With this project we have a typical back yard with large lawn area and no level area designated for seating or entertaining. The lawn was uneven and wide open with no sense of enclosure or privacy.

Our client enjoys gathering with friends and outdoor grilling. So we installed a new dining and entertaining patio with curved seat wall. The wall and adjoining planting bed divide the yard into play lawn and level social gathering area. The seat wall also provides additional seating space for large parties or sitting around a fire pit. The patio extends into the space between the garage and house where there is an area for grill use. This grill area is separate from the seating area but remains unobstructed for sight and conversation.

Vermiculture or vermicomposting is the practice of using worms to aid in the breakdown and disposal of waste into viable, useful material.  The end product of vermicompost is vermicast; worm casting or manure created from the digestion of materials.  This process takes material that is not readily useful to either soil or plants and turns it into a nutrient rich and water soluble plant fertilizer.

Residential worm bins can be made out of several materials.  The least common is metal; these transfer heat too readily and can be prone to rust.  Wooden bins are okay but over time the wood will rot.  Even resilient wood like cedar has its drawbacks; the resinous oils that prevent decay can actually harm worms.  Bins made of used or recycled plastic tubs are durable, easy to work and are fairly inexpensive.

After some research and many alternate designs, I decided on a fairly simple worm bin system for my garden.  It employs two plastic bins with lids, one must be able to completely fit within the other with room for a few bricks at the bottom of the larger bin.  The inner (smaller) tub houses the worms and the bedding (a mix of shredded newspaper and soil).  Before adding these I drilled small (1/8”) drain holes in the bottom of the bin and drilled larger (1/4”) vent holes in the lid.  In the larger bin, I placed four bricks at the bottom and sat the smaller bin onto them.  The main purposes of the larger bin is to protect the inner bin from excess moisture (rain), extreme temperatures, and to catch the liquid run off from the inner bin (often called ‘worm tea’).

The inner bin is the engine of the system.  Kitchen (vegetable) scraps are buried into the bedding and both lids are closed.  The amount of waste that your bin can handle ranges with temperature, food type (worms prefer different foods) and the species of worm one chooses.  A widely used species of worm is Eisenia foetida, or Red Wiggler (I found my worms on Craigslist but a Google search will point you in the direction of many local sellers).  These worms are voracious eaters and can handle the compact and hot nature of a worm bin. In contrast, our common earthworms need a cooler environment with the ability to migrate freely through a wide territory.  Using the right worms in a balanced worm bin has many benefits.  I have found that my bin is much less hassle than a compost pile (or bin), the breakdown is much faster and it creates a more concentrated useful fertilizing product.  Also it is very convenient; I keep mine in the basement with no noticeable odor. This indoor placement provides both temperature and moisture control.  Worms are most active with temperatures ranging from 55 and 75 degrees.  The soil should be moist like a rung-out wash cloth; if too much moisture the bin can take on an acrid smell.  Outdoor bins must be protected and can be susceptible to freezing, overheating; and flooding.  I have placed my bin outside and exposed my worms to all of these conditions, and the worms don’t fare well.

My worm bin has been going for nearly a year, in fact, I have split the one into two, but before this weekend I had never used the castings.  I have read of multiple methods of separating the worms from the casting and these fell into two basic categories- one being hunger driven and the other being light driven.  The basis behind the hunger driven is to stop feeding the bin and place a bin with food material on top to coerce the worms to migrate into the new space.  I chose the light driven method of putting the contents into piles on a tarp outside, the worms move down in aversion to the light, the top material is skimmed off and the worms are gently returned to their bin.  Although a little messy, this method of separation was quick and easy,.  Soon I was mixing the castings into a raised bed in preparation for the growing season.  Also, I diluted the worm tea collected in the outer bin and hit all of my edibles with a shot of home-made organic fertilizer.  If everything I have read is true, I can look forward to vigorous plants and a great harvest!

