seedling tops an inch or so below the tubes. Transplant seedlings to 3-inch pots three to four weeks later.Allow three months from the time you plant the seed until they are ready to go into the garden. Q Near the edge of a woods I have a large patch of Norway maple saplings that I am trying to return to meadow,but the ones I’ve cut at ground level sprout back vigorously and I am seeing little progress.How can I speed along the meadow? — ED ROGERS, PITTSFIELD, MA A Norway maple is a tree that withstands repeated cutting. If you remove trees near ground level and mow repeatedly with a lawn mower, they will eventually die. But before that, they will become a mass of knotty wooden nodules at the soil surface, which will result in a bumpy ride and a need to sharpen the blade more often. There are a couple of alternatives. Since Norway maple does not sprout readily from the roots, you could grub out your trees below ground level.This method works best if you have only a few trees. A better approach on a large patch is to spray newly cut stumps with the nonselective herbicide Roundup. Late winter and early spring can be a good time to do this. Mix concentrate 50-50 with water; if the weather is cold, dilute the Roundup with windshield-washer fluid instead of water.A few stumps will probably resprout. Recut them and treat with the solution. Always have the Roundup mix ready so you can use it immediately—while the cuts are still fresh.Apply the spray only to the tops of the stumps to minimize impact on nearby plants. New Guinea impatiens take at least three months from sowing seed indoors to moving young plants to the garden.
100 MARCH 2006 I am fonder of my garden for the trouble it gives me—REGINALD FARRER sage advice LANDSCAPE SOLUTIONS ESPALIER—THE 500-YEAR-OLD TECHNIQUE OF training trees to artfully thrive in narrow spaces—lends itself well to small gardens and other challenging nooks and crannies. PeterThevenot of River Road Farms in Decatur,Tennessee, arguably the country’s foremost expert on the subject, uses the espalier technique, diligently pruning and coaxing young trees, in order to create multi-branched living “sculptures” trained on wire templates that lie flat against a wall or façade. But, as in the example shown at left, espalier can also be used to produce freestanding designs. Espalier originated in 16th-century France as a means of maximizing the harvest of fruit within a limited planting space. Today the art appeals to garden designers as much for aesthetics—interesting shapes and patterns— as for its utilitarian value. “My favorite trees to work with,” says Thevenot, “are the ‘Kieffer’ pear and ‘Gala’ apple because they are the best I’ve found to date for training.” —JASON UPRIGHT PeterThevenot;River Road Farms,Decatur,TN; 800-297-1435;[email protected]. 1 3 2 J. PAUL MOORE (3) Tight Spot Training [1] For nearly 12 years, this two-story ‘Kieffer’ pear espalier in a candelabra pattern has basked in the warmth radiated by the façade of Peter Thevenot’s home. [2] A 10-year-old flowering ‘Royal Empire’ apple tree spreads flat against a stone wall in a three-tiered horizontal cordon design. [3] A freestanding Belgian fence design using ‘Bradford’, an ornamental callery pear, makes a highly functional divide between garden and driveway.
102 MARCH 2006 Do not cut down the tree that gives you shade—PERSIAN PROVERB sage advice ROGER FOLEY (4) ANATOMY LESSON This tranquil green front garden in a wellto-do suburb west of Austin,Texas, was created by landscape architect James David and his client, residential builder Kimberley Renner, a seasoned partnership of 10 years. Renner had created a compound of buildings rooted in Texas vernacular architecture, and she wanted David’s landscape to nestle them into the setting and create a strong connection from the street to the front door. One of David’s priorities with any project is to harness the strengths of the site, and the 1-acre plot was littered with limestone boulders. He used them to build a path and a dry-stacked wall from the street (over 100 feet in length) that points to the tucked-away front door, which as Renner notes is one of the strongest design elements in the project. “So many people stop short of doing something great,” says David,“but the wall wasn’t that expensive to do, and it really draws you through the garden to the front door like an arrow.” The path, raised up on a berm, seems Cool Front LOOK WITHIN The garden breaks down into several spaces.Top:A stone wall dominates the front of the property, blue-berried mahonia at the foot. Boxwood balls add a geometrical touch. Below left and right:A flagstone path leads to a side door. One area is enclosed on three sides, like a Japanese courtyard. to almost float over a dense carpet of mondo grass.Typical of this region, there was no soil at all, so the berm allowed the soil level to be raised by backfilling. Renner intended to resell the house, so David kept the landscape simple, clean and easy to maintain. Deer were a major factor in his choice of plants—it was too difficult to fence this area—so he turned to a palette of tough, deer-resistant evergreens.The result might be described as a Japanese aesthetic, which, as David points out, is not a coincidence: Deer are common pests in rural Japan, and their tastes play a large part in creating that characteristic green look.—JF For more information on James David,call 512- 467-9934 or see www.gardens-austin.com.
A garden should always look bigger than it really is—ALEXANDER LE BLOND GARDEN DESIGN 103 FITTING IN The client looked on the front garden as an outdoor room that helps settle the building into the site. Planting envelops the long, low roofline, and extensive use of glass allows the garden to penetrate the interior, too. STONE FREE Natural limestone found on-site was used for the wall and pathway. Its pale color lightens the dark green carpet of mondo grass and reinforces the directional function of the path. FOLLOW ON The ragged edge of the path and informally massed ground covers:Dwarf yaupon (Ilex vomitoria) mondo grass (Ophiopogon japonicus), holly fern (Cyrtomium falcatum) and Pittosporum tobira create a relaxed first impression. TREE SPIRITS Oaks and smaller evergreens give a gladelike character to the front garden, plus privacy and shade. Leaning trunks bring an inviting spontaneity to the scene, rather than a more formal style typically found in front yards.
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112 MARCH 2006 I like to go by climbing a birch tree, and climb black branches up a snow-white trunk—ROBERT FROST details NICOLA BROWNE Paris in Spring Using just two plants, French landscape architects Michel Desvigne and Christine Dalnoky created a minimalist natural place that brings the rhythm of the seasons right into the heart of Paris.The building, social housing designed by architect Renzo Piano, wraps around a large sunken garden. Early in the year, a grove of slim birches provides a haze of green, their vertical lines mimicking the strong grid of the building façade. Terra-cotta tiles and concrete banding on the floor pick up the same architectural details, and reinforcing the geometry is a neat carpet of boxleaf honeysuckle (Lonicera nitida) divided into neat blocks bordering the paths.—JF