Verdant Thumb

Evergreen Trees

2010-02-09T12:10:00.007-05:00

There are many evergreen trees that provide wonderful traits, especially during the winter months. During the winter a screen of evergreens can protect against blowing wind and snow, much like a living snow fence. They obviously can provide a visual screen throughout the year as well. Some even will use evergreens as an outside living Christmas tree in lieu of a cut, indoor tree. Here is a list of evergreens that I like for the Louisville, KY area. They are not perfect plants (they can be susceptible to disease and do have different forms). If you are interested in using these plants, it is recommended that you buy them from a reputable nursery and use expert help from a horticulturalist or landscape architect.

Being Green in the City

2010-01-19T20:49:00.004-05:00

There is a interesting interview with David Owen who has written, "Green Metropolis: Why living smaller, living closer, and driving less are the keys to sustainability" argues that city life - density - is the key to living greener. His argument says that if you put the people closer together, you can lower the carbon footprint.

It's a compelling argument. Most of our personal carbon footprint deals with our living spaces and driving places. If we lived near where we worked and lived in more compact spaces, we would have density. I do find fault in the argument that density will solve everything though. The interview does not address the main issue with cities which is the gathering of goods and the disposal of waste, not to mention our energy consumption. So although the people aren't traveling as much, if there sushi is being flown in from Japan for their eat-out supper, I have a feeling my backyard garden salad just smashed the sushi's carbon footprint to bits...

Some of the smallest footprints I know are friends of mine in Wisconsin who produce their own power/heat, food, and work near home. It's a far cry from NYC, but there is more than one way to make our footprints smaller... And as for city life, we can all consume less, reuse more, and drive less.

Salt (Deicing)

2010-01-07T16:28:00.003-05:00

Many of us are digging out of snow. So a question that is raised is what salt (or deicer) is better to use? Well it depends on your situation. For instance, if you are concerned about plants or animals (if you have a dog) certain deicers are better than others. Also, at certain temps, salt stops being effective. One of the best deicers for pets and plants is something called Calcium Magnesium Acetate (CMA). It works in 25 degrees or warmer but is slow at melting. It is however not hazardous to concrete/metal, pets, or plants. Most of us are going into the deep freeze for the next few days, so the "good" options are limited. Sodium Chloride is not preferred due to its need for +18 degrees, it melts ice slowly, and it can be harmful to plants/pets. Magnesium Chloride works in temps down to -13, melts quickly, doesn't harm metal/concrete, but it can be hard on plants/pets. Brine (salt water) mixtures can work in limited cases if the temperature allows. Sand, ashes, or kitty litter can add traction and attract heat (on sunny days) to melt snow/ice. Regardless, clear away as much snow and ice as you can before applying so the deicers can do their job, or at least expose the ground to the most sunlight possible. For more information: http://www.pwcgov.org/docLibrary/PDF/001794.pdf or http://www.stormh2o.com/october-2009/road-deicing-salt.aspx

Year-long plant combinations

2009-12-01T22:11:00.003-05:00

There is a landscape on Frankfort Avenue that I admire. It has something going on in all seasons. It has easily maintainable plants and needs minimal input. So why would I post a good list of plants for free as a Landscape Architect? Well, just because you have a list doesn't mean one would know how to use it well. Creative organization and simplicity in design is hard to achieve. Also, this is just a generic list of plants for the Louisville area, it's not the most creative list, just a good list.

Bleeding Hearts
Moss Phlox
Columbine
Hosta
Bearded Iris
Siberian Iris
Blue Flag Iris
Peonies
Serviceberry
Nandina
Variegated Dogwood
Hardy Geranium
Asiatic Lilies
Moonbeam Coreopsis
Lamb’s Ears
Mondo Grass/Liriope
Astilbe
Spirea
Coreopsis
Daylilies
Garden Phlox
Liatris
Tradescantia
Shrub Rose
Yarrow
Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’
Oakleaf Hydrangea
Asters
Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’
Red Dogwood
Mums
Gray Owl Juniper
Yew
Holly

Packing it up

2009-11-19T11:24:00.005-05:00

It has been a while since I've written something. I guess I've spared you from reading aimless blog entries...

