PREVIEW Groundbreaker Brilliant Planting Design

I am dedicating a handful of upcoming blogs to highlighting some of the world’s most outstanding planting designers in a series entitled Groundbreakers. I want to focus on great planting design, not because I think it should be a separate discipline from landscape architecture or garden design, but because so little critical attention is given to this aspect of environmental design. Planting design is a subject that unites the separate but related fields of landscape architecture and garden design, a fertile ground for conceptual exploration.

I have chosen these designers because their work elevates design beyond the conceptual confines of traditional vs. modern and geometry vs. naturalism. For centuries, design style has swung between these two pendulums, fed by an impulse that is often more reactionary than critical. The designers featured in Groundbreakers pay homage to the past while freshly expressing a modern consciousness.

A critical discourse about what constitutes great planting design is needed more than ever. For too long, great planting design has been relegated to oversized coffee table books and interior design magazines. It is time to get beyond the domination of the glossy photo. Whether you are a professional designer, or an amateur gardener, we need to better understand why we arrange plants in the ways we do. These designers challenge our assumptions about how, what, and why we plant.

Ive selected five designers whose work are stylistically different, yet each reveals an inspiring direction for the future of design.  Be sure to stop by in the next few weeks!

Read More..

AZ Rainfall Landscapes Blend Southwest Tradition and Modern Design

After reviewing a comment posted on one of our previous blogs on how Water and Fire DO Mix, I decided to check out the posters website. Arizona Rainfall has been in the business of landscape design in the hot desert sun for over 30 years. Being a fan of southwestern architecture and design, I wanted to see what they had to offer in terms of landscape design.

AZ Rainfall offers services ranging from custom barbecues, to patios and decks, to pools and spas, to water features and landscape maintenance. The examples provided show a variety of not only their services provided, but great examples of landscape design that you can incorporate into your own outdoor living room design.

Being Arizona, you will see many rounded adobe walls, faux stucco and large open seating areas designed to act as central gathering locations for guests. Rounded walls, walkways and garden beds reveal a natural flow throughout the landscape design that leads not only foot traffic but the eyes along a path that feels natural and smooth rather than sharp straight lines and garden plotting. This design concept gives a feeling of completeness throughout the entire layout of the design. The yards feel like one large well thought out plan (which they are), rather than sectioned off areas that do not en-company the entire space involved.

The custom outdoor barbeques also tie into the overall design of the patios featured. You wont see an appliance that seems out of place, or just "stuck in there." Every bit of space has a purpose to it, not just for aesthetic pleasure, but functional as well. Shaded canopies and trellis provide a relief from the hot desert sun as well as help define outdoor kitchen spaces. A designated cooking and prep area is conveniently located adjacent to a bar that cozies up to the pool, with integrated bar stools IN the pool itself. This design ties both the relaxing escape of the swimming pool to the kitchen area itself.

You will also find custom fire pits sprinkled into their landscape design ideas. Even though one may associate the hot sun with Arizona, the desert can turn quite cool after the sun goes down and a fire pit is a great way to keep warm and bring a glow to your patio after dark.

So if you are in the market to do a little home improvement, check out AZ Rainfall Landscape Design and if you are thinking about including a fire pit or burning system in your backyard design, then let us know and well be happy to help you with any questions you may have.

Read More..

Green Garden Design No Pun Intended Recycled Materials for Gardens

One of the latest trends in landscape and garden design is using recycled materials to create unique and creative garden planters. The advantages of using recycled materials are that they offer an artistic and aesthetic appeal to your garden, they are unique and customizable, they save you money by not having to purchase new planters, and chances are, your neighbors wont have the same creativity in their gardens. So while doing research on creative landscape design, I came across this article from GreenDiary.com which offers up some innovative garden planter ideas.

The Bathtub Planter

Ironically, my good friend Nick has an old crows foot bathtub in his backyard and has turned it into a planter. You can line the planter with plastic, lay down a few varieties of soil and plant flowers, plants, ferns or a small tree. Old bathtubs make for a nice display bed for a variety of flowers and plants.

Old Shoes or Boots

Have a small space you want to add an accent to? How about a pair of old shoes or boots? The article recommends that you line the insides with plastic and poke a few holes in the shoes for sufficient water drainage, but my thoughts would be that if you have an old pair of shoes that the soles have worn out, or they are canvas, etc, that water would drain out just fine, so line them with plastic and just poke a few holes in the plastic vs. through the whole shoe. Also, because the space you will have is much smaller than a normal planter, be sure NOT to water your plants too much.

Old Paint Cans

A very simple and great idea here! Ironically, you will need paint to paint the outside of the cans in a vibrant color, or colors, of your choice. Then poke a few holes in the bottom for drainage and there you have it. You can even hang them on walls, from decks, balconies, pergolas and more.

The Washbasin, Sink or Drinking Fountain Planter

Another irony here, is that I, personally, have a drinking fountain planter in my home. A buddy of mine who is an artist was having a garage sale a few years ago and had a random drinking fountain sitting in his garden. Nothing was in it except dust and dead leaves, but it was sitting in his garden and I thought to myself, that looks out of place but would be cool if it had plants in it. So I bought it, brought it home, lined it with plastic and have had a successful planter ever since. The catch about washbasins, sinks or drinking fountains as planters is that because they are so shallow, you will have to plant something that does not require a deep root system. Green Diary recommends "seedlings of tarragon, basil, parsley or nasturtiums to add color to your surroundings."

Cinder Block or Brick Planters

This is another idea that I am going to use on my home patio, cinder blocks! Contemporary and inexpensive, what a great way to utilize old cider blocks or bricks that are lying around. They are already hollowed out and sturdy, therefore perfect for holding up to inclement weather.

The Green Diary also has a few other options for planters including old tires and lamp shades, but I selected the ones I thought were most aesthetically pleasing. Check out the article for details regarding those concepts.

After youve checked them out, check us out online for all your custom outdoor fire pit needs. Also, check out our partners at www.patiooutfitters.net for all of your patio furnishing and landscape design needs. Until next time, stay warm and BRING ON THE SPRING!!!

Read More..