GardenDesignOnline

Books: Easy Containers

From  Southern Living, and on news-stands now, (or you can order thru Amazon), a brief and easy-to-use guide on container gardening, one of the hottest trends now sweeping the country.

Southern Living Container Gardening (101 Secrets to Garden Success) quickly takes you through the basics on soil, watering, types of containers, and proper drainage, then focuses on the things you really want to know.  Chapter 1 is all about "Sure Bets for Outdoors," from bulbs and annuals, to shrubs, topiaries, vines and ornamental grasses. 

Chapter two focuses on "Creative Containers" -- where to place them and what to put in them for maximum impact.  It also includes a section on fountain-containers for water plants, and another on using containers around a pool to soften hard edges, define exits and entries, and use different elevations to break up the horizontal lines.

Finally, there's a fabulous -- and I do mean fabulous -- chapter on indoor container gardening and no-fail houseplants.  How many times have you walked into someone's home and been appalled at the condition of the plants? (My house included, I have no green thumb indoors).  This chapter gives you great ideas and walks you through the way to attain success.  I may even have to give orchids a try and some of those tough plants for tough spots.

Best of all, there are photos throughout, so you might just want to copy them and find an easy way to make your garden look like a pro designed it and make your home look like a decorator's dream.

Happenings May 2011

Selected Garden Events Around the Country:

April 29-May 1 Antique Garden Furniture Show & Sale, Bronx, NY
10AM-5PM, NY Botanical Garden, 718-817-8700
April 30-May 1 Mary Lou Heard Garden Tour, CA
10AM-5PM, various locations, 20+ Gardens, 714-566-4800
May 1 "Bringing Back the Natives" Garden Tour, CA
10AM-5PM, Self-guided, various locations, 50+ gardens, 510-236-9558
May 1, Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours, CA, IL, NY
Pasadena, CA; Winnetka, IL; Westchester County NY
May 4, "Japanese Gardens Beyond Japan," San Marino, CA
7:30PM, Lecture, The Huntington, 626-405-2100
May 6, 3rd Annual National Public Gardens Day 
Events throughout the country, free admissions & more.
May 7, Home & Garden Tour, Venice, CA
10AM-5PM, Guided Walking Tour, 30+ homes & gardens 310-821-1857
May 7, Georgetown Garden Tour, Washington DC
10AM-4PM, 83rd Annual Tour, 9 gardens.
May 7, Garden Design Primer, NY, NY
10AM-1PM, Workshop, NY Botanical Garden Midtown Ctr, 718-817-8700
May 7-8, "Gardens for Connoiseurs" Tour, Atlanta, GA
10AM-5PM, 9 gardens, 404-876-5859
May 7-8, Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours, CA, CT, NY, TN
CA: Atherton, Menlo Park; NY: Fisher's Island, Old Field, Stony Brook, Chappaqua, Mount Kisco, Cold Spring; CT: Stonington; TN: Knoxville

May 9, "Alchemy of Plants and Gardens," Del Mar, CA
6PM, Lecture, Landscape Architect Bob Perry, San Diego Hort Society, 760-295-7089
May 11, Green Roof Farming, NY, NY
6:15PM-9:15PM, Workshop, NY Botanical Garden Midtown Ctr, 718-817-8700
May 11,  NYC's The High Line, Seattle, WA
6:45 PM, Lecture by High Line's Patrick Cullina, NW Hort Society, 206-780-8172
May 14-15, Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours: NJ, NY, CA, CT
NJ: Closter, Wyckoff; CT: Middlebury, Middletown, Branford; NY: Amenia, Rhinebeck, Nyack; CA: Brentwood, Santa Monica, Westwood. 

May 15, Green Garden Design, Brooklyn, NY
10AM-2PM, Workshop, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 718-623-7200
May 19, Beacon Hill Garden Tour, Boston, MA
9AM-5PM, 82nd annual tour, 617-227-4392
May 20, Endangered Species Day Celebration, Washington DC
10AM-2PM, US Botanic Garden, tours, demos & more 202-225-8333
May 21, Wyck Old Rose Symposium, Philadelphia, PA
9AM-4PM, Wyck Historic House & Garden, sponsor: Heritage Rose Foundation 215-848-1690
May 21, Landscape Design Clinic, Stockbridge, MA
9AM-5PM, Berkshire Botanical Garden, 413-298-3926
May 21-22 Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours: CA, PA, ME, TX, IL, NY, WA
CA: San Francisco; PA: Furlong, New Hope, Upper Makefield, Wrightstown, Doylestown, Erwinna, Mechanicsville, Point Pleasant; TX: Dallas; ME: York; IL: Inverness, Bartlett, W.Chicago, Barrington Hills; NY: Brewster, Bedford Hills, Ossining; WA: Graham, Orting

