Just had to share our Crimson Queen Japanese Maple at its peak of fall color. It’s a pow in the eye socket!
All hail the Crimson Queen!
blam! crimsony goodness
November 16th, 2010neverending patio story
November 16th, 2010Talk about dragging things out. November and we’re still talking patios! Here’s where we left off: on the fence about poured concrete, our ideal scenario, so we’ve been considering other options.
Our poured concrete layout looked like this (click to biggify)…
Finished, those concrete sections would have looked kinda like this (but running parallel to the house)…
by shades of green landscape architecture | houzz.com
Too bad that’s not gonna work out moneywise. Waah.
Option 1 : concrete pavers
So if poured concrete is out, what’s the next best thing? Concrete pavers? We looked into a few sources after eliminating Lowe’s and Home Depot. Stepstone, Inc. makes what I think are the best-looking concrete pavers by far…
narrow modular pavers | stepstoneinc.com
The October Dwell features an article on the remod of the mag founder’s first home. Lots of great images of Stepstone pavers on their back patio. Beautiful. They’re made in Cali. On the phone, their people were very helpful. Drawbacks: Several week lead-time. Shipping. Not cheap. And honestly, I’m still hooked on having pavers set into gravel or grass, in which case these wouldn’t work — they’re designed with a mortarless spacer system that requires them to be butted up against each other.
Looking for a concrete paver alternative closer to home, David came across Bolduc in Canada. We liked the look of Avenue…
avenue in a commercial application | bolduc.ca
Commercial rather than residential, which didn’t deter us. Cheaper than Stepstone. Comes in several shades of grey. The folks at Southridge Farm and Nursery in Walpole ordered some samples for us. They look like this…
They come in larger sizes. Good. Beveled edges. Icky. Overall, too, um, municipal looking? The top side of the dark option looks like poured asphalt. Not a look we’re going for. Shazam.
Option 2: stone
Okay, so if those pavers are out, what next? Stone? We automatically ruled out stone because it has to cost more. Doesn’t it? Turns out that bluestone or granite run about the same cost or even cheaper than the Bolduc pavers. Wow. Okay, so that sounds encouraging.
New layout options: squares
So what about layout now that the trapezoid look is a no-go? The square grid layout looks great but it’s a no for us, whether they’re set in pea gravel…
by daniel nolan design | houzz.com
or set in grass…
by huettil landscape archictecture | houzz.com
Squares are perfect when the architecture is boxy like that. Not so much for our situation. David and I don’t always agree about everything but we do agree that a long, linear layout goes better with our long, linear house. Strips set parallel to the house would lead the eye out toward the low pool at the end.
New layout options: rectangular strips
Imagine strips of stone set in pea gravel. Either uniform strips…
maisonry winery, yountville | remodelista.com
Or staggered strips…
by environmental concepts | houzz.com
I can also picture strips of stone set in grass…
by feldman architecture | houzz.com
from seattle dream gardens | sunset.com
Decisions, decisions. We’ll be working out patio configurations this week so that we can get this party started.
Pool options
Then there’s also the matter of the pool. David was set on an above-ground water feature so that people could sit on the edge. Something akin to this…
by carolyn chadwick | houzz.com
Not impossible to create such a thing but it’s a little more expensive. I’m not budging on my desire for steps across the pool to the patio, either way. Luckily, David is now open to an in-ground pond…
desert botanic garden pool by ten eyck landscape architects | teneyeckla.com
montcalm street by rossington architecture | houzz.com
The stones in the pond are kind of nice. Of course, both of those examples are concrete edge and not stone, so the look would probably be more like this…
blue mountain by phillips farveaag smallenberg | pfs.ca
Sounds like poured concrete may not be in the pond picture now. Pool liner? Oy. Our neverending story… everybody sing!
Want even more?
Reference previous patio and pool obsessiveness at total yard-on for hardscape.
landing stripped
November 12th, 2010On my brain today: the landing strip. That pesky area where you come into your house and want to divest yourself of the sundry things weighing you down. Coat. Muck boots. Scarf and hat. Mail. Keys. You know the drill.
As I’ve mentioned before, we don’t have much room in our entryway…
No room for a closet. Possibly room for a small bench (we have one in the works). The galvanized boot tray from now defunct Smith & Hawken we’ll likely keep for underneath the yet-to-happen bench. I vote for carting our coats upstairs, but I do see a need for a place our guests can unload before they make the journey up.
In just the past week, I’ve come across two possibilities that don’t look as though they’d intrude too much into our small space…
small teak Cutter wardrobe by Skagerak | horne.com
Funny, the photo of it in situ reminds me of our landing strip setup…
Skagerak Cutter wardrobe | horne.com
Looks like it needs a boot tray. They also have a matching stool for underneath…
small teak Cutter bench by Skagerak | horne.com
Plus a longer version with a matching bench…
large Cutter bench and wardrobe by Skagerak | horne.com
Made of plantation grown teak — a nice sustainable touch. Thinking those would do well in a bathroom as well as an entryway. Thanks to Remodelista for pointing me in their direction.
