If it were better understood, xeriscaping would be practiced more often than it already is.
This type of landscaping can be very beautiful and generally requires less water, fertilizer, maintenance, and pest control than traditional landscaping.
And, of course, using less of these will save you time and money.
The principles of xeriscaping deal mostly with slope, plants, plant groups, watering methods, and soil. Shape and other aspects of design can be dealt with by traditional principles of landscape design.
The main fundamentals of xeriscape are:
• PLANNING AND DESIGN
• CREATE PRACTICAL TURF AREAS - manageable sizes, shapes, and the right grasses.
• SELECT LOW WATER REQUIRING PLANTS - select native or addaptive plants and group plants of similar water needs together.
• USE SOIL AMENDMENTS - like compost, manure, leaf mold, etc.
• USE MULCHES - to reduce evaporation & to keep the soil cool.
• IRRIGATE EFFICIENTLY - with properly designed sprinkelr systems.
• MAINTAIN THE LANDSCAPE PROPERLY
There are two approaches to xeriscape. One is to "adjust" your existing landscape to be more water wise. The other is to design and construct an entirely new water wise landscape.
The basics of transforming an existing landscape to water wisdom are really very simple. We'll look at xeriscaping basics and principles here and for design considerations, you can go to Xeriscape Design Ideas.
A common misconception is that xeriscaping is strictly rocks and cactus. While this may be one way of doing it, there are a lot of other attractive planting options that you can use.
Plant selection. Besides the native plants already adapted to your area, there are many colorful drought tolerant plants native to other climates such as Southern Europe, North Africa, Western Asia, South Africa, and Australia that will thrive in your garden.
A reasonable knowledge of plants is an essential key to a successful water-wise garden or any landscape design.
You can discover a lot of helpful information about native plants and their properties from: xeriscaping and native plant directory.
However, if you're serious about creating your water-wise landscape, you should have a good plant encyclopedia in your gardening library.
-Steve Boulden
In less than five years, S&S Designed Landscaping,LLC has grown to be one of the top and most sought after landscape companies in the area.
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Landscape Design Basics
Every good garden design owes its effectiveness to certain basic design principles. These rules apply to all levels of gardens, from a simple garden border to an elaborate classical design. Remember, in any well-designed garden no one feature, plant or structure is completely dominate. Instead, all features work together to establish a sense of unity.
A. Repetition: Repeat certain plants, textures or colors.
B. Simplicity: This is the result of constraint. It keeps your design from being cluttered and unfocused.
C. Unity: A unified design ensures that the garden reads as one whole design rather than a hodgepodge of separate elements.
D. Scale: Scale refers to the balance between sizes of various elements, which includes the house, walkways, paths, fences, garden beds and plantings. No one element or feature should overpower all of the others.
-Gizmo Creations
The staff of Gizmo Creations LLC has been involved in landscape design for over 20 years. They have a licensed landscape architect on staff who studied landscape architecture at Iowa State University (Ames, Iowa).
A. Repetition: Repeat certain plants, textures or colors.
B. Simplicity: This is the result of constraint. It keeps your design from being cluttered and unfocused.
C. Unity: A unified design ensures that the garden reads as one whole design rather than a hodgepodge of separate elements.
D. Scale: Scale refers to the balance between sizes of various elements, which includes the house, walkways, paths, fences, garden beds and plantings. No one element or feature should overpower all of the others.
-Gizmo Creations
The staff of Gizmo Creations LLC has been involved in landscape design for over 20 years. They have a licensed landscape architect on staff who studied landscape architecture at Iowa State University (Ames, Iowa).
Monday, February 06, 2006
City Joins Flower Show Effort
With barely a month to go before the doors open, organizers announced price reductions and a new partnership designed to invigorate the 2006 Portland Flower Show.
With advance ticket prices dropped from $15 to $10 and a new affiliation with the city of Portland — which will help create the largest single exhibit in the show’s history — the seventh flower show at the Portland Company Complex looks to bounce back from the early March blizzard of 2005. This year’s flower show is scheduled for March 9-12, with an awards ceremony preview on Wednesday, March 8 at 6 p.m.
“The emphasis is on creating a great show for a price that everyone can enjoy,” said Jan Love, the show coordinator. “People will see a lot of changes for the better this year, with several new exhibitors and vendors who will add vitality and interest.”
