New permanent home

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http://thecityoutside.com

Come on over to see the latest and greatest!

Urbanite — it’s no Ming vase, but still pretty awesome

Growing up in rural Massachusetts, summertime was not complete without a stroll through Rietta Ranch flea market.  I remember one particularly successful excursion in which I spent a grand $.25 and left with a hat box, a china teacup and saucer, and a framed 1920s magazine ad for The Fabulous Miss Gertrude Hoffman’s dance recital which is still hanging in my bedroom to this day.

And I, like most Americans, can blame Antiques Roadshow for inflating the hope that somewhere out there, in a dusty garage sale on a Sunday morning, I will fall in love with some tchochke that turns out to be worth a fortune.

Thus it was that I found myself casually combing through the Free postings on Craig’s List this morning where I noted a number of ads for concrete chunks.  This is no great revelation –’tis the season for DIYers to rent the ol’ jackhammer and, in exchange for a few frosty cold ones, lure friends and relatives to help remove that cracked old concrete patio or walkway.

“Urbanite” is the name that industry hipsters have coined to make this material sound more metropolitan and cool.  I’ve had a number of opportunities to use urbanite for landscape projects and I must say, I’m a fan!

It’s a great material for patios, walls and stepping stones.  It may be left unaltered or stained a variety of colors, and aesthetically and functionally mixes beautifully with natural stone.  It is, of course, a 100% recycled material so you can feel warm and fuzzy about using it.  Oh yeah, and did I mention it’s available for FREE?!

Here are some photos of a couple of ways I’ve used it.

Urbanite and stone terraces in SW PDX

Urbanite patio w stone and groundcover

Remembering sunny days

Alright, it’s got to be said: the summer has been a little *ahem* lackluster for us Portlanders.  As I write this, it’s overcast and present temperature is 68 degrees with much the same being forecast for the rest of the week.

So it seemed like a good time to post about some cheerier things.  Despite the crummier-than-normal season overall, there have been some real show stopping nice days.  And some great day trip excursions to some of the really beautiful natural places right in Portland.

Oak’s Bottom Wildlife Refuge in SE PDX is all of ten minutes from my apartment but this was my first visit.  I’m not much of a birder but over the course of my wanderings I saw two bald eagles, a common yellowthroat, at least four great blue herons, gaggles of Canadian geese, mallard ducks, and a pair of nuthatches bathing in the dust, scrub jays, and on and on and on.  The pond algae in bloom was of either toxic lime green or brilliant turquoise and made fantastic swirling patterns in areas where they met on the surface.

blue-green algae

In the sunny open field areas, wildflowers and elderberries were on full display.

red elderberries

All in all it was a marvelous way to spend a sunny morning.  So invigorating and so accessible I could truly see myself incorporating a jaunt through Oaks Bottom as part of a normal morning routine.  Now I just need to convince the sun…

Speaking of Container Gardens

Fresh off the presses of my inbox, Garden Design magazine features a little ditty about Saipua Flower Shop in Brooklyn, NY and the photos are delicious…
http://www.gardendesign.com/saipua?cmpid=enews062111

I Love Container Planting

Growing flowers, fruits and veggies in pots on the porch is how I began my love affair with gardening and it continues to be one of my greatest sources of joy and creative satisfaction.  Last week I got to plant some particularly lovely pots at a particularly gorgeous historic home in the Irvington neighborhood.

Irvington Four Square

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I wanted to create a composition that was sufficiently sophisticated to grace the front entry of this grand home but still funky enough to be a visual point of interest.  For upright plants I used Schefflera elegantissima (False Aralia, sold as a house plant) to capture the warm chocolate-y tones of the house colors in a soft, feathery texture, punctuated by the bright chartreuse foliage of Abutilon pictum ‘Gold Dust’ (Flowering Maple) and yummy orange-leaved Coleus ‘Trusty Rusty‘.  Wax begonias add brightness and charm with white flowers and round, glossy brown leaves.  Muehlenbeckia axillaries, aka Creeping Wire Vine, lends bubbly, frothy fun to the mix as the trailing green element.

Freshly planted!

Color Close-Up

Exterior Decorating

Last week I gave a presentation on ten easy ways to make a really cool yard.  Some highlights from that list: “create a space for eating”, “create a space for sitting”, “incorporate a water feature”, and–my personal favorite–”decorate”.  No matter what you decide to do with your yard, make it your own by including furniture, accessories and other items that reflect your personality.

To that end, I thought I’d share a great little slide show from the maven of all things decor, Martha Stewart, to get you inspired: Creative Outdoor Spaces.  And, of course, if you need any help pulling it together, I know a great landscape designer who can help…

At Long Last…

I have, obviously, been remiss in updating this blog.  It seemed like such a great idea when I started then quickly fell off as soon as my more day-to-day work picked up.  But I am officially recommitting to regular posts here and I thought that it might be a nice way to start by sharing photos of some of the projects I’ve had my hands in over the past couple years.  So let’s get caught up, shall we?

Here’s a project I did with fellow Dennis’ 7 Dees designer Jonah Bishop back in 2009:

Before

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last year, I had a couple of really small yards which are actually some of my favorites.

Before. New construction, nothing but a concrete slab and a fence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After! Expanded paver patio with pea gravel and french drain along fence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before. Again, new construction with just a concrete patio and fence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aaand after! I love how the large grid of the architectural slabs makes the space feel much larger.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2010 also marked the beginning of an ongoing relationship with the amazing folks over at Root Pouch.  They are rocking biodegradable nursery pots, erosion control systems and these super awesome vertical gardening pouches made out of recycled plastic bottles.  Not only are their products top-notch but the people who run the company are smart, helpful, and passionate about what they do.  Here’s a shot of their corporate headquarters here in downtown Portland:

Before. To be fair, they'd planted a lot of annuals in those pouches the year before so it was expected that they wouldn't be making a repeat performance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And that concludes the quick snapshot of a few things that have kept me busy and not blogging.  Stay tuned for more in the coming months!  Ciao for now…

The 2010 gardening season has officially kicked off!

