Dallas Blooms

The days of Dallas Blooms at the Dallas Arboretum are quickly coming to an end. The final day is April 7th. This is a must see while you can. The flowers are spectacular!

Last month the Southwest Regional Chapter of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD) hosted the annual APLD International Conference in Dallas, Texas.

A big part of the conference is garden tours.  And we were fortunate to see so many gardens built using a range of design styles.  As a designer, it can be easy to stay in a rut using the same paving material, plant material or focal points.

Here are a gardens that inspired me.

This secluded side yard contains a simple fountain surrounded by a brick base.  The ground plane consists of Zoysia lawn bordered by boxwoods, caladiums and liriope.  Very simple planting scheme so as to not overpower the fountain as the focal point of the yard.

In the photo on the left, the landscape reflects the style of the architecture.  The lines are clean.  So, here we have a limited number of plant selections where each plant has a strong architectural element.  Plants used are horsetail reed, bamboo, Texas sage, and pink muhly grass.

There were many more gardens worth studying.  Even the architecture in downtown Dallas was inspiring.  On the right is a photo of the glass ceiling of the chapel in Thanksgiving Square.  The sequence of color selected in the glass is exquisite.

I love using containers in the landscape.  They can add a punch of color to any patio or front entrance to a home.  Containers allow you to better control the soil mixture.  However, in our Texas heat, they can dry out fast.  So, I recommend using large containers as they will retain moisture longer than smaller containers.  Here are some updates on containers that we maintain.

I love the look of the SunPatiens.   They are offered in great color selections.  And look at the size of these!  This container holds 3 Variegated Vigorous Coral SunPatiens.  The form is perfect… nice and round covering the soil.  In the Dallas area, I’ve had better performance using these in a semi-shaded area as the intense July / August sun can be a too much for them.

These fancy leaf caladiums performed wonderfully underneath the yaupon holly.  The fancy leaf caladium requires more shade than the strap leaf caladium.  Those that you see in the sun are a strap leaf variety.  You can identify the difference by looking at the shape of the leaf.  The fancy leaf caladium has a heart shape leaf whereas the strap leaf is arrow shaped.

For a bright flower that can withstand the sun and heat, we had success with the Cora Periwinkle.  This is the burgundy Cora Periwinkle.  These plants filled in the container.  I have found that they will bounce back quickly if they become dry which can easily happen in July and August.

Another great plant combination for a mostly sunny location is crotons and Zebrina pendula.  The colors are so vibrant ranging from reds to yellows and purples!

We almost always install a drip line from the existing irrigation system to each container.  You can run the tube through the bottom of the container or have it come up over the side of the container.  A drip line will save you many hours of hand watering.  And you can go on vacation knowing that your plants will look good on your return.

Sometimes I think I must live in Versailles, France.  In my suburban America, shrubs and small trees are trimmed on a regular basis into balls and cones.  Probably this is done to keep the plants in scale to their surroundings.  Sometimes, it looks to be just something to do.  Just like everything else, there is a time when this should be done and a time when it shouldn’t.

I prefer to select plants that fit the site and naturally grow into the desired shape .  When this is done at the design phase, then there is less maintenance required later in life.  Like a conical evergreen?  Select a Blue Point Juniper.  Like a short round evergreen?  Select a Dwarf Yaupon Holly or Carissa Holly.  Like a natural small tree? Select a Yaupon Holly or Crape Myrtle.

Here you can see how natural the setting is when selective plants are allowed to grow in their natural growth habit. Trim plants as needed to accentuate their natural growth habit and to keep them in scale with the surroundings.  The natural forms are wonderful to view throughout the seasons.  This example is of a Deciduous Yaupon Holly.  The berries of these plants are shown in all their glory after the leaves fall off in Autumn and hang on through the winter.

The berries are a draw for birds as they flock to the small trees seeking food.

Now to me, this is more pleasing than viewing a hedge trimmed lollipop shaped Yaupon stuck on the corner of a house looking like it came direct from Versailles.

Containers have always been an interest of mine because of their diversity and visual impact.  They are a garden in themselves and can provide a visual focal point in areas where it may not be easy to achieve otherwise.

I like to use large containers as they can function as a focal point in the garden or an accent piece.  If you are going to use containers, go with a large substantial piece.  They may be heavy but you will gain in many ways.  First of all, they will not dry out as quickly as smaller containers.  Nor will they become lost in the landscape.  Objects tend to look smaller outside.  The scale outside is different than indoors.  That is because the sky which acts as the “ceiling” is much farther away and the “walls” are further out.  A bunch of small containers tend to look cluttered and visually get lost.  Besides, it is so much easier to tend to one large container than to several small pots.

5' Tall Container

In this photo, the blue container is 5′ tall.  Talk about impact!  It literally draws your eye to it.  The blue color helps as well.  To capitalize on the color, I selected plants with the same color of blue.  In this case, Plumbago auriculata, which is an annual in zone 7/8.   The lime green of the sweet potato vine is a great contrast to the blue.

These miniature gardens provide a way to create great arrangements because of their constrained size.  You can easily create impact of color because it takes fewer plants to fill the space even though you will be using large containers.

