evergreen
'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
Where I work in the northeastern United States, several species of trees and shrubs have been staples of residential landscape design for so long that stands of these arboreal mainstays (very often deployed by firms not known for their creativity) have become something of a visual cliché. Through the years, however, I’ve found that even these shopworn landscape icons can be used in beautiful and often surprising ways that seem perfectly suited to their environments while also making
It's that time of year when our thoughts begin turning to the beautiful colors of the fall - and the subsequent bareness of winter. Whether you're in the coldest northern reaches or enjoy the relative warmth of the Sunbelt, we all are aware that fall is a transition to a time when the annuals will fade once and for all and the deciduous plants will drop their leaves. But I propose that it doesn't have to be so - or at least that we can minimize the seasonal holes in our gardens through thoughtful use of evergreen trees and shrubs. These are the most abundant of all plant types, after all, and the bones of
Quite often, my clients will preface our design discussions with the statement that they want to see flowers in bloom throughout the year. They just hate it, they say, when the garden looks "bare" from December to February. In my opinion, they're just not seeing the possibilities their gardens have to offer. In fact, winter is my favorite time of the year, and it's about more than the holidays, the gift giving (and receiving!) and the chilly temperatures: Mainly, it's about my love affair with winterscapes. It may be because I'm a northeasterner somewhere deep inside, but I love the fact that colder climates, with their snow and other weather inclemencies, require those with gardens to
As fall looms before us, 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 what style of plants to put around your watershapes, it's also important to think about types - that is, evergreen vs. deciduous. I'm sure most (if not all) of you are aware of the general distinction, but here's a short
