http://www2.allblues.org/aroundthehouse en-us http://www2.allblues.org/aroundthehouse N/A alfred@nwnet.us Mon, 06 Sep 2010 00:29:04 PDT 20 http://www2.allblues.org/aroundthehouse/articles/101/1/April-is-Native-Plant-Appreciation-Month How do I appreciate native plants? Let me count the ways...1. Ease of maintenance2. Habitat and food for wildlife3. Adapted to local conditions4. Natural grace and beautyI have been enamored with our native plants since I first moved to Washington 15 years ago. I fell in love with what others who grew up here may have taken for granted. Ah, sword ferns, plentiful and regal! The evergreen huckleberry with its coppery new growth and sweet, black berries-who wouldn't like a plant that beckons you to make pancakes? I learned the identities of all the natives on my property and on hikes in the Olympics and Cascades. I'm still totally smitten.Now I use natives as staples in my garden designs and add them continually to my own plot. In my mind there are two categories of native plants for the cultivated garden. Those more refined and suitable for prominent, high profile planting beds and those whose wilder ways are perfect for areas where they can mingle, tangle and provide shelter and food for wildlife.Some of my favorites from the more refined category:Lewisia cotyledon Lewisia cotyledon is a tiny evergreen that finds nooks of soil in shady rock walls just to its liking. Few flowers last as long as Lewisia's bright spring display.Philadelphus lewisii (Mock Orange). When you open your bedroom window in June, you'll want the fragrance of this shrubs' white flowers wafting in. This is another shrub that seems to be unfazed by different soils as long as it has a dose of daily sun.  Gymnocarpium DryopterisGymnocarpium Dryopteris (Oak Fern). One would never suspect when admiring a stretch of this lush, woodland ground cover in the shade of firs and cedars that its drought tolerant. I'm not the only admirer of this stunner that made the 2008 Great Plant Picks©.Definitely a candidate for the small garden where space is precious and all plants must be performers, Acer circinatum (Vine Maple) is a tree whose fall color rivals any other tree in the nursery. I love the shrimp pink seed pods (samara) that dangle off the branches in late summer.  For areas of the garden farther away from the house, try Physocarpus capitata (Ninebark), a hearty shrub with pretty white flower clusters in early summer and the most interesting striped bark you've ever seen.  Birds love to nest in its dense branches and I like how fast it has filled in and given me privacy.  Vancouveria hexandra Nothing says spring like Vancouveria hexandra.  Because the leaves die back in fall, its best sited in a spot, say near a sundeck, that is mainly used during the growing season.  Its delicate, pale green leaves are shaped like duck feet and its airy white flowers are charming.  Looking for a plant to fill a special niche in the garden? Natives can solve the problem of a challenging soil or exposure since chances are there is a native plant that has adapted itself to this type of location and will serve you well in your garden.  My guess is, the more you try our native plants, the more you'll appreciate them, this month and throughout the year. By Colleen Miko, CPHColleen's, A Landscape Design Companywww.colleenmiko.com Colleen Miko Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www2.allblues.org/aroundthehouse/articles/96/1/Eco-Chic-Gardens-for-Everyone Green, sustainable, eco-friendly. These terms accompany stunning images of home improvement projects in magazines and on TV. But don't be fooled, Eco-Chic gardens are for everyone, even those of us with modest means. It's actually quite easy to make your garden the sustainable star of the neighborhood.Stair rail built with tree branchesGreen landscapes are a combination of the Three M's: Materials, Methods and Maintenance. An ideally sustainable garden is made up of all eco-friendly materials, was installed using low-impact methods and is entirely maintained in a way that conserves resources. However, we can all achieve a green garden if we simply chose a few of the right materials build them thoughtfully and strive to maintain the garden with less water and chemicals. Green gardens are flexible, unique and tailored to a specific site. A green garden can be built in any style and on any budget.Eco-friendly materials are reused, sustainable or recycled.  Used for what they were originally intended or reincarnated, reusing materials saves money and fuels creativity. Ideas: Use an old headboard to train sweet peas. An iron bathtub sunk in the ground is ideal for growing water irises. Reclaimed lumber from a salvaged barn makes a practical and funky garden shed.Potting shed built with windows reclaimed from house in ChehalisThere is a whole new generation of innovative green building materials to try when its time to renovate your garden. Ideas: A pergola constructed of bamboo poles. Build a deck with easy care, recycled plastic lumber or patio with interlocking pavers that allow water to percolate through to the soil.Green gardens use construction methods that conserve soil quality, existing plants and protect water sources nearby.    