May 21-August 21, Gardens of the Alhambra, Bronx, NY
Exhibition, NY Botanical Garden: Conservatory show, artworks, public programs 718-817-8700
May 24, Gertrude Jekyll and the Country House Garden, NY, NY
6PM, Lecture by garden historian Judith Tankard, NY Hort Society 212-757-0915
May 24-28 Chelsea Flower Show, London, UK
May 28, Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours: NY
NY: Mount Kisco 

LOOKAHEAD:

June 4, Rhododendron Festival, Sandwich, MA
10AM-4PM, Exhibits, demos, garden tours, more. Heritage Museum & Gardens, 508-888-3300
June 7, Piet Oudolf's "Landscapes in Landscapes" Glencoe, IL
1PM-2:30PM, Lecture, by Dutch designer Piet Oudolf, Chicago Botanic Garden, 847-835-5440
June  13-17 APLD Annual Conference, Cleveland, OH

 

 

Lawn Study - Natives are Best

Ecologists at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, TX, have found that a lawn of native grasses can be just as lush as a lawn of common turfgrass, using far fewer resources.

Dr. Mark Simmons of the center's Ecosystem Design Group said scientists "created a lawn that needs less mowing and keeps weeds out better than a common American lawn option."

Simmons was head of the study that compared common Bermuda grass to seven native grasses, which included Buffalo grass alone and in combination with other native short grass species.  The mixed native grasses outperformed both Bermuda and Buffalo grass in lushness well into summer and also in weed resistance.  Research continues on watering requirements, but the ecologists believe the native mixed grasses will do very well since they respond better to different conditions over time.

According to Simmons, the goal is to develop a "more ecologically stable, natural alternative for lawns that are so important to many Europeans and Americans." 

Lawns now cover about 40 million acres in the United States, and maintenance consumes two-thirds of the drinking water in municipalities, 800 million gallons of gasoline, $700 million in pesticides, and $5.2 billion in fertililzers derived from fossil fuels.  That's surely too high a price to pay!

 

Happy Earth Day

Happy Earth Day.

Photo at left: Tulip Trees (Liriodendron tulipifera) -- also called tulip poplars -- at the New York Botanical Garden.

Plant a tree this weekend in celebration of the day.

(photo: NYBG)

New Landscape Architecture School

The Academy of Art University in San Francisco has recently launched a new program in landscape architecture, offering two separate degrees -- a Bachelors Degree (a four-year program); or an Associates Degree (a two-year program).

According to the university, landscape architecture is expected to be one of the top 50 professions in the next decade.  Director of the new school is landscape architect Heather Clendenin, who has taught at UC Berkeley, the University of Michigan, and at the Danish Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen.  Clendenin has worked on a wide range of projects over the years, including GM Headquarters in Thousand Oaks, CA; the Carousel Park Playground at Santa Monica Pier; and Columbia University's athletic training center in NYC.

(photo: Acedemy of Art University)

A Dumbarton Oaks Revival

Finally, there's a real plan and a real organization to save Dumbarton Oaks Park.  Designed by celebrated landscape architect Beatrix Farrand as part of the original estate owned by Mildred and Robert Bliss, the property was split up in 1940.  The buildings and gardens were donated to Harvard University and the 27-acre park was donated to the National Park Service and then fell into disrepair due to a lack of funds and other problems.

On April 12th, Dumbarton celebrated its 70th anniversary, and a new organization -- the Dumbarton Oaks Park Conservancy -- was officially launched to raise money for the restoration of the park and its perpetual maintenance.

The president of the conservancy is Roberta Trafton, a founder of the organization and also producer of GardenStory, a PBS series on the ways gardens influence peoples' lives.  Joining Trafton at the ceremony was Harvard University professor E.O. Wilson, a biologist and two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize for general non-fiction.  Wilson spent much of his childhood exploring the park and after the event said that the landscape likely needs a plan to overcome flooding problems before supporters can tackle its biological restoration.

(photo: Dumbarton Oaks Conservancy)

Green Roof Revolution

Despite the economic climate, Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC) reports that the green roof industry grew by a healthy 28.5 percent last year, up significantly from 16 percent growth in 2009.

