Site change

Hello all of my readers. I have recently renovated my website and would like you all to stop by and go for a tour. I have been updating the blog rather consistently on the web site.

Thank you for your interest and I hope you are happy with the new setting for my blog!
Gregory
www.nativerootdesigns.com

Good intentions make good neighbors? -I love my job

I am consistently reminded of how lucky I am. There is not much that I like more than making people happy. To inspire others into laughter and gratefulness, so they can live to their fullest and spread the power of kindness throughout their lives.

I recently was working in a small community of neighbors. There had been some discontent around a community park. Some of the neighbors wanted to remove a hedge and others were against it. The result was a sloppy execution of a hedge renovation and partial removal. It was ugly to say the least.

As various neighbors started getting involved and others grew increasingly upset one of them offered plants from there own garden to help fill in the space.

My co-workers and I moved about five evergreen Huckleberries that we had planted and maintained for the last five years. They were all healthy and full, standing three to four feet in height with a spread of at least twenty inches. We also moved in some vine maples in an effort to block a view from one neighbors front door.

This neighbor had been very upset at the hedge removal and the resulting view. When we had finished the small project of moving a few shrubs thoughtfully into place to screen the view we called the neighbor out to see. We just asked them to come out and see if everything was in the right place and if they were happy with the result.

They cried.
They were so touched that we had all moved such mature and full shrubs, placed them with such care, and made a hole in their view the future model for the rest of the remaining hedge. Most of all they were touched that we did what we said, when we said and that we did it with such thoughtfulness.

I had nearly nothing to do with the arranging of this project. I was just planting and placing the new shrubs. The reaction of the one neighbor was so dramatically different than what I had heard the tone of the issue had been. It was an enriching experience to be involved in and I was so happy to be part of it.

Good communication, patience and kind intentions go a long way!

Plant abuse

It's true; I ran over a whole row of Primroses, Hellebores, and Iris's with my Garbage can! I confess. It really wasn't the first time. Yes the Primrose and the Hellebore are in full bloom but they are almost finished.

Why I opt for functional designs to lifestyle and site. Function; most of us lead outstandingly busy lives. For many years I have kept very close account in my world to what uses energy and what is effortless. This is in part so that I can believe people are truly not too lazy by designing gardens that allow them to be. It gets tiresome returning to old gardens that I have created only to see that the owner didn't actually hand water the shrubs the first three seasons; or to find a pathway trod right through the garden bed even though the owners were sure one wasn't needed in that location.

In truth it is not the owners responsibility (initially at least). Given that every job in horticulture is an educational job it is the designers job to take the site and habits of the owners into consideration. If a path (point A to point B)is trod across a front lawn and the lawn comes out, regardless of the pathways that are installed, chances are the same path will be found and utilized.

Back to my plant massacre. I kill plants a lot. Who is it that said if you love someone set them free (aside from one of my ex-girlfriends:))? I love plants and try to plant them anywhere I can. My garden is full of plants that I have rescued from being tossed to the compost pile. Occasionally I will try to save one and it will sit in my driveway and slowly die because I do not have the time or room. It is very sad but at least it had one more chance. I will ask friends if they would like them and somtimes that works.

Then there are times when it's just shameless. I'm sorry Primroses!

Proper design would have my driveway about four feet wider (with a bench wall the entire length on one side and a low curb on the other side, all poured concrete with a cistern built underneath that channeled run off from the driveway and house!)
It's just not realistic for me too move my wife's car out to street in order to take the cans in and out. So for now when all else fails I take it out on the plants. And they still look lovely!

Northwest Flower and Garden Show 2011- In Review

The Northwest Flower and Garden Show just finished its second year under new ownership by O'Loughlin Trade Shows. With sixty years in the trade show industry and twenty-five years based in Tacoma, they slipped in seamlessly. Maintaining the familiar friendly faces of Linda Knudsen, Cyle Eldred and Janet Endsley certainly didn't hurt! I was impressed this year by the fabulous marketing that went into the show. I followed Janet on Twitter (@nwfgs) and on Facebook and felt consistently informed on updates and schedule changes throughout the planning and building of the show. Five stars on PR this year!!