Low Bowl Containers

Take a look at these low bowl containers.  The pots are overflowing with color.  In this arrangement, the main color is purple with silver as an accent.  These containers are positioned on a wall so even though they are low bowls, they are positioned close to eye level.

As with any garden, water and feeding is a necessity for its success.  I highly recommend using irrigation drip lines to water your containers especially during the hot summer months.  Provide fertilizer as well as this will make your plants healthy and provide you with many blooms.

I was asked to create a meditation garden around a wonderful sculpture for a church in Allen, Texas.  The sculpture is an inspiration.  The surrounding area was not.  I guess that is where I come in.

The grounds behind the sculpture is farm land.  The sides of the statue are framed by buildings.  The space dictated an overall square space but the sculpture is dynamic and called for an asymmetrical design with lots of movement in the plant material.

Here, you can see the area before the installation of the statue.

Based on the client’s desire for a garden with movement to reflect the wind swept clothing and wings in the sculpture, I designed a space with a strong sense of geometry but worked in asymmetrical planting groupings and hardscape.

The selected design fits the space well and incorporates the objectives of the client.

Notice that the hardscape is split into a cresent shape with the left portion being concrete and the right portion being decomposed granite.  The area with the decomposed granite is a more casual space used for sitting and reflecting.  The large tree will provide shade for the sitting area.  The concrete as well as the paver area in front of the statue is to be used for groups to gather.

We implemented phase 1 to much delight of the client and those that visit the space.

With time, the hollies behind the statue will provide a solid screen to block the view behind the statue and create a sense of closure.  Likewise, a Live Oak tree, which can not been seen in this picture, will provide shade for the sitting area.

Additional plantings include Knockout Roses, Salvia, Sedum, Blackeye Susan, and Dwrf Fountain Grass.

It has been an honor to be able to contribute to such an important space for this church

We are nearing the completion of the memorial garden for this stage.  There are still artistic elements that have yet to be selected or created.  But the stage is set for their arrival.

The entrance into the garden is lined with plantings that create a site line to eventually a fountain.  The fountain will be located at the far end which will draw your eye into the space and entice you to explore further.

From an upper view, you can see the layout of the space.  It has a formal feel with a strong sense of symmetry.

I selected traditional plants that are associated with formal plantings.. glossy leaves, evergreen, and formal shapes.  These include magnolia, roses, boxwood and holly.

Ducher Rose

The new seat wall is constructed of Winter Blue chopped block with a Silver Mist cap.  The taller wall is tiled in slate with an engraved accent tile.

Little Gem Magnolia, Blue Rug Juniper, Red Carpet Rose

With most projects, there is usually an activity, design detail or construction method that has to be worked out.  I know what the end result is to be but may not know exactly how we are going to get there.  That is what keeps this type of work interesting.  I am amazed at what we accomplish as a team.

One of those activities was the installation of a 14,000 lb or 7 ton columbarium into the memorial garden that I designed and am in the process of constructing.  As we did not have good access into the space, the 7 ton piece of granite was to be lifted above the surrounding building and placed on the concrete footing.

Crane

The manufacturers of the columbarium unit arrived in town the night before.  The crane arrived early the next day and began their set up.

The granite unit was strapped with belts that wrapped around to the top.  Once the crane was ready, it latched onto the hook and began to raise the unit above the building.

Lowering the Columbairum

As the columbarium was lowered in place, the guys manually rotated and pushed the unit to align it and center it into the memorial garden.

Within a few hours, the crane was retracted and gone.  The 7 ton columbarium unit was installed.

Now, we are ready to proceed with the remainder of the project… masonry, irrigation, planting and lighting.  I’m sure there will be another task that we will collaborate on how to accomplish but none quite as dramatic.

Central Unit in Place

A little over a year ago, I was asked to design a columbarium for a local church.  A columbarium is a structure with recesses in the walls to receive the ashes of the dead.  I’d never worked on a project of this type and did not know much about columbaria but was honored to be selected for a project that would have so much importance to so many people.

Presentation Plan

After several meetings and design reviews, here is the final design.  And as is often the case, this design was revised further but the intent of the design stayed the same, clean geometrical lines and the use of “old world” materials.  The color palette selected for the hard surfaces were gray/green with accents of salmon.  The plant floral color selection was limited to white, red and purple which mirror liturgical colors.  One of the challenges is the integration of this space into an existing 1970′s era minimalist brown brick building.

The construction work began early this summer.

Removing Soil

We excavated several truck loads of dirt so as to create positive drainage from the buildings.

Then, the forms were built.  The concrete was poured, the joints troweled and finished with a broom finish between the troweled bands.  Later, we will come back and sand blast the surface providing a more interesting texture and cut the glare from the light gray concrete.

Concrete Forms

In keeping with the “old world” look, I selected a Belgard slate gray paver with a textured surface and undulating edges.  Using a saw, we were able to achieve a graceful curve.  Something that we could not have achieved with a guillotine type cutting device.  This particular paver has the look of a blue stone.

Pavers

Once the joints were filled with sand, we came back and used a polymer sand to seal the joints.  The polymer sand also has a blue gray color which only aids in bringing out the blue gray color of the pavers.

After spending hours on the design, it is very fulfilling to see it go from a vision on paper to rising out of the ground in three dimensional form.