I came across another coatrack with landing strip potential while poking around the Amenity site. This one has an even slimmer profile…
douglas fir Muir wall coatrack | amenityhome.com
douglas fir Muir wall coatrack | amenityhome.com
Made of reclaimed fir. Comes in a low-VOC, non-toxic walnut finish in addition to natural. I like that. The mail slot in the back makes it extra functional. Sweet.
Add those to my list of “gee I wish I had that.”
the coolest house on the planet
November 4th, 2010Bursting with pride today! Not for myself but a friend. A smart, ridiculously talented young architect by the name of Benjamin Garcia Saxe, whose personal project just made him the winner in the house category of the 2010 World Architecture Festival. That’s world, people. Winner of the whole freaking world!
Take a look at the magical creation he crafted for his mother in Costa Rica in his spare time. All photos by Andres Garcia Lachner Fotografia via worldbuildingsdirectory.com…
All that and much more to enjoy here — read what inspired him, it really gives the project a lovely human spirit. According to yesterday’s announcement…
The jury immediately sensed that this project, designed by Benjamin Garcia Saxe Architect, was a potential winner, and were left in no doubt after the architect’s presentation.
Yay! Ben got his Master of Architecture at RISD in 2007. We know him because we entrusted his beautiful and equally talented wife Erika with our most valuable possession: Bix. She took great care of him from the age of 8 months to 3 years at our home and theirs. After Ben graduated, they moved to London where Erika pursued dance and Ben went to work doing great things for Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, I’m sure.
The last time we saw them, Ben gave us this amazing plywood sculpture for Bix…
bix’s sculpture via benjamingarciasaxe.com
We love that piece and will treasure it forever! I’ll be sure to post a photo of it in Bix’s room, where it lives.
Congratulations again, Benji. I hope you and Erika are sipping champagne tonite!
don’t curb it!
November 1st, 2010
“Never again will we put our leaves out to the curb.” I swore it last year and I meant it. Adding fall leaves to the landfill is just plain wasteful. If your city composts them, great. But why give away free organic materials your garden needs? I’m composting my leaves from now on — to save money and for a more sustainable garden.
First of all, let me say that my urban garden has 11 oak trees and one spindly little dogwood. “Oak trees?!” you shriek in disbelief. “But the acid!” Oy. The idea that oak leaves will “burn” your plants or make your soil acidic is a myth. My leaves are going to compost over the next half a year or so and will break down into lovely dark brown organic matter that’s high in nutrients. Let’s move on, shall we?
Temperatures are dropping. So are my leaves. That means it’s time to rake…
And rake I do…
Only now every pile I make I then mow over using our new Fiskars Momentum reel mower. It works great to chop up the oak leaves into little bits, which will then make them break down much, much quicker. Obviously, whatever kind of mower you own will work just fine…
To get the leaves small enough, I run them over a few times, rake the pile together, then run them over again. I never even break a sweat…
The result: fall confetti!
I then pile it all, including grass clippings, into leaf bags — not destined for the curb. I have a spot at the top of our yard that’s unplanted but still needs to be cleared of weeds and undesirable overgrown shrubs. I’m talking about you, forsythia! So my leaf bits will become a brand-new compost pile in the next few weeks.
“Oh noes! Oak leaf bits on your lawn will kill the grass!” you say? No. Chopped up leaf bits will fall between the blades of grass and, if they don’t blow away during one of our Nor’easters, will break down and essentially compost where they fall…
Don’t worry, I’ve researched the life out of this. It’s actually good for your grass!
My ultimate goal is not to have to buy compost or even mulch in the seasons ahead. I’ve already begun collecting leaves from my neighbors’s yards as well — I figure why not throw in some maple leaves, right? There’s no such thing as too much compost!
One tip: if you try this yourself, which I hope you will, don’t forget to jump in the pile first!
More reading:
Composting Grass and Leaves Why is it better for your soil? Because “Pound for pound, the leaves of most trees contain twice the mineral content of manure.”
Composting Leaves How to whip up a no-sweat lasagna garden using fall leaves and have a new planting bed by next spring. Think of it as composting in place!
Fall Leaves Make a Great Natural Mulch Why buy mulch when it’s right there in your trees?
Lasagna Gardening More on the no-till, no-dig method of gardening.
How to Make Oak Leaf Compost Surprise! Oak leaves make excellent compost.
A Guide for Composting at Home Lots of great composting info here. Leaf composting is near the end of the article.
