GardenDesignOnline

Books: Going Natural

This book is going to be a classic -- at the top of every designer's "want" list for at least the next several years.  In New Naturalism: Designing and Planting a Resilient, Ecologically Vibrant Home Garden (Cool Springs Press, 2021), author and plantsman Kelly D. Norris explains how to design and install a natural garden in small spaces. 

He's not talking about planting a meadow in your front yard to increase biodiversity and attract wildlife. Rather, as he says in the introduction, the book is "a primer for a better way, hewn from considerable study of plants and their ecology.  Above all, I just want more people to plant on the wild side, to embrace the nature of gardens as they are and can be."  Designers and dedicated gardeners will particularly appreciate the planting palettes in section 2 of the book, all with photos to show you the way.  There's a planting scheme for dry gardens, front yards, rose gardens, shady gardens, courtyards, containers, and many, many more.  the book will teach you how to enjoy nature's beauty and do your part for the planet as well.

 

You might also want to consider The Ecological Gardener: How to Create Beauty and Biodiversity from the Soil Up (Chelsea Green Publishing, 2021) by British author and designer Matt Rees-Warren. This is a hands-on book that includes an array of subjects such as what to observe before you plants, how to plant hedges, making compost for all your garden needs, materials to use, and creating space for wildlife.

As Rees-Warren says in the introduction, designing an ecological garden means "letting go of design ideas of the past by letting go of our desire to hold dominion over nature, allowing it instead to lead the way." He adds, "If we design our gardens to be regenerative, the result will be functional, beautiful spaces full of life and vigour, robust enough to face the challenges of the future and elegant enough to beguile all those who walk among them."

Plant Extinction Threat

NY Botanical Garden's Native Plant Garden

A new report organized by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in Britain, estimates that 40 percent of the world's plant species may go extinct.

The report was produced by a research team of 210 international scientists from 42 countries, including one at the NY Botanical Garden.  The report, State of the World's Plants and Fungi calls for improvement of the world's plant research collections and better access to some 400 million preserved plant specimens in order to combat biodiversity loss and climate change. 

Some of the subjects covered in the report include endangered plants, new species, uses of plants for food, fuel, and medicine, and global research plant collections. The William and Lynda Steere Herbarium at the NY Botanical Garden is the second largest in the world, with 7.8 million specimens. In general, specimens are pressed and dried and mounted on sheets of paper, with info about the species, and when, where, and by whom they were collected.  In recent years, DNA studies have increased demand for DNA samples and digitization of data from specimens is making it easier for scientists to access information from global collections.

Barbara Thiers, Director of the Steere Herbarium, says herbaria "preserve a record of life on Earth" and foster international collaboration in research, conservation, and education.  "Working as a community to share specimens and digitized specimen records and images amplifies the power of these resources for addressing our current environmental challenges," she said.

The report estimates that 39.4 percent of plants are now threatened with extinction. Scientists recommend "fast-tracking" risk assessments so that key areas can be protected and species can be conserved without delay.  Some species are threatened by the global demand for naturally-derived medicines, including Brugmansia sanguinea, used for circulatory disorders; Nepenthes khasiana, used to treat skin diseases; and the black pepper bark tree (Warburgia salutaris), used for coughs and colds. The report says that worldwide, four billion people rely on herbal medicine as their primary source of health care. In China, 40 percent of health care services rely on herbal medicines.

The report also says that thousands of plants could be used as food, while only 15 species today provide 90 percent of humanity's food. Four billion people rely on just three crops: rice, corn, and wheat. The scientists also identified 2500 plant species that could be used for fuel or bioenergy. Today, only six crops -- corn, sugar cane, soybean, palm oil, rapeseed and wheat -- account for 80 percent of industrial biofuels.

Read the entire report here.

Books: Flowers in Danger

If there's no way to save endangered species, we can at least document their existence, and that's exactly what A Tribute to Flowers: Plants Under Pressure (teNeues, 2018) does.

