GardenDesignOnline

Garden Design: Native or Not?

image: www.nigeldunnett.info -click to enlarge

If you're a designer and you've never been to one of Larry Weaner's annual conferences on native plants/meadow-making, make sure you sign up for the next one.  Many colleagues that I met at last week's conference come every single year ... to hear different speakers and gain new perspectives on the latest in native plant design.

One of this year's most controversial speakers was James Hitchmough, Professor of Horticultural Ecology at the Univ of Sheffield and designer, along with Nigel Dunnett, of the meadow plantings at Olympic Park in London.  Hitchmough uses a mixture of native & exotic species in order to create "urban meadows" that are attractive to the general public.  While some of my colleagues were appalled that exotics were part of the mix, I'd say, why not?  After all, another speaker pointed out that the UK has less than half the number of native plants found in the state of Ohio ... so a "native" UK meadow would likely look pretty darned ugly.  And the meadows designed by Hitchmough & Dunnett are far more sustainable than the herbacious borders favored for so many decades.  

I was also heartened by Thomas Rainer's thoughts on native plants -- mainly, that they don't always live up to their hype.  As he rightly noted, there are plenty of non-natives that are also drought tolerant, that have deep roots, ameliorate air pollution, support wildlife and absorb stormwater.  In his own garden in the DC suburbs, shown here, Rainer mixes native & non-natives to great effect.  While he embraces native plants, Rainer also notes that pure native designs are often loose & sloppy -- and quite frankly, look terrible.  He advocates making natives the ideology of "yes," instead of "no," ie, embracing natives and exotics that can work together to create beautiful landscapes inspired by nature.  Can't wait until Rainer's new book is published.

And p.s. -- the conference I attended was at Connecticut College -- the next one (with many of the same speakers) is next week at Temple University in Ambler, PA.  Details here.

New NYBG Native Plant Garden

Photo: Oehme van Sweden LA

I've been waiting for quite some time to see this new native garden at the NY Botanical Garden come to life.  Several years ago, during interviews for a profile of James van Sweden, co-founder of Oehme van Sweden Landscape Architecture (OVSLA) the firm's Sheila Brady showed me the plan for it and explained how it was going to work.

The 3.5 acre garden features a 230-foot-long water feature surrounded by lush wetlands, meadows, and shaded woods filled with nearly 100 thousand native plants.

The garden is the most contemporary at the NYBG, designed by Brady to take advantage of the natural terrain and introduce a number of sustainable elements. The water feature is fed by recycled stormwater captured on site that cascades over stone weirs and is filtered by native aquatic plants. A boardwalk that runs alongside is fashioned from native black locust and other structures and benches were constructed from salvaged, recycled, or sustainably harvested materials. 

The garden's curator, Jody Payne, said what makes the garden special is that "it was not only designed to be a beautiful and inspiring garden, but it was also designed to teach our visitors the essential role that plants play in the living ecosystem all around us."  The garden features ephemerals in spring such as trillium, bloodroot and lady slipper orchids; meadow grasses in summer; red-stemmed dogwoods and golden birches in fall; and winterberry fruits and the stately architecture of ancient trees in winter.

The Native Plant Garden Symposium (May 3 at 10AM) includes presentations by Dr. Robert Naczi of the NYBG; author and professor Dr. Douglas Tallamy; author and photographer Rick Darke, and the designer of the garden, landscape architect Sheila Brady.  For a full list of programs surrounding the opening of the garden, check details here.

And for a video preview of the garden, click here.

Don't miss it!

 

 

Design: Parking Lot to Garden

 

OLIN Studio

 A brand-new garden in one of DC's poorest areas, Anacostia, opens to the public on Friday, November 16.  Designed by The OLIN Studio, Canal Park was once part of the city's historic Washington City Canal, which connected the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers. It was paved over more than 100 years ago and in recent years was a parking lot for school buses.

Located on the Capitol Riverfront, the three-block site is near the Washington Nationals baseball stadium, the Washington Navy Yard, the US Dept of Transportation, and much new development in the mixed-use community.

Canal Park features a linear rain garden that recalls the old canal and its floating barges.  It includes an interactive fountain, performance areas, sculptures, a cafe with outdoor seating, an ice rink in winter.  The park will host numerous events each year, including farmers' markets, festivals, movies and concerts, art shows and eductional programs.

