Botanica Atlanta Landscape Design

Walter Reeve makes a good point – gardeners have a special vocabulary not understood “on the street”, as it were.  His reference is to the old-time advice to “dress with dried blood to accelerate” the growth of a peony.  I’d add, we are then going to “stake” those peonies??

Deadhead is another phrase that either conjures images of Morticia Adams or Jerry Garcia, neither having anything to do with the gardening act nor representative of its outcome.  What about overwinter?  Isn’t that how North Dakotans and Minnesotans feel just about now? 

Photo credit: Cloud Q Conrad

It isn’t enough that gardeners have their own language.  What about the strange social customs gardeners observe?  A gardener will pull weeds at the front stoop while she waits for her gardener neighbor to answer the door.  She can’t do that for a non-gardening neighbor, who would see it as criticism, not an obsession to help. 

Gardeners can sniff each other out at the local garden center, too.  One time a fellow enthusiast strode up to me just beaming and thrust a 6” pot at me and simply said, “Pelargonium citrosum.  There are three left. Next to tomatoes.  You’ll want them.”  He wouldn’t have shoved these in any shopper’s face.  At a higher level, shoppers don’t generally “push” products with other shoppers. No one says, “You’ve simply got to get that red checked shower curtain!” to someone they don’t know.

Photo credit: Cloud Q. Conrad

There are also the rituals. Average mortals cast a wildflower mix over grass they have killed with some variety of toxin and enjoy what they sow as a kind of bonus, a Heads up in the 50/50 odds of life.  But gardeners not only dig, but double dig a new garden bed for cut flowers, vegetables, herbs and perennials.  Gardeners wouldn’t dream of starting off a new area without addressing the foundation first.  Not only that, they relish in the ritual of breaking, turning, cleaning, amending and replacing soil – and for its own sake.  The satisfaction of clearing roots, rocks, building debris and other unwelcome elements from the garden area is enough in itself. 

 Photo credit: Cloud Q. Conrad

Certainly there will be great satisfaction in the planting and nurturing of the new garden composition but every gardener – every true gardener – pauses, at least for a few seconds, to admire her “yummy” dirt likea cake just pulled from the oven, before slicing into it for planting.

Only gardeners understand the idiosyncrasies of what appears to be a distinct culture with its own language, customs and rituals.  For the rest of civilization clay-stained fingernails, calloused palms and a farmer’s tan says zealot or paid laborer.  For gardeners, these things are just part of life.

-author: Cloud Q Conrad

The vernal equinox will occur this Saturday at 1:32 pm EDT. This is the “precise” moment that the earth is closest to the sun in its spring orbital path, and also the exact point in the spring when day and night are of nearly equal lengths at all latitudes. (“Nearly” is in part due to the fact that a year is 365.25 days but we'll not digress.)  The dichotomy of this statement is in itself symbolic - there cannot be balance without distinct and opposed things, concepts or feelings.  In this case day and night. 

As it relates to the landscape, we have sun and shade, dry and moist, and deciduous and evergreen.  Mark Rothko's abstract paintings symbolize this notion of distinct and opposed elements and the minimalist style suggests horizons where earth meets sky....the most basic of dichotomies in the landscape.

“Equal”conjures up thoughts of balance, and this is a welcome idea. Balance is fleeting, of course, because we are crossing the point of equilibrium in a path towards the opposite extreme. Still, after this unseasonably cold winter there is more than momentary comfort in the prospect of the other side. The side that offers warmth and light. The side that offers abundance of bloom, fruit, vegetable and seed.

Today’s collage (all photos courtesy of ArtRepublic.com) is a colorful rendering of balance as an abstract concept, each painting selected to represent the nearly balanced – within itself and relative to the others...just how nature is, imperfectly balanced.

Maybe it’s just the time of year, but the collage began to suggest seed packets to me as I was writing this.  If you are the sort of gardener who collects seeds to perpetuate your garden or trade with friends, make unique, memorable seed packets by downloading this seed packet template and accessing images of art masterpieces on the internet.  With scissors, glue, a printer and your computer’s picture manager software (for image re-sizing and cropping), you can easily make your seed packets works of art.  Use the template as a stencil, by placing it under a piece of clear plastic cut from a gallon milk jug and tracing the seed packet outline onto the plastic with a permanent marker.  Carefully cut out the plastic seed packet stencil.  Then, use the stencil to trace the seed packet outline onto printouts of your images.  Cut out the seed packet, label and date them with the marker, and fold and glue three sides closed.  Allow to dry.  Fill, then fold and tape the top side shut.