Although we often complain in Seattle about the amount of rain we get, water shortages are something we can, and do, experience. Our last drought was as recent as 2003. In response, citizens of the Puget Sound water shed have reduced our per capita water usage from 152 gallons per day (gpd) to 97 gpd from 1990 to 2007. Most of our precipitation occurs in winter, and highest usage is in summer. We are reliant on snow-pack in the mountains to act as our water storage system for summer use. Global warning is expected to cause more of our precipitation to fall as rain, rather than snow, and run immediately down to the lakes and Puget Sound. We need to continue to conserve water. To this end the City of Seattle has a water goal: To sustain water quality and quantity in support of human activity and the ecosystem by using our water sources efficiently and with care.

Rain barrels, rain gardens, drought tolerant plants, pervious surfaces, snow pack retention, salmon recovery, these are all terms we often hear in Seattle. More people are moving into our environment and development continues. One result of this “progress” is reduced infiltration rates — more water is being diverted into drains and piped away, and less water is absorbed into the ground to replenish groundwater supplies. Increasing infiltration rates would provide several advantages: providing bio filtration, slowing runoff and hence diminishing erosion, and lessening the need to upgrade storm sewer systems and water treatment plants. Here are some steps we can all take:

Slowing the flow of rainwater:

• Install a green roof. This may be too big for some to undertake but, installing a green roof on a storage shed could be a good start. The purpose of the green roof is to absorb the rainfall and slow its movement, lessening its speed and lessening its erosion of hillsides or streams.

• Install a rain garden. A rain garden gives the water from the gutters and downspouts a place to be detained. It slows down the flow and the water infiltrates into the ground rather than rushing down the street and into the storm drains.

Collect water for use later:

• Install rain barrels, cisterns, or underground catchments. All of these deliver the benefits of a rain garden or green roof and also allow the water to be used in the landscape at a later time.

Use gray water:

• Install an underground catchment and pump. This is water from (for instance your washing machine) which is filtered and then held in the catchment for later use. This water could be used to water your plants.

Choose the right plant for the right place:

• Proper plant selection will save water. It can be valuable to have a professional design your landscape in order to save in the long run. The selections will include plants that thrive in the PNW, the right plants for the conditions at the site where it will be planted, and plants that are more resistant to pests.

Drink tap water not bottled water:

• Seattle residents use the equivalent of about 354,127 pint bottles of water each day. Production of this volume of bottled water requires use of some 40,719 barrels of oil each year, creating about 5,439 tons of greenhouse gases.

• Nationally, nine out of every 10 plastic water bottles end up in landfills — not in recycling bins. In Seattle, the recycling rate is closer to 49 percent, but those bottles still require huge amounts of energy to produce and transport.

As we move into fall we start to think about closing down our gardens for the winter, but now is the time to start planning and preparing for the next growing season. If you wish to add color to your garden, planting perennials in the fall allows the roots of those plants to develop and will result in a stronger plant. The soil is still warm from summer so there is little if any shock to the plant. Fall and winter rains assure that you don’t have to worry about the plant getting adequate water.

Many bulbs should be planted in the fall. They can be planted with the perennials to avoid perennial root disturbance. They will intermingle without a problem. You might also consider planting some annual seeds in the fall. Some varieties, such as larkspur and poppies, benefit from fall planting. You will be happy you did this when spring comes.

Nurseries are interested in getting rid of their stock before winter comes. You will likely be able now to find some good prices on many plants. It is true that the selection is not as plentiful as in the spring, but the likelihood of survival is greater.

Fall is also the perfect time for aerating your lawn, thatching, fertilizing, and over seeding. If all of that is too much to tackle, at least fertilize your lawn areas. Fall lawn fertilizing is important. It feeds the roots, allowing the grass to winter more successfully and start out on a healthy path in the spring.

As always, it is important to weed and mulch. Keep up with this now and there will be less work to do next spring, and your garden will look good all winter!

In the “before” photos below you will see a typical “Forgotten” back yard with weeds, awkwardly planted trees, a poorly sited utility shed, and grading issues. It all adds up to a space where the entertaining area is not attractive and uncomfortable to use.

