‘And The Answer Is. . . . . Muhly Grass!’

This time of year I repeatedly get asked “What IS that beautiful pink grass?” Well, the answer is Muhly Grass!  You may have seen it in drifts along Interstate 40, or in foundation or subdivision entrance plantings! This versatile and beautiful perennial is used frequently in our southern landscapes and for good reason.

Pink Muhly Grass, Muhlenbergia capillaris, is a must have for the low maintenance garden and is a fantastic source of late-season color. When summer perennials are past their prime and looking tired, pink Muhly Grass with its giant puffs of pink plumes is just getting ready for its fall time show!

This ornamental grass makes a great border, or in patio containers. Work it into a great fall container with Mums, Asters, Sedums.  It reaches 3 feet high and 3 feet wide, with a nicely cascading habit of foliage and unbelievably profuse blooms. Give it plenty of sunshine and good soil drainage, and it will do the rest, beautifully withstanding heat, humidity, drought, and poor soil. It also looks spectacular in a planting with other grasses: Miscanthus, Pennisetum, Carex.

Vertical Gardens of Raleigh!

I recently took my youngest daughter off to college- Go Wolfpack! While in Raleigh, I took a little field trip to visit some of the vertical gardens adjacent to the NC State campus. Of course- it only took my mind off of my overwhelming grief for a brief while- but here they are for your enjoyment!

This first example (below) uses a quite obvious container source- galvanized buckets attached directly to the wall of this shop, in between two downspouts. A metal frame secures the buckets to the brick building façade.  The irrigation system encircles the containers- which is of course always a necessity in vertical gardening. The plants used here are: Wave Petunias, Purple Heart and other summer blooming annuals. I personally would like to see more perennials in vertical gardening- allowing for more all year color and does not need to be changed out as much with the seasons.

The next examples were  found at Cameron Village: The first one used a few more perennials such as ferns, Ajuga and then inserted annuals to be changed out with the seasons. This vertical garden design used a lightweight frame which holds the plant material ‘cells’- including the soil media and also attaches to the irrigation drip tubing for watering. The irrigation can be used to also feed the plant material, as well as, water them.

The next example also used Asparagus Fern, along with Creeping Jenny and Purple Heart to make a statement. This also  used a metal frame to hold the plant cells onto the vertical garden.

Our last example illustrates how vertical gardens are an excellent way to spruce up a blank brick, or other wall of your property. This example uses galvanized steel cable to create the framework where a vine or other trailing plant can grow into a pattern. The vine used here could be an evergreen such as Carolina Jessamine, or Creeping Fig or any other flowering vine. The cable is installed directly onto the wall, instead of using a frame as in our other examples.

So the next time you think about a gardening project, consider going vertical- The possibilities are endless!

FOURTH FRIDAY IS THIS FRIDAY AT COLOR LANDSCAPES!  

  

         114 West Front Street, Burlington.

      August 23 from 5:00 until 9:00 p.m

  

COME SEE US ON AUGUST 23rd from 5-9 at our new office. We would love to see you and chat about your summer projects. Come hear the music, and stop in for a drink and a snack and visit with the Color Landscapes staff. WE ARE RIGHT ACROSS FROM THE DEPOT-

 

         Hope to see you there!

New Color Landscapes Projects!

We are busy as usual here at Color Landscapes! Here in residential design, I thought I would show you a few of our outstanding projects that are currently being designed and installed:

• Burlington Outdoor Kitchen: This project is currently under installation and will include a large Belgard Patio and beautiful outdoor kitchen featuring a Belgard Harmony Pizza Oven! Project will also include extensive plantings to create the ultimate outdoor retreat.

• Hillsborough Hot Tub enclave: Homeowner was having a new hot tub installed and we created an multi level retreat including Belgard Weston wall seatwalls, and Mega Lafit paver patios. The hot tub is built into the higher level, allowing the homeowner to command a gorgeous view of the lake from the privacy of his backyard!

Contemporary Pool Landscaping

Contemporary Pool by San Francisco Landscape Architect Arterra LLP Landscape Architects

Working on a contemporary pool landscape in Raleigh this week. Incorporating boulder outcroppings, interesting dwarf conifers, grasses and a variety of blooming perennials. Take a look at my idea book for this customer on HOUZZ.   Trying to decide between wood mulch- but leaning more towards an interesting pea gravel for the mulching material. Will have a much more contemporary feel-

http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/11240630

Exciting Varieties of Redbuds- Cercis canadensis!

REDBUDS– Their bright purple flowers let you know for sure that spring is here! For those of you who have used Cercis Canadensis in your landscape (Eastern Redbud) there are some exciting varieties that you should know about:

‘Traveler”- Dwarf weeping form- same great purple flowers, but smaller weeping habit.

‘Forest Pansy’: Large burgundy heart shaped leaves.

‘Hearts of Gold’– Large yellow heart shaped leaves. Beautiful coloring! Developed here in NC.

‘Tennessee Pink’ – Has pink flowers in early spring.

These varieties are well suited to the Triad area and do well in part sun/and shadier conditions. They withstand a variety of soils and are a nice addition to any landscape!

My top 10 UNDER-USED Plants for the Triad Area

This month I want to highlight my top 10 UNDERUSED plants for the Triad area. I know many of you will discuss with me at length your intense (and it IS intense) hatred for the everloving Nandina, Bradford Pear and Juniper- that is not what we will be discussing here.

