fire pit with rain drain
fire pit ring! is it shallow enough that it doesn't need air vents?
Permaculture practices, including reusing all waste on-site, are incorporated into the design. The owners say that just as the garden feeds them, they feed the chickens with scraps, which in turn gives them eggs and fertilizer. Likewise, they explain that the fish deposit nitrogen into the pond, which feeds the bacteria on the clay beads in the vertical garden, which in turn feed the plants, which filter the water in a continuous cycle. The chickens live in a coop on one side of the garden. It is integrated with on-site storage and a worm farm.
Tips for Your Foundation Plantings Right plant, right place. As with selecting plants for any other area of your yard, choose ones that will thrive in your climate and with the amount of sun and moisture the planting site receives. Year-round interest. Add at least one evergreen plant to your foundation border to make sure the area isn’t completely bare in winter. For example, mix plantings of ornamental grasses and perennials with an evergreen shrub like boxwood or privet for four-season interest. Water and drainage. Since foundation plantings are right up against the building, it’s best to be extra-sensitive to drainage issues for planting beds. If drainage is a problem in your garden, have an experienced professional help create solutions for foundation plantings, such as installing a French drain. Avoid having spray from irrigation aimed directly at walls; ideally install soil-level drip or soaker hoses. Don’t use plants that thrive in damp or consistently soggy soil as foundation plants. Plant placement. Set foundation plantings at least 12 inches, ideally closer to 18 inches, away from building walls to allow air circulation. If you have plenty of space, you may want to c...
A French drain is essentially a perforated tube that collects water and distributes it away from a building or poorly drained area. It may be buried in decorative rocks or gravel when used within hardscaping, such as a patio or walkway, or if it needs to travel through the landscape, it may be topped with turf or ground covers to efficiently drain the area without even being visible. The downside of a French drain is that while rain gardens slow the path of water and absorb it along with fertilizer and pollutants, a French drain sends it off the property and into the watershed.
The mesh for the 8-foot-tall perimeter fencing, allows light and air to move freely through the garden while keeping deer and other wildlife away from crops. A thin redwood threshold beneath the gate and an electric wire running along the top of the fence also help keep out squirrels, rabbits and other animals.
Balance hardscape and plantings: chose one of the house’s strongest features and pulled it out to the front walk; a concrete path of 3' wide is too narrow for two people to walk comfortably side by side, so increase the width to 4'. Planting beds on both sides were made larger and given a sweeping curve, eschewing the symmetrical landscape design; The result was an aesthetically pleasing balance of hardscape and plantings.
contemporary shed with sliding door
future shed idea, with green roof
Meadow lawns are a beautiful way to create a mass of food for bees. A meadow lawn offers the benefits of a lawn and a wildflower meadow at the same time. This orchard’s meadow lawn shows how a meadow and lawn are blended together while preserving the native flowers and habitat.
fire rock balls?
(future) sunken space beyond back patio
bubble fountain
tiled fire pit
space between raised beds should fit large wheel barrel
shelves on top of raised beds, to sit, or to keep supplies handy
thick band of rocks to separate ground elements
sculptured seat wall
dry creek bed integrated into water drainage/runoff system (feature interest without water; functional interest with water)
a swath of mass-planted grape hyacinths (Muscari sp.) curves below trees and woodland shrubs like a cobalt-blue river; clear a narrow, curving bed between existing trees and plant tightly with grape hyacinth bulbs in fall
screening trellis
trellis
trellised roses
trellised roses
trellised roses
meadow garden
Species native to your region typically need little care once established and offer food sources and nesting materials for native animals and insects. You may choose not to go with all natives, but including a few, such as showy wild liliac (Ceanothus spp., zones 8 to 10), can give a natural look to your garden. Fill in with other wildlife-supporting plants, such as nectar-rich salvias and penstemons.
less tamed, more natural design
see associated article - all about mulching
whimsy and color
pale coneflower: place the top of the root ball level with the soil, add soil around the plant, firm it into place, then water thoroughly. Add compost and mulch around the plant to retain moisture and keep weeds down. Plant about 1 foot to 3 feet apart and allow plenty of room for air circulation Provide about 1 inch of water per week during the growing season, especially when plants are getting established. Deadhead or pick flowers for vases to keep blooms coming. Coneflowers bloom from the top of the stem down, which makes flowers easier to pick without affecting the look of the plant in the garden. Don’t feed — they’re happier without fertilizer.
purple coneflower: choose a spot in full sun that receives at least 5 to 6 hours a day. Dig the planting hole as deep as the rootball and twice as wide. Amend with compost if the soil is too acidic or alkaline. Coneflowers can handle most soil types, but prefer a neutral pH of around 7
color, selection, and height variety
high contrast garden color palette; gold and bright orange avens (Geum spp.), and dark crimson and pale purple pincushion flowers (Scabiosa rumelica syn. Knautia macedonica)
high contrast garden color palette; fiery orange Mardi Gras’ sneezeweed (Helenium ‘Mardi Gras’) and dark plum ninebark foliage (Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Diabolo’)
high contrast garden palette; yellow-flowering Turkish sage (Phlomis russeliana) grows sandwiched between dark purple ‘Caradonna’ sage in the foreground and dark red barberry (Berberis sp.) in the background
dramatic and energizing color palette w/high contrast colors; (will poppies work in KY?)
succulent "jewel box"
succulent partition
gravel around defined beds
wildflower meadow!
large, different colored pavers to define a cozy space
trellis
a pond system by Aquascape highly recommended for its durability. The boulders around the pond’s edge are local Wisconsin granite. “Granite is preferable to limestone around the pond because it has less of a leeching effect on the water,”
to protect the shallow roots of tender shrubs and perennials from ground freezes, spread a 3- to 4-inch layer of wood chip or straw mulch
bird or insect feeder?
the rusty patched bumblebee (Bombus affinis) is first bee in U.S. listed as endangered; need habitat
swale drains into rain garden
rain garden
contrast bronze/copper with blue-green plants; e.g. NZ iris with blue fescue and spanish lavender
coordinated bronze, copper, and orange-browns in landscape and hardscape
outer ring with 40" outer dimension works, but 28" Inner dimension maybe not; lid options for $200 more
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