A  modest amount of professional landscaping support who made just a few changes has opened up the yard and created various “use rooms”.  The “after” photo below demonstrates the effects of installing a simple gravel seating area, surrounded by planting beds.  The result is the creation of a tranquil reading and contemplation space while correcting the grading problems.  In this transformation process, the storage shed was moved to the underutilized side yard, leaving the relatively flat portion of the yard for a play lawn to be enjoyed by the household’s children. The transformed yard can now provide many activity choices for entertaining friends and family.

Do I Really Want All This Lawn?  Is Synthetic Turf a Viable Green Alternative?

Yes it’s true, by installing synthetic turf instead of lawn you are decreasing you carbon footprint. Less water will be used and therefore water will be conserved and your water bill will be lowered.

• Reduced use of fertilizer, herbicides and pesticides will result in fewer pollutants reaching our waterways.
• Reduced energy use will lower carbon emissions.  For example, it takes a tremendous amount of energy to produce fertilizer.
  And just one hour of mowing your lawn produces the same amount of emissions as driving a car 93 miles.
• But should we just replace our lawn with synthetic turf?  No. Synthetic turf is only one way to replace lawn.  The first step is to look at your property as a whole and ask yourself some questions:

*  What on my property works and what doesn’t?
* How do I want to use my space?
* Where do I want to entertain, how much space is needed?
* Where do the kids play and how much area do they need?
* Pet needs?
* Storage areas?
* Gardening beds?

Once you consider these questions you might discover that you want to make some changes.  Of course Lifestyle Landscapes, Inc. would be happy to help!

One of the first changes that many people could make is to remove lawn from the narrow side yards between your house and your neighbor.  These are generally just circulation paths from front to back or storage for the garbage/recycle bin.  The easiest way to handle these areas may be a gravel path.  It is a simple beginning that might lead to further changes and less lawn.

Lawn has an icon of the American Landscape since the mid-19^th century.  It is time to re-think that tradition.

Arlene

Last month, at the Bellevue Home Show, Lifestyle Landscapes made two presentations describing Rain Gardens and Developing a Sustainable Landscape.  The attendees at the Rain Garden Seminar have requested we post information about selecting a garden site.  We discussed a number of criteria pertaining to the sizing of a Rain Garden.  The following slides include this information.  If, after reviewing this information, you have unanswered questions, give us a call and we will be happy to provide answers – 206 621-2626.

Size of Rain Garden

Percolation Test

Dig a hole at least 2’ deep and 1-2 feet in diameter. •
Put a ruler in the hole and fill the hole with 8-12 inches of water. In Summer, fill and let drain three times. On the third time record the depth every hour. When the rate of change stabilizes i.e. is the same for three hours, that’s the infiltration rate in inches/hour.

Baxter

How Good Design Can Change Your Lifestyle…

Small changes can often make a big impact. The typical backyard patio is often a small concrete slab surrounded by lawn. Generally people don’t go past the edge of the patio so it ends up as annoying useless space. In this example, the Homeowners’ were frustrated by the lack of space for cooking and didn’t even have room for a outdoor seating. By removing the lawn, a much larger more functional patio was created. Now the Homeowners and their family and friends can enjoy the fun of having people over for a barbeque or evening conversations around the fire pit. Not only is this more beautiful space but less maintenance as well.

Espalier is the art, or process, of controlling plant growth in a flat plane, usually against a wall or fence, or along a trellis. This horticultural technique trains woody trees or shrubs through pruning and trying to create two-dimensional plants, often in specific patterns. Because a plant pruned in this way uses far less space, it is ideal for small gardens, and in narrow spaces where spreading trees or shrubs will not fit.

Some plants adapt better to the techniques of espalier than others. The best candidates have long, flexible branches and ornamental flowers or fruits. Fruit trees are the most common types. The intensive pruning directs energy away from vigorous vertical growth into the shorter, lateral fruit-bearing spurs, resulting in heavier yields than on ordinary trees. Some other advantages to espaliering fruit trees include being able to grow several different cultivars in the space of a single normal tree for greater diversity in fruit types and cross-pollination requirements; the trees bear earlier and for a longer time with deeper fruit color; fewer pest problems as air circulation is enhanced and any needed treatments are more easily applied; and harvest is much easier.

