Lawn Replacement Design Consultation

BEFORE

AFTER: Lawn Replacement Complete

For this project, the clients did all the work themselves. This was an unusual and fun way for me to provide Design Services. They called me in for a consultation as they were prepping for planting so I could guide them. When I arrived, they'd started placing plants in groups, and I had them change some of the groupings and suggested they buy a few more of the native Heuchera and Iris so they could mass them more effectively.

They were planning to use a high-quality plastic bender board product as a transition from the decomposed granite pathways and the mulched planting areas. Normally bender board is a reasonably good choice, but in this case, there were tree roots everywhere and it was going to be quite a challenge to dig channels for the bender board to lay at the correct level. This is also a shady front yard with a natural forest vibe, and the bender board was not going to add anything aesthetically.

BEFORE: Bender Board Instead of River Rock

Here is a photo of the Bender Board they were originally planning to use.

I suggested using River Rock instead of Bender Board, which can be placed closer to the soil surface, no significant channel necessary. I also recommended adding some large boulders. We talked about the placement of all the elements.

AFTER: Natural River Rock Borders

This was a great example of the value of a Design Consultation. The homeowners in this case were perfectly capable of doing the labor, and they had a good start on a plan, but I know they would agree that getting my advice allowed them to bring the project to completion with wonderful results. Call me to discuss the services I offer.

The clients sent me photos the moment they completed the project. They are so happy with the choices we made together, and they have already received so many compliments.

DIY Bird Bath Thrift Store Edition

A recent client, who was a lot of fun to work with, wanted the feel of an English Cottage Garden around her patio, so I brought in some Apple Blossom Penstemons, White Salvia greggii, Yarrow, Bearded Iris, Heuchera and Mallow. This spot is a bit difficult because much of it gets the Western sun in the afternoon, especially in the Spring and Summer, but more shade during the winter. The plants I chose can take sun and part shade, and so far they are doing quite well.

I saw this purple glass bowl at a thrift store along with the glass and metal candlestick I used as a stand, and created this bird bath to go with the planting. I replaced the metal rod in the center of the base with a longer, thicker one, and was able to sink that into the soil about 2 feet.

Vertical Planting: Industrial

I love bringing diverse elements into the garden and integrating them. Here is a fab idea from Designer Emanuel Donval, featured in Stephen Orr's new book, Tomorrow's Garden.

Donval's Metal Roof Jacks

A good example of seeing the potential of a common object to serve us in a new way. 

I really like the way the metal rectangles overlap. The interaction of the shapes and lines, and the way the light plays off the surfaces, reminds me of modern painting.

DIY Bird Bath

I often notice Bushtits and other birds eating insects off my plants. I've been wanting a bird bath for a long time to encourage them even more, especially during late Spring and Summer, when the pests are at their worst, and the birds need supplemental water the most.
But I always balk at the price of the bird baths I really like. I finally got it together, and made one out of things I already had!

I came across this lovely glass serving plate I got as a present, and always liked but rarely use. I realized it reminded me of a flower, and I started wondering if I could somehow re-purpose it as garden art. Re-purpose-ing an object you don't use, and therefore don't really enjoy, seems like such an ultimately healthy, responsible and fun thing to do. You give the object a new opportunity to please you every day, instead of letting the poor little thing sit unused and forgotten on your highest shelf year after year!

We found this old metal table leg years and years ago -- one of those things you stash away saying, "I'll use this for something..."  It could have been repainted, but I decided it looked pretty cool "distressed" and why go out and buy paint, which is not so pro-enviro, when the whole point is to have no footprint with this kind of project!

The leg is hollow, so all I did was take an old broom stick and pound it into the ground about three feet. It had just rained, so this was fairly easy. Then I shoved my metal leg down onto the broom stick, took my handy dandy tube of "Amazing Goop" and spread some goop around the top of the metal leg, and gently slapped that purple plate on it's new base! I plan to plant some trailing rosemary around the new Bird Bath, at my 8-year old's request. He likes rosemary!

You can adapt this to yourself fairly easily. Look around for a shallow bowl or concave plate, and then scan the garage (or hardware store) for potential stands. You could use one thick wooden dowel. Paint or stain if you like. Pound one end into the ground, apply glue to the other end, and affix your plate or shallow bowl to the top. Please let me know what you come up with!

I've always heard that birds want their bath water shallow, so a shallow plate should be perfect. I'm proud of myself for finding a use for all these things I had lying around. I'm proud of myself for getting a bird bath I truly like for free. And I love the feeling of being in this sustainable-recycling-creative mode. I'll update when I see whether or not the birds are as impressed with me as I am!

DIY Recycled Materials Hanging Basket

My husband helped me re-purpose this fire pit screen. We never liked the way it was attached to our fire pit, so we removed it. And it occurred to us that it would make a pretty cool hanging plant basket. I used some black weed cloth as a liner, and filled it with a cactus mix and a bunch of succulents.

DIY Inspiration or Buy It!

Flora Grubb at Flora Grubb Gardens has some gorgeous ideas for holiday bling that revolves around natural materials and plants.
Check out this Christmas ornament idea:

I have seen these plain glass ornaments at craft stores each year, and I'm rather embarrassed to admit that this idea never came to me! I would love to try this!
Thank you, Flora Grubb (her real name!).

Table DIY

I had a couple of these steel tables from the 1950's or 60's, but the veneer on their tops was stained and ugly. I really wanted a cheap fix for now.

$2.00 worth of ConTact paper and 10 minutes of work later, and the tables look much better! This is one time where the cheap and easy fix worked well enough! I'll get to a more permanent solution eventually, but I've learned that I would rather find a reasonably good solution, and enjoy something, instead of having it in storage for years while I wait to get the time and money necessary to do my dream restoration! Sometimes there is no easy solution, and you just have to wait, but not this time!

Fun

I love DIY's, cacti and robots, what more can you say?

Found these on:

http://paradisexpress.blogspot.com/2010/08/instructables.html