Colors of Fall

Private Residence: Wayne, PA   Late October

Sedum 'Autumn Joy', Pennisetum 'Hameln', Ilex verticillata 'Winter Red', Eupatorium 'Little Joe', Panicum 'Northwind' & 'Heavy Metal' 

Private Garden- West Chester, PA  Late October

Striking yellow foliage of Amsonia hubrichtii followed by Hypericum 'Hidcote' followed by Miscanthus sinensis 'Gracillimus' 

North Creek Nursery Open House- Landenberg, PA

http://www.northcreeknurseries.com/

Late September

Meadow with Solidago (yellow flowers) & Asters (purple flowers)

Downingtown Garden 3 years later

Project Site: Downingtown, P.A.
Design & Installed: Summer 2007
Design Program: The Homeowners felt as if their back yard was a 'fish bowl' as every time they went outside to use their deck or yard the neighbors could see what they were doing. Screening was the first priority coupled with four season interest and complimentary plantings. Rather than put up a green wall around the entire perimeter I selectively screened some views and we kept open other long views between the homes. A seating area was planned for and future plans of a pool were planned.

Master Landscape Plan

Before

After 2008

After 2008

After 2009

Before 2007

After 2010

Before 2007

After 2010

After 2008

After 2010

Lavender flanks the red Adirondack chairs with the Gateway Joe Pye weed and 'Yoshino' Japanese Cedars providing a secluded resting spot.

The swallowtail butterflies enjoying the 'Gateway' Joe-pye Weed

plants that impress me 2010

Here are soem native plants that have impressed me this year.

Asclepias tuberosa - Butterfly weed- early Summer bloom- native

Mertensia virginica- Virginia Bluebells- Mid Spring- native- dies back 3 weeks after blooming, good paring with hosta

Amsonia tabernaemontana 'Blue Ice'- late spring- native- yellow fall foilage color

I will add some more as the season progresses.

West Grove Patio

Project Site: West Grove Borough, PA

Designed & Installed: Summer 2009

Design Program: Create a functional, aesthetically pleasing and architectural sensitive patio space and surrounding gardens for home that is approximately 110 years old.  

Before

Before

After- Summer 2009

Red Brick pavers with solider course and 90 degree herringbone field. Plants to right are Iris 'Caesar's Brother', to left against garage pachysandra, straight ahead, hosta varieties 'Blue Cadet' & ' Golden Tiara', Astilbe 'Visions in Pink', Hydrangea 'Endless Summer'.

After Summer 2010

After- Summer 2010

Before

After- Summer 2009

After- Summer 2009

After- Summer 2010

Lincoln University garden 3 years later

Project site: Lincoln University, PA

Design & Installed: Fall 2008

Design Program: Provide a safe, attractive walk from the deck steps to the driveway and steps down the sloping rear yard. Attractive plantings with emphasis on low maintenance, four season interest, low deer browsing, and native selections were appreciated by the homeowners. Site faces the southwest, so hot and dry conditions persist year round.

Plan

Before photo, October 2008

After Photo, July 2009

After Photo, July 2010

After Photo, July 2010

Panicum 'Northwind' left of steps soften the area between the house deck and walk.

Rudbeckia 'Goldstrum' in front of the Panicum. More Panicum 'Northwind' right of deck steps. Walk is a dry laid irregular flagstone. Stone is locally quarried and called Avondale.

After Photo, July 2010

Nepeta 'Walkers Low' with 'Blushing Pink Knockout' Rose to left which is in between bloom times.

After Photo, July 2010

One of my personal native favorites, Eupatorium 'Little Joe'. A butterfly & bee favorite!

Before Photo, October 2010

After Photo, July 2010

After Photo, July 2010

A series of Laurel Mountain natural stone slab steps with complimentary boulders to help retain the adjacent soil lead to the rear lawn. Caryopteris 'First Choice' bottom left of the steps and Itea 'Little Henry' to the bottom right. Top left is the 'Little Joe' Eupatorium and top right panicum 'Northwind'. 

Garden experiences & reflections of 2009 and ambitions and goals for 2010

As a landscape professional the dead of winter and a new year forces me to reflect on the garden successes of 2009 and what to anticipate in 2010.  With the current economic state many gardeners are scaling back on large plans. For now small steps are walked toward the garden of their dreams. It's funny how nature and wildlife are unaffected by our economic situtations. Plants keep growing, wildlife continue to survive, the seasons keep rolling along, and so does the cicle of life.  One of the privledges, really responsibilites, of my being a landscape designer is working with nature for not just the benefit of humans, but for the benefit of the wildlife, the watershed, the environment. This ecomonmic slowdown forces us to reconnect with those values and beliefs that define us. For me it's sharing of my passions and talents for my clients. In the process I have the ability to work in flowering perennials or shrubs that bees, butterfly and birds rely on for their survival.

One of the highlights of last year was taking our son to Tyler Arboretum on a perfect summer day. He interacted with butterflies, climbed the treehouses, ran the wood chipped trails, hopped on the frogs... typical boy stuff. The memories and snapshots we have for those few hours of interactrion with the nature are priceless.

It's these interactions with nature that define our experience, our memories. This year I plan on helping others create memories, even if it's one coneflower at a time (and the bees, butterfly and birds will thank us for it, no matter our economic status).

Red & Green: Colors of the season

Although I'm a little late on the posting two showstoppers in the garden at christmas and well into the new year are the native winterberry shrubs (ilex verticillata) and the ornamental and non-invasive heavenly bamboo (nandina domestica).

Above is the smallest of winterberries 'Red Sprite'. The male pollinator counterpart is 'Jim Dandy' (they are from the holly family, however they are decidous). At maturity they reach 3'x 3'. A larger winterberry, and just as deserving in the garden, is 'Winter Red' (female) and the 'Southern Gentleman' (you guessed it, male). Both range about 8' x 8'. All winterberries prefer sun and are tolerant of wet soils. They are found in swampy areas in north america. The red berry color is for our benefit, the actual berries that hang on until late winter are for the birds, literally. Migrating songbirds forage upon the berries as they return to your locale.

Heavenly bamboo has a more unique berry cluster set. It does well in part sun, part shade and retains most of it's foliage in winter.  Mature height of 6' tall x 3' wide, it's best to cut the plant back after it becomes a little leggy. Doing so will rejuvenate and guarantee a striking show.