Apple and pear trees are the traditional espalier subject because their spurs live for years producing fruit (although certain cultivars are better than others) and they have supple, easily trained new growth, but other fruit trees that sometimes are espaliered include figs, cherries and apricots.  As long as a woody plant has long flexible branches it can be used for espalier. Ornamental plants such as camellias, cotoneaster, flowering crabapples, flowering quince, forsythia, holly, magnolia, pyracantha, some viburnums, burning bush, and witch hazels are quite amenable to espalier. Even climbing roses or grapes could be used.

There are six traditional patterns used in espalier, with many variations on these basic designs. Normally only a single design is used within a landscape.

• Cordon – the most traditional form in which branches are trained to grow horizontally out of one central trunk. A multi-tier cordon generally has three tiers of branches but could have as many as five tiers. Cordon espaliering can be used to form living fences or to increase yield in small orchards.
• Palmetto Verrier – branches are shaped into a U as the horizontal branches are turned up at the ends. This creates nice definition between trees planted against a wall.
• Fan – branches angled at 45° grow radiating from a central trunk in a fan-shaped pattern. This is best for spaces requiring vertical coverage or in square spaces.
• Candelabra – several vertical branches arise at regular intervals from a low horizontal branch coming off the central trunk, forming a candelabra shape.
• Informal – more naturally shaped, but still in a single plane. This requires only simple pruning.
• Belgian Fence – three or more V-shaped espaliers are woven together into a fence for a lattice effect. The two trees on the ends are modified Vs for finished ends.

The different patterns are created by pruning to remove unwanted branches and training (forcing) others into the desired position. The highly symmetrical, formal designs require much more effort than the informal types. Some plants or cultivars are more suited to certain patterns than others because of their natural growth form, so will require less effort to train and maintain if well-matched. The more complex patterns take longer to develop.

Espaliers are trained on a strong supportive form of wood or galvanized wire. Almost any flat surface can be utilized: a wood or chain link fence, brick walls, the side of a garage, home or other building as long as a support structure can be attached to it. Free-standing trellises or even just wire stretched between posts can be used independent of a flat surface. Supports are placed in specific locations depending on the pattern and the plants are pruned and tied to the supports as they grow.

Espalier is a long and labor-intensive process, so this really isn’t suitable as part of a low-maintenance landscape. The basic framework of simple designs may be established in three or four years, while intricate designs will take longer. To develop your own espalier, choose a young tree without much branching, as this will require much less effort to manipulate. The main pruning is done annually in late winter/early spring when the plant is dormant (or after it flowers, if it is a spring bloomer) to remove branches that don’t fit the plan. Growth is redirected by pruning to buds that face the direction you want the plant to grow. Branches are moved into place and tied onto the supports in spring and early summer, while branches are still young, soft and easy to manipulate. This often has to be done gradually over a period of time each spring. The ties of soft string, strips of rags, rubber grafting bands, plant ties, or raffia should be checked periodically (every few months) and loosened if restricting growth or damaging the branch. The ties are removed once the final form has been achieved. Once the desired overall shape is achieved, it is maintained by simple, minor pruning once a month to remove all stray branches and twigs that are growing perpendicular to the flat plane or out of the pattern. Shape the plant every month or so, removing branches or twigs that aren’t in the correct plane of growth. Maintenance for espalier plants is the same as for normal plants of their type, except for the more intensive, regular pruning and shaping (which never ends).

Brian

How Good Design Can Change Your Lifestyle…

When our Landscape Consultants and Designers go out to meet with our clients they make a careful evaluation of what exists and question the homeowners on how those elements are working for them. In this project the hot tub had good access from the house, the deck was well maintained and there was no reason to remove those functional pieces. The deck just extended too far into the landscape and having a fire pit in the middle of a wood deck isn’t the best idea in terms of safety. You can see the dog pen area and no plants are screening the existing cedar fence.

In the finished project all of those issues were taken care of. Planting in front of the wood fence makes us feel like we are in a garden. The flagstone patio is a new element and draws the family further into their landscape. Also the pet area is now screened and not intruding into the wonderful entertaining space.