A Patient Craftsman Creating Exceptional Landscapes
This morning I woke to an inch of sleet and snow on the ground. The thermometer read 27 degrees and the wind was whipping. Naturally, the first thing I did was grab my camera and run outside.
Snow brings out the best in plants. It adds interest, creates contrast, and reminds every one of the winter holidays. Below are some photos I took laying prone on an old comforter. Anything for my art!
By John Holden
Three important tips on how to mulch your landscape.
Please remember the these tips when planning how to mulch your landscape.
By John Holden
I often see landscapes built like a fortress. A tall and stark stone wall blocks the grounds. The formidable wall tells visitors to stay away and “Don’t tread on me.”
Stone walls keep the eye from moving through the landscape. They say look at me and nothing else. They are a blazing neon sign saying “Closed.”
I make sure the stone walls I design fit into the landscape.
You can plant weeping plants on top of walls to soften them. Especially if the wall is over three feet tall.
In the photo above a blue rug juniper (Juniperus horizontalis ‘Wiltoni’) gently weeps over the wall. Without the junipers it would be a stark, cold and imposing feature.
Before starting construction consider if the wall is really necessary and how you can lower its impact.
By John Holden
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all my friends, clients and YouTube viewers. Wishing you a happy, healthy and prosperous new year.
By John Holden
The end of the 2013 CT landscaping season is here. Below are some tips to prepare your home and landscape for winter.
If you have any questions about your CT Landscape please post them below.
By John Holden
As I drove down the road this week I spotted the most beautiful red berries. They caught the morning sun and lit up the bare Fall landscape.
The shrub was winterberry holly (Ilex verticillata). It has bright red berries in the Fall and early Winter that are about 3/8″ in diameter.
Winterberry holly is a deciduous shrub. You usually see it growing along the edge of a swamp or stream in the wild. If you are going to plant winterberry holly in your landscape plant it in the dry soil next to the stream or swamp, not in the stream or swamp.
Winterberry holly grows six to ten feet tall depending on the light. There is a lot of variation in fruit set between.
I often plant winterberry holly in woodland plantings because it is a native shrub and very easy to grow.
If you’re looking for a reliable and easy to grow shrub that provides winter interest give winterberry holly (Ilex verticillata) a try.
By John Holden
I wrote the list a while ago. I hope you’ll take a moment to read it and add your own tips in the comments below.
By John Holden
The kitty on the left is Spice. Spice is the mother of Sugar on right. All Spice wanted was a warm lap. The day we went to the shelter to choose our kitties Spice was shy. When I rubbed her chin she leaned into it and I knew she was the kitty for me.
Sugar grew up on the streets of Waterbury with Spice. Sugar and Spice were abandoned. Sugar was 5 to 6 months old when we brought her home. Sugar wasn’t socialized as a kitten. With Sugar’s temperament I don’t think it wouldn’t have made much of a difference. Sugar sees people as a source of food and warmth.
Sugar is growing affectionate as she matures. When I’m working in my office she meows at me even though there’s food in her bowl. If I give her a few pets the purring starts.
Sugar has bonded with Madison, our high-strung, though calming as she matures, collie. I often see them laying one or two feet apart with sugar copying Madison. Madison never moves into Sugar’s space for fear of ‘The claw.’ Sugar freely move into Madison’s space.
Both of our children have suffered from ‘The claw’ because they didn’t listen to Sugar. If you ask what noise a cat makes my children will make a hissing noise. Sugar is the reason neither of my children want a cat for a pet. I plan on getting a fluffy and affectionate kitten for my children, and myself, when the time is right.
I have taught my children to rub their fingers together and let Sugar come to them, not to walk up to Sugar and start petting her. Sugar is ok with about 5-8 strokes on her terms before you get a gentle reminder that she is in control, not you.
Some people might think a cat-like that is a bad thing to have in the house. I disagree.
Sugar shows incredible restraint. When she strikes she does the least necessary to get the point across. No more, no less.
If either of my children did not listen to Sugar I would have to find her a new home because she could injure one of them. Sugar has taught my children to respect animals.
CATS RULE!
By John Holden
In the early 90’s The Arsenio Hall Show was on TV. It was a carbon copy of every late show since Johnny Carson except Arsenio sat on an arm chair, not behind a desk, while interviewing his guests. Part of Arsenio’s audience, called the “Dog Pound” was given a funny title every night such as “People who are experiencing déjà vou for the first time.”
I was in my early 20’s and I watched the show because I like Arsenio’s style. Arsenio is a warm and friendly man. He respected his guests and if they didn’t want to talk about a subject he wouldn’t push it.
One of the best pieces of advice I ever received came from the Arsenio Hall show.
One night Arsenio was interviewing a guest and they talked about what his guest did for a living. Arsenio’s guest explained how he loved his job and got up every day eager to go to work because it was his passion. You could hear the conviction in the man’s voice and see it in his posture.
That moment must have affected me because I still remember it twenty years later.
Life is that simple.
Are you eager to go to work tomorrow?
By John Holden