Making and Using Leaf Mold An alternative to composting your leaves — make leaf mold. It’s ridiculously easy. Bag it. Forget it. It turns to gardening gold in 6 months to a year! A good option if you don’t have room for a compost pile.
not the last straw
October 29th, 2010
Yes, I’m still out back mulching the garden over for winter. The count: 36 bales of straw. Will 36 cover our urban back 40? nuh-uh. I’ll let you know the final tally. I’m sure this is completely fascinating to you. *eye roll*
making hay
October 27th, 2010
Well, technically, not hay. Straw. I’ve been putting truckloads of the stuff on my garden beds in preparation for winter. Last year I used it to winterize my pots (at that point, all my plants were still pot-bound). It worked so well — and for so little money — I’m blanketing the entire garden with straw!
Straw is perfect to protect my new plants, keep weeds down and keep my 92 yards of new topsoil from meandering any further. It stops the water from rushing downhill. I need that.
Here’s a big seller: a bale costs just $5…
Once you trim the cords that bind it…
… it separates easily into sections like so. Each section is about 4″ to 5″ thick (that compresses over the winter)…
Then you can lay it out in rectangles or break it up, whichever you prefer. So now my beds look something like this…
Not exactly pretty but who cares? It’s organic! It’s for winter! The elements will darken it and break it down some before spring. If there are any errant weed seeds in the bales, the freezing temps kill them. And from what I’ve seen so far, straw is the ideal worm farm — the worms are mad for the stuff. Did I mention straw is considerably cheaper than the buckwheat hull mulch I get from Seven Arrows Farm? Love me some buckwheat hulls but I need to cut costs.
Laugh at me now but come next spring it will all be food for the soil and help keep the ground moist as temps rise again. My plants will be thrilled.
P.S. I may not be crazy. I’m not the only one pro-straw as mulch: read this or this or this article on Ruth Stout, the queen of straw bale vegetable gardening.
baby garden’s first fall
October 26th, 2010Whoa. My baby’s growing up! Leave home for a week or so and things really change around here. Here’s a look at the first signs of autumn brilliance in our own backyard.
Our spindly little dogwood, which would probably look better if previous owners had planted it in a less shady spot, glows a lovely, warm red now…
My trio of Callicarpa bodinieri ‘Profusion Beautyberry’ are loaded with Barney-colored berries…
Just across the path, my new golden spruce, picea orientalis ‘skylands,’ really shines behind the dark euphorbia ‘blackbird’…
Just look at those crazy euphorbia. They stay a dark eggplant shade with hits of blue and chartreuse from spring through fall. I hope they make it through the winter…
Further up the hill I have another euphorbia, this one is ‘Bonfire’. It complements the other fall shades around the yard quite nicely, I think. Especially since I set it in front of sumacs and penesetums…
Speaking of which, the Rhus typhina ‘Tiger Eyes sumacs’ and ornamental grass border looks like it’s on fire…
That’s ricinis communis (castor bean) in the front there next to miscanthus sinensis ‘silberfeder’ (Japanese Silver Grass). ‘Tiger Eyes’ sumac are the fiery bits in back. The sumac colors are amazing…
The castor bean’s leaves and alien-looking seedpods are a nice complement…
Further back, my new Rhus aromatica ‘Gro Low sumacs’ are not only securing the slope but bursting with color. Someday they’ll mature into a real eye-catcher every fall…
My Japanese Forest Grass is finally starting to fill in and has taken on some nice fall color. These should look much more impressive next year — they’re not even half the size they should reach. Hakonechloa macra ‘Beni Kaze’ is is turning burgundy at the tips…
Hakonechloa macra ‘All Gold’ is starting to go from chartreuse to brilliant gold, as the name promises…
And Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’ is beginning to take on shades of purple and pink…
Last but hardly least, Panicum virgatum ‘Ruby Ribbons’ (Ruby Ribbons Switch Grass) has gone from seafoam blue and purple to a deep, deep red, which looks fab next to the sage-y green of the euphorbia myrsinites ‘donkey tail spurge’…
And to make fall all the more glorious, it’s 73 degrees out today! Wait… what the hell am I doing indoors?
fall at denver botanic
October 25th, 2010In Denver last week, our very first stop (after our favorite noshery) was Denver Botanic. This is high country, so you see a lot of drought-tolerant ornamental grasses, native plants and conifers here. I get great compositional ideas from DenBot.
As luck would have it, this time Henry Moore’s sculptures were on display. Take a look…
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derrrrr
October 24th, 2010
Sorry for going black again. We headed to Colorado for a trip to see my family and like a complete dork I left my computer bag in the hallway by the front door. Kill me. Wanted to do updates via WordPress for iPhone but my passwords were at home. Argh. On the other hand, Godzilla and Mechagodzilla had a great time.