As the cornerstone exhibit for the show, which came to the Portland waterfront for the first time in 1997, the city of Portland’s Parks and Recreation Department will work with the Friends of Deering Oaks and Robin’s Nest Water Gardens to re-create aspects of the Deering Oaks pond and gardens at the flower show. The original antique duck house, constructed in the 1800s, will be brought indoors to house ducks and geese for all four days of the flower show.
“We thought this was a great way for the city to be involved in a show that benefits us all,” said Jeff Tarling, the Portland city arborist. “There will be volunteer opportunities, a chance to learn the history of the park and a sense of camaraderie that goes into this experience. We’re really excited about being involved.”
Another coup for this show was enticing Ted Carter, the renown landscape designer from Hollis, to exhibit at the show for the first time in many years. Carter plans the show’s second largest exhibit; he has historically been a multiple award-winner at shows in both Portland and Boston.
For a change of pace from previous years, the flower show will also showcase a tropical fruit expert as its keynote speaker. Chris Rollins, from the United States Tropical Fruit & Spice Park in Homestead, Fla, will talk about the journey fruit makes from the tree to the local supermarket. Samples of many of his unusual fruits will be available for tasting.
Chris is a dynamic personality who people up here will really enjoy. We met him two years ago during taping of our television show; he’s also been on with David Letterman and hosted his own radio show, so he knows how to have a good time.
I am still the coordinator for the speaker series for this flower show, even though PPP is no longer running the show. The slate of experts is widely varied this year, with topics covering everything mulch and lawns, to orchids and irises.
Ticket prices have been reduced across the board, with $9 advance tickets for seniors and $25 for admission to the awards preview night. Tickets at the door will be $12. Advance tickets are on sale at Hannaford Supermarkets and several local garden centers. Visit www.portlandcompany.com for more information, or call 207-775-4403.
-Paul Tukey - February 6, 2006
With advance ticket prices dropped from $15 to $10 and a new affiliation with the city of Portland — which will help create the largest single exhibit in the show’s history — the seventh flower show at the Portland Company Complex looks to bounce back from the early March blizzard of 2005. This year’s flower show is scheduled for March 9-12, with an awards ceremony preview on Wednesday, March 8 at 6 p.m.
“The emphasis is on creating a great show for a price that everyone can enjoy,” said Jan Love, the show coordinator. “People will see a lot of changes for the better this year, with several new exhibitors and vendors who will add vitality and interest.”
As the cornerstone exhibit for the show, which came to the Portland waterfront for the first time in 1997, the city of Portland’s Parks and Recreation Department will work with the Friends of Deering Oaks and Robin’s Nest Water Gardens to re-create aspects of the Deering Oaks pond and gardens at the flower show. The original antique duck house, constructed in the 1800s, will be brought indoors to house ducks and geese for all four days of the flower show.
“We thought this was a great way for the city to be involved in a show that benefits us all,” said Jeff Tarling, the Portland city arborist. “There will be volunteer opportunities, a chance to learn the history of the park and a sense of camaraderie that goes into this experience. We’re really excited about being involved.”
Another coup for this show was enticing Ted Carter, the renown landscape designer from Hollis, to exhibit at the show for the first time in many years. Carter plans the show’s second largest exhibit; he has historically been a multiple award-winner at shows in both Portland and Boston.
For a change of pace from previous years, the flower show will also showcase a tropical fruit expert as its keynote speaker. Chris Rollins, from the United States Tropical Fruit & Spice Park in Homestead, Fla, will talk about the journey fruit makes from the tree to the local supermarket. Samples of many of his unusual fruits will be available for tasting.
Chris is a dynamic personality who people up here will really enjoy. We met him two years ago during taping of our television show; he’s also been on with David Letterman and hosted his own radio show, so he knows how to have a good time.
I am still the coordinator for the speaker series for this flower show, even though PPP is no longer running the show. The slate of experts is widely varied this year, with topics covering everything mulch and lawns, to orchids and irises.
Ticket prices have been reduced across the board, with $9 advance tickets for seniors and $25 for admission to the awards preview night. Tickets at the door will be $12. Advance tickets are on sale at Hannaford Supermarkets and several local garden centers. Visit www.portlandcompany.com for more information, or call 207-775-4403.
