeowners either want to make a statement by having a pool that is a visual knockout complete with big rocks and grottos and waterfalls; or they want it to play a more understated role but be a major part of a
'Surely you've heard this line before and never believed it,' declared Stephanie Rose to open her June 1999 Natural Companions column, 'but I'm here to tell you that size does matter. 'Have you ever, for example, built a pond or fountain with concrete either surrounding it or fanning out from it beneath the soil - and then had your clients say they wanted a very mature tree or shrub planted right up against the edge? There you are with
'In recent weeks,' wrote Bruce Zaretsky to open his On the Level column in the July 2009 issue of WaterShapes, 'I've spent a good bit of time speaking to landscaping colleagues, garden clubs and symposium attendees about our general need to get smarter when it comes to how we think about landscapes. 'This is all part of my perpetual campaign to
