by Trevor L. Smith, MCH, AOLCP, LEED GA sus tain’ a-bil‘-i-ty (noun) Avoidance of depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance. The Problem The most dangerous phrase ever uttered is “This is the way we’ve always done it.” When I began Land Escapes, the latest and greatest cell phone was the […]
Wait! Do you really want to plant that there?
August 15, 2018 in Landscape Design, Native Plants
by Bruce Patterson The wise advice gardeners often hear is to “plant in the habitat type where the plants are naturally found. Be sure to select plants that prefer the habitat (or microhabitats) of your garden.” Sometimes that good advice conflicts with the vision we have for our gardens. (more…)
A Walk in the Garden
August 15, 2018 in Landscape Design, Native Plants
Text by Dan Jaffe Photos by Penny Lewis Before the hot weather took hold in New England, ELA took a late spring walk through Garden the Woods in Framingham, MA to see what was blooming. A return visit a month later offered additional photo ops. In addition to lovely individual plants, we also found some […]
Breaking up a Boxy Backyard
August 15, 2018 in Landscape Design
Excerpted from The Less is More Garden® Copyright 2018 by Susan Morrison. Published by Timber Press, Portland, OR. Used by the permission of the publisher. All rights reserved. by Susan Morrison Most small to average-sized gardens are rectangular. The most common backyards I see, both in recent suburban developments and older neighborhoods dominated by ranch […]
Shinrin Yoku – The Art of Japanese Forest Bathing
August 15, 2018 in Book and DVD Reviews, Health and Landscapes
Written by Yoshifumi Miyazaki Published in the U.S by Timber Press, 2018 Reviewed by Maureen Sundberg Yoshifumi Miyazaki connected with nature in his family’s garden at a young age and followed a winding career path that led to research into Shinrin-yoku, the practice of walking slowly through the woods, or forest bathing. Recognizing intuitively that […]
Eco-Answers from the Pros: Alternatives to Grass on a Hillside
August 15, 2018 in Eco-Answers, Erosion Control
I am on the board at a 64 unit condo community in St. Paul, MN. We have a huge hillside with regular grass, which means weekly mowing. The hillside is eroding in some sections. The shaded areas have very little grass at all. How can this be converted to a low mow fescue? Or, what […]
Eco-Answers from the Pros: Fall Food for Hummingbirds
August 15, 2018 in Eco-Answers, Wildlife Habitats
Do you have suggestions for late-season blooming native plants in the Northeast for humming birds? The hummingbirds in my gardens have been very active on the early and mid-season monarda and annual salvias, but they will be gone in the next couple of weeks and I want to ensure a sufficient nectar source. My mondarda […]
Drought-Tolerant? Think Native!
July 16, 2018 in Sustainability
by Carol E. Becker In the upper Midwest, we don’t often think of strictly drought-tolerant gardens, because we have adequate seasonal rain. But that rain comes in the spring and fall, and we typically have hot, dry weather in July and August. Our best strategy for creating gardens that can withstand midsummer drought is to […]
Drought Tolerant Container Gardens, Beyond the Traditional
July 16, 2018 in Gardening Basics, Native Plants, Sustainability
by Irene Brady Barber When people think of the plants for drought tolerant container gardens, immediately succulents come to mind. Succulents are great for that purpose, but there are many other plant options. Consider the opportunity of using native plants in place of the exotic succulents. (more…)
The Perennial Borders
July 16, 2018 in Landscape Design
by Marietta and Ernie O’Byrne Taken from A Tapestry Garden© Copyright 2018 by Marietta and Ernie O’Byrne. Published by Timber Press, Portland, OR. Used by permission of the publisher. All rights reserved. The perennial borders are not directly visible from the windows of the house, but come as a surprise when taking the path from the […]