-Paul Tukey - February 6, 2006
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Environmental Scorecard: How Does Your Yard Rate?
In the current issue of People, Places & Plants, which should be in subscribers’ kitchens by now, we have two different polls for you to consider. The first is our time-honored Readers Choice Poll, which allows our readers to pick everything from their favorite media personality to their favorite garden center. I can tell you that the winners are extremely proud to win; your votes mean a lot.
We’ve also added a second poll this year in cooperation with the National Gardening Association. In 2004, the NGA of Vermont announced publication of a ground-breaking report known as the Environmental Lawn & Garden Survey. As part of a coalition among business, government and environmental groups, the NGA attempted to quantify the landscaping habits of the average American homeowner. In part of that process, the NGA developed an Environmental Scorecard to evaluate how environmentally friendly Americans really are when it comes to tending lawns and gardens. We thought we’d poll our own readers. We encourage you to take a few minutes to answer both polls and we’ll discuss the results with you in March. We’ve made it easy for you. You can click on line and have the ballot back to us in minutes.
So where’s the Tip of the Week, you might ask? Well, in this case you’re giving us the tip so that we can serve you better. The polls help us understand what issues are important to you so that we can provide you with the information you really want in the future.
I’ll be back with a real tip next week.
Paul Tukey, January 26, 2006.
We’ve also added a second poll this year in cooperation with the National Gardening Association. In 2004, the NGA of Vermont announced publication of a ground-breaking report known as the Environmental Lawn & Garden Survey. As part of a coalition among business, government and environmental groups, the NGA attempted to quantify the landscaping habits of the average American homeowner. In part of that process, the NGA developed an Environmental Scorecard to evaluate how environmentally friendly Americans really are when it comes to tending lawns and gardens. We thought we’d poll our own readers. We encourage you to take a few minutes to answer both polls and we’ll discuss the results with you in March. We’ve made it easy for you. You can click on line and have the ballot back to us in minutes.
So where’s the Tip of the Week, you might ask? Well, in this case you’re giving us the tip so that we can serve you better. The polls help us understand what issues are important to you so that we can provide you with the information you really want in the future.
I’ll be back with a real tip next week.
Paul Tukey, January 26, 2006.
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Mole Wars: Should We Fight Back
I hear the exasperation from homeowners several times a week in late winter and early spring. Their lawns will be littered with piles of soil that seem to appear out of nowhere. Voles are often blamed, yet an unrelated culprit known as moles are the really enemy in turf wars.
Moles, voles, schmoles, you may be saying. Knowing the difference, though, is critical in your approach to regaining control of your landscape. In short, moles are carnivores, meaning they eat meat. Voles are herbivores, meaning they eat vegetables. Voles devour roots, bark and lower vegetation, but rarely eat grass and their tunnels are rarely a big issue in the soil. Moles, on the other hand, just bomb about underground in search of whatever grub, worm or insect they can find.
When people ask what to do about moles, I often respond by telling them to cheer, “Go moles, go.” Moles eat the white grubs that become Japanese beetles and June beetles. In the big picture, these grubs and beetles do far more damage than moles to the overall landscape. Grubs damage grass roots; the beetles devour foliage of landscape plants.
“White grubs, in many locations, are the leading pest of grasses by far,” said associate professor Albrecht M. Koppenhofer, an entomologist from Rutgers University in New Jersey. “They can cause significant damage in certain situations, but people also should not overreact the first time they see a grub in the soil.”
Voles — These are the true varmints of the garden. They want your plants, plain and simple. If you’ve ever lost a fruit tree to girdling at the base, or a prized perennial that was chewed from the roots and left for dead, voles were the likely suspects.
Often called pine and meadow mice, the pine vole, Microtus pinetorum, and the meadow vole, M. pennsylvanicus, have become huge problems, especially in the East. Development has taken away their natural forest habitat, and also their natural predators, including fox, bobcat, weasels, snakes, owls and hawks.