The project for this fall is creating a small garden space at Highland Baptist Church. Early this past spring I used Black Eye Susans as a cover crop over my potatoes. Now we are going to work on the garden space and it is time to harvest my wind torn, shade potatoes. (Not exactly a bumper crop but an interesting experiment.) Of course there is hardly anything that prevents Black Eye Susan plants from growing, so after one growing season there were 8" roots on healthy plants. (One was STILL flowering today and I couldn't take it out. It's way too cool to have something blooming at this time of year.)

The way I'm transplanting them is bare root, so I cut them out of the ground, shake the soil off, chop off any excess roots, then place them in the 5 gallon bucket. This allows for a lot of plants to fit into a small space for transport. The compact plants also minimizes the shock while they wait to be put in. Finally, I cover the top with plastic wrap to keep in the moisture until they are planted on Saturday. Here is a picture of the new garden at HBC:

If you have the time, stop by on Saturday morning and we can put these hardy plants in the ground!

Mapping Carbon Emissions

2009-09-21T10:12:00.003-04:00

Scientists at Purdue University have mapped the carbon emissions across the United States in a project called Vulcan. The map is a layer in Google Earth that allows one to zoom in and see the US emissions at a state or county level. It is one more way to see where the emissions come from and what we are all doing. One can see the mapping in more detail at http://www.purdue.edu/eas/carbon/vulcan/GEarth/.

Bat House

2009-08-09T23:19:00.007-04:00

So I've been wanting a Bat House. Primarily to keep the mosquito population in check. They can apparently eat somewhere between 500 and a Thousand mosquitoes an hour. That's sounds pretty good considering the next plague to hit Louisville (after the recent flood) will probably be swarms of mosquitoes! So on our recent trip across Kentucky we found a fellow selling birdhouses and bat houses.

We picked it up but I soon realized it was not a standard bat house (and had a stupid "bat" design on it), so I had to make some modifications. There are some pretty good instructions and plans on the internet for constructing bat houses but the construction seems to be in more of an art than science (such as, do all bats like the same standard design?). So here are photos showing the work I did to the bat house. First, a slot is typically put in the front of the house for ventilation (the bats enter the house through the open bottom).

Second, a thin piece of wood was inserted in the box to divide the space up. I guess the smaller spaces make it easier to climb in and heat. Third, roofing material was added to help waterproof the top of the house. The builder had used two pieces of lumber and the crack would have leaked water. That just wouldn't do.

So now that it had a solid roof, I thought, why not make it a GREEN roof? So using material around the yard, an old plant tray, a light soil mix (spent coal "clinkers"), and Sedum (Sedum kamchaticum). But the real change was adding a better bat image on the outside. My wife says that's so the bats know it is for them... Let's hope.

Amazing Willows

2009-07-02T11:35:00.003-04:00

The Contorted Willows used in the tomato cages have pulled off a tremendous trick. The horrible ice storm took them down on January 20th. I stored and then cut them in March. They were put in the garden as bare stakes in April. But wouldn't you know, they have sprouted and now I have green leaves on my tomato cages! The vegetation was still green (and frozen) during/after the storm, yet did not show signs of life this spring. As soon as the branches had contact with soil though, they started to grow! I don't so much mind right now, but I was not thinking I would have multiple willow trees in my vegetable garden...

Vegetable garden update

2009-06-21T22:09:00.002-04:00

This is a quick update on the vegetable garden. The heavy rains have taken a toll on the garden. The potatoes have gotten tall and the rains caused them the fall over, so I am trying two methods to get back on track: cutting them back and staking them up. I'll report back with how the methods work out at the end of the season. The tomato cages have worked out great; the Contorted Willow stakes and Wild Grape vines created a sturdy platform and the plants are growing great. The beans have put on a lot of growth and have taken to the willow branches. The pumpkins, squash, watermelons, and cucumbers are enjoying the warm temperatures and steady rains. The carrots and taller greens have been knocked over though. Hopefully it will all balance out in the end...

Urban ecosystems

2009-06-11T20:55:00.006-04:00

There is a really great interview with Os Schmitz the Oastler Professor of Population and Community Ecology in the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies at Yale University. The interview follows his research on the timescale needed to recover a damaged ecosystems. His research suggests that damaged ecosystems can recover in about a lifetime rather than a much longer period of time. He goes on comment in the interview about the role that urban people and places have in the larger scheme. "It’s really important to get [urban people] to think that they're part of an ecosystem -- be it an urban or other ecosystem-- rather than simply be drivers of ecosystems. When we restore parks, or when we think about creating green spaces, we have to be careful and get our values in order and identify collectively what it is that we mean by green space. For example, I can imagine that we could restore shrub lands in cityscapes. We could also have small forests throughout cityscapes."

