joene's garden » landscape design journey

Concept Garden: Herbs and Butterflies

joenesgarden — Wed, 11 May 2011 14:44:01 +0000

It's been a while since I posted about my educational journey towards certification as a landscape designer. I'm still plugging away, moving around and through some roadblocks life dropped in my path, and my journey is taking longer than I want, but anything worth having is worth working for … so I continue to follow my Papa's advice to keep dancin' or, in this case keep studyin'.

One of the lessons involved designing a dynamic space – an area that urges people to move and allows them to do so safely and comfortably. The dynamic space must lead to a static space that encourages quiet, passive activities. My creation for this lesson uses a paver pathway to lead from a flat lawn into a formal herb garden. The four ground-level beds have lower-growing herbs (thyme, Alpine strawberry, globe basil for instance) along the edges of the paved path. Mid-size (lavender, rosemary, chives, sage) and taller (fennel, blueberry bushes, hyssop, tansy) herbs fill the center and outer edges of these beds. A five-foot vine-covered trellis surrounded by mid-height herbs sits at the center of the first paved circle. With no benches or raised areas available for seating, visitors are encouraged to move along the pathways. But the the herb plantings serve as a distraction that slows movement so visitors can leisurely enjoy the scented foliage and colorful blooms of the herbal plantings.

The stroll through the herb garden leads to another circular area paved in an alternate pattern to denote a second garden area. Centered in this circle is a five to six foot tall potted specimen plant – think fig or citrus tree, or a flowering standard specimen. This second circular area denotes the entrance to the butterfly sitting garden. At it's center is a two-foot tall raised bed planter containing a solar-powered fountain – the noise of the moving water helps drown out distracting outside sounds - surrounded by flowering annuals/perennials. At the outer edges of the raised bed, opposite three benches, rests three shallow butterfly-watering basins. While sitting on the benches visitors can observe the butterflies as they flit from flowering shrub to flowering perennial to flowering annual to the shallow watering basins. Square potted container plants sit at the four corners of the square pathway. The planting areas at the edges of the square, paved path are planted with butterfly-attracting shrubs, ranging from three to six feet tall, that enclose the seating area in blooming shrubbery.

This formal design, which calls for paver pathways and granite edging can be adapted to create a less formal feel. Planting beds could have less formal cut-soil edging to keep lawn grass at bay. The paths could be loose gravel, fieldstone, or woodchip gravel. Planters could be simple clay pots. Plantings in the sitting area can also be altered to attract hummingbirds, or the entire design could planted as a kitchen or edible garden. Some of the herbs could be replaced by salad greens, eggplant, peppers, tomatoes and beans and the sitting area could be surrounded by small fruiting trees and shrubs.

The idea is to entice visitors into the area using the straight path, slow their movement by the attraction of and interest in the planting beds and, finally, give them reason to stop and reflect on the natural beauty surrounding them as they sit on the benches. Busy gardeners often need to be reminded to stop a while to enjoy the fruits or flowers of their labor. Creating a sitting area enclosed by gardens will do just that.

Click Training under the Topics heading in the sidebar to read previous posts related to landscape design and other training.

Categories: Garden Design, Gardening, Training.
Tags: Anna Gresham Landscape Design School, butterfly garden, herb garden, landscape design journey.

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Landscape design styles – part 2

joenesgarden — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 13:24:16 +0000

The geometric, highly organized, and formal-looking Paradise garden style (see previous post) dominated garden design for centuries. Then the Brits revolted.

The English Landscape Movement

In stark response to Paradise garden styles, the 1700's English Landscape movement sought to create the natural, curving views of open fields, lakes, and woodlands depicted in landscape paintings and as guided by Alexander Pope's (1688-1744) belief that all gardening is landscape painting. With no need to accommodate irrigation, England's temperate climate and ample rainfall allowed landscape design to follow a less manipulated look. Geometrically structured planting patterns, gave way to meandering paths through naturalistic meadows and fields, over and around gently sloping hills, and leading to and alongside bodies of water that reflected the sky and adjacent scenery.

English Landscape movement leaders - Charles Bridgeman, William Kent, and Lancelot 'Capability' Brown, who saw his role as a fixer of nature's mistakes - vastly manipulated topography to achieve their vision of a pastoral landscape from which man could contemplate philosophical and political ideas. In doing so they created landscapes no less manipulated than the structured, formal garden style they sought to undo.

The grounds of Stourhead between Wiltshire and Somerset, England, «is perhaps the most complete and elaborate example of the eighteenth-century English landscape style,» notes Russell Page in The Education of a Gardener (page 189). Created in the mid-1700's, Stourhead's design required damming a valley and creating earthen berms to form a lake, planting groves of trees, and constructing paths to and from columned, temple-like structures and in and around the water and trees. Page recalls the original plan «of water and hanging beechwoods and quiet dark green shrubberies … enlivened by a series of architectural incidents,» brought «coherence, dignity, scale, charm and tranquility.»

Photo credit: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stourhead_garden.jpg

It would be interesting to do a study just on Russell Page – see images of his designs – but that's off the current track. There is no denying that Stourhead is beautiful and calming, as are other English Landscape designs. But what struck me most was the extent of deconstruction/reconstruction. undertaken to obtain the final effect – and so many of these creations were on private estates. Want a lake in the design? Just damn a valley.