The gardens had something new going on with them. I've described it as approachable, simple, refined. They seemed to have lost the pretentiousness that has often plagued the garden show. Perhaps it was the theme, "Once upon a time..." but I felt welcomed in to many of the gardens. As though each was a friends backyard or a project that I helped create (well I did help with one a little...)

I definitely did notice the lack of patio tables and chairs with staged wine bottles and glasses half full. A few years ago so many gardens had these that I wondered what they were trying to sell, furniture or landscaping???

Here is the Washington State Nursery and Landscape Association's Gold Medal winning garden, designed by Kate Easton, Kirsten Lints and Megan Pulkkinen. As usual, WSNLA has slammed the space full of stunning plants. I must say that they pulled it off real well in this garden. It wasn't too confusing to look at. The foliage variations played very well together in clusters, and similar tones drifted from foreground to background as your eye made its way into the giant tree ferns and bamboo. A thoroughly understated water feature had many admirers watching the little coconut shell float in the stone without falling out.

I also enjoyed the garden by the Arboretum Foundation. Designed by Phil Wood, Bob Lilly, and Roger Williams, it won a Gold Medal and the Pacific Horticulture Magazine Award. It was a tribute to the 50th anniversary of the Japanese Garden at the Arboretum. Lovely, simple path and bridge with an elegant entry gazebo. Extreme awareness of the composition and design elements made this garden stand out to me even when it was just getting started.

A Wrinkle in Time garden had a great balance of simplicity and grandeur. The crystal ball fountain was an eye catcher at twenty four inches diameter, almost clear acrylic with water flowing down over it in the middle of the pool. Beyond that was the stunningly massive yet open shelter built by B.Bissell General Contractor, LLC. The garden was designed by Karen Stefonick Design who took home the Founders Cup Award for the second year running!

All of the gardens were created thoughtfully with respect for the materials and the planet. Every garden used reused materials or natural building elements. In a boost from previous years I enjoyed seeing these incorporated more into an actual part of the gardens not only as focal points and eye candy, but integrated in more functional and creative ways.

I enjoyed my day and listened to a few of the seminars. A talk by Lucy Hardiman on "The Art of Transforming your Garden" was entertaining and insightful. I managed to forget a pen or pencil, so I relied on tweeting my notes throughout her talk. She presented her garden in addition to a couple of others in the Portland area.

Kate Frey gave a no-nonsense talk on "Gardens that Give--Creating Sustainable Gardens that Sit Lightly on the Planet." She went right down the list from the gallons of fuel consumed by lawns in the US to the very few plants that bees can actually feed from in the typical landscape. She inspired me to further my commitment to habitat space in the garden and the importance of permeable surfaces, both of which I incorporate whenever possible. However, it's great to be encouraged!

The list of things goes on but so does the time! I enjoyed the show and thank the producers and volunteers as well as the garden creators!

Next years theme was just announced: "A Floral Symphony--Gardens Take Note."
I'm not entirely sure where they will go with that, but it's nice to have a heads up. And they say they will provide details soon! http://www.gardenshow.com/

Planting trees- watching for the crown

When planting shrubs or trees you always need to be aware of the crown of the plant. Whether your plant is coming out of a container or is Ball and Burlap, you should not assume that it has been planted at the right level thus far. The crown of the plant is where the trunk turns into roots or where the trunk expands (then seperating and turning into roots.) If you have roots coming up in the soil then most likely you will need to do some excavating to find the real crown. I will generally do this only with larger plants so that I do not risk disturbing too large a percentage of the root ball.

In this photo I am planting a Cornus mas (Cornellion Cherry) and I needed to excavate about six inches into the top of the root ball. The little roots that have started on the trunk will never be substantial so I went down until the trunk began to expand.

The concern with planting trees and/or large shrubs with the crown too deep are many. The biggest is the likelihood of rotting out the trunks. Moisture builds up with no air circulation and microbes go to town on the living tissue of the trunk. Another problem that you are setting yourself up for is girdling the trunk with roots. Just like in Evil Dead when his own hand gets possessed and tries to kill him; the roots of the plant will go wherever there is soil. They will sooner or later go throughout the surface of the soil and expand as they age. This will interfere with the vascular system of the plants trunk and prevent it from being able to transfer nutrients and water to and from it's canopy. This can take anywhere from a few years to many years to seriously affect the plant. For trees this is a big issue because you wait so patiently for them to grow to a certain scale and stature. Often when they die no one knows why, but much of the time this simple observation could save have saved it from dying prematurely.