Photographer Richard Fischer has taken it upon himself over the past 15 years to bring endangered flowers into his photo studio and capture them in all their glory. There are striking images of flowers such as the fragrant orchid Stanhopea embreei, the clusterhead pink (Dianthus carthusianorum), Angraecum aloifolium, and many, many others.

The book is divided into three sections: Endangered Species, Floral Sculptures, and Dying Divas. There's an introductory essay about each theme that explains why it's so important.

For many of the photos, there are also brief essays, in English, German, and French, which celebrate the flowers.  As the author says describing Papaver somniferum, "Light beards, thread suns, ball carriers -- botanical science provides us with poetic floral designations.  'Hieroglyphics of nature,' remarked a perplexed Goethe.  And always the realization: creating beauty is not easy for humans -- for flowers it is." 

In the introduction to the book, Dr. Thomas Holzmann, vice-president of the German Environment Agency, explains that Fischer has, for many years, been taking photos of rare specimens or plants that may become extinct -- flowers donated by numerous botanical gardens in Germany and elsewhere.  As Holzman notes, Fischer is "putting these plants -- in the truest sense of living on borrowed time -- on center stage for perhaps the last time."

If you're enamored of flowers and their mesmerizing aspects, this is the book for you.

 

 

 

 

 

ASLA Sustainable Design Guides

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), has released a series of free online design guides to help homeowners create and install landscapes that increase energy efficiency, improve water management, use low-impact materials and design for ecological impact.

Marmol Radziner courtesy ASLA

These four guides in the series are comprehensive in nature, each one offering a series of design solutions to solve particular problems.  The image above is from the Ecological Design guide, and it includes information on native plants, permaculture, pollinators, indoor plants and residential composting. 

Similarly the guide on Low-Impact materials has special sections on sutainable woods and concrete, reflective materials and permeable surfaces. 

Well worth a visit online.

 

 

National Pollinator Week

This is national pollinator week .... so go out, get some more natives for your yard and plant them!

Our bees, birds, and butterflies are in danger and they depend on us to keep them alive.

Check out the website here of the Pollinator Partnership ... everything you need to know about what you can do to help.

 

Sad Spring?

click on images to enlarge

In general, I love springtime in Washington DC ... but this year is truly frightening.  I know that Okame cherries are about the first to bloom, but in the last week of February?  These photos were taken at American University Arboretum in upper Northwest DC, and it was truly a shock to see not only the Okames, but many other trees in bloom.

 

Not to mention this cornelian cherry, in full flower as well.  I've never seen the flowering trees take off so early.  Star magnolias were also fully out, and enroute there, saucer magnolias were also well on the way.

This prague viburnum is about to burst, and I find all of this truly scary.  Seems like we might be well on our way to tropical plants in DC within the next few decades.  Can't imagine what it's going to be like down south.

Self-fertilizing plant pots

photo: James Schrader

Just when you thought there would never be anything new in plant pots, along come bioplastic pots.  According to horticulturists at Iowa State University, not only are these pots bio-degradable, they can also release nutrients as they naturally break down.

Bioplastics are made from renewable biological sources, such as plants, and researchers believe they could replace plastics currently made from fossil fuels.  The researchers did some market research as well and found that consumers do not necessarily prefer plant pots that resemble pots made from petroleum plastics.  According to James Graves, a professor of horticulture, "A lot of people want a biocontainer to look earthy and not artificial."

The study also noted that although bioplastic pots cost more than the plastic pots currently on the market, gardeners may be willing to pay more for an environmentally friendly item.  Scientist James Schrader noted that the market share for bioplastic pots will start small, eventually prices for bioplastics and petroleum-based plastics should be about equal.

The research study was funded by the US Dept of Agriculture's National Institute for Food and Agriculture.  Let's hope these pots hit the market soon.

Landscape Declaration for the Future of the Planet

At a summit last June in Philadelphia sponsored by the Landscape Architecture Foundation, more than 700 landscape architects met to discuss the future of the profession and what all could do to preserve the planet in the 21st century going forward.

The result is "The New Landscape Declaration," printed below, and everyone in the profession and associated professions should read it.

