As we come to the end of a long season of garden maintenance, we’ve asked three ELA members to share three recommendations they want to keep in mind when they start designing for next season.
Landscape Maintenance
Five Reasons the Use of Synthetics Is No Longer a Best Practice
by Chip Osborne All industries eventually arrive at best practices that represent the most productive and efficient method to deliver desired results while at the same time minimizing negative impact. Our industry is no different. We have adopted protocols and products to deliver the green lawns and turf spaces our clients and end users expect.
Reawakening a Natural Pool
by Trevor Smith Natural pools offer year-round outdoor enjoyment with surprisingly little upkeep. After its third, and very tough, winter, I recently opened a large natural pool and its associated constructed wetland for one of my clients. Here is a glimpse at the process.
Plant Material Issues in This Kind of Winter
by John Rice I think early January of 2015 was one of the harshest periods for plant material in our part of Massachusetts. The January 5-11 period is a perfect example: low temperatures were 14°, 3°, 1, −5°, 10°, 1°, and 5° with no snow on the ground. With no snow on the ground that…
Keep Winter Gardens Working with Permaculture Strategies
by Lauren Chase Rowell I was asked to come up with five permaculture suggestions as to what could be done with the spaces in our gardens that remain empty after the harvest. These are the open areas in our annual vegetable, herb, and flower growing spaces that appear after the first frost and then often…
Taking it to the Extremes
by Sandy Vorce “How do you plan for Climate Change and all the wild weather?” This was a question recently posed by several college students who came to help out at Mass Audubon’s Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary in Belmont, MA. These students were among the hundreds of volunteers who arrived at Habitat the…
Drip It!
by John Swaringen We’ve heard it all before, haven’t we? Drip lines clog and stop working. They take too much time and labor to install. It’s harder to complete bed maintenance around drip irrigation. Overhead watering is easier and is just as good for the plants. Irrigation contractors and landscapers can come up with lots…
Living with Leaves: Transform your practice so your business is not “Picking Up”
by Tim Downey What? That might be your first thought upon reading the title. Don’t we all want to grow our businesses? Why wouldn’t I want my business to pick up? But when it comes to picking up yard “waste,” it makes more sense to leave the leaves to return to the soil. Mulch mowing…
Reducing Tick-Borne Diseases in New England Using Integrated Pest Management
by Candace Brassard Public awareness of ticks and the pathogens they may carry has increased in the past 10 years. This article provides information specific to New England on tick species, their biology, and the pathogens they carry. Recommended integrated pest management (IPM) tactics are discussed including landscaping practices, the selection of plants to deter…
Are Rain Gardens Mini Toxic Cleanup Sites?
by Lisa Stiffler Originally posted on Sightline Daily, January 22, 2013, by Sightline Fellow Lisa Stiffler, this post is part of the research project: Stormwater Solutions: Curbing Toxic Runoff. If you’re concerned about water pollution, you’ve likely heard this message: The water that gushes off our roofs, driveways, streets, and landscaped yards is to blame…
Mill Brook Restoration – Strategies for Success Part 2
Maintaining and Monitoring the Project by Lisa Cowan, PLA, ASLA At a recent meeting with fellow landscape architects, there was a lengthy discussion and agreement about the importance of maintenance and follow-up monitoring for project success. That discussion was primarily focused on the challenges of ensuring good maintenance on traditional site development projects.
Laurel Garden Design: Notes from the 2012 Season – Horticulture
by Darcy Paige I’ve been designing, installing, and tending gardens for 16 years. About two-thirds of my time each season is spent in gardens, with my trusty, dusty team. Each season has its own quirks and personality; like cream rising to the top of the milk, rich images separate themselves out from the jumbled memory…