- Author: Cloud Q. Conrad

If you are looking for inspiration to create a really unique outdoor holiday lighting display in your landscape this year, the 29th Sapporo White Illumination is currently on display in Sapporo, the capitol city of Japan’s Hokkaido Prefecture, located in the northernmost portion of the main island. This fantastically artful installation is on exhibit every November through mid-February in downtown Sapporo. While most of these examples are too grand a scale for the Atlanta landscape, the concepts can still be applied for an elegant and colorful holiday lighting display.

This effect is achieved by using different “gels” (tinted acetate layers) on flood lights. If you have deciduous ornamentals in key focal points at your home or business, consider adorning them with tinted light for the holidays.

Photo courtesy of Sapporo Tourist Association

You can find gels online by searching for “theatrical light supply”. This is a stunning way to feature your landscape in the holiday display, rather than just having trees and shrubs act as armatures for miniature lights. And with some seasonal adjustments to the colors, your flood light system can also be used to celebrate Halloween, Easter, July 4th or any event.

Photo courtesy of Sapporo Tourist Association

For the most powerful statement, spray paint the reflector portion of the flood bulbs with black heat resistant paint in order to eliminate any backlighting.

Photos courtesy of The Haunted Driveway

The above photos illustrate, from left to right: The bulb without the paint, the bulb with the paint, and which part of the bulb to paint.

Light Sculpture: Wrap individual light strands around 9’ bamboo stakes or, defoliate bamboo on the front of a stand that is visible from the street or a key window in your home. This concept will be most successful if wrapping five or more stakes. The greater the number of illuminated stakes, the more effective the statement will be.

Photo courtesy of Sapporo Tourist Association

I have also seen dead trees, and those whose removal due to disease or re-design is planned for the spring, painted and wrapped with miniature lights. If you paint a tree, be sure to spread an old tarp below beforehand. You may also selectively prune before painting to modify (clean up) the overall form. Do not paint a tree that you want to survive!

Does anyone have any unique holiday lighting ideas for the landscape to share?  Please share them here!

Great backyard landscape plans make the most of a home's deck - after all, this is a great place to enjoy the landscape and gardens through most of the year. Your landscape designer might suggest subtle or more extensive deck improvements that will enhance the aesthetics of your garden plan while complimenting the architectural style of your home. When the deck and other landscape elements like gazebos and potting sheds coordinate aesthetically with the home, the landscape can reach its maximum potential. Here are some ideas to personalize a standard builder's-issue deck and better link the deck, the landscape and the home, all without changing the deck footprint.

Change the deck balusters. Decorative steel, aluminum and wood balusters can have a huge impact on the personality of your deck and there are many styles to compliment virtually every architectural theme. It is remarkable how this single change can transform your deck into an outdoor room.

Change the deck post caps. Metal, wood and ceramic post caps and finials are available in an endless array of styles. Low voltage and solar lighted options are available for visual impact, mood setting and safety at night.

Change the deck rail posts. Post covers can be installed over 4x4 and 6x6 posts to give a whole new look to your deck. Ornamental wood and metal sleeve styles or brick and stone veneer systems, even high density expanded polyurethane sleeves for no maintenance applications, are available in a variety of patterns and colors. Upgrading your deck posts can change a ho-hum deck into a stylish outdoor living retreat and frame your professional landscape design in the most complimentary way.

As a routine maintenance task that will enhance your deck's appearance, fall is a great time to pressure wash, stain and seal your deck. Protecting the deck's wood from the elements is a practical way to extend the life of your deck maximize its value. Since stains and sealers are best applied below 80 degrees, fall applications help insure an even coating that doesn't show overlap. Combination stain and sealers are available in natural wood colors like cedar and walnut, and can be applied easily and at low cost. The visual impact is big however - your deck will appear years younger. Best of all, the fresh stains provide a great color contrast to the landscape plantings beyond your deck and help them pop forward visually.

You and your landscape designer can find myriad ideas on how to dress up your wooden deck by doing a photo search on decks.com.

Imagine that you are sitting by the pool and it is lunchtime. The grill is on the main level, outside the kitchen, the pool is on the lower level.  What you need is at least a second grill, or maybe even a full outdoor kitchen. 

Outdoor kitchens are the next level to a grill, and if you entertain during the summer then you need one too. 

To create an outdoor kitchen, you need three things: something to cook food on; something to keep food hot; and something to keep things cold. This can be as simple as a grill, with a cooler on the side, or as elaborate as a full kitchen in the garden. Most homes will have an outdoor kitchens falls somewhere between these two extremes.