"Across borders and beyond walls, from city centers to the last wilderness, humanity’s common ground is the landscape itself. Food, water, oxygen – everything that sustains us comes from and returns to the landscape. What we do to our landscapes we ultimately do to ourselves. The profession charged with designing this common ground is landscape architecture.

After centuries of mistakenly believing we could exploit nature without consequence, we have now entered an age of extreme climate change marked by rising seas, resource depletion, desertification and unprecedented rates of species extinction. Set against the global phenomenon of accelerating consumption, urbanization and inequity, these influences disproportionately affect the poor and will impact everyone, everywhere.

Simultaneously, there is profound hope for the future. As we begin to understand the true complexity and holistic nature of the earth system and as we begin to appreciate humanity’s role as integral to its stability and productivity, we can build a new identity for society as a constructive part of nature.

The urgent challenge before us is to redesign our communities in the context of their bioregional landscapes enabling them to adapt to climate change and mitigate its root causes. As designers versed in both environmental and cultural systems, landscape architects are uniquely positioned to bring related professions together into new alliances to address complex social and ecological problems. Landscape architects bring different and often competing interests together so as to give artistic physical form and integrated function to the ideals of equity, sustainability, resiliency and democracy.

As landscape architects we vow to create places that serve the higher purpose of social and ecological justice for all peoples and all species. We vow to create places that nourish our deepest needs for communion with the natural world and with one another. We vow to serve the health and well-being of all communities.

To fulfill these promises, we will work to strengthen and diversify our global capacity as a profession. We will work to cultivate a bold culture of inclusive leadership, advocacy and activism in our ranks. We will work to raise awareness of landscape architecture’s vital contribution. We will work to support research and champion new practices that result in design innovation and policy transformation.

We pledge our services. We seek commitment and action from those who share our concern."

New Sustainable Design Credential for Designers

Phipps Conservatory Center for Sustainable Landscapes-- photo: Jane Berger

Green Business Certification Inc™ (GBCI) has announced a new credential for professionals who are trained in sustainable landscape design.  Called SITES AP (SITES Accredited Professional), it establishes standards for sustainable landscape design and gives professionals the opportunity to demonstrate their expertise in the area.

GBCI will be offering certification exams for professionals at different locations around the country, and the next is at the annual ASLA conference in New Orleans on October 25th.

SITES, a rating system for sustainable landscapes, was developed through a collaborative effort undertaken by ASLA, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at the University of Texas at Austin, and the US Botanic Garden in Washington DC.  A two-year pilot program involved more than 100 projects, and under that pilot, 47 projects received SITES certification, including landscape installations at corporate headquarters, private homes, parks, and academic campuses.

Garden Trends 2017

image: Patricia St. John Landscapes

The Garden Media Group has released its annual Garden Trends report.  It says that in 2017, gardeners will be concentrating on health and wellness -- growing food and plants both indoors and out without the use of pesticides and chemicals.

One big surprise:  five million new gardeners this year were in the 18-34 age group, so what Millennials want they will likely get.

Gold-colored foliage is big, big, big. Examples include the 'Katsura' Japanese maple, 'Rising Sun' redbud, and 'Goldy' arborvitae.  Check out the caramel-colored heucheras and golden-tinged carex as well.

The report indicates that gardeners will turn to plants that attract birds as well as bird and bat houses to combat pests; and install hydroponic and aquaponic systems to grow food indoors.

Tidy gardens are also popular, which does not mean pruning shrubs into little globes, but rather defining boundaries and spaces with good design, downsizing the plant palette, getting rid of clutter and plants that are past their prime.

Forest bathing -- a Japanese fitness trend developed in the 1980's -- is spreading to other countries.  Spending time in the forest -- or simply outdoors in nature -- is believed to reduce stress, awaken the senses, and increase overall well-being.

Finally, imagine a garden subscription service similar to a food subscription service like Blue Apron or Hello Fresh -- plants and garden products ordered online and delivered to your door!

The image above shows a California garden designed by Patricia St. John Landscapes -- tidy, containers with vegetables, and a lovely design that won a silver award this year from the Association of Professional Landscape Designers, APLD.