badlandscaping

Or rather the excellent Harriet Heithaus works her magic and turns my column into a genuine work of art.

It’s amazing, really, what she can do.

See this weeks Naples Daily News post here in which I take aim at drip irrigation.

[Oh. It is an irritating fact that the online version of Naples Daily News lacks the splash of the print edition; you need to go to the ePaper to see how glorious the layout is.]

I have often said that garden design isn’t about plants any more than it is about paving or lighting, or benches or any other garden element.

Some have wondered what I am talking about. Hyperbole? To an extent, but hear me out.

This is simple, folks. Get over it. Design is about SPACE, ok? You use plants, and walls, and whatever else to create space.

So, what is needed are plants that are very dependable, and that is what you find on my plant lists. Tried and true and trustworthy plant material.

This is not to say that I am not a plant geek. I am . But the rare of unusual or featured plants should be limited in number and should be used the same way you might use statuary or any other element more suitable as a focal point.

And that’s the real issue. Masses of plant material used to create green walls can surely be interesting, but they are chosen for other reasons.

I have compiled a list of bullet proof plants, along with the assistance of my friend Al O’Donnell; of course, these are Zone 10-11 plants, though some might work up the coast a bit. For now, we list only the minimum information, but it will grow. Download it over at MSA Design.

When it comes to Anthropomorphic Global Warming, I have been drinking the Kool Aide from the very beginning. And what’s not to like?

The whole notion of reducing emissions and getting off coal is just full of environmental goodness.

Still, there are naysayer among us, and I have been reading what they have to say.

Among those questioning resides one Anthony Watts. Stay with it for a few weeks, and see what you think.

Now, may I have more Kool Aide please?

My first exposure with the notion of a ‘weblog carnival’ was over at the stunningly excellent and consistent Centauri Dreams, which often links to a space-related carnival, which is simply a summary of other weblogs. The host rotates weekly, and links to everyone else, and a fine time is had by all, and all sorts of linking-madness and page viewing ensues.

Lots of weblog goodness there.

Then, I see that there are horticulture carnivals! One of my daily reads is Greg Laden, a fine fellow with a touch of attitude and a debilitating linux fetish, but ever so smart none the less. ANYwho, he consistently links to a very fine site called Quiche Moraine, so often that I suspect something is going on between these two weblogs. Nothing is coincidence, you know?

And wouldn’t you know that the aforementioned QM is hosting a ‘Berry Go ‘Round’? And a very fine carnival it is, too.

It is safe to say that I have not been drinking the natives– “Kool Aid”.

As far as I can remember, the movement towards using more natives in required plantings began perhaps twenty years ago but someone can correct that for me. At first it was very difficult to even find natives in the nurseries but slowly this has change, mostly as suitable natives became more available.

And what is a suitable native? It’s one that looks and acts like an exotic.

This week’s column deals with the issue of natives in more detail; sometimes the links take a few days to catch up, so be patient or look in the ePaper on page G5.

Let the flames begin.

It’s been a long and interesting experience on the web; since last summer, when the Naples Daily News started publishing my weekly column, I’ve neglected this blog space.

But writing 900 words a week has been an interesting experience. When writing for a general publication newspaper, of course the tone and voice are different than they are here, and for a while I felt monolingual.

The column is now into a weekly schedule, and I’m ahead about three weeks, so I want to return to my ‘roots’. Funny to think of it that way.

So, let’s rock and roll.

We have a new gig- the Naples Daily News is publishing blog entries as I submit them, and they are publishing blog entries as a regular column in the print edition.

The print edition is here.

And, the blog is here.

The comments were off because some unsavory types were exploiting a hole in the WordPress software. They have been appropriately dealt with…

Apparently there’s a huge bug in Wordpress, accounting for the enormous numbers of spam postings I am getting. I won’t get to update until next week so for now, comments are off.

I´m completing a very large and comprehensive re-planting project here in southwest Florida at Wildcat Run. Part of the work is the provision of maintenance specifications to be used by the homeowners to obtain competitive bids for maintenance services.

The green industry suffers mightily from lack of transparency; much of the time, buyers of maintenance services cannot discern quality among maintenance providers. This, even after investing, perhaps, a million dollars in plant material, maintenance contractors are allowed to write their own specifications and are judged solely on price. There are many unfortunate results from this approach.

So, for years, we have been slowly improving a set of specifications that can create a level playing field. The problem is two-fold, really; the specifications can be divided into a ‘performance’ section and a ‘product’ section.

Of course the product section is the easiest to define but the most often abused. We now specify precise quantities of fertilizers, for example, including timings and application rates. We also quantify the types and quantities of mulch, and we show the total area of sod. Without these provisions, a proposal might specify ‘provide adequate fertilizers’, which is difficult to assess.

But the other portion of these specifications- the performance side- is much more difficult to manage. It is easy to say how often you want the grass cut. And we can- and do- list every single shrub and tree and detail the care of each- but still, it’s a fact that one person’s ‘lush landscaping’ is another person’s desert.

We’ve determined that while the specifications are essential, equally essential is a list of current projects provided by each contender, and then a site visit by an experienced person, [that would be me], to assess each. And that’s what we did.

In this case, WLM of Lee, Inc., was far and away the most qualified. Have a look, for example, at the West Bay Club, where the level of landscape maintenance is just plain excellent.

And how much extra do you pay for this level of service? That’s hard to say, but I would estimate about 15% annually. Worth it? Sure.