Heat Source:  This is the main part of the kitchen, just as your stove and oven are critical to your indoor kitchen.  Cooking requires either direct heat such as over coals or propane vents, or indirect heat.  Being able to accommodate both these functions will allow maximum cooking opportunities. 

A direct gas line can be installed or you can use propane, or even coals, so consider how far you have to carry a full propane tank when you make this decision.

Cool Storage: At 75° raw meat, as well as egg based dressings, can be contaminated with bacteria if left out on the counter. It is important that these are kept cool until you plan to use them. A cooler or other container with ice will do a great job, but for added convenience run an electrical line to the area so that you can use a refrigerator.  Added cooling space will be needed for cold refreshments as well. If you plant to entertain extensively, you can even add an in-ground wine cellar close to the area.

Preparation Space: Every good cook needs somewhere to prepare the food and create tasty dishes.  How much space you need will depend on the chef in the family.  Minimal space is required for burgers and hot dogs. More extensive space will be needed to cook Steak Diane using diced mushrooms, shallots, fresh herbs and the juice of a lemon. The space should be washable, not only to avoid dust and leaves from the environment, but also to avoid contamination from meat products. Running water is also necessary so that you can wash your hands and the utensils.

Seating: If you have the basics of a kitchen organized, the rest can be added on to customize the area.  Outdoor cooking is a social event so some sort of seating for the guests is needed.  Some people want casual seating in the area, others prefer bar type seats. Some want sofas so that they can watch the game outdoors too. A large outdoor area can accommodate a mix of seating.

Lighting: If you plan on using the kitchen at night, or even dusk, then some form of additional light source will be needed.  Safely illuminate both the cooking area and the walkways particularly if you are near a pool.

Permits and other logistics: Putting a simple grill in the back yard will not invoke any wrath from neighbors but building a full outdoor cooking and dining area may.  Permanent fixtures that involve brick and mortar will need permits, and doubtless you will need permission from the subdivision authority too.  The fixture may look great from your side of the fence, but your neighbor may not be pleased if they have a brick wall constructed outside their picture window.

Grilling and other outdoor cooking keeps the heat out of the kitchen and tends to be more relaxed and social than formal indoor meals. Having a convenient place outdoors to entertain and cook will enhance the experience, and if done well will also add value to your home.

For suggestions for great meals to cook on the grill try: http://www.sizzleonthegrill.com/blog/

Summer is officially here and that means it is time to fire up the grill!

No one wants to cook inside when the temperatures are high and the pool is beckoning, so casual, simple cooking is the answer.  Using a few herbs to season those summer meals adds flavor and considerably less sodium than commercial rubs.

The Mediterranean herbs are well suited to using on the grill, and are easy to grow in the garden too.  Rosemary, thyme and chives all thrive in hot weather and they require very little water too.  Even better they do not need fertilizer.  In fact if you are over zealous with fertilizers the plants will grow tall and put out lots of leaves at the expense of flavor.

For using on the grill you want to put your patch of herbs nearby.  Either that or have a few of your favorite herbs in pots near to where you cook. Fresh picked herbs will be far superior to the supermarket choices that have traveled many miles and were picked a week or so ago.

For outdoor cooking, Rosemary is at the top of my list.  This versatile herb is evergreen and grows into a substantial bush over a few years.  New growth is added to the woody stems each year giving lots of material that holds up well over a direct flame.  The stiff stems have become popular as ready made skewers for kabobs, but the smaller leaves are also great for flavor.

To make a tasty kabob, take several long, woody stems, and strip the leaves from the lower part.  Sharpen the exposed end so that you can thread small tomatoes, onions and peppers on the stick.  Pick vegetables that will cook at the same rate, just as you would if you were using a metallic skewer.  Small cubes of meat can also be used, but pre-punch the hole in steaks or firm meats so that the rosemary stem can be passed through without breaking.

Lemon thyme is another great herb for using with grilled meats.  Pick a variety that is upright rather than sprawling so that the leaves don?t drag and root in the dirt. Thymes, like rosemary are semi woody herbs but the stems of thyme are not sufficiently strong to pierce vegetables.  The small stems though can be laid onto, or into meat selections. The lighter, savory flavor goes particularly well with chicken or fish.

Make a slit in a boneless piece of chicken and put lemon thyme stems inside.  As the meat cooks, the lemony thyme flavor will be imparted to the flesh.  Filling the cavity of fresh fish with a mixture of lemon thyme, regular thyme or a little mint will not overwhelm the delicate flavor of the dish.

Chives and cilantro can be kept handy too so that you can snip them into salads and baked potatoes.

So with just a few herbs, you can add taste and variety to your summer grilling experience.