Waiting for decomposition

2009-06-10T13:30:00.004-04:00

Well based on the article I wrote in November on compostable take-home restaurant products, I should have seen some decomposition of the products by now. The ones either lined with PLA (Polylactic acid) thermoplastic or made from PLA thermoplastic are taking a bit longer. The burgasse (paper) products broke down pretty quickly. Once I see more decomposition, I'll repost some photos.

Landscapers, Gardeners Prepare for Warmer World

2009-05-20T14:44:00.002-04:00

I was a part of a recent radio broadcast discussing preparations for our changing weather on Louisville's Public Radio. You can find the audio archive and written form at this link.

Weed Killers

2009-05-20T09:56:00.003-04:00

You have weeds that need killin'. The first question you should investigate is why are they there in the first place? Typically it has to do with the lighting, soil condition or soil nutrition. This link shows you what the weeds can tell you about the conditions in which they are growing. If you can change the condition then it will make it harder for the weeds to come back after the current batch of weeds are destroyed.

So how do you kill the weeds without poisoning the ground for the next thousand years? Well, there are a few alternatives. There are a number of commercial products based on some old, tried and true recipes. One of those is called Burnout. One can make a simple form of this by combining lemon juice, vinegar, clove oil and some sulfates. Another formula is 1 cup of salt, 8 drops of detergent and 1 gallon of vinegar. Heat the vinegar to dissolve the salt, then add the detergent. In either case, using a spray bottle will work as an applicator. Baking soda can suppress emerging weeds but won't work on young plants. Corn gluten can also be a suppressant, but it may add undue amounts of nitrogen to the soil. But some weeds, like dandelions, are easily pulled by hand or with root tools.

Tomato Cages

2009-04-29T15:53:00.005-04:00

The garden plants are finally all in the ground! What was holding up the show was the construction of the tomato cages. The January Ice Storm brought down many trees around Louisville, including a Contorted Willow (Salix var. pekinensis 'Tortuosa'). I took the branches and joined them with wild vines (Wild Grape Vine and Ivy Vine). I am experimenting with jute twine and nylon twine to hold it all together. So far I like the jute better because it offered more friction. The sturdy cages will house tomatoe plants on the inside and will have pole beans running up the outside, thus maximizing the garden size. We will see how it all progresses.

Companion Planting in the vegetable garden

2009-04-01T13:54:00.003-04:00

Companion planting is combining vegetables, herbs, and flowering plants for beneficial effects. The right mix of plants can deter or distract pests, attract the right kind of insects for polination/bug control, provide a better soil environment. One example is the use of beans/peas/clover can "fix" nitrogen which makes it available as a fertilizer in the soil for other plants. here are two charts that list what plants do well with others.

Seeds of Change (Organic Seed Supply) Companion Planting
National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service, Companion Planting

Vegetable gardening

2009-03-18T15:23:00.004-04:00

There is a rally call to for gardeners. Some say it harkens back to the days of 'Victory Gardens' of World War II. At that time, scarcity was real, food and gas prices made things tough, we were at war... Though similar, we are now faced with trials of our own. Vegetable gardening can be a very reasonable addition to our lives.

Here is why:

Your vegeables have a lower carbon foot print due to no transportation costs. (Average distance traveled for our food items is reported as 1500 miles...)
You have more control over our food prices. Seeds and small plants offer a great return on your investment.
You have more control over the food quality. You can grow just the vegetables you want, control how much fertilizer/pesticides you wish to you use, and receive fresh vegetables at your table!
It's very rewarding to grow your own food! This is the beginning of being more self-sustaining in our lives. Be proud of it!

Links to more information:
Jefferson County Extension Office Gardening Help
The White House Vegetable Garden
PowerShift'09: Climate change and food production
Garden Nerd (a little boost from an LA organic gardener)

A great video on urban organic gardening in Cuba out of shear need. They show a very sustainable way to grow food for themselves.

What to do while waiting

2009-03-16T10:18:00.002-04:00

We are all waiting for Spring to really get here. So what can we do while we wait?

Research new plants or changes to the garden
Learn the latest techniques in garden care
Order/purchase our seeds and plants
Sharpen our tools
Prioritize our garden to-do lists

The warm weather is drawing near! The waiting can be our preparation time.

