Invasive Fall Color
October 26, 2009
Burning Bush Covers a woodland hillside in North Granby, CT.
Early spring is the time to get a glimpse of Barberries invasiveness, but now, in Autumn, is the time for Burning Bush. Sold for years as for it’s red foliage in the fall, Burning Bush (Euonymous alatus compactus) is used everywhere. It is planted next to bridges on the highway, used a a splash of color in the mixed border, and ironically widely used as a staple of the woodland garden because of its shade tolerance.
- Burning Bush shades out native plant species and reduces the biodiversity of the woodland.
Ironic, because it is here in the woodland, that Burning Bush poses the biggest problem. Thriving wthout the threat of major disease or pests, Burning Bush spreads fast and covers the forest floor, shading out the meager streams of light so needed by the native vegetation. It so thoroughly infests, that it effectively limits the diversity of flora, and in turn the fauna that make a healthy ecosystem.
Next time you think you need a plant with great red fall color, I hope you will turn your back on the Burning Bush for something equally as impressive, but not aggressive. Consider the elegant Enkianthus, or one of my personal favorites, and a great native, High Bush Blueberry. Ooh I can almost taste the blueberry cobler now……
Enjoy the Autumn color!
Scott
Garden Bloggers Bloom Day for October
October 15, 2009
Helianthus 'Gold Lace'
- Boltonia ‘Snowbank’
- Osmunda cinnamomea
- Ilex verticillata
- Fothergilla ‘Blue Shadow’
- Parthenocissus quinquefolia
- Acer rubrum
Bloom Day for September
September 17, 2009
September 15th was Garden Blogger’s Bloomday, a day I spent dealing with with truck problems which prevented me from posting in time. Now, it’s a couple of days late, but what the heck, I went to all this trouble so you might as well enjoy the show. Some of the pictures below are from our yard, some are from the meadow we are coaxing along, and some are from our nursery area, but regardless, whether they’re ours, mother nature’s, or are waiting for someone else’s yard to call home, they still brighten my day. I hope they brighten yours also!
Sedum cauticola has performed well for us on our deck in this old cedar planter.
Bloom Day for August!
August 15, 2009
Buddleia 'Black Knight'
- Hemerocallis ‘Chicago Apache’
- Lobelia cardinalis
- Echinacea – assorted
- Hydrangea ‘Endless Summer’
- Liatris ‘Floristan White’
More RAIN!
July 22, 2009
Another day of rain yesterday, and honestly, I am struggling to find the silver lining. Here are a few positives; the reservoirs are full, lawns are staying green and the irrigation systems are not being used as much (Yeah!), most of the wet weather has been spaced out enough to limit basement water (Double Yeah!). What I am most excited about though is the crop of mushrooms that have appeared in our yard. Have a look!
It’s Hard to outdo Mother Nature, when it comes to simple beauty, and I look forward to moments like these. Truly, it’s the little things that make life enjoyable.
See you in the mushroom garden,
Scott
When the cat’s away…..
July 6, 2009
Recent events have kept me from attending to all the details that keep each project moving along smoothly, and that has caused there to be a little downtime for the crew. When faced with idle time in the past, I could usually trust that my crew would keep themselves busy in some sort of constructive fashion. My current crew, consisting of 2 college aged males on the otherhand, upon finding themselves with some empty time, decided they would rather exercise their ceative muscles. When instructed to move an existing pile of brick, they instead decided to build a monument any mason was sure to be proud of. So, move it they did. All that was left was to sit back and soak up the accolades.
So my friends, I give you – “Pile of Brick”, by Justin and Mike.
Now in the past, I may have over reacted to this kind of “tom-foolery”, but I have matured over the years, and have learned to accept things for what they are. After all, they could have used their idle time in all manner of degenerate ways (that’s a story for another time!). No, this time I took into account that the customer was fairly amused, and that their actions didn’t leave me with any repairs or the need to replace anything (which is also a story for another time!), instead I focused on the positive, and….. promoted them.
I am pleased to introduce the new Vice President and Executive Assisant, of material storage and brick stacking for Blue Heron! (I’ll let them decide which is which).
Now if I could only find their time cards……..
See you in thegarden!
Scott
Encore! Well…. maybe just a do-over.
July 1, 2009
To those of you that tuned it to watch ”The Ultimate Backyard Makeover” on FOX 61 this past Saturday, I must first say thank you. Not only did you perservere through a long blog series, you went the extra yard. Now, if you found yourself saying “what the heck was that?”, you are not alone. Apparently there were some technical difficulties in the Fox 61 control room, and half of the show did not make it on air, so if you didn’t get it, it wasn’t you. Fox 61 will be re-airing the the show in all its glory again this Saturday (Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel) and this time you’ll get to see the whole thing.
So if you have it in you to give it one more try for cause, please tune in. Oh and just in case, better have a copy of your favorite movie to watch if things go awry again. I think I’ll rent moonstruck……
See you in the garden,
Scott
A deserving Family and 15 Minutes for Blue Heron
June 26, 2009
Epilogue
Promoting a small business can be a daunting task. Finding the right venue to get your message out, getting ad copy just right and staying within a budget, all can test the reserve of even the most creative soul. That’s why, when the Backyard Makeover project presented itself, I gladly jumped onboard. A role in a televised production, on a local station, professionally filmed and produced, would surely provide needed exposure and credibility for Blue Heron Landscape Design. Most of the other participants, already advertisers with Fox 61, undoubtedly also knew of the value of this exposure, and also were quick to sign on. With stars in our eyes, we arrived, prepared for our companies expected fortunes.
Fate, I have always maintained, has a sense of humor, it seems, that it also has a sense of purpose. Here was a group of companies determined to take advantage of a brilliant opportunity, unexpectedly finding a greater purpose; Present a very deserving family with a private place of respite that they would not otherwise be able to afford. Now, I don’t mean to make our homeowners out as destitute, for they are not. Simply good people, that life threw one too many curve balls. And by no means are we, the participants meant to appear as saints, most assuredly we are not. This rather simply, became a feel good story that would benefit both sides in ways that neither could have imagined, and that is good story to tell.
Thank you to WTIC FOX 61, for providing this opportunity, and thank you to each of the other participants for making my job easier. Special thanks to Ron and the crew at R-N-L Enterprises, for without them we never would have pulled this off. And, thank you to you, readers, for the opportunity to tell this story, I know time is precious, and this has been a long blog. I hope you have enjoyed it.
Now, I must go, it just started to rain again, and I think I left my tools outside……
Follow this link to more pictures of the project from start to finish. http://www.flickr.com/photos/blueheronlandscapes/sets/72157620605924926/
See you in the Garden,
Scott
The FOX 61 Ultimate Backyard Makeover is scheduled to run Saturday June 27th at 12:30 pm. Please tune in! And feel free to email me any comments, even those less flattering.
A deserving Family and 15 Minutes for Blue Heron PT. III
June 25, 2009
At this point in our story, I’m sure many of you are wondering about the film crew, and what it was like to have them around and filming every action taking place. And they did film every action. Cameras were rolling for each task as it happened, and the principal from each company was interviewed either by the producer or the reporter assigned to this story, and sometimes by both. Tim, the producer, Scott the Cameraman and Jeff, the reporter, were great. They worked very hard to keep each of at ease, and were very careful to stay out of everyone’s way. The real trick for us was to act normal on those occasions, discussing a certain aspect of the project, and realizing halfway through the discussion that a camera had snuck up on you and was getting candid footage.
This seamless interplay between the film crew and the contractors was especially important beginning Monday morning, the second week of the shoot. The jobsite would