I tend to think more along the idea of enhancing the natural setting of a site so human impact blends into, rather than overpowers, nature's design … maybe this is splitting hairs. Olmstead's designs for Central Park in NYC and the Emerald Necklace in Boston both fixed nature's mistakes and enhanced natural settings. The residents of both cities continue to benefit from these designs, but these are major park projects that enhanced quality of life for millions of people – they are not private properties redesigned for the enjoyment of a select few. Private properties, I think, do better by embracing nature's design rather than forcing the land to become something out of context with it's surroundings.

Categories: Gardening, Sites to see, Techniques, Training.
Tags: English Landscape Movement, landscape design history, landscape design journey.

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Landscape design styles – part 1

joenesgarden — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 02:17:12 +0000

One of my recently completed landscape design lessons required researching three major landscape styles and submitting a report on my findings and how each style - Paradise Gardens, the English Landscape Movement, and Japanese Gardens - impacts modern garden design.

We often don't think where design ideas originate. We may copy aspects of other gardens seen in books, magazines, or in person, but where did the inspiration for these gardens come from? We may inherently know certain sites better avail themselves to geometrically planned garden beds while other sites call for less formal and more curvaceous lines … and we all recognize sites of visual discord, but outside of ingrained creativity where does the gut sense that one design works while another does not come from? What's the history behind what we do as modern gardeners?

Here's an excerpt from the first part of my report. It briefly covers Paradise Gardens.

Modern garden design draws on gardening styles developed over centuries. People from multiple geographical regions sculpted landscapes to fit their needs, desires, and beliefs. Contemporary garden designs utilize aspects of three major historical landscape styles. Each style reflects how humans of certain periods shaped the terrain on which they lived into varied forms and functions.

The peoples of arid regions developed gardening methods that tapped into local water supplies and protected precious food crops from the harsh climate. Drawings from ancient Egyptian tombs as old as 3000 B.C. depict walled, symmetrically planted gardens irrigated with redirected waters from nearby rivers and streams. Hand excavated canals delivered water to areas previously unable to grow vegetation. The combination of walled structure and availability of water gave rise to the planting of groves of trees, the creation of fish filled pools, and garden areas in which to grow food crops.

Paradise Gardens

Gardens in the «Paradise» style have a central focus from which other aspects flow outward. In Persia (300 – 500 B.C.) these gardens were typically quadripartite with a central fountain or pool of water – or Fountain of Life - from which four «rivers» flowed. The term Paradise likely comes from ancient Persian words pairi and daeza meaning around and wall. Persians built walls to enclose their plantings and as protection from the harsh, arid climate and predators. Within the walls they grew scented flowers with religious significance and fresh fruits for sustenance. The gardens afforded people protection, shade, and areas for quiet thought.

Persians were not the first or only people to develop and follow this garden style. Walled, symmetrically-planted gardens irrigated with water from nearby sources are historically evident in multiple arid regions. Drawings from ancient Egyptian tombs as old as 3000 B.C. depict such gardens fed by hand excavated canals to transport water from the Nile River. Gardens of the Bible and Quran followed similar design – a central object from which waters flow and sectioned-off planting areas for edible, medicinal, and religiously significant plants.

Gardens were mans' oases or Garden of Eden, feeding both body and soul. Islamic conquests helped spread the concept that heaven is a garden, but each culture that modeled enclosed, geometrically-planted garden areas fashioned them according to their own geography, needs, and beliefs.

Afghan's customized Paradise gardens with raised platforms that seemingly floated above water sources and the plantings below. The Romans and Turks expanded the walled garden concept to encompass entire cities from which leaders could live, entertain, and rule while safely surrounded by all things beautiful.

The Gardens of Pompeii, excavated from beneath the volcanic ash of Vesuvius (79 AD), reveal walled rectangular courtyards, covered walkways, underground cisterns for water collection, ornamental pools, outside dining, trellises, and pergolas. Roman-influenced gardens in Spain tapped irrigated water into sunlit reflecting pools to cool and brighten adjacent interior rooms.

Gardens based on geometrically planned quadrants became the foundation for formal European gardens, as massively illustrated at Versailles. There, in the mid 1600's, France's Louis the 14^th had an entire town and valley re-constructed into acres and acres of formal gardens expanding out from a grand canal via multiple intersecting avenues and paths, many lined or enclosed by walls of manicured greenery and highlighted by reflecting pools.

Think of what in your gardens reflect aspects of Paradise Gardens - symmetrical beds, a central fountain, bird bath, or pool; is your garden your Paradise; do you plant edible crops in visually pleasing designs; do you plant certain vegetation because of its meaning or religious significance?

The next segment of this four part series on landscape design styles will reflect on the English Landscape movement. Part 3 will cover Japanese gardens, and part 4 will bring these historical styles into modern gardens. Stay tuned.

Want to learn more? Check the local library for Landscape Design: A Cultural and Architectural History by Elizabeth Barlow Rogers or Paradise on Earth: The Gardens of Western Europe by Gabrielle van Zuylen.