Pruning tips

A great article from the Flower World website makes some interesting points:

1. Pruning in the winter stimulates the most growth—good for fruit trees, not so great for ornamental trees/shrubs! With fruit trees it works because you can then thin to desired new growth and keep new fruiting spurs developing while cycling out the older ones.

2. Pruning in midsummer is the time that pruning stimulates the least amount of growth.

3. Prune the areas of the tree where new growth is desired.

4. Keep trees thinned to let light and air into the entire canopy.

A nicely written article that includes the basics of clean cuts to laterals and general caution prior to removing branches.

The bones of the garden

Winter in the Pacific Northwest leaves the garden revealed. I have heard from more than one gardener this year that now is their favorite time in the garden. You can really see what is there and admire the structure and layout.

It is a time to admire the fine pruning of shrubs and the careful spacing of perennials. For those who claim there are no flowers, here are only a few that I have been seeing this week!

A time for shears

My shears get a lot of work in January. Not that there are no weeds but in the last three days I have used my shears and my rake more than any other tool. Shearing down ornamental grasses, Astilbe, Coreopsis, Fuchsia, Iris, ferns, Helleborus, Epimedium and many other perennial plants that I left to over winter for their form, structure, winter color, or wildlife benefits.

In the case of Fuchsia shearing is a little rough. For the larger woody varieties I will usually shear them down to 12-18 inches then cut out all of the canes that are smaller than a pencil with my hand clippers. I may take out the canes that are oldest as well and clean up any cuts that the shears mangled. If they are beginning to show new growth at the base you may usually get away with cutting them clean to the ground. Leaving the canes reminds you that they are there and insures that they have some established growth to help pull them through.

On the Iris, ferns, Epimedium and Helleborus they have been providing lovely intense greens in the beds for months now and will begin to shoot new growth in the center from their base. It is easiest to shear them now just before the new growth begins because if you wait too long you need to do it with your hand clippers which takes exponentially more time. You can wait longer however in these gardens (including my own) it's seize the moment! The Epimedium and Helleborus will be sending up their flowers next, before leaves, which look fabulous if the old foliage is cleaned up.

Things you don't question...

I enjoy my vegetable garden. Last year we had a very nice consistent crop of beans, peas, beets, chard, kale, lettuce, and some others. I still talk often about not knowing what I'm doing with vegetables however that is because I have known many organic farmers who still say they don't know what they're doing after twenty years or more. That said, my true love is in Ornamentals.

So I rearranged our vegetable garden this year. I terraced the slop and moved it back a bit so that I could plant ornamentals above the wall.

I realized that below the wall would be the perfect spot to plant tomatoes. They could pick up all the radiant heat from the stone. Before I thought of that I had been pretty excited about planting some Japanese Forest Grass at the base of the wall. So I kept an area clear for tomatoes and started to plant around it. When I was almost done I thought again about the tomatoes and realized they would be much happier above the wall where they would get a lot more late afternoon sun. The wall would actually shade them pretty earlier in the summertime afternoons. Obviously I found a couple choice plants for the spot, antique roses that I've been saving for something perfect. I planted the first one and dug the hole for the second. As I picked it up it told me that it didn't want to be down there, it wanted to be on top of the wall. Now this is a special little rose so it's deserves a say in things but I was saving the spots above the wall for tomatoes right? Apparently not.

The lesson is when a sweet little rose tells you what it wants you should listen. Souvenir de St. Anne will be absolutely charming up there backed by a Skyracer Moor Grass and a Mid-Winter Fire Dogwood. Plus you can sit on the wall and smell it!

Intro to new blog

Gregory here, I am starting this blog as a source for my many thoughts that don't fit into my other Blog, The New Parents Organic Garden Blog, which is most easily seen from my website www.nativerootdesigns.com. You can also find out all about Native Root Designs at the website. In short we are a seattle based organic gardening/landscaping company.
I have found that I think a lot about a very wide range of issues and would like to practice writing about them. I do not intend this Blog to be any sort of finished writing material it is more a source for me to vent ideas in writing.
I look forward to reading any and all comments!
Thanks!

Enjoy...