Straight lines get you from point a to b. Curves add interest.
Author: John Holden
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Beefsteak Tomato Roadside Stand
This week I took the kids and dog for a walk and stumbled across a tomato plant (Solanum lycopersicum) growing in the crack between the curb and the asphalt. A plant’s will to live is amazing. I can’t wait to return this summer for some Beefsteaks!
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Wetland Plants of CT
Every year Cub Scout Pack 170 cleans up Edmund Road in Newtown, CT. It’s our Earth Day conservation project. My son and I spent an hour one Saturday morning picking up garbage and admiring flora. Truth be told I was the only one admiring the flora.
We cleaned up litter on a Saturday. I was so impressed by the beauty of nature I returned Monday, April 27th 2015 to take pictures.
Edmund Road runs along interstate 84 and cuts straight through a swamp. There’s a large stream on one side of the road and standing water on the other.
At the back of the photo you can see the stream. In the foreground bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) is just coming into bloom. The plants were growing just up from the edge of the water in partial shade and humusy soil.
It was worth the return trip.
Connecticut Wetland Plants
Bloodroot (Sanguinaria Canadensis) coming into bloom. Once the weeds around these plants fill in you won’t even know they’re there. 
Bloodroot (Sanguinaria Canadensis) for scale. 
Trout lily (Erythronium americanum ) in full bloom. For a week or two in the early spring it lights up the landscape. 
If you don’t look for Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum ) you might miss it. 
Red trillium (Trillium erectum) coming into bloom. Look how red those flowers are! 
Red Trillium (Trillium erectum) up close and personal. 
Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) in full bloom. My childhood home has a small stream and the far side is covered with spicebush. I can still smell the spice when you crushed the leaves or broke the brittle twigs.
Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) a little farther away. 
Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) growing above the stream. You can see skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) growing on the other side. Across the street from my childhood home is a large swamp. A friend and I would go to the swamp and beat the skunk cabbage with sticks because it’s a “Bad” plant. The more we hit the stinkier it got. I’d like to apologize to all those poor skunk cabbage plants. I didn’t know any better.
Thanks for joining me.
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Wisteria – Mother Nature Trumps Man Every Time
Last week I saw a wisteria in full bloom weeping from a blasted ledge. No matter how hard I try to create beautiful landscapes mother nature can beat me without trying.
The wisteria starts at the top of the cliff and weeps like a waterfall. It’s stunning. If you’re driving down Whitney Avenue in Trumbull, CT in early-May keep your eyes open for the wisteria on the ledge between the entrance to Indian Ledge Park and the Route 25 overpass.
The dump truck on the lower left is in the entrance to Indian Ledge Park. -
Craftsman Wanted
Our home needs a new roof. Badly. For a couple of years.
A month ago my wife, Karyn, started the process of hiring a roofer. Karyn asked me who to call. I mentioned a large roofing company and an acquaintance who started his career in roofing and now works in all aspects of carpentry.
Karyn asked for recommendations on Facebook and compiled a list of 5 roofers to call.
Karyn called all the companies and scheduled four appointments. One company never returned her call.
Of the four companies who gave us a quote we narrowed the list down to three companies. It’s a difficult decision considering the investment and what’s at stake if a leak develops.
I’m sure my client’s feel the same when deciding whether to hire me or not.
Two of the companies had a dedicated salesperson. The salesmen visited and did a cursory examination of the roof, took some quick measurements and quoted a price in under an hour.
Next, they presented a canned sales presentation describing their roofing process and explaining the warranty on the bottom of the proposal.
The warranty was nice to see. It gave me piece of mind that they would stand behind their work.
Since this blog is about landscaping I thought I’d share some of the cool flora on the roof. I had a couple canned questions ready.
“Do you hire subcontractors?”
Some companies bid jobs and then hire a subcontractor to do the work. This can work out well if you have the right match. Unfortunately, some subcontractors goal is to complete a job as quickly as possible and get to the next. Speed becomes more important than quality.
“Will I ever see you again?”
I’m old school on this one. I want a single contact person through the process. I don’t want a polished salesperson to turn into a gruff foreman when the job begins.