Recent books

2009-03-10T22:18:00.004-04:00

This is a list of books I've been reading this winter. Some of them are now somewhat dated, but still interesting for folks interested in the "green movement". I would have to say Natural Capitalism was my favorite:
Last Child in the Woods: Saving our children from nature-deficit disorder by Richard Louv
Natural Capitalism by Paul Hawken
Permaculture in a Nutshell by Patrick Whitefield
Science 101: Ecology by Jennifer Freeman
Guerrilla Gardening: A Manualfesto by David Tracey
The Biophilia Hypothesis by Stephen R. Kellert and Edward O. Wilson

Harbinger of Spring

2009-03-01T21:27:00.005-05:00

Well, the Witch Hazel is blooming! It is the first plant that blooms for me and I am thrilled because it means Spring is on its way. The one pictured is Hamamelis × intermedia 'Diane', a red variety. Although the blooms are small, they are like fireworks exploding on the scene. If you have snow or cold right now, hang on because hope is on the way!

2009 Louisville Ice Storm

2009-01-31T14:31:00.003-05:00

Yet another storm to blog about in about four months. This time freezing rain is the culprit. Much of the damage came from trees breaking due to the extra weight of a quarter inch of ice. Add even a slight breeze, and the downed powerlines have created the largest outage in Kentucky history. From the limited area that I have viewed, Birch trees have been a major victim as have Pear, Cherry, and Mulberry trees. Birch trees typically have an arching shape so I believe it captured more of the freezing rain/ice and just arched even more. Another plant that had difficulty in the last ice storm some years ago was the Eastern Red Cedar. Though a weedy plant, the central boughs looked bad for years to come.

Environmental Film Festival

2009-01-22T16:06:00.002-05:00

Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival

February 7, 2009

The Clifton Center

6-10pm

$15 film screening

$30 reception & film screening

Sponsored by the Kentucky Waterways Alliance

Ecological Challenge, not global warming

2009-01-12T15:32:00.003-05:00

I'm quite tired of hearing about "global warming". Aren't you? My main reason for the burn out, is it doesn't describe the situation. It seems like an oxymoron like "Good Grief".

I believe Ecological Challenge is a better phrase and a better description. Why? Because it gets to the heart of the matter. The globe, the earth itself, doesn't care if things get warmer or change. But the lifeforms do! And yes, the only constant in geologic timeframe is change itself. The problem is all of the environmental variables are changing at one time. The give and take between all of the non-living and living systems aren't regulating themselves effectively or quickly enough. So there is a new ecological balance to be struck.

For me there is no going back to some pre-industrial eutopia, but rather a question of how do we set out to a new future balance. And if this is truly a crisis, then we admit defeat. Rather I hope we all see our current state as an Ecological Challenge unlike any other.

Evergreen mulch

2009-01-07T21:28:00.005-05:00

The city's Christmas Tree recycling program officially ended today. They encourage folks to pick up the mulch from the ground up trees. By the looks of what I saw at Hubbards Lane, there is plenty to pick up. From the photo you can see that it is not finely ground. We'll see how it performs as mulch over the season. More on the City of Louisville's program can be found on their website.

It is preferred to have an acid-based mulch for our area due to the clayey, limestone soil we have. Acid can brake down the ions in the clay to make more nutrients available (and the soil more tilable). And the acid can balance out the pH in our alkaline soils.

Soil Layers

2008-12-12T14:06:00.001-05:00

A neighbor's foundation construction opened up the ground in a way that allows one to see the soil layers, or soil horizons. The top soil is the A horizon. It is mostly made up of organics from decomposition (plant matter). The next layer that is brown in color is a the B horizon it is a mixture of the soil and the plant matter due to leaching and mixing processes involving animals/plants. The C horizon is the lightest material. Its nature comes from the "parent material" or rock in the area. Then in the bottom of the picture, you can see the white limestone that gives rise to the layers mentioned above. The rock is about 6 feet below the surface in this area. Depth to bedrock can vary widely, so it is good to know for any gardening work. I think it also conveyes that the good topsoil is a limited resource that we need to protect and use wisely.

Surprise plant of the year...

