LAND DESIGNS UNLIMITED LLC

A Patient Craftsman Creating Exceptional Landscapes

Author: John Holden

Early-March Blooms

Last week, I wrote about the blooms on Arnold’s Promis Witch Hazel. It’s looking better than last week with flowers continuing to emerge.

This week I’ve got a few more things in bloom. Nothing is knocking it out of the park but need I remind you it’s early-March with temperatures going down to the twenties, and sometimes teens, at night.

My Lenten Rose has a few small flowers. I don’t remember the cultivar so we’ll call it Helleboris sp.

You have to look through the foliage to see the flowers. I had to kneel down to get this picture. There’s one flower in the middle with two other stalks flanking it.

I have a couple of clumps in the shade that aren’t as far along. They’re significantly larger clumps and put on quite the show every year. Every bit of purple you see is going to be a flower stalk. Green are the leaves emerging.

My Japanese cornel dogwood, Cornus Officinalis, is going to be in full bloom in a week or two. Even though the flowers aren’t fully open the tree has as much, if not more, color than my Witch Hazel.

The last flower in bloom is Crocus. About 8 years ago Crocus clumps started showing up in my side yard. Every year I find a few more. You have to be within a few feet to find the clumps but they give me something to look at as I wander the yard on warm days.

As I write I’m reminded of one more early blooming plant I’d like to add to the garden. Snowdrops, or Galanthus nivalis, have small drooping white flowers this time of the year. They only grow a few inches tall and form spreading colonies in humusy soils.

What are your favorite late-Winter blooming plants? Do you have anything in bloom?

March 6, 2020
Arnold’s Promise Witch Hazel – Harbinger of Spring

It’s late-February and my Arnold’s Promise Witch Hazel (Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Arnold’s Promise’) has been in bloom for two weeks.

Here’s the view from the kitchen on a dreary, rainy, day. There could be six inches of snow on the ground and the tree would be in bloom.

Arnold’s Promise Witch Hazel Blooms as early as mid-February here in USDA Hardiness Zone 6a.

The flowers are not overpowering but do survive when temperatures can get down to the single digits. Hence, they beat out anything else around.

If you don’t have an Arnold’s Promise Witch Hazel I recommend planting one next year.

Below is a video I filmed years ago about early flowering shrubs. I start the video standing in front of the same witch hazel.

February 27, 2020
Garden Toad

Spotted a toad in the rain yesterday. It looks quite content. 🙂

September 27, 2019
Some Mistakes Have to Be Made

A few weeks ago I changed the spark plugs in my wife’s car. If you’re a mechanic or done the job before, it’s simple.

I’ve never done the job before.

I read the service manual which makes car maintenance similar to building with Legos. Remove shroud D (See diagram) then disconnect coil pack and remove spark plug.

Who could mess that up?

I finished the job and started the car expecting to pat myself on the back for a job well done. Unfortunately, the car ran poorly, for something was horribly wrong. The check engine light was also on.

We were leaving for vacation the next morning.

This is one of those moments where age, a.k.a. life experience, came to my rescue. I knew I had done something wrong but I also knew there was no way it could be a major thing.

I went back under the hood to find my mistake.

In my excitement, I forgot to plug one of the coils back in. The four-cylinder car was running on three. I plugged the coil in and soon after the check engine light was off.

It wasn’t a big deal.

Somewhere in my life I was taught, or taught myself, that mistakes are a bad thing. They’re not. Mistakes are how we learn.

Mistakes are OK.

There’s no shame in mistakes and trust me you’re not the first one to have made that mistake, no matter what it is.

Have you made any mistakes this week?

The Right Attitude With Mistakes

Years ago I went for a walk and ended up watching a little league game. The boys were in 5th or 6th grade.

While they played the most amazing thing took place.

When one of the boys struck out or dropped a ball his teammates would clap and say something like, “You’ll get them next time.” Not one boy said a negative thing.

Would being hard on the kid who dropped the ball have helped? How do you feel if someone says, “No big deal,” when you make a mistake?

If you make a mistake cut yourself some slack. You learned a valuable lesson and you’ll get them next time!

September 2, 2019
Saying Goodbye

Yesterday was a melancholy day at Land Designs Unlimited LLC. A client of 5 years is moving and yesterday was my last visit.

There’s a chance the new owners will want my services, I hope they do. Unfortunately, experience has taught me it rarely works that way.

This landscape is special for a couple of reasons. First, the owners are very nice and it’s a pleasure working for nice people. Second, I planted this landscape after the ‘correction’ of 2008 when the economy, and landscaping industry, was shaken to its core.

When I first looked at the landscape I knew it was going to take a lot of work. The masonry investment was going to be equal to, if not more than, planting.

The landscape would never look right with a bandaid. A stone wall and new sidewalk had to be installed.

They were meeting another well-established company that worked with any budget, even if the job required a larger investment. Did I mention this was after the ‘correction’ of 2008?

I suppose the other company was more client-focused for I politely insisted the landscape be done my way. There was no way I was installing a landscape without a retaining wall to hold back the grade.

I explained my design concept and assumed I’d never hear back. I reassured myself that I was polite, I spoke from the heart and I wasn’t going to be responsible for a shoddy landscape.

The project came together superbly with a few hitches. The wire from their lamp post twisted around my tiller, a first, and I used more soil than anticipated which happens often. Also, the redbud planted on the left corner of the house didn’t pull through a bitter winter.

After installation, I visited four to six times a year to maintain the landscape, not too much, but enough to make a difference.

Every spring there would be an edging, weeding and light pruning with fresh mulch every two to three years. I returned in June or July to hand prune and keep up with weeds over the summer.

Some visits took only an hour; just enough time to pull the weeds, prune stray branches and re-edge the gardens with a weedwhacker.