What happens if lines of communication fail between the salesperson and the foreman? Details discussed during the sales process could be missing on the Forman’s paperwork.
So who did we hire for our roofing job?
The only contractor who climbed on the roof. The only contractor who looked at my chimney and mentioned I need a new cap. The only contractor who went in my attic to see what type sheathing the roof had.
The only craftsman.
We hired the general carpenter who started in roofing. I’ll see him on the roof doing the work. I’ll see him installing copper flashing because he doesn’t bother with the cheap alternatives.
Only time will tell if I made the right decision.
I can’t wait to see the new roof!
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Backyard Landscaping Ideas
A video tour of backyard landscaping ideas. A great opportunity to learn some backyard landscaping ideas and watch how quickly landscapes grow in.
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Simplify
Today I updated the website.
I’ve gone to a basic theme after a beautiful multimedia theme with all kinds of color and stylistic tweaks. That website was something to behold. It took me days to put together.
Why step backwards?
Party, I think, because I’m getting older. As we age we seek to simplify. Not because we’re simple people, because life becomes complicated.
There’s a lot of ‘stuff’ going on. I have two children, a job as a landscape designer, second in command in my house, a cub scout leader, hopefully a good friend to a few and we just got a puppy.
Theo our Great Pyrenees mix puppy. At 4 1/2 months he weighs 55 lbs. We think he’ll be over 100 when he’s grown up. Theo is gentle with the kids and a wonderful companion. Compared to most that’s a simple life!
I have a lot of knowledge to share with you. The easier to share the better.
The new theme has plenty of space for beautiful pictures of my landscapes and videos. There are just a few less stylistic tweaks and more beloved ‘white space.’
I hope you enjoy the new format.
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Thoughts on a Sandy Hook Permanent Memorial
Today I completed a survey about a Sandy Hook Permanent Memorial . As a landscape designer I want to share my thoughts to aid in discussion.
I vision an outdoor memorial at a park in town that is not the sole purpose of the park. The memorial should be a place you visit when you want to reflect on those lost but are not be reminded if you are trying to forget for a day.
What happened that day will always be in our mind; sometimes we need a break from thinking about it.
The memorial should be at a park that receives traffic so those we lost are not forgotten.
The location of the Sandy Hook Permanent Memorial should be selected before design begins. Let the memorial fit the site rather than force the memorial on the site.
I recommend the memorial to be built at Fairfield Hills at the top of the hill. I see it off the main path so those who want to reflect are not interrupted. The views from the top of the hill are amazing and reflecting while up there would be very soothing.
I envision the Sandy Hook Permanent Memorial not separating educators from children. Everyone was a victim on that day. The names of the educators can be in a different font than the children but they should not be separate.
All victims had a lot of life left to live.
I envision the victims’ names written in a random fashion, not a list, on the monument. I see names carved into granite built into a classic New England stone wall gently curving in front of viewers.
I see a quiet place with benches and shade to view the memorial.
The memorial should NOT incorporate modern architecture. It should be timeless. Natural stone, natural stone or brick paving and classic landscape design. Not the latest fad in landscape materials.
The memorial should be designed with maintenance in mind. Someone is going to have to weed the gardens, pick up the trash, cut back the perennials, cut the lawn, etc. Rather than over building a memorial save some funds for maintenance so it can look just as good in 10 years as the day it is completed.
Thank you for listening to my thoughts on a Sandy Hook Permanent Memorial.
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Should I Use Landscape Fabric
When I started my career I thought landscape fabric, or weed fabric, was a wonderful invention. The magic cloth ensures a weed free landscape for years. Or does it?
Should I Use Landscape Fabric or Weed Fabric?
Landscape Fabric is a nuisance that creates more work for you and an unhealthy landscape.
What happens when mulch starts to break down? How does it mix with the soil?
It doesn’t!
Grass and weed roots under weed fabric are impossible to get out without removing the fabric. The weeds grow through the fabric and stick to it. Plant roots stick to weed fabric too. Every time I have to rip out landscape fabric I curse it.
Grass roots got under this landscape fabric making removal impossible without removing the fabric. I had to hack at this fabric with a shovel to remove it. When deciding whether to use landscape fabric just say, “No.” It’s not worth the frustration.
