Monday, March 24, 2014

Design Decoded 3.21.2014

public garden/plaza via Pintrest
Today's featured design from Pintrest is one of those awkward urban spaces that serves as both a busy pedestrian corridor and a "pocket park". It has a narrow, wedge shape defined by commercial buildings on two sides and a street on the third.

Why it works: fantastic use of  contrast and repetition.

  • Three key sidewalks run strongly perpendicular to the street (on left) and base of the water feature. This makes for easy and efficient access to and through the space. The fact that the walkways are also bridges make the pedestrian experience a bit more fun and exciting.
  • The curved line of the "through-way"  that runs the length of the landscape softens the space and slows the pace.  It sets up a wonderful contrast with all of the straight lines in a very crisp, contemporary way.
  • The circular planters, though set in rigid lines, seem to dance and play through the space.
  • The proportions of this design are so perfect that it could be expanded or contracted to suit any size of space.
  • My only critique: the plant material could be softer and more colorful.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Signs of Spring


Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and this somewhat ratty garden looks beautiful to me! Spring green shoots are pushing their way up through the winter debris and into the sunshine. In a couple of months all of these little sprigs will look like this:
Allium christophii
Another sign of spring today:  The temperature this morning was a chilly 20°F, yet this afternoon I saw my first butterfly of the year.  Do you know the Mourning Cloak butterfly? They're very common in Colorado, and typically one of the first butterflies to come out of hibernation. There's a great write up about them here.

What signs of spring have you seen lately?

Monday, March 03, 2014

Let's Chat!

I can't wait for tulips to start blooming, can you?
This weekend I'm hosting a booth at the Spring Gardening Echxpo at Echter's Garden Center.  Stop by and say hello — I'll be there to answer your questions about landscape design and gardening.  On Sunday afternoon at 1:00 I'll be giving a presentation on great perennials for multi-season interest.

It's fun and it's free. Follow the links above for all the details.

Hope to see you there!