The shrubs in this foundation planting have NEVER been touched by hedge clippers. I’ve only used my Felcos to prune. I hope you can see how natural the shrubs look.

Being a landscape contractor is an endless cycle of finding new clients and losing old to promotions, retirement or being a poor fit.

I look forward to showing you the landscape I’ve been working on the last few weeks where I find a balance between color and low maintenance.

It’s time to say goodbye to great clients and a beautiful landscape. I’ll miss you both.

September 1, 2019
Attract Monarch Butterflies and Caterpillars

A couple of months ago I planted a few Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) on a whim. For this reason, within hours, possibly minutes, butterflies started gathering on the plants.

Consequently, this morning, as I topped off the bird baths I found two Monarch Butterfly Caterpillars.

Here’s the secret to attracting butterflies.

Choose plants butterflies like you’ll get butterflies. It’s that simple

Generally speaking, every time I’ve walked out the door and looked at the Swamp Milkweed there have been butterflies flitting around. It makes the yard an even more peaceful place to be.

Below is the grouping of Swamp Milkweed. It’s a spindly plant that grows 3-4 feet tall with small pink clusters of flowers. For this reason, it’s best for the back of the border or, obviously, wetland plantings.

A closeup of Swamp Milkweed flowers past their prime with some seedpods developing.

Here’s the picture from the top of the post. That’s a big, healthy Monarch Caterpillar.

Over the summer I planted a couple of Mandevilla Tropical Breeze ‘Velvet Red’ on a client’s property; moreover, the Mandevilla has bright red trumpet-shaped flowers which hummingbirds love. As a result, within minutes of planting a hummingbird was drinking nectar from the flowers.

Choose plants hummingbirds like you’ll get hummingbirds. It’s that simple.

I’d love to hear about any plants or methods, you’ve used to attract Monarch Butterflies, Monarch Caterpillars or other wildlife.

August 18, 2019
Candyland Calibrachoa Lighting Up the Landscape

Today I planted Candyland Calibrachoa. While I’m no expert at annuals everything I’ve read says, winner.

I visited Hollandia Nursery looking for one Catmint replacement but couldn’t help leaving with a few more plants. If you live near Bethel, CT Hollandia is worth the trip.

Candyland Calibrachoa is a plant combination of 3 different colors of Calibrachoa; yellow, pink and orange. I’ll let the information page explain the rest.

Calibrachoa flowers all summer without deadheading. By the time frost comes those plants will be touching the ground. I’m looking forward to seeing that!

I like the splash of color in the middle of the green landscape.

Click below for a closer look.

Can you name the plant in the foreground?

June 26, 2019
Fall Cleanup Finished Today
Today I finished last year’s fall cleanup! Not a moment too soon either, in a few short months leaves will start falling again.

Let me explain, normally I use a leaf blower to blow the leaves onto the grass then shred them with a lawnmower. However, last year I decided to go Old School and rake the leaves.

Raking is more work but much more satisfying. Raking leaves is easier in the spring because they are matted, hence, easier to pick up.

I use a five tine manure fork to pick up the heavy leaves then rake them into a pile. Once in a pile, I use the five tine manure fork again. One more pass of the rake, then I use two rakes as a claw for the rest.

Benefits of Mulching Leaves in gardens

I thought my gardens were going to be a mess. They were anything but!

Some benefits after letting leaves sit in the gardens all winter include.
- Fewer weeds.
- Soft and friable soil.
- Tons of earthworm activity.
If you’re a gardener you must be drooling over how nice this soil is and if you’re not a gardener this is what you want your soil to look like.

A New Paradigm for Fall Cleanup

Why do we clean up leaves in the garden, often disposing of them off-site, only to haul in mulch?

What if I run a mulching mower over the beds and let the leaves stay where they are? This will also eliminate cutting back many perennials.

Below is my compost pile. I’ve got about six yards of compost that will become two to three yards of gorgeous soil.

A wheelbarrow of leaves ready for the compost pile.

Less work with more benefits!
June 24, 2019
Bird’s Nest and Winter Burn in Cryptomeria

This spring as I was raking leaves a bird quickly, yet conspicuously, flew away from where I was working. It was a little bird with four eggs in her nest.

If you’re walking and a bird conspicuously flies away and chirps you’re too close to her nest. Indeed, the bird is trying to trick you into chasing her rather than find her nest. Robins are the biggest offenders of this behavior.

Winter Burn in Japanese Cryptomeria

The tree she built her nest on is a Yoshino Cryptomeria (Cryptomeria japonica ‘Yoshino’). The tree suffers from winter burn. I already pruned the damage from the other trees.

Winter burn is when evergreens lose water quicker than they can replace it. In particular, you see winter burn when there’s either a brief winter warm spell or strong winter winds with frozen ground.

If your trees or shrubs have winter burn all you can do is prune out the dead branches and hope they regrow.

I decided not to cut the tip where the bird’s nest was to give her cover and mark where I shouldn’t walk. The nest was at the base of the burnt foliage.

I’m not sure what’s going to become of the Cryptomeria. Every one of them lost a central leader. I guess they’re going to become large shrubs.

Pruning Japanese Cryptomeria

Cryptomeria responds extremely well to pruning. The tree sprouts new growth better than most needle-leaved evergreens after heavy pruning. While I know they’re going to grow, unfortunately, I’m not sure in which direction.

Sadly, the momma bird lost her chicks a week after they were born. One morning all was well. That afternoon the nest was tumbled and the chicks were gone with momma flitting in the tree above.

You can see water droplets on her wings in the pictue below. She’s a great mom!

Let me know the type of bird that is and I’ll update the post. I’m thinking Finch but birds aren’t my specialty.

June 20, 2019