IndiEdibles » Organic Landscape Michigan

Stone and Roses

indiedibles — Tue, 11 May 2010 22:28:34 +0000

This client had a very tight budget for this window garden after her remodelers had their way with her budget. So the solution was these awesome tea hybrid roses that we use bamboo sticks to guide up the window, framed by the simple boxwood and a natural blue stone that we free set on soil – pure soil. This is by far the least expensive way to install stone and a useful and effective way given there is not much traffic or use on that stone nor concern for movement of the stone from the changing seasons.

This garden, with extensive soil amendments for the roses, was under 1,100 not including the irrigation.

IMAGINE EDIBLE: This same layout could have been done with edible plants. For example, I would have used a Black Currant as the hedge instead of the boxwood – this would mean in the winter I would not have an evergreen presence but I can accept that with a little Xmas lighting. Instead of the roses I would go with a specialty grape and roses. Imagine one deep red knock out rose climbing amongst clusters of deep purple plump grapes winding around a cedar trellis painted the same color as the home so that it is as if invisible. What other climbing vines are edible? Hops. Cucumber. Sugar Snap Peas – the list goes one – truly, even tomatoes would be stunning instead of the roses. Whatever can be done with ornamental plants in terms of visual pleasure can be done better by edible plants.

Layering

indiedibles — Tue, 11 May 2010 22:10:05 +0000

This garden was nothing but flat light brown clay when we got to it. We added some elevation, the stone, the boxwood, yews, bradford pear, thuja nigra and oakleaf hydrangea layers. Layers upon layers, complimentary textures and colors – I love this particular garden and it’s look. Had our budget allowed it, I would have built these walls a little more significant and most certainly more of them throughout the yard. The oaklead and the bradford pear both offer white flowers in the growing season and both have stunning fall color which is framed by the evergreen boxwood and yews. Complexity of layers and stone media with simple lines and repetition – combining formality and informality for a truly unique look.

Remember, by clicking on the picture you can see it close up (at least on my computer I can)

IMAGINE EDIBLE: Imagine this same layering, this same layout with edible plants. It can be done. Strawberry instead of the vinca ground cover, currants instead of boxwood, blueberry/goji instead of the oaklead, Real Pear trees instead of the Bradford Pear Tree – we must leave the thuja nigra because those evergreen hedges for visual protection from the nieghbors are very helpful and useful indeed! Especially for those of us who enjoy naked garden time!

(FLE’s) Fake Landscape Edging

indiedibles — Tue, 04 May 2010 20:55:24 +0000

Natural edging is more functional than Fake Landscape Edings (FLE’s) and far more attractive.

Natural cut edges are also less expensive than FLE’s. FLE’s have a large upfront materials cost with extensive labor to install it. The sales pitch for FLE’s is that this is a one time fee, a one time fee that saves you money in the long run - but I promise you, if you live somewhere where it freezes, you will be paying the labor end of that deal a second time within a matter of 2 seasons – meaning, the cost of labor to reinstall the now sunken or popped up (from freezing and thawing) FLE’s. Note the color and texture of that soil. We have worked with that soil and that garden for 8 years now. Tons of worms.

That guy is a criminal, notice how professional he looks. Smoke and mirrors – and look at this photo here. Even with sunshine, green grass, misty sprinklers and robust golden flowers, that black plastic edging still looks like shit. Pardon my honest opinion. This looks like a photo from a bag of Scott’s Lawn Fertilizer or something. It looks like someone left a piece of garbage in a beautiful garden.

Don’t let this be your garden.

And then there is this beautiful edge we cut just the other day. Dynamically functional, affordable – better.

Best way is to have no lawn.

Remember you can click on the photo’s and you should be able to view them larger and in more detail.