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December 28, 2005
Garden Magazines- Be Careful What You Wish For
We receive several design and garden magazines in the office (Sunset, Pacific Horticulture, Horticulture, Garden Design, Landscape Architecture and Fine Gardening just to name a few) They are great places to get ideas and see what is new and avante garde in terms of plants and hardscape features. After reading through this month's Sunset and looking at some of the Beautiful garden samples, a reoccurring thought struck me- the garden I was looking at in the photographs probably only looks this good 15 days out of the year.
This is a good thing to watch for when looking through these magazines. That beautiful plant in the featured article looks great, but is it evergreen or deciduous? Does it require low or high maintenance? Is it something that deer find to be equivalent to caviar? Often the planting compositions are complex blends of grass, perennials and annual flowers, that look great but require heavy maintenance.
The same can be said for hardscape. It is my experience that expensive, large projects photograph for print publication the best. Before you set your heart on that 1000 square foot travertine patio with vanishing edge pool and outdoor kitchen, take into consideration what it would take to install these type of elements for your project.
A good example was a client who wanted Golden Barrel Cactus, similar to the distinctive garden at the Getty Center, until we priced them out, and found that the cactus alone would exceed their planting budget.
Posted by Michael O'Connell at 08:35 PM | Comments (2)
December 23, 2005
Merry Christmas Landscape Architects
I have a Christmas gift request for all our landscape architects friends out there from all the contractors that construct your projects.
Would it be so hard to just include a quick quantity take-off on your plans?
Two clicks and you could give us the square footage of that 5000 square foot lawn with enough organic bezier curves to make Pierre Bézier himself crazy (the inventor of a type of adjustable curves for computer drafting). As a stocking stuffer could I request that detail sheets with your plans proceed in some logical order and be adequately labeled.
Happy Holidays from O'Connell Landscape!
Posted by Michael O'Connell at 06:02 PM | Comments (0)
December 22, 2005
Dealing with Rain in Landscape Projects
A question we frequently get asked on our projects is how we accommodate rain and our project schedule. Certainly the rain has an effect on the speed and types of work that can be completed. Just because it is raining however, does not mean things come to a standstill. Often there are detail aspects; irrigation, clean-up, and other special features that can be done in lieu of hardscape elements such as retaining walls, stone or concrete surfaces, which can be impacted by the weather.
There are also mitigation measures that can be taken to keep working. Often we construct temporary shelters to continue setting stone masonry, or we cover the site with large sheets of plastic to minimize water absorption in the soil. In the end, sometimes nothing can be done but to work through it and make the best of the weather conditions and get a bit muddy.
Posted by Michael O'Connell at 12:05 PM | Comments (0)
December 20, 2005
Synthetic Putting Greens Guide
From time to time we receive inquiries from customers about installing synthetic back yard putting greens. These systems have gained popularity in recent years, and advances in product technology means that these surfaces look and feel less like the AstroTurf at the local miniature golf and more like real grass. Synthetic grass is becoming increasingly popular for athletic fields, which saves on maintenance and water costs, while not being destroyed during the wet season.
The synthetic turf is installed much the same way that a paver patio is installed. A compacted gravel sub-base is prepared, followed by a layer of sand and then the installation of the synthetic turf which is rolled out in sections, seamed together, secured and cut. The cost for the material varies, but is typically around $5 per square foot. Because the process is similar to paver installation, the cost is also analogous.
There are different types of turf available (polypropylene, polyephelyne, nylon), each best suited to different applications. Nylon tends to be best for putting, while polypropylene works better for receiving longer golf shots.
There are a wide variety of products and companies available, including:
SynLawn Golf
Southwest Greens
Golfscaper
Players Turf
Posted by Michael O'Connell at 12:22 PM | Comments (0)
December 19, 2005
Home Improvement & DIY Info- Bobvilla.com
Before there was HGTV, there was Bob Villa, the one man home improvement brand. The Bob Villa Website has good general information on a variety of subjects including garden care and do-it-yourself (DIY) projects.
Good places to search are:
-The Articles Library
-Lawn & Garden Articles
-The Design Tools- which can help you start to think about a project
-Ask a Question section with User Forum
DIY sites abound and that is one of the great aspects of the internet- abundant, accessible, and increasingly reliable information. Another good DIY site to try is the DIYnetwork and of course HGTV.
Posted by Michael O'Connell at 07:40 AM | Comments (0)
December 14, 2005
New Downloads of Featured Projects & More
We have posted downloadable profiles of several of our landscape projects in our new Downloads section. Projects are outlined with examples of garden styles and budgets which can help prospective clients get a better feel for our projects. Also, because all of the files are in an easy to read and print Adobe Acrobat file they make great reference material. As we expand this new feature you will be able to download videos of installations, audio pod-casts, and other materials and portfolio literature.
Example of a Featured Project Cut Sheet
Posted by Michael O'Connell at 09:30 PM | Comments (0)
December 13, 2005
Varied and Interesting Garden Info at Gardenvisit.com
Browsing around various garden and design related sites, Gardenvisit.com put together by garden scholar Tom Turner has excellent information relevant for gardeners and landscape architects alike.
The site map gives a good overview of the breadth of information available, from bios on famous garden designers, essays on gardens and parks, to a section on garden history, among may sections.
The site is a good resource for those looking for photographs, travel information on gardens, design principles, and garden history.