Ideas: Protect the tree on the south side of the house that makes it possible to go without air conditioning by building a short temporary fence out 10' from the trunk so the dump truck doesn't get parked on its sensitive roots. A sign reading "Do Not Walk Here" protects soil from 3 weeks of work boots and having the cement mixer washed out into it. When there's no way to avoid high traffic, lay a sheet of plywood over the soil so that the load is distributed across the whole area.  Retaining wall built with recycled concrete (rip-rap) and local stone You can make your existing garden green by changing a few maintenance techniques. Sustainable gardens require fewer resources - less water, electricity, gasoline and less of your own labor. Ideas: Use leaves from the Big leaf Maple to mulch your flower beds. Replace lawn with an evergreen groundcover and say goodbye to buying and using gas powered mowers, string trimmers, fertilizer and lime. Convert that very dry spot into a rock garden.Anyone can have an eco-friendly garden. So you can't afford the recycled plastic lumber, use what's affordable and forgo the needy patch of lawn for the existing Salal and sword fern. With the money saved from not buying a mower and paying high summer water bills, buy a colorful Adirondack chair made of recycled plastic. Or simply sweep your front walk rather than use your leaf blower. Then, the next time you see the glossy spread in House & Landscape, you won't just be reading about Eco-Chic, you'll be living it.By Colleen Miko, CPHColleens, A Landscape Companywww.colleenmiko.com Colleen Miko Sat, 01 Mar 2008 00:00:00 PST http://www2.allblues.org/aroundthehouse/articles/93/1/Garden-Spaces by Lloyd Glasscock, CPHMore and more often homeowners are trying to find a way to use their garden spaces (or landscape) more effectively for entertaining. This is a great way to keep the cost of entertaining down (after all, you own the space already) and to create a more comfortable setting for your guests.The first step is to think of this area of the garden as an outdoor living room rather than as a simple patio or lawn area and how it can best function for entertaining. Think of how many people might be using the space at any one time and what occasion they might be there for. Think also of how often the space might be used and at what times of year. A good outdoor living room is adaptable enough so that four people are as comfortable as twenty or more.The patio area is central to making this all work. The surface should be fairly even and uniform with few if any gaps. If the patio is flagstone it may need to be mortared to prevent shoes or chair legs from getting trapped between stones. Size is important as well. A person sitting in a chair on your patio will require 10-12 Square feet of space (or 9 people per 100 sq. ft.). One way to increase your sitting area without increasing your patio to absurd proportions is to allow wall space around the patio (if the design allows) to be available as seating, which only takes up 3-4 sq ft of space per person.When looking at the patio area and deciding how and where to enlarge it, always look at the lawn. Besides being a water hog, turf grass is just not conducive to most entertaining, especially as families get smaller and children get older. Maintenance is always an issue and a well planned patio can look as attractive as a lawn, especially with the creative use of planters and other props.Planters are a must. Besides filling the living space when people aren't there they give the patio area more structure. A couple of larger ones would be fine, but the majority of the planters should be relatively simple to move around by up to two people with a minimum of fuss. They also need to look great when planted. Don't skimp in this area because it can make or break your event. A mix of seasonal annual color and perennials usually works well. In winter add heathers or other woody evergreens that might have some color. The key when working with planters is simple. Keep them full and make sure the colors go together somewhat. Most of your guests aren't going to know one plant from the next, but be sure you know what you have planted in case someone asks you (you'll be a star!). Once the patio area and planters are decided on look into the furnishings you want to live with. Benches and tables are an integral part of what you're trying to achieve so make sure they mix well with everything else that is going on in the area. Benches should have 'wide' or 'sled-like' legs rather than pegs for ease of movement on the patio surface. As with the planters the tables should be something that can be moved by up to two people.  