2008-11-28T21:00:00.001-05:00

This has to be the surprise plant of the year. Aster odoratum 'October Skies' doesn't look like much all year. It has sort of a lime-green color, small leaves, and it gives off a clove-type odor. Then, at the end of September it lights up a firework storm of 1" purple flowers. It is slightly shorter than New England Aster, but isn't self-supportive, so it looks like a small bush of color. Friends have told me that early season cutback can keep it as a bushy, low to the ground perennial. A good plant for color, prolifferation, drought tollerance, and surprise.

Composting takeout

2008-11-25T10:58:00.002-05:00

Yes, there are alternatives to the styrofoam containers for takeout. They haven't made it directly to the consumer yet, but some of the great restaurants in town are using Ecosteward to deliver these compostable containers. They are either from recycled materials, by-products (burgasse), or from a "new" kind of plastic that does not come from oil. It all decomposes in under 90 days. I'll put them to the test and let you know how it goes.

Plant Winners

2008-11-03T16:39:00.009-05:00

Some plants are real winners while others have not performed well in another year of infrequent rain. Here are some of the winners that have impressed me and why:

Bottlebrush grass: a 3' grass that grows well in the shade, reproduces from seed very easily and plays well with others.

Celandine Poppy: again, does well in the shade and a good reproducer.

Swamp Mikweed: although it gets 3' or taller, it really attracts insects, provides a great pink color, and reproduces well. It does like regular amounts of moisture though.

The Tooty List:

Irises: not as successful for me, hard time holding their ground.

Black eyed susan: very good plant. Too good in fact. Plant sparingly.

Butterflyweed: really hasn't proliferated and has an awkward form.

Lawn Maintenance

2008-10-29T13:18:00.003-04:00

Here is the equipment I use for maintaining the lawn. I use the reel mower for the large, flat areas. The deck is smaller than many combustable lawn mowers, but it otherwise takes the same amount of passes to cut the grass. The weed whip is electric and after about 5 years, its battery life is about 20 minutes. It is good to use on irregular shapes and contoured areas like the front yard.

Sustainable Halloween

2008-10-29T12:07:00.009-04:00

So I wanted to have the jack o' lanterns lit late at night without the hazard of candles or the power of flashlights. I found that the solar-powered outdoor lights worked well as long as the opening on top was wide enough. The sun recharges batteries which in turn power the orange LED to light the jack o' lanterns. It is about the same amount of light as a candle. It is cool to the touch so it is safe for kids. Once I'm done with the jack o' lanterns, the lights will be re-attached to their base and used as yard lights again.

Storm damage

2008-09-29T21:44:00.007-04:00

A friend asked if a device that could see into trees would alert folks to problem (hollow) trees in advance of the storm damage on September 14, 2008 in Louisville. It may have forecasted some weaknesses and problems, but as the following photos show, it would miss many in urban areas. We have trees that are poorly branched, so "V" shaped trees would split. Others are poorly rooted due to urban conditions. They are shallow rooted and confined, so when a wind hits a mature tree (even an Oak), there is damage. Preventative care with trees is best. It's even better to do it as the tree matures rather than when problems are noticeable.

Prairie Success

2008-08-22T16:24:00.004-04:00

The prarie garden in the backyard is succeeding! I am attracting new insects like butterflies that weren't coming to the space when it was just turfgrass. They are finding habitat and food with the plant selections found here. It is very rewarding to see this happen in a year's time. The butterfly is a Monarch (Danaus Plexippus) and the caterpillar will become an Eastern Black Swallowtail (Papilio Polyxenes).

What plants haven't performed well

2008-08-15T22:55:00.002-04:00

There are some plants through the yard that have not performed this year due to the drought of last. It doesn't make them bad plants to use, but that they have struggled. Currently, we are in a dry spell, so it isn't helping matters. Here are some of the plants:

Columbine - many plants have not come back this year, I'll be reseeding them
Red Dogwood - they do not seem to like it hot and dry therefore have struggled the last two years
Hostas - plants are smaller this year and are not very full
Swamp Milkweed - the new seedlings are doing fine, but the plants from last year are not doing as well

Want not, waste not

2008-07-28T16:19:00.004-04:00

One way to reduce our impact on the natural environment is to just consume less. The less we consume, the less we have to throw away. What we do consume should be recyclable. The white bags show our trash for a week (a family of four). The left bin is our plastic/metals and the right bin is our cardboard. I would estimate that 90% of what is thrown out is packaging. We buy bulk where we can so in theory it would reduce the overall need for packaging. How can you reduce your consumption? How much recycling can you do?