Posted by Michael O'Connell at 05:33 PM | Comments (0)
December 12, 2005
Looking Back at Our Website
In my wanderings online I stumbled across a very interesting tool for viewing older versions of websites. Internet Archive, a non-profit internet indexing and library site, has a "Wayback Machine," that allows you to view old versions of websites in its database.
It was interesting to follow the progression of both the design and content of our website from its start in 1997-8 to today and see the evolution of its content. This could also be a good tool to find articles or information that has been reorganized or has disappeared from a site, or that would be stuck in an archive or Lexus-nexus that would require payment to view. The original Google page is particularly amusing.
Posted by Michael O'Connell at 12:12 PM | Comments (0)
December 07, 2005
Great Books on California Native Plants and Ceanothus
Continuing on a book theme from yesterday I wanted to highly recommend a pair of books on Native California plants for horticultural use. Both are co-written by David Fross of Native Sons Nursery out of Arroyo Grande on the Central Coast. I have had the great opportunity to take classes from Dave, who has a passion and expertise for native flora that is unmatched in the state. In addition, he runs a great wholesale nursery operation, and you can find Native Sons plants in many retail garden centers.
The first title, California Native Plants for the Garden (which you can buy direct from Native Sons), features,
"more than 500 plants and illustrated with 450 color photos, California Native Plants for the Garden is a comprehensive resource that will appeal to every gardener who has an interest in California's unique flora."
Fross co-authored the book along with a second being released for 2006, Ceanothus, which promises to be the authoritative title on a wonderfully varied native shrub and groundcover.
Both these titles will no doubt make great additions to any gardener's library.
Image Courtesy of Amazon
For More:
Article on Fross from San Diego Union-Tribune
A True Blue Californian - LA Times Article on Ceanothus and the upcoming book
Posted by Michael O'Connell at 06:18 PM | Comments (0)
December 06, 2005
Turned Earth Turns 100!
I am happy to post our 100th entry on Turned Earth. We started the blog in June and since then we have posted 100 entries in approximately 170 days. Thanks to everyone who reads the blog, and we hope to continue to provide a good garden resource for those seek general information on the internet, as well as an enlightening source of information for clients and prospective clients.
Posted by Michael O'Connell at 05:58 PM | Comments (0)
December 05, 2005
A Hefty and Winning Garden Retrospective
While perusing through Borders Books for a gift for a colleague I stumbled upon Mick Hales, Gardens Around the World: 365 Days a wonderfully photographed and comprehensive volume of gardens from, as the title says, around the world. The book has distinctive photographs of gardens, which, as the introduction points out, capture each garden's essence well. As anyone who has photographed gardens will know, this is not an easy task, especially in small spaces. This book would be especially useful for those looking for inspirational images to use for establishing a style of garden design, or as inspiration for travel plans.
Plus, at the size of an oversized brick, this compact yet dense volume can serve well if the reader is accosted by a dinner guest who has had a bit too much wine.
Cover Image Courtesey Amazon
Posted by Michael O'Connell at 04:45 PM | Comments (0)
December 04, 2005
A Wild Turkey Follow-Up
To follow up on my Thanksgiving related entries (Happy Thanksgiving I & II) concerning Wild Turkeys, here is some visual proof from some open space in San Rafael. By my count this flock numbers over 35 birds. Perhaps soon our #1 concern will be Turkey resistant landscapes instead of deer resistant ones!
Posted by Michael O'Connell at 08:26 PM | Comments (0)
December 02, 2005
Digital Basemaps
Continuing on the technological theme from yesterday's post, another innovation that has made planning easier, less costly, and more accurate are digitally surveyed basemaps for landscape plans. We use a basemap creation service, a firm that specializes in providing elevation and base information for golf courses and landscape projects. Instead of measuring existing features such as fence lines, house footprints, etc. with a tape measure, the site is digitally surveyed using state of the art digital surveying tools and GPS equipment. A series of points are taken and then translated into a computerized drawing that pinpoints the location of existing features and elevation changes.
What this means is a product that is more accurate, less time consuming to create and much easier to use and manipulate throughout the design process. We are able to have the accuracy of a traditional surveyor, but at a fraction of the cost.
For more information on having a digital basemap created in the Marin or Sonoma County area check out MapMaking Systems, the firm out of Sonoma County that creates our basemaps.
Posted by Michael O'Connell at 07:16 AM | Comments (1)
December 01, 2005
The Photographic Revolution
I received an advertisement from Nikon today touting the company's new D200 Digital SLR Camera. Targeted at everyday photo enthusiasts, this ten megapixel camera retails for $1,700. The way computers, cameras and memory storage devices have advanced is amazing. Our first digital camera for job site photography was a Casio that wouldn't take a clear image unless it was on a tripod and probably had less than a megapixels in resolution.
Also amazing are the cards that go into modern cameras, the size of a postage stamp and over 1gb in size are amazing considering the technological capabilities of 10-15 years ago. Our early Packard Bell 386 Windows 3.0 Machine boasted a robust 40mb of internal memory. We upgraded that machine with a 100mb memory board (the size of a foot-long sub).
All this exponential storage and quality improvement means that today's youngsters will probably barely know a film camera. And, their digital cameras will take better quality photographs than the best 35mm consumer film cameras of a generation ago!
Posted by Michael O'Connell at 01:05 PM | Comments (0)