The park was designed with sustainable features, including native plants, reclaimed or sustainably harvested wood, geothermal heating and cooling, green roofs, low-flush toilets and fixtures, and much more. Steve Benz, OLIN partner & Director of Green Infrastructure, says "Canal Park is a unique place that delivers an artful assembly of social, economic and environmental performance.  As a successful social space, people can enjoy the re-established natural systems previously lost to development while providing an economic stimulus for the surrounding area."

Seems like the park will be extremely popular.  For more on its development, see the video here.

 

 

Top Outdoor Living Trends 2012

 

ASLA / Nelson Byrd Woltz

 

ASLA has released its annual survey of residential garden trends, and the most popular elements continue to be outdoor living and garden areas with lots of entertaining space.

Almost 95 percent of landscape architects surveyed said that gardens and landscaped spaces were popular, followed by outdoor living spaces, which included kitchens and entertainment areas.

ASLA CEO Nancy Somerville said that although the overall US economy is continuing to struggle, residential design has remained stronger than other categories throughout the recession.

An encouraging trend for environmentalists is that turf lawns were preferred by only 50 percent, while sustainable design practices rated 70 percent.  The top sustainable trends included native or drought-tolerant plants, water-efficient irrigation, and permeable paving.

More than 90 percent of landscape architects say homeowners continue to insist on terraces, patios, decks and fences; and among outdoor living featutes they prefer grills, fire pits or fireplaces, seating and dining areas and lighting.  In the outdoor recreation category, ornamental water features top the list, followed by spas and swimming pools.

As for gardens, most homeowners want low-maintenance landscapes (is there such a thing???), followed by those who prefer native plants (86%) and food/vegetable gardens (81%).  Organic gardens came in at a relatively low 61 percent.

 

 

 

 

Sustainability: Convincing your Clients to Go Green

If your clients (or you yourself) are not yet convinced about the values of sustainable, earth-friendly landscaping, then head over to the new, free, animated site put up by the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA).

Aside from case studies of sustainable projects of all sizes, from university campuses to suburban back yards and green roofs, the site includes six animations that show you exactly what happens when you install sustainable elements in the landscape.

ASLA president Jonathan Mueller explains that few people outside the design profession understand how sustainable techniques actually work or why they are beneficial. "This new resource will serve as Sustainable Design 101 for students and teachers alike by explaining complex environmental systems in a clear, understandable format," he says.

I predict that aside from students and teachers, homeowners and many people in the landscaping world will find it beneficial as well.

(image: ASLA)

"Green" Design & Landscape Architects

According to a recent article in Architecural Record, landscape architects (and designers???) are taking a leading role in green design.  The article originally appeared in Engineering News Record, but you can read it online here.  According to the author, it represents a comeback for a profession that had lost it's way.

Sustainable Garden Tour

I've never been on a tour of "sustainable" gardens before.  This one, in Falmouth, MA, was billed as "Earth Friendly Gardens ... Beautiful and Edible."  So it was certainly timely.  Not all the gardens were designed by professionals, but nevertheless there were some lovely touches and some great ideas for living a more sustainable lifestyle.

If you look closely, you'll see the "rain chain" descending from the gutter to floor of the outdoor shower.  And because the property is on a lakefront with lots of large trees, no need, really, for a built enclosure around the shower.  All the gutters on this house had rain chains, several of which descended into garden beds, obviating the need for water.

The house is heated with solar thermal panels (up on the roof) that provide hot water for heating and for personal hot water use ... and according to the homeowners, their supplementary heating bills last year totaled $88.  The house also has 5KWH of photovoltaic panels that provide electricity, and they have enough to send power back to the grid.  They paid nothing last year for electricity.  I don't know how much the installation cost, but it's something for everyone to consider.  Aside from the butterfly bush, which could be invasive in MA, there were lots of native plantings to attract birds and butterflies, including common milkweed.

The family's large vegetable garden supplies them with plenty of fruits and vegetables for the summer (and enough to put up for the winter, too). There's a natural split-rail fence around it, raised beds, and paths of straw.  Nothing fancy, here, but it does the job and looks quite charming to boot.