Oakleaf Hydrangea, a favorite

2008-07-01T21:05:00.002-04:00

Forest Pansy Redbud

2008-06-24T21:40:00.003-04:00

By far the most requested plant was the red-leafed redbud. The plant's full name is Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy' or Forest Pansy Redbud. It is the most available cultivar in the area so it can be purchased. It is a very fast grower that has put on a foot and a half of growth this year already! The color seems to hold better in full-sun (it washes out to green in our yard due to shade conditions). The blooms in the spring are plentiful and more of a purple-pink than the straight species.

Prairie plant list (along alley)

2008-06-17T00:50:00.009-04:00

A listing of plants in the area of the prairie by the alley:

Nyssa sylvatica - Blackgum
Hammelis x intermedia 'Birgit' - Birgit Witch-hazel
Hammelis virginiana - Common Witch-hazel
Viburnum nudum 'Winterthur' - Winterthur Witherod Viburnum
Aster oblongifolius 'October Skies' - October Skies Aster
Elymus hystrix - Bottlebrush Grass
Swamp Milkweed – Asclepias incarnata
Desmanthus illinoensis - Illinois Bundleflower
Northern River Oats – Chasmanthium latifolium
Rudbeckia hirta - Black-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta angustifolia - Black-eyed Susan (red center)
Hemerocallis spp. - Daylily (Wisconsin orange variety)

Shade plant list (by patio)

2008-06-17T00:49:00.005-04:00

A listing of new shade plants (mostly located at the back of the Jane house):

Polystichum acrostichoides - Christmas Fern (evergreen)
Rohdea japonica - Sacred Lily of Japan
Uvularia sessilifolia albomarginata - Variegated Little Merrybells
Epimedium perralchicum 'Frohnleiten' - Barrenwort
Asarum arifolium - Arrowhead Ginger

Car Lies

2008-06-17T00:43:00.002-04:00

So here is one of the ways that we lie to ourselves about our driving habits: we don't think about how much each mile costs us. We calculate how many miles per gallon our cars get. We are concerned about the price of gasoline in dollars per gallon, but we don't think about the price per mile to drive everywhere we go.

We have a Honda CRV which sounds all nice and efficient, but the truth is our actual mpg in the city is 22. That's as good as 1980 mileage. So our cost per mile is roughly 25 cents/mile at current gas prices. So it adds up way too quickly.

sustainable outside

2008-06-17T00:32:00.003-04:00

So how do you become sustainable outside? Well it goes back to basics: reduce, reuse, recycle.

Reduce is just to consume less. Less human input like fertilizing, gas mowing, and adding weed'n'feed. These things make our yards become addicted to our behavior rather than sustaining themselves. Some say the addiction is like putting our yards on Crack.

Reusing is finding new uses for the things you already have. It's like regifting to yourself. Our yard uses a poorly constructed sidewalk that's been broken to become a drylaid "stone" wall. It's been in place for six years now and doing great.

Recycle for me would include composting. We now take our household organic kitchen waste (peels, seeds, cores, skins) and add them to a compost pile. They in turn become soil for the yard. FREE SOIL!

Green TV

2008-06-17T00:28:00.003-04:00

Ok, there is now a green cable channel. For those with Insight, it is channel 221, planet green. Most of the shows are building-based and deal with costly new solutions (i.e. solar panels, concrete countertops, new construction). So what can you do with the house you live in and what can be done outside?

LIVING sustainably

2008-06-17T00:14:00.003-04:00

So what is Sustainable? The rote answer is behaving in ways that will not infringe on future generations. For me, it hits home now. That is, how do I pass along good life-practices to my children today? We can only expect the future to be better if we are willing to share what we know today. That is what led me to think back on what I inherited from my parents. It meant revisiting simple things like composting (we called it the compost pile) and a vegetable garden.

Back

2008-06-17T00:01:00.002-04:00

Well, Verdant is back. So what's been going on? Well, there are now two rain barrels, less lawn, a three year old rain garden, grassed turfstone in the back yard, a compost pile, a prairie, a vegetable garden, new tree plantings (from seed) and mature plantings throughout. In the coming posts, I'll show the details of what has gone right and what lessons have been learned. I also hope to hit on other sustainable practices.

Before and After

2006-08-05T21:59:00.000-04:00

A significant change in under one year! The space is easily maintained; little to trim/mow; many more birds, butterflies, insects; rainwater isn't flushed down the sewer; and its beautiful!

bugs!