Categories: Techniques, Training.
Tags: Anna Gresham Landscape Design School, landscape design history, landscape design journey, Paradise Gardens.

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Drawing on learned skills

joenesgarden — Thu, 13 May 2010 19:38:40 +0000

Though advancing through my landscape design lessons more slowly than I'd like, what has been presented so far is starting to make sense. (read through my previous landscape lesson posts, click here or go to Training in the category list in the right sidebar) The last assignment required building a computer aided drafting (CAD) pergola, complete with a tiled patio underneath, planting beds, vines over the pergola, and patio furniture. The point: to become comfortable with methods that allow taller, more prominent objects to appear taller and shorter, less prominent objects to look farther away or as if they are underneath taller structures. Doing so calls for the use of different line widths, cutting away lines of objects sitting beneath others – such as the chairs and table under the pergola – and learning how to use hatch patterns so they actually look like stone, pavers, etc., rather than black blobs.

Here's a portion of my completed drawing.

In this cropped jpeg image it may be difficult to see all the aspects of this particular design, but that's not important. What is important is that with each lesson I better appreciate the amount of time, thought, and technical skill that goes into creating CAD drawings, and the amount of research and plant knowledge needed to create a beautiful and workable landscape plan.

This plan includes a 12x12 ft pergola, 9 ft tall, with one wall solid to support and block off an outdoor shower, and to screen swimming pool mechanicals (at top of drawing) from the seating area. In the planter bed to the left of the pergola I suggest sweet autumn clematis (Clematis terniflora) trained over the pergola. Teepee supported annual vines such as moonflower (Ipomea alba) or earlier blooming Ipomea would be lovely along the fence side of the planter box. Fragrant herbs and flowering annuals could be used along the edge nearer the seating area. The planter could also house a cherry tomato plant or some purple pod snap bean vines, kale, eggplant, and a couple of hot peppers.

This fence-protected bed would be a good place to plant any deer-candy annuals – whether flowering, edible, or both.

I envision tropical hibiscus in the four planters to the right of the mechanicals area, and two large potted topiary or standards to flank the outermost pergola posts.

I cut out the North directional arrow on the original drawing for the sake of fitting the image here, but North points to the upper left corner of the drawing. Therefore, any plantings will receive ample warm sun in this zone 6 region.

The deeper I get into this Anna Grisham School of Landscape Design program, the more I could kick myself for not having done this years earlier. But there's no going back … only forward … and these lessons teach me how to draw out my ideas in a way that allows others to visualize my visions. I can show that ideas floating around in my head actually work in real scenarios. While filling in the plant ideas above I could almost smell the sweet scent of the flowering vines and feel the warmth of the summer sun on my skin.

Categories: Gardening, Training.
Tags: landscape design journey, learning CAD.

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Garden plopping versus garden plotting

joenesgarden — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 19:53:52 +0000

Following a planting plan has been one of the major hurdles I've had in my gardening life. I tend to visualize a specific garden plan, roughly draw it out on paper, jot down a few plant ideas, then dig in. I rarely stick to the original design. I often plop plants here and there as an idea pops into my head. This design method has served me well for many years. Yes, I've had to redo some areas, but my gardens generally look pretty good. However, using this method means I rarely plot out any completed project. Kind of explains why I forget where bulbs are planted, hey?

Now that I'm studying to be a landscape designer, my visual design methods must be usurped by the more exact process of computer aided drafting. The AutoSketch program I'm conquering as part of this course has opened my eyes to the beauty of this method. Now that I'm feeling more comfortable using the program I'm beginning to visualize my ideas in CAD format.

The last lesson in my course involved surveying an actual property containing at least one house. Weather, schedules, and life in general prevented me from completing this lesson as quickly as I had wanted, but in reality so did my choice to survey my own house and gardens. The course lesson recommended choosing a small, relatively simple site, which mine is not. Still, I figured if I could accurately survey my own property, moving on to less complicated sites in later lessons would be a piece of cake. It was a long lesson but it's done. I learned how to plot stone walls, curved and straight walkways, angled and circular planting beds, large trees and small shrubs, decks, fences, woodlands, lawns, and driveways, in addition to a house. I also learned how to slice a large drawing in half – without destroying portions of either half - so the survey can be printed on smaller sheets of paper. All things I need to know to work in landscape design, plus I now have my own property surveyed which will come in handy for future home landscape projects.

Now that the survey lesson is under my belt, I've moved onto concept plans – the part that lays out existing planting and hardscape designs and ideas to alter, improve, or completely redo them. This lesson sounds fun. I'll get to practice using plant, hardscape, furniture, and other symbols, do an elevation drawing, and generally make computer aided drawings more interesting from a design aspect.

In my own gardens, I'm trying to plot out - via keyboard - any existing aspects, and my ideas for changes before I commit shovel to soil. Not only will this give me extra practice using the CAD program it will, for the first time in all these decades of gardening, give me actual plans. that document where I've planted what.

What a concept! Instead of plopping, I'll plot plants – at least those in the ground.

Categories: Training.
Tags: CAD, landscape design journey, survey.

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