on Jan 27 in Landscape Design tagged DIY Rain Garden Design, How To Create A Rain Garden, Landscape Design, Rain Garden, Tree Rain Garden
by Kirsten Coffen ASLA RLA with 9 comments
Tree and Shrub Rain Garden Design
Turn a moist or poorly drained area of your yard into a beautiful garden that provides year round color and habitat for songbirds. The trees and shrubs in this design have been selected both for their beauty and their ability to thrive in moist areas.
Rain Garden Specifications:
Included Species:
1 – Sweetbay Magnolia
3 – Redosier Dogwood
3 – Winterberry Holly
Hardiness Zone:
5-7
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on Dec 30 in Landscape Design tagged Best Trees for Winter Landscaping, Landscape Design, Tree Landscape Design, Winter Landscape Design
by Zelda with 5 comments
Many gardeners are proud of their spring, summer and autumn gardens, but they find winter landscape design very difficult.
There are many trees and shrubs which may add a lot of color with their red or yellow berries, or unusual bark hues. Others, like evergreen trees, add visual interest in black and white landscape. Many of those trees attract wild birds providing them with food and shelter.
When you are looking for your winter trees, choose trees with berries, lovely bark or interesting branch pattern.
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on Sep 23 in Landscape Design tagged Fall Color, Fall Foliage, Fall Landscaping, Landscape Design
by David Beaulieu with 6 comments
We take our consolations in life where we can. I live in a cold climate and dislike the onset of winter, which brings harsh weather, along with shoveling snow, scraping ice off car windshields, etc. As if the dreariness and the drudgery weren’t bad enough, winter robs me of one of my chief passions in life: my outdoor plants. Oh, sure, I can still enjoy my evergreen shrubs and ornamental grass; and other plants inject some visual interest into the winter landscape via interesting branching patterns and whatnot. But none of this makes up for the loss I’ve suffered. I’ll mourn till spring.
That’s why I drain every ounce of satisfaction out of fall foliage season. Whether it’s “leaf peeping” on vacation or selecting superior fall foliage plants for my own yard, fall foliage is a big deal to this Hyperborean: It’s my ultimate consolation as another long winter stares me in the face.
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on Sep 16 in Landscape Design, Misc Trees, Tree Care, Tree Planting tagged Fall Color, Flowering Trees, Landscape Design, Smoketree, Tree Care, Tree Planting
by Rebekah with 11 comments
If you should ever find yourself luxuriating in the French Riviera, and in the unlikely event you grow tired of the sand and sea, a walk in the hills will introduce you to the unique woodlands of the Mediterranean. There, among the scrubby oaks and umbrella pines you will find a familiar bush or small tree, the European smoketree – in its native environment.
There are only two species of trees in the genus Cotinus. One is the American smoketree, the other is its close relative from Europe. For both, their claim to fame is the wispy clumps of filaments that look all the world like smoke. The mirage has given rise to other names such as mist tree, cloud tree, wig tree, and Jupiter’s beard. By whatever name, the site of this tree is what Minnesota garden writer Don Engebretson has called “one of the most arresting shrubs available to…gardeners today.”
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on Sep 09 in Landscape Design, Tree Care, Tree Planting tagged Dogwood, Fall Color, Flowering Trees, Landscape Design, Tree Care, Tree Planting
by Rebekah with no comments
Writer-naturalist Donald Peattie once wrote, “Lovely as it is, dogwood stoops also to be useful.”
What’s in a Name?
For all the beauty of this tree, the common name of dogwood may come from something less lovely – “dagger.” This, in turn, may actually come from its early use as a skewer, or thin piece of wood used to hold meat together. The tendency of its wood to not splinter made it popular for this purpose.
The scientific genus name, Cornus, derives from the Latin, cornu, or horn, in reference to another use of its hard wood. The species name, florida, is also from Latin, flos, meaning flowery.
Seasonal Color
The blossoms of dogwood add a welcome touch of color in early spring. If space allows, the white can be accentuated with a background of conifers. Bright autumn foliage and red berries that linger into winter add a bold stroke of color to any landscape design. Read More
on Jul 29 in Landscape Design tagged DYI, Landscape Design, Shade Tree
by JOEL T. PARKER JR. ASLA RLA LEED AP with 15 comments
The Arbor Day Foundation approached me about designing several plant combinations that their members and fans could use to create plantings of aesthetic interest and which provide function in the landscape. Over the next few months I will be sharing information behind these plant combinations and how they can be used as “do it yourself landscape designs”. Previously I outlined the Hedgerow Bird Shelter, aka the Bird Magnet planting. Let’s now explore the Shade Tree Planting.
Shade Tree Planting
While working on the design for the Shade Tree Planting, the primary goal was to produce an attractive planting that could be installed below a mature shade tree. Often times the area below a mature shade tree becomes problematic for the homeowner due to the canopy of the mature tree shading out the turf below as well as the trees surface roots sometimes becoming unattractive. The Shade Tree Planting is designed to be installed below the canopy of a mature shade tree and offer months of flowering interest. Read More
on Jun 23 in Landscape Design tagged Arbor Day Farm, Fruit Trees, Landscape Design
by Eric Olson with 12 comments
As the Apple Orchard Manager at Arbor Day Farm, I often get questions about how to create a fruit orchard in a home or landscape setting. There are several items that you should consider to make sure you find a tree that is right for you.
Determine the Right Fruit Tree for your landscape
Step 1: When choosing a fruit tree in your yard or home, the first consideration is the growing zone in which you live.
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on May 20 in Landscape Design tagged Do It Yourself (DIY), Landscape Design, Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7
by JOEL T. PARKER JR. ASLA RLA LEED AP with 17 comments
The Arbor Day Foundation approached me about designing several plant combinations that their members and fans could use for plantings of aesthetic interest and which provide function in the landscape. During the next few months, I will be sharing information behind these plant combinations and how they can be used as “do it yourself landscape designs.” All of the plant combinations are available online now.
Hedgerow Bird Shelter aka the Bird Magnet
When designing the Hedgerow Bird Shelter plant combination two basic goals were desired. 1) To design a planting which would be attractive to birds by way of food and shelter, and 2) provide visual interest for all seasons.
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