Barbeques are another matter. These are functional units and should have a dedicated space away from the new 'living area'. Built in units are best kept around the corner or somehow out of site unless they are part of how you regularly entertain. Units that can be rolled around the corner are great because they can be rolled out of site, something that should be allowed for in the patio design process.Last comes whatever finishes you would like to put on your new space. These can be 'permanent' items like fountains or statuary, or they can be seasonal / occasional things. Think green lights in the trees & shrubs for St Patrick's Day dinner or Chili Pepper lights for a summer get-together. When using fountains think of the sound or splash they might create and allow for that.  Also keep them clean, because nothing would be worse than to have everything for a function perfect and then end up looking at green water all afternoon.  Okay, except for St Patrick's Day.It all sounds simple because it really is. Start planning your space now because the sooner you have finished, the sooner you can start celebrating!Lloyd Glasscock is a partner in Pacific Stone Co, an outlet specializing in Natural Flagstone & Wall stone, Concrete Paving Stone and other landscape features in Everett.  He has worked in the local landscape industry for over twenty years in the areas of retail garden center, landscape supplies, landscape design & consultation and is a Certified Professional Horticulturist through the WSNLA.More landscaping! Lloyd Glasscock Fri, 01 Feb 2008 00:00:00 PST http://www2.allblues.org/aroundthehouse/articles/75/1/Fall-Color-for-Your-Window-Box Thinking outside the flower box"Praise a large domain, cultivate a small estate," wrote Virgil.  Woody shrubs, grasses, perennials, groundcovers:  practically anything that can be planted in the garden can fill your window box.Design Considerations:  We hardly need to worry about too much sun during our Northwest winters, but you should still consider the light and exposure your boxes will get and choose plants accordingly.  Choose plants that work well with the color of your home and window trim.  Most should be "evergreen;" that is, plants that have leaves all winter regardless of their color.  Fall/winter window box plantings grow very little, so think big.  Choose plants large enough (4-inch and gallon size plants) and plant the boxes fully enough to make them look "grown in."  Plant Selection:  When planting your window boxes, it's not the "paint" that matters; it's the "painter."  While keeping your planting conditions in mind, how you use the plants matters more than what plants you choose.  Create contrast, movement and interest in your window boxes with whatever plants you select.  Bulbs/Annuals:  We have limited choices for winter annuals--pansies in the fall and primroses in the late winter--so consider a strong mix of foliage plants with a lighter mix of flowers.  Tuck a few low-growing bulbs in your window boxes as well as annual flowers.  Foliage Effects:  Evergreen grasses, like Carex dipsacea (Autumn Sedge) and Carex flagillifera (Brown Sedge) take on golden brown colors in the winter, as in the picture on the left.  Variegated grasses like Acorus gramineus  'Ogon,' with its yellow variegation, and Acorus gramineus 'Variegatus,' featuring a cream/green mix, brighten shady boxes.  Blue grasses (Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue'), dark red grasses (Ucinia uciniata), and even black grasses (Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens) appear at reputable nurseries.Contrast these fine-textured plants with bold plants like the many types of Heuchera (Coral Bells) now in the trade.  A study in contrasts, Heuchera 'Marmalade' is a beautiful warm butterscotch color while Heuchera 'Obsidian' is a rich black/brown.  Bergenia (Elephant Ear), another big leaved perennial, can take on reddish tints in cold weather and blooms on a tall spike in late winter/early spring. Heuchera, also called Coral Bells.Euphorbias are often are sold as 4-inch or gallon plants in the fall as are new species of Hebe.  Euphorbias are a medium-textured plant and include upright and trailing forms.  Hebe has leaves similar to boxwood and come in purple, variegated and blue-leaved forms.  These medium-textured perennials and shrubs make wonderful foils for both fine-textured and broad-leaved plants.Conifers and shrubby evergreens, like the winter-blooming Camellia sasanqua, often appear in gallon sizes in the fall and transplant easily to the garden later.Groundcovers like the new cultivars of Ajuga reptans (Bugleweed) can be used as filler between other plants.  Vinca major 'Wojo's Gem' is a variegated trailing vinca and a great substitute for ivy. Visit a reputable nursery in the fall---preferably one with a CPH on staff---and take time to combine plants there and ask questions.  Your fall/winter window boxes can be as glorious as any planter full of spring flowers!By Toni Cross, CPH, of Seasonal Color Potswww.seasonalcolorpots.comContributed by Breanne JonesCommunication DirectorWashington State Nursery and Landscaping AssociationMore Landscaping! Kplu Administrator Sun, 09 Sep 2007 00:00:00 PDT