Garden and home shows mark the official beginning of the new season for us garden nerds (and landscape designers).  The first weekend of February, the Northwest Flower and Garden Show in Seattle made a triumphant return from what was, at this time last year, believed to be insurmountable funding challenges.  Then, here in Portland, the middle of February is when we get the double whamy of the Yard, Garden and Patio Show followed immediately by the Portland Home & Garden Show.  And still to come, in what I believe is only its second year, is the annual Better Living Show with a specific focus on energy efficiency and sustainable living.

Here at Dennis’ 7 Dees, we put a lot of effort into our presence at the YGP Show.  2010 marked our second year as presenting sponsor and we had the exclusive privilege of offering discounted show tickets at our garden centers.  I understand that attendance this year–a year that almost didn’t see a YGP Show due to strained resources at the presenting OAN–was the best ever!

We had a great time too taking a new, modern design approach to our display garden and turning it into a very functional series of outdoor living elements.  In partnership with stone artisan Peter Attila Andrusko, we created a custom grill, fire pit, and water feature, as well as a series of industrial steel columns planted with gorgeous edibles and ornamentals.  Planting design was headed up by the inimitable Mulysa Melco who, when not rocking out as garden designer at D7D, is also an accomplished fine artist.

So, without further ado, here are some photos of our efforts this year.  I look forward to sharing lots more pictures of 2010 projects as they continue to roll in and 2009 projects as they grow in.  Cheers!

Three reasons why you should be planting a tree right now.

I know it’s winter time and though some folks are satisfied to curl up on the couch with a cup of cocoa (or at the bar with a stout pint!) until the clouds clear out, some of us are twitching and salivating from the long lack of contact with our garden tools.

However, even if you’re not lusting over a reason to pull out the shovel, I would like to offer up three very good reasons why you can and should be planting a tree.  Right now.

1. As mentioned in my last post, the winter is an excellent time to examine your garden and make plans for structural reinforcements. In planting design, that fancy talk means “trees.” If you haven’t done it already, go outside and look at your yard.  Don’t you need a tree? (Of course you do!)

2. The Willamette Valley’s mild and wet winters are great for planting trees. The risk of death from a hard freeze spell is about on par with the risk posed by a dry, hot spell in the middle of the summer –especially when us Portlanders are waaay too busy to water what with street fairs, block parties, soapbox derbies, and bike events taking up all of our time. And though no one can predict when we’ll have another Snowpocalypse, there are some additional safety precautions you can take to help get your young ‘un through a cold snap if need be.  Your local OSU Extension Master Gardener office can provide specialized advice for all sorts of specific situations.

3. If you’re a hardcore budget watcher, perhaps the best reason I can offer you to plant a tree now, is the Portland Bureau of Environmental Services’ Treebate Program. Available to all Portland residents ’til May 2010, for each and every tree you plant, get a utility bill credit worth up to $40! (Bonus points if you plant a native tree, the maximum rebate amount goes up to $50!) Caliper and height restrictions apply as well as bans on tree species currently classified by the city as “nuisance plants.” You can find out all of the details and submission instructions here: http://portlandonline.com/bes/trees.

So pour that cocoa into a to-go cup and head over to the nursery!  And stay tuned here for lots more reasons (crackpot and otherwise) why you should be gardening in the middle of winter.

Is your yard earning its keep?

When I was in design school in Colorado, the opening project of one winter semester was to visit the Denver Botanic Gardens and photograph the gardens.  Naturally, we the students, whined and complained about being assigned a picture taking exercise during the time of year when it was not only cold, but all the plants were buried under a blanket of snow.

In response, my teacher, Wendy Booth, shared two pieces of indispensible wisdom.  First, “good weather” is anytime there isn’t something actively coming out of the sky.  (Now that I live in Oregon, my definition of “good weather” has had to be even further broadened.)  And second, winter is the best time to look at a landscape with a designer’s eye.  Pull your head out of your aster and start seeing the garden for more than the plants!

Now is when the structure of your space is laid bare and you can no longer cover up inadequacies with flowery frosting.  Because a good landscape should look great even in the winter, be brave, get out there and really see what’s happening.  Have your paths completely lost their shape without plants to define their boundaries?  Are they adequate?  Practical?  Comfortable?

What about vertical elements?  Does your house look like a lonely behemoth rising out of a flat piece of dirt?  You may realize you need some supporting characters to visually frame the house, connect it to its surroundings, and create a less abrupt image than “box on prairie.”

Step back and put on your macro lens.  Is there a sense of adequate proportion, scale, harmony that ties all of the individual elements together to create a complete whole?  Is it bland?  Are you lost and lacking an adequate focal point now that the Knock Out Rose is knocked out?

Look for areas where you can incorporate more advanced design elements like rhythm, repetition, layering, and contrast.  Add a piece of garden sculpture.  Examine the presence of winter interest plants (or lack thereof).  Are they creating as beautiful and balanced a picture as your warm weather performers do?

Consider your slumbering yard as a clean slate and use this opportunity to dream up new possibilities.  Not only will you gain a valuable new perspective on the cycles and structures of your garden, but you’ll emerge in spring with a plan to focus any improvements in the areas where they’ll make the most impact.

You don’t get to stop paying your mortgage or rent at the first sign of frost so why should your yard get to take the winter off?