For the seventh straight year, Chicago (its Millennium Park pictured above) led all other cities in the country, installing more than 500 thousand square feet of green roofs. Washington DC came in second, with more than 400 thousand square feet, followed by New York; Philadelphia;  Norfolk, VA; Milwaukee;  Baltimore; Atlanta; and Seattle/Tacoma.

Steven Peck, founder and president of GRHC, said that the top cities in the survey "continue to lead the way with incentives and regulations that recognize the many benefits from green roofs, including much needed green jobs in their communities." He said the federal government is also leading the way on green roof development, citing in particular the Environmental Protection Agency and the General Services Administration.

In Chicago, chief environmental commissioner Suzanne Malec-McKenna noted that green roofs help capture stormwater, insulate buildings, reduce the effects of heat islands and create new green spaces for people and wildlife.

GRHC also reported that there are now more than 425 accredited green roof professionals around the country, and the organization hopes to accredit many more in coming years with its program of courses that are offered across the country.

 

In the Magazines April-June 2011

 

 The American Gardener March-April 2011

*Creating a sustainable rose garden
*Profile of Cistus Nursery in Oregon and founder Sean Hogan
*Combining plant shapes for successful design
*Daffodils for every region
*Growing pawpaws

Sunset April 2011

*25 Top picks in new plants
* Growing edibles in pots
* The global garden: great new edibles grown by immigrants: ever heard of a gandana?
*Knockout garden trends for 2011, and the gardens to go with them. 

Fine Gardening June 2011

*Four season front entries: too many perennials and edibles for me, but if you like that kind of thing ...
*Top performing meadow rues
*Show-stopping plants that require little maintenance

 

 

Garden Design Aprill 2011

*The cutting or experimental gardens of landscape architects Mia Lehrer and Raymond Jungles
*Controlled burns to control invasives and other unwanted species.
*Japanese moss gardens and the how-to.

A maple 125 million years old?

Scientists from the United States and China have recently discovered the first intact fossil of a mature eudicot -- a flowering plant that includes the likes of maples, buttercups, apple trees, dandelions and proteas -- that is 125 million years old.  The discovery was made in China in volcanic ash beds at an ancient lake.

If you look at the photo, you'll see that the leaves actually do look like maple leaves and there is a small flower with five petals in the middle of the leaves. David Dilcher, a biologist at Indiana University Bloomington, said the fossil "opens up a new way of thinking about the evolution of some of the first flowering plants." He added that scientists are now beginning to understand that the radiation of all flowering plants that began about 111 million years ago actually began about 10 or 15 million years earlier with the slow diversification in eudicots.

Dilcher and Chinese scientists from Shenyang Normal University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences named the fossilized plant Leefructus mirus in honor of the person who donated the fossil to a new museum of paleontology in China's Liaoning Province.

Dilcher said he believes the plant had flowers in order to attract pollinators.  "There were no bees at the time," he said, "so I think that flies, beetles, or extinct types of moths or scorpion flies may have been involved in its pollination."

Until this find, most information about early eudicots came from fossilized pollen. According to Dilcher, pollen records are important, but the new fossil shows that "there is no substitute for a megafossil record if we are to understand the evolution of early flowering plants."  More info on the fossil find can be found in the March 31st issue of Nature magazine.

(photo: Ge Sun)

Native Resistant American Elms

Scientists from the US Department of Agriculture believe they may have found a hidden population of American elm trees that carry genes that are resistant to Dutch elm disease. If so, the find could eventually lead to production of new elms that could once again populate American cities.

Dutch elm disease was introduced into the United States in the 1930's and it wiped out millions of trees that lined city streets and populated eastern forests.  In recent years, elms with some disease resistance, including one called 'Jefferson',  have been introduced, and they are very popular because they retain the tree's most important characteristics: a stately form, filtered shade, and the ability to withstand urban pollution.

 For years, it's been thought that all American elms are tetraploids, trees with four copies of each chromosome.  But now, botanist Alan Whittemore and geneticist Peter Olsen of the USDA's Agricultural Research Service have found some elms in the wild that are diploids, with two copies of each chromosome.  The two tested elms from across the tree's central and eastern range and found that about 21 percent of the trees in the wild are diploid -- some growing in stands along with the tetraploids.  According to the scientists, the data suggests that the two types of elms have diverged from each other in a significant way, strengthening the possibility that the wild diploid elms have some resistance to Dutch elm disease.

The diploid elms were found in forests from Ohio east to Maryland and Virginia south to Tennessee and South Carolina, and also in Oklahoma, Texas and Missouri. 

(photo: ARS)