Pine voles are reddish brown and small, about two to four inches long, with a short tail, blunt face, and tiny eyes and ears. Meadow voles are more gray in color. Both have tiny, yet prominent, sets of eyes. Because voles don’t hibernate, they feed year round on roots and underground stems of plants. They can tunnel on their own, but often borrow tunnels already burrowed by moles — thereby creating even more confusion among homeowners. If you find exit holes on the tunnels in your lawn and garden, chances are you have voles, not moles, since moles are blind and only come up for daylight by mistake.
Moles — When you see a mole close up, the differences from voles are obvious. Take one look at the webbed front paws and claws of the mole and you’ll instantly see why many texts refer to the critters as “master excavators.” They are also prodigious at the dinner table, able to eat up to their full body weight within a 24-hour period. Unlike voles, which travel in family packs, moles often live and work alone. They are also more active after sundown.
Their damage is usually fairly minimal; the displaced soil can easily be smoothed out with a metal rake. If you feel you must be rid of the moles, soaking the ground with castor oil will help, but the easiest way is to work on eradicating the source of food. In other words, get rid of the grubs and the moles will soon tunnel elsewhere.
The most effective natural way to control grubs is to apply microscopic organisms — known as beneficial nematodes — to the soil in May through early June or late August through September depending on your location. This timetable can vary greatly in warm-season climates and if you suspect grubs as a problem on your lawn, you should contact your local Cooperative Extension office to determine the insect’s lifecycle in your area. The Extension agent should also be able to point you toward a local source for the nematodes; Koppenhofer, at Rutgers, and many other scientists are constantly updating information on strains of the nematodes that work the best in certain climates against specific grubs.
The keys to success with beneficial nematodes are two-fold: 1) Be sure you have a treatable problem and 2) get the timing right. As a general rule of thumb, if you have five or fewer grubs per square foot on your lawn, you do not have a significant problem. You can test this by simply digging a square foot of soil to a depth of six inches. Break apart the soil and sod and count any grubs you find.
“A few grubs are a part of the natural system and people shouldn’t panic,” said Todd Harrington, the oft-cited natural lawn care professional from Connecticut. “In a healthy lawn with a healthy root system, I rarely see a grub problem worth taking action.”
If you do act, timing is everything. Grubs spend about 10 months of the year in the soil and two months of the year as adult beetles in the landscape above ground. Trying to kill the grubs just before they emerge from the soil in late spring or just after they lay eggs re-enter the soil in early autumn is paramount. Treating at other times won’t help a bit, whether you use a synthetic chemical or beneficial nematodes.
Applying beneficial nematodes is an easy, non-toxic exercise. You’ll need a device for your garden hose known as a hose-end sprayer and at least enough hose to reach all infected areas of your property. Further directions on mixing and application will be available from the nematode supplier.
One other treatment — You can also inoculate your lawn and garden with a white powder known as milky spore disease, but this usually takes two to three years to build up enough population to be fully useful. This product, according to Koppenhofer, has shown “highly variable” results.
“Since the commercially available strain of milky spore disease is ineffective against white grubs other than the Japanese beetle,” he said, “applicators who are interested in using milky spore disease should first make sure that their grubs are actually Japanese beetle grubs.”
One Other Note — Yes, it’s true the same poisons that rid homes of mice will also work to kill moles and voles When the snow melts this spring and you see tunnels and dead plants galore, you may be tempted to take out the toxins. In a word, don’t. These poisons, left in the open, will be fair game for every cat, dog, bird and child in the neighborhood.
Next week, I’ll provide more information on vole control.
Paul Tukey, January 19, 2006.
Moles, voles, schmoles, you may be saying. Knowing the difference, though, is critical in your approach to regaining control of your landscape. In short, moles are carnivores, meaning they eat meat. Voles are herbivores, meaning they eat vegetables. Voles devour roots, bark and lower vegetation, but rarely eat grass and their tunnels are rarely a big issue in the soil. Moles, on the other hand, just bomb about underground in search of whatever grub, worm or insect they can find.
When people ask what to do about moles, I often respond by telling them to cheer, “Go moles, go.” Moles eat the white grubs that become Japanese beetles and June beetles. In the big picture, these grubs and beetles do far more damage than moles to the overall landscape. Grubs damage grass roots; the beetles devour foliage of landscape plants.
