A series of photos of the French countryside in the Parc naturel regional du Gâtinais
Author Archives: mike
A garden refresh near Lake Tahoe
Here are the steps needed if you want to undertake a garden refresh but need to complete it quickly. Briefly, there are three initial steps: gather data, create a planting plan, pick up and install the plants. This is provided that the preliminaries are in place: a working irrigation system (or person) that will provideContinue reading “A garden refresh near Lake Tahoe”
Superblooom
This year’s wildflower show began in March, and will likely continue through August, moving from the deserts to the valleys to the mountains. When we get our drawings to clients and have a few free days, well… sometimes we just gotta hit the road. Wildflower Road Trip These shots were done in a Southern CaliforniaContinue reading “Superblooom”
Design lessons from wildflowers
Wildflowers give great design lessons: color, planting design, ecology, light… Color Colors change throughout the day, shifting from warmer to cooler. They mix: sometimes complimentary (yellow-blue, violet-orange), sometimes analogous (shades of blue, pink or yellow). Planting design These plants often grow intermingled, where they support, shade or even nourish each other. Sometimes there are broadContinue reading “Design lessons from wildflowers”
Daffodils: Lots of color. Zero irrigation.
Daffodils rest dormant during the dry parts of the year, emerging during the rainy season to flower. They’ll store energy, expand and go dormant until the next year, all with no supplemental water (as long as we have sufficient rainfall). It might seem strange to pair succulents with lush daffodils, but all these plants areContinue reading “Daffodils: Lots of color. Zero irrigation.”
Consults to Plans: a case study
All these sketches, concepts and plans came together to create a design for one project: a cloud of possibilities that condensed into a detailed concept ready for construction. It’s been a while since we invented a new workflow and adapted hybrid old school and digital creation for more flexibility. The goal was to get moreContinue reading “Consults to Plans: a case study”
Renewing the meadow
Timing is critical: renew too early and there might be some leftover seeds that the birds would have loved to eat. Too late, and you’ll be removing new growth as it starts at the end of winter. Then there’s rain: this meadow doubles as a rain garden, so if you cut too soon after aContinue reading “Renewing the meadow”
California Dutchman’s Pipe
Here in Sacramento, the first sign of spring is a display of California dutchman’s pipe (Aristolochia californica). The tiny flowers look like green rubber ducks, and appear on the plant’s leafless branches. The display will go on for months, followed by the vine going into rapid growth mode to take advantage of the few monthsContinue reading “California Dutchman’s Pipe”
Two mid-century modern front yards
Mid-century modern front yard landscapes look good all year using foliage color and texture to keep the design lively.
The plants are in!
Our project in Davis is coming along nicely as plants and irrigation fill in the design. Without the plants (and some other elements) it was much more stark – click here to see our last set of images. Next come the rest of the irrigation, then bark and lighting. Then it’s time to relax andContinue reading “The plants are in!”