Living Designs

Prescription for Cabin Fever

(February 2011)

By now most people would agree that the novelty has worn off.  Sure, the white stuff is pretty – but it seems like we’ve had five winters’ worth in two months!  I’m not even sure I can remember what’s underneath some of the waist-high drifts in my own yard.  The inconvenience and disruption to our daily lives is beginning to take its toll, and I hear a lot of ranting and raving that sounds like cabin fever is becoming an epidemic.  What to do??

A few suggestions for how to revive our landscape-deprived souls:

1.  Plan a trip to a botanical garden – yes, they are still open this time of year.  Imagine walking through a warm, beautiful, verdant space – well living in the greater NYC area does have advantages:  the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx and the Brooklyn Botanical Garden have lush greenhouses just waiting for you.  The Brooklyn Botanical Garden has extensive indoor gardens : Aquatic, Bonsai, Desert, Tropical and the Warm and Temperate Pavilion where the South African bulbs soon will be in bloom.  If you are adventurous, the Japanese Hill and Pond Garden is gorgeous in the snow.  At the New York Botanical Garden’s Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, they are showing their Caribbean Garden, and in just a few weeks the fabulous “Orchid Show:  On Broadway” will open.  Check their websites for events and information.

2.  Rent a “Green” Movie: Escape for a few hours by watching a movie where the landscape is alive and blooming. A few suggestions:  Enchanted April (doesn’t hurt that the garden is in Tuscany), A Good Year (ditto, but Provence), Greenfingers (based on a true story), Just Like Heaven (rooftop shangri la), and of course the fantastical landscapes of Avatar and Edward Scissorhands.

3.  Get Ready: Start thinking about your own landscape and how you’d like to improve it.  Garden magazines are full of great ideas, as are those Sunset books you see by the check out in Lowe’s or Home Depot.  Don’t hold back – start with your ideal garden or patio area.   You can always scale back once you know what you’re really after – often times you can achieve the same overall effect with only a few minor modifications.  As always, remember to get professional input by consulting a landscape designer.

Most of all – stay warm, drive safely and feed the birds!

The Calm After the Storm

(Spring 2010)

After the severe weather of the last three months it is indeed reassuring to see green things poking their heads up in the garden.  The Hudson River valley region is really still recovering from unprecedented snow, wind and rain that took a huge toll on our trees and shrubs.  It is hard to feel positive when looking at a perfectly healthy tree uprooted by wind and erosion, but spring is a season of beginnings.  Rather than mourning the loss, let yourself re-think your yard and try to imagine new possibilities.

A word of caution to garden enthusiasts and weekend warriors who hear the springtime call to battle:  watch your step!  The unusually wet weather has saturated this area’s heavy, clay soils and they are extremely water-logged.  Working in garden beds this time of year can be very damaging to the soil structure.  Be careful when clearing beds (or having your landscape service do so for you).  A long rake (which I personally prefer to a noisy leaf blower) will serve you well.  You can also wait a few weeks for the soils to dry out somewhat.  Remember, there will certainly be cold days and nights ahead – be patient!  All too soon we’ll be complaining about the hot weather and how much yard work there is to be done!

P.S.  Don’t forget to fill your bird feeders – it’s nesting time and they need all the help they can get!

Your Property – Invest in it!

(Summer 2010)

I recently gave a talk on “Getting the Most Out of Your Property” at the Better Homes & Gradens/Rand Realty offices in Nyack.  In putting together information that I thought would be useful to prospective home buyers or sellers, I realized this was information that was probably relevent for anyone who owns or maintains a property.

Planning is really essential to spending your landscaping time and money wisely.   The best way to get started is to assess your property  – take a walk around and do an inventory of what’s good and not-so-good.  Is it easy to view the main entrance, or is it hidden behind a wall of overgrown rhododendrons?  Does the patio face a scraggly lawn or something not so attractive in your neighbor’s property?  What is the most important thing about the outdoor space for your family:  access?  Playing space?   Eating and cooking area?  Entertaining space?  Quiet and privacy?

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The Zen of Rose Pruning

(February 2010)

I am not a rose expert.  Truthfully, I have never been a huge fan of roses.  However, I think I may actually owe my current passion for gardening to the three shrub roses that adorn my front yard.

The roses weren’t my idea.  They were suggested by someone who was helping us with the yard after we first moved to this house.  I was at that time a garden newbie and very overwhelmed with two toddlers and a new, old house, both of which took up most of my waking (and “sleeping”) hours.  For the first few years these three shrubs got pretty much no attention other than an occasional watering.  It wasn’t until both my children were in school for at least part of the day that I opened my eyes and realized I had growing things in my yard.

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Spring!

(March 2010)

Always such a welcome arrival, the first day of spring (regardless of whether it starts out with snow!) is eagerly awaited by gardeners and “black thumbs” alike.  It’s easy to get carried away with the impulse to start planting, or at least cruise the garden centers for new arrivals.

A more practical outlet for the gardening ‘itch’ is to get out and do some selective pruning.  There are several shrubs that require attention in late winter or early spring, among them are shrubs that bloom on new wood and cane growing shrubs.  By pruning before new growth appears you will improve the overall health of the shrub, stimulate growth and enhance its appearance for the coming growing season.

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