This didn’t start out as a laboratory for resilient landscape design. It was just a low-maintenance garden for aging people to enjoy. Then one person was no more. The other lost mobility. Parts of the garden received no irrigation. Pruning back and weeding likewise disappeared. Yet the garden survived, mostly intact.
Category Archives: General
The “Other” Japanese Maple
The full moon maple’s Latin name, Acer japonicum, actually seems more Japanese than the Japanese maple, Acer palmatum. It’s native to Japan, of course. To confuse things even more, there’s Acer shirasawanum, also called full moon maple, sometimes considered a subspecies of A. japonicum. The ‘Aureum’ variety is an incredibly beautiful tree that’s incredibly difficultContinue reading “The “Other” Japanese Maple”
Where do big trees come from? Big trucks!
These large boxed trees originated in multiple wholesale nurseries, who mark their logos on the boxes the trees are shipped in. In this case, two logos and a lot of unmarked boxes. The shade cloth protects the trees from being whipped by the wind, and keeps them a bit cooler, too. Considering that trees don’tContinue reading “Where do big trees come from? Big trucks!”
We’re in Hearth and Home magazine’s Outdoor Rooms special issue!
The Outdoor Room, a special issue showcasing exactly what it says: outdoor rooms. More specifically, outdoor rooms with cooking centers and fire features, mostly. Our design had a challenge that was rather unique: we had to maintain access to the garage, and the owners had to be able to park a car behind the patio.Continue reading “We’re in Hearth and Home magazine’s Outdoor Rooms special issue!”
The wildflowers are here!
With all the rains come lots of wildflowers. These are typical early spring wildflowers growing over much of Northern California. Most can be grown in gardens from seed, bulbs or plants… well, maybe not the poison oak… I don’t know which species all of these plants belong to. Maybe that’s good, since I can justContinue reading “The wildflowers are here!”
France | winter scenes
Where summer is lush and leafy, winter brings out the bones. Buildings reemerge behind trees, objects are stripped to their base elements, and weather can surprise, transforming everything it touches to an alternate version of itself. Winter’s design elements are likewise skeletal: frosty twigs, ice and stone, silhouettes and fog. There’s mystery too, beyond what’sContinue reading “France | winter scenes”
New Front Yard
Sometimes it just takes a bit of structure to pull everything together. This front yard remodel created a seating space, enhanced curb appeal and incidentally removed unused lawn that just wasted water. Nobody will miss it. One goal was to create a clear, inviting pedestrian entry separate from the driveway. The new route also happened toContinue reading “New Front Yard”
Would you like to answer a survey?
Sometimes we wonder if we should create surveys. There might be some critical information floating out there that we’re missing. So, when someone calls with a survey, it’s an opportunity to see how the things are designed. What was my image of the company before? After? Worse after? Definitely. Could this be handled to improveContinue reading “Would you like to answer a survey?”
The joy of “no work”
Believe it or not I love it when the Luciole takes a break from landscaping when things are slow! Ok the fact that money entries are frozen for a while is a fact… quickly forgotten! In the meantime, the true fun begins. I paint, I splash papers with colors. Images are coming to lifeContinue reading “The joy of “no work””
Incredible Amazing!
Keep up with technology or fall behind. That’s what they say, and besides some of the stuff is pretty cool. What’s even more fun is hearing all the buzzwords they use to describe whatever they’re hawking. Can we use these magical words here, for landscape architecture? As the song says, come with me and we’ll be in a worldContinue reading “Incredible Amazing!”