 |
| From Pina Colada |
Living in the midst of the great redwoods is a fantastic experience.
Especially during our wet winter months.
When it is lightly raining in town, you can bet it is pouring in the adjoining redwood groves.
From California Gardening
The interesting thing is, that you can actually stay modestly dry when standing under the canopy of a grove of redwoods . The dense canopy of coniferous foliage filters out the heavy down pour into a pleasantly light mist.
From California Gardening
This makes for enjoyable moment in the hot tub if you happen to have one situated in a grove of redwoods.
From California Gardening
From California Gardening
Gas fired fireplace can take the chill off.
From California Gardening
From California Gardening
And when the sun does finally come out, gardening under the redwoods provides lots of plantery opportunities
From California Gardening
Yeah, sure.
Now I know why Marie Antoinette loved her rose garden so much.
She didn’t have to work in it herself. If she did she would have probably taken a shovel to it and dug the whole sadistic thing up.
 |
| From Loropetalum chinese |
Yesterday I almost finished the yearly BIG PRUNE at an estate garden .
Despite wearing heavy duty long armed gloves I still received plenty of wounds, one which I may actually have to go see the Doctor for if it doesn’t heal within the next day or so.
The only redeeming quality of a rose garden from my perspective is that as a horticulturist I get paid for maintaining it.
 |
| From Loropetalum chinese |
That’s about the most positive thing I can say about it.
 |
| From California Gardening |
Growing an estate quality rose garden is a shit load of work.
After the BIG PRUNE I will be applying 3 sessions of dormant spraying over the next 3 months of dormancy. This is done to curtail ( but it certainly doesn’t stop ) the uninvited dreaded black spot, rust and mildew that will taunt the professional gardener all summer
long.
 |
| From portfolioMay08.jpg |
In late February I will start applying the well aged compost and mulch around the roses.
This usually takes me about 2 eight hour days to complete.
 |
| From California Gardening |
In late March the buds will be swollen and the aphids will arrive in thick droves.
I don’t use inorganic pesticides so I will have to spend a series of days hand stripping and water spraying off the aphids and in worse case scenarios will apply Safers soap to the buds.
 |
| From California Gardening |
Then from April to November I will cut bouquets and strip off the thorns for the estate and dead head the rose shrubs every week and do battle with black spot, rust and if the weather is cool and moist, we’ll have mildew to fight with.
The drip irrigation system will require constant fiddling with as well just to get the right amount of water to the root system in conjunction with the type of weather that we are having.
 |
| From California Gardening |
Compost teas will be concocted and applied as well as baking soda remedies.
If a leaf is found to have black spot or rust it must be stripped before entering into the house. Gawd help us if there is a spotted leaf !
 |
| From portfolioMay08.jpg |
A rose garden has one redeeming quality from my point of perspective : Job $ecurity.
Northern California has been under a cloud of rain storms for the past week and a half.
This is great news for our reservoirs, cisterns and wells.
My own water catchment barrels are full to the brim.
Come this summer when the rain is all but a distant memory some people will be turning on their fountains to once again whet their liquid senses.
I’ve designed a variety of fountains.
Some were designed for meditation purposes while others were designed to mask the noise of adjacent street traffic.
Below is a brief sampling of fountains and why they were designed.
For meditation - we cut and hand carved this Canadian basalt column for a small enclosed
outdoor courtyard
From Water fountains in the landscape
Also designed for meditation. Situated on a roof top high rise in the city.
From Water fountains in the landscape
Purchased from Stone Forest Company. Designed to attract local fauna.
From Water fountains in the landscape
From Water fountains in the landscape
Hand built from New England bluestone and California brownstone.
Set into a circular patio. This fountain attracts the local birds as well as the kids who play in this garden.
From Water fountains in the landscape
Just plain artifice . To move your mind away from the 7 foot tall stucco wall.
Water gently ripples down the face of the glass and stone mosaic inset.
From Water fountains in the landscape
This fountain is set into a retaining wall. It acts as a focal point that is viewed from inside the house.
From Water fountains in the landscape
A simple water bowl meant to encourage wildlife into the garden.