2006-07-31T23:08:00.000-04:00

Already in under a year the amount of insects in the side yard has grown tremendously. There are several kinds of bees including giant bumble bees. And just last night I saw a preying mantis among the Black Eyed Susans. I have also seen a few kinds of catepillars, but no butterflies as of yet...

Painting the bridge

2006-07-18T23:17:00.000-04:00

The bridge is now a red that matches the rest of the house! It is a drastic improvement and adds yet more color the blooming side yard. The Black-Eyed Susans are stealing the show right now, but the Swamp Milkweed (light purple) is putting on more height and the bees love it. The Butterfly weed (orange) has made a come back with the cool, cloudy days gone. The Blue Lobelia has arrived and contrasts very nicely with the yellow Susans. Also, the first Cardinal Flower is beginning to appear in its scarlet red.

The tour is this weekend, so hopefully all will be in top shape.

Swamp Milkweed in bloom

2006-07-05T19:52:00.000-04:00

Side Yard Rain Garden Plant List

2006-06-25T23:11:00.004-04:00

The plant list has grown since the initial design. Here is the list: Wild Columbine – Aquilegia canadensis
Wild Ginger – Asarum canadense
Swamp Milkweed – Asclepias incarnata
Purple Milkweed – Asclepias purpurascens
Butterfly Weed – Asclepias tuberosa
Smooth Blue Aster – Aster laevis
White False Indigo – Baptisia alba
Blue Wild Indigo – Baptisia australis
Blue Wood Sedge – Carex flaccosperma
Frank's Sedge – Carex frankii
Pennsylvania Sedge – Carex pensylvanica
Redbud – Cercis canadensis
Northern River Oats – Chasmanthium latifolium
Green and Gold – Chrysogonum virginianum
Eared Coreopsis – Coreopsis auriculata
Bottlebrush Grass – Elymus hystrix
Wild Geranium – Geranium maculatum
Dwarf or Crested Iris – Iris cristata
Copper Iris – Iris fulva
Spicebush – Lindera benzoin
Cardinal Flower – Lobelia cardinalis
Great Blue Lobelia – Lobelia siphilitica
Trumpet Honeysuckle – Lonicera sempervirens
Virginia Bluebells – Mertensia virginica
Bayberry – Myrica pensylvanica
Royal Fern – Osmunda regalis
Black-eyed Susan – Rudbeckia hirta
Little Bluestem – Schizachyrium scoparium
Showy Goldenrod – Solidago speciosa
Celandine Poppy – Stylophorum diphyllum

Purpose of the Side Yard Garden

2006-06-25T23:11:00.000-04:00

Here is what the Side Yard Garden hopes to suggest:
* One does NOT have to mow side yards (especially ones at 12%)
* All kinds of spaces, even side yards, can be beautiful and low maintenance
* Gardens don't have to be a lot of work to be beautiful
* Native plants can create wonderful gardens
* Rain water is a resource not a hazard

Swamp Milkweed - Asclepias incarnata

2006-06-25T22:13:00.000-04:00

Swamp milkweed and Black eyed Susans should bloom soon

2006-06-24T22:45:00.001-04:00

I am seeing a slight bit of color on the Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata). It is different than the Butterflyweed that is orange and shorter in height. The Swamp Milkweed is already twice as tall (about 30" right now) and will bloom purple. It seems to do better with wetter and part shade conditions. In this location, it catches the shadow of the house for most of the day and it is closer to the bottom of microbasin 1.

Primrose cut back

2006-06-24T22:45:00.000-04:00

The Primroses have mostly been cut back. They were overhanging the narrow grass strip that allows one to pass from the front yard to the back. I tried holding them back with a string line, but the plants were too top heavy. Some of the plants have grown to five feet in height! There are still quite a few that are left and are still blooming away. They seem to do fine as a cut flower by the way even when left in 80 degree heat. I expect there to be quite a bit of regrowth over the summer, so it should all work out. I think that primrose needs tall supporting plants around it to hold up to heavy wind and rain. The first plant of this species I have is supported by a chain link fence -- it also hasn't bloomed yet so the additional weight isn't there yet.

Primrose tip over

2006-06-19T23:25:00.000-04:00

Well more rain tonight. The micro-basins held well. The fourth basin only filled up half way. The primrose really took a beating. They are about 4 1/2 feet tall right now, bent to get more sun and beginning to bloom. The heavy downpour just knocked them over -- way over. I've staked them up as best as I could, but they may need to be cut back. Bottom line, they need to be in full sun surrounded by plants that can help support their excessive height.