“White grubs, in many locations, are the leading pest of grasses by far,” said associate professor Albrecht M. Koppenhofer, an entomologist from Rutgers University in New Jersey. “They can cause significant damage in certain situations, but people also should not overreact the first time they see a grub in the soil.”
Voles — These are the true varmints of the garden. They want your plants, plain and simple. If you’ve ever lost a fruit tree to girdling at the base, or a prized perennial that was chewed from the roots and left for dead, voles were the likely suspects.
Often called pine and meadow mice, the pine vole, Microtus pinetorum, and the meadow vole, M. pennsylvanicus, have become huge problems, especially in the East. Development has taken away their natural forest habitat, and also their natural predators, including fox, bobcat, weasels, snakes, owls and hawks.
Pine voles are reddish brown and small, about two to four inches long, with a short tail, blunt face, and tiny eyes and ears. Meadow voles are more gray in color. Both have tiny, yet prominent, sets of eyes. Because voles don’t hibernate, they feed year round on roots and underground stems of plants. They can tunnel on their own, but often borrow tunnels already burrowed by moles — thereby creating even more confusion among homeowners. If you find exit holes on the tunnels in your lawn and garden, chances are you have voles, not moles, since moles are blind and only come up for daylight by mistake.
Moles — When you see a mole close up, the differences from voles are obvious. Take one look at the webbed front paws and claws of the mole and you’ll instantly see why many texts refer to the critters as “master excavators.” They are also prodigious at the dinner table, able to eat up to their full body weight within a 24-hour period. Unlike voles, which travel in family packs, moles often live and work alone. They are also more active after sundown.
Their damage is usually fairly minimal; the displaced soil can easily be smoothed out with a metal rake. If you feel you must be rid of the moles, soaking the ground with castor oil will help, but the easiest way is to work on eradicating the source of food. In other words, get rid of the grubs and the moles will soon tunnel elsewhere.
The most effective natural way to control grubs is to apply microscopic organisms — known as beneficial nematodes — to the soil in May through early June or late August through September depending on your location. This timetable can vary greatly in warm-season climates and if you suspect grubs as a problem on your lawn, you should contact your local Cooperative Extension office to determine the insect’s lifecycle in your area. The Extension agent should also be able to point you toward a local source for the nematodes; Koppenhofer, at Rutgers, and many other scientists are constantly updating information on strains of the nematodes that work the best in certain climates against specific grubs.
The keys to success with beneficial nematodes are two-fold: 1) Be sure you have a treatable problem and 2) get the timing right. As a general rule of thumb, if you have five or fewer grubs per square foot on your lawn, you do not have a significant problem. You can test this by simply digging a square foot of soil to a depth of six inches. Break apart the soil and sod and count any grubs you find.
“A few grubs are a part of the natural system and people shouldn’t panic,” said Todd Harrington, the oft-cited natural lawn care professional from Connecticut. “In a healthy lawn with a healthy root system, I rarely see a grub problem worth taking action.”
If you do act, timing is everything. Grubs spend about 10 months of the year in the soil and two months of the year as adult beetles in the landscape above ground. Trying to kill the grubs just before they emerge from the soil in late spring or just after they lay eggs re-enter the soil in early autumn is paramount. Treating at other times won’t help a bit, whether you use a synthetic chemical or beneficial nematodes.
Applying beneficial nematodes is an easy, non-toxic exercise. You’ll need a device for your garden hose known as a hose-end sprayer and at least enough hose to reach all infected areas of your property. Further directions on mixing and application will be available from the nematode supplier.
One other treatment — You can also inoculate your lawn and garden with a white powder known as milky spore disease, but this usually takes two to three years to build up enough population to be fully useful. This product, according to Koppenhofer, has shown “highly variable” results.
“Since the commercially available strain of milky spore disease is ineffective against white grubs other than the Japanese beetle,” he said, “applicators who are interested in using milky spore disease should first make sure that their grubs are actually Japanese beetle grubs.”
One Other Note — Yes, it’s true the same poisons that rid homes of mice will also work to kill moles and voles When the snow melts this spring and you see tunnels and dead plants galore, you may be tempted to take out the toxins. In a word, don’t. These poisons, left in the open, will be fair game for every cat, dog, bird and child in the neighborhood.
Next week, I’ll provide more information on vole control.
Paul Tukey, January 19, 2006.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)