From Water fountains in the landscape
A moderenist hand built New England bluestone fountain. Installed as a focal point and a sitting wall.
From Water fountains in the landscape
A natural granite stone hand carved and set into a stone terrace for quiet contemplation.
From portfolioMay08.jpg
Not really a ‘fountain’ but more of a fun way to cool off on a hot day.
In the center of the mosaic spiral there is a brass water nozzle that when turned on shoots water up from the middle of this bike riding ring.
The excess water goes into a gravity fed irrigation system that waters the orchard and garden below
The affects of the big freeze that we had here in Northern California in early December are starting to really show.
Some of the frost damaged foliage that was left in a state of blackened mush is starting to accumulate a variety of molds and that is a sad sign that a succulent plant is done for.
Other plants that normally start to push out growth during our mild winter climate are still sitting dormant and showing no signs of regenerative life.
I think it might be too cold for the winter dormancy to break.
Usually I see new growth on many of the aeoniums but they are sitting silent.
Hopefully N. California gardeners will start to see the pushing of new life in the next month in some of our succulent and bromeliad gardens.
 |
| From New Album 6/2/09 4:27 PM |
 |
| From New Album 6/2/09 4:27 PM |
 |
| From Container Plantings |
 |
| From Pina Colada |
 |
| From Pina Colada |
 |
| From Pina Colada |
 |
| From Pina Colada |
 |
| From Pina Colada |
This incredibly cheerful , textural and diverse deck top planter box belongs to the treasurer of the Bromeliad Society of San Francisco, Harold Charns and his gracious wife Rose.
Last year The Charns opened their home and garden to the members of the Bromeliad and Cactus & Succulent Clubs as part of the annual S.F. Bromeliad Garden Tour.
Never have I seen such a fantastic textural tapestry of diverse plants in one large planter box.
Bromeliads commingle with succulents and herbs, orchids and perennials.
From Bromeliad Society Tour 2008
From Bromeliad Society Tour 2008
A simply beautiful succulent pot
From Bromeliad Society Tour 2008
A small water garden also residing on the deck
From Bromeliad Society Tour 2008
Don’t you love the coloration ?
From Bromeliad Society Tour 2008
For more information about landscaping with Bromeliads check out the website of the Bromeliad Society of San Francisco and if you are in the area please feel welcome to come to our monthly meeting on the 3rd Thursday of the month.
Meetings:
Day: 3rd Thursday of the Month
Time: 7:00 pm setup, 7:30pm call to order
Location: S. F. County Fair Building, Recreation Room
9th Avenue and Lincoln Way (entrance to Golden Gate Park), San Francisco
I just finished reading an article written by Marni Jameson in my local newspaper the Marin IJ .
She admits that she has 3 brain cells and I agree.
Marni Jameson wrote in her January 9, 2010 article about DIY design trends from the last past decade and proudly placed a color photograph of a wood burning fire pit showing how fantastic this source of pollution is.
If wood burning fire pits were the trend for the last decade then the new trend for the next coming decade and beyond should be all about adopting clean burning gas and eco fuels that do not pollute the air and send thousands of children and adults to the hospital with asthma and respiratory disease complications.
Burning wood for out door decoration and ambience is down right environmentally irresponsible.
*Particulate pollution is the most important contaminant in our air. ...we know that when particle levels go up, people die 1. " Indeed, wood smoke is chemically active in the body 40 times longer than tobacco 2.
It is no coincidence that we have Spare the Air days here in Northern California.
Does Marni Jameson think this is because we have fantastically clean air free from wood smoke pollution ?
Or that there is a strong presence of The American Lung Association because there is no asthma problems from our poor air quality ?
Regenerate some brain cells Ms. Jameson, and do us a favor and do not advocate and promote products that send thousands to the hospitals and pollutes the air that we breath.
* 1 + 2 - Burning Issues web site : http://burningissues.org/car-www/index.html
http://www.lungusa.org/ - american lung association
http://burningissues.org/car-www/index.html
http://www.sparetheair.org/
OUT - 19th century heavy polluting technology -
From random photos
IN - 21 st century clean burning , no polluting technologies.
From random photos
 |
Posts
All Comments