Rain in the garden

2006-06-18T23:37:00.000-04:00

I've disconnected two of my downspouts from the sanitary system and directed them to the micro-basins. Saturday (June 17th) night's storm was the first test of the all four basins with downspout water. And it performed well! Pictured is the bottom basin (Basin 4) at the height of the storm. It's not even a quarter full. The other true test was the speed it infiltrated the ground. And when I checked about twenty minutes after the storm, there was no water in any of the basins! Sunday afternoon (June 18th) storm was interesting because the rain barrel was full. All the water passed through the overflow and down into the basins (3 &4). Still no issues, but I think I'll need a splash plate for the overflow or a pipe to get the water down to the basin with less force.

Primrose

2006-06-13T23:29:00.000-04:00

The Evening Primrose is now blooming. It is somewhat irratic which ones are blooming first, but hopefully the rest will get the idea and do their thing. In the photos you can see how they open up more as evening comes.

Rain Barrel

2006-06-12T22:53:00.000-04:00

The rain barrel was installed tonight! It took 45 minutes to get its height right, disconnect the downspout, cut off the sewer connection (the yellow thing in the photo), cap it, then connect up the rain barrel and check that it was stable. About the only tool it too was a hacksaw to shorten the downspout. If you look closely at the rain barrel, one can see that there is a regular spigot at the bottom (hooking up the garden hose) and an overflow at the top. The barrel holds 58 gallons of water which is a pretty good amount.

Weather Forecasting

2006-06-05T22:57:00.001-04:00

Here are some links to my favorite weather sites. Just the facts, not hype: NWS Louisville 7-day forecast
National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center
The Weather Channel Forecast Maps

last plants

2006-06-05T22:57:00.000-04:00

The last plants were placed in the garden. Blue Wood Sedge was the last go in due to a expansion in the design to include a fourth "micro-basin". Also one of the downspouts was disconnected from the sewer system and directed to that micro-basin. A chance of rain is expected Wednesday so we will see how it all holds up.

Screens

2006-06-04T16:19:00.000-04:00

The screens of the utilities and A/C unit went up Saturday. There will be Trumpet Honeysuckle growing up them soon enough which will help screen the screens...

Jane House transformation

2006-06-03T23:00:00.000-04:00

Here is the transformation of the Jane House.

2006-06-01T23:29:00.000-04:00

"If we have inherited a world that is so disjointed by human action that it now requires our intervention, we will have to learn to accept that we must manage it on the basis of Nature's systems and not our standards" ~ David Hancocks A Different Nature

A few current photos

2006-05-31T23:11:00.000-04:00

Storing water

2006-05-30T22:27:00.000-04:00

Ok, the side yard project is a vegetated swale with check dams rather than a true rain garden. Side yards, even if they are flat, do not typically have the space to store all the rain water from the roofs. In this case the water is damed up in the channel that runs down the slope between the houses. The water that does infiltrate helps nurish the plants (they can tolerate the momentary ponding) and then any remaining water is let out more slowly than it would have occured otherwise.

The other idea this project tests is vertical storage. Basically taking draintile to create a vertical column where water can be stored. It increases the capacity to store water while increasing the infiltration. After attempting this, I've realized one really needs a deep hole for this to work efficiently. Mine are only a foot and a half deep. It is still a great idea for small spaces.

Strawberries

2006-05-29T23:44:00.001-04:00

The strawberries are finally doing their thing. The cool, wet spring delayed their ripening. But now we have giant slugs! Strawberry plants do make a great groundcover. Here is a short list of other lawn alternatives:

* Wild Ginger

* Hostas

* Sedum

* Liriope (Monkey grass)

* Black-eyed Susans

* Sedges

Memorial Day

2006-05-29T23:44:00.000-04:00

The Oakleaf Hydrangea is beginning to bloom. I couldn't resist this photo with the flag on Memorial Day.

In search of: no mowing or watering...

2006-05-26T19:33:00.000-04:00

So last June I embaked on a 12 hour design binge to decrease the amount of mowing and watering in my side yard. The design was entered in the Air Pollution Control Board Low-Maintenance Landscape Competition. And they gave me the go-ahead to make it happen! So now I'm in the midst of "building" the garden...