Here are my top 10 plants that have to meet a strict criteria: They must to grow well in our area, with a minimum of care (OK- you still have to water them- but little else.) They must have several attractive characteristics (i.e Beautiful bark AND leaves, OR great flowers AND branching pattern,etc.) they must not be on every street corner- so we can create a unique look when they are used. Take a gander at these:

1. Chionanthus Virginicus– Fringetree. This small tree has beautiful blooms in the spring.
2. Edgeworthia chrusanthua– Paperbush. This blooms when very little else is in EARLY spring. Great fragrance to the blooms- the whole plant is very dramatic.
3. Cytstisus scoparius– Scotch Broom. Great blooms in the spring- deer resistant too!
4. Illisium floridatum– Anise. Love the red blooms and evergreen foliage.
5. Abelia ‘Kaleidoscope’– Love the green and yellow evergreen foliage for something different in the landscape.
6. Corylus contorta– Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick. “Stick’ this in your yard (no pun intended) for a great conversation piece. I also see it quite often in a  container- but it would eventually have to be moved to allow the plant to fill out.
7. Cedrus atlantica– Blue Atlas Cedar. Love the steel blue foliage and striking branching pattern. Great for a unique look in the winter landscape.
8. Sarcococca ruscifolia– Sweetbox. Love the flowers, the foliage and the fact that it is deer resistant.
9. Hellebore– Coral Bells. Blooms in the winter about when the Paperbush is blooming. Love the evergreen foliage and the pink/white blooms.
10. Camellia sasanqua– Fall Blooming Camellia. Again love the fact that it blooms when flowers are off of most people’s minds- a very nice surprise for the late fall/winter!

Try some of these in your garden and see how you like them!

MARCH 18, 2013- What is blooming NOW in the Triad?

This month in the Triad, you can find a huge variety of plant materials in full bloom- here are a few:

DAFFODILS: This early bloomer comes in a variety of color combinations, great blue foliage that persists after the blooms. An added bonus is that it is deer resistant.

SAUCER MAGNOLIA: LOVE this tree with its profuse pink, to deep purple blooms. LARGE tree- give it  plenty of room and full sun for great blooms.

STAR MAGNOLIA: Beautiful smaller cousin to the saucer magnolia. This can be used for smaller spaces- but still give it at least a 10 square space to place it in- a tree is still a tree!

FORSYTHIA: First the tried and true standard for spring- the Forsythia: This LARGE shrub signals early spring with its bright yellow blooms. Expect Forsythia to eventually be 6′ tall x 12′ wide, YES 12′ wide. If you have the room, it is a great plant!

3D Visualization helps you SEE your projects!

Color Landscapes Landscape Architect, Lori Hawkins uses VIZTERRA 3D imaging software on all of her landscape designs- see what it can do for your project! Click on this picture to visit our HOUZZ ideabook of 3D designs. Color Landscapes (336) 578-9884

Time to Plan Your Vegetable Garden!

It’s that time of year again- time to get out the tiller, and start those garden plants from seeds to plant in your yearly vegetable garden! Our tips below should get you started:

Planning your vegetable garden

• Any old spot won’t do when planning where to plant vegetables. The site location is of the utmost importance.  It must have at least six hours of full sun each day in order for your food crops to mature properly. No amount of fertilizer, water, or care can replace needed sunshine.
• The soil should be very fertile and well drained so that water does not puddles after a rain storm. Choose a spot close to a water supply for convenience.  The garden should be surrounded by a sufficiently high fence with close mesh to keep out small animals.  A fence also can serve as a trellis for beans, and other crops that need support.

Containers- Think Outside the Box!

• When planning where to place your garden- be inventive! Some of the most interesting gardens happen in unexpected places.
  • Containers- and this can mean just about anything! An old washtub on your deck, I have even seen herbs planted in an old boot.
  • Raised Gardens- these are increasingly popular- think about building up your beds using cedar, stone or concrete retaining wall block. It could double as a seatwall- your back will thank you!
  • Think Up- why not have your garden travel up? A trellis attached to your container allows peas and beans travel up – saving precious space.

Preparing the Soil for Planting

• Fertile, well prepared soil is necessary for a successful garden. The exact type of soil is not as important as that it be well drained, well supplied with organic matter, reasonably free of stones, and moisture retentive.
• If your garden has already been cultivated and used in past years, there is little to do other than to plow in additional organic material, and fertilizers. The fertilizer may be in the form of composted manure or any good
  commercial complete plant food distributed at a rate of 3 or 4 pounds for every thousand square feet of vegetable garden.

Planting Your Vegetable Garden

• Use stakes to mark out where different rows will be planted.
  Build trellises or set stakes for climbing plants such as peas and beans. Create mounds on which you will put in the vining plants such as cucumbers, pumpkins and melons.   NOTE: Don’t forget to establish your pathways early so that you won’t be walking across areas which will be planted.

You are now ready to sow your seeds, and to put in your vegetable bedding plants. Spacing of plants is critical, so don’t crowd to many plants into the allotted space. Be sure to place a tag or marker on each row or area so that you will know what to
expect will sprout there and when! Water your garden thoroughly the day before you intend to plant.

Maintaining Your Vegetable Garden

• Remember to water your garden extra during dry periods. Most vegetables benefit from an inch or more water each week.
• Mulching between the rows will help keep weeds in check and also keep moisture in the soil.
• Weeds rob your vegetables of water, light and root space, keep them pulled out from the roots whenever you spot them.
• Once you have harvested your crop- put your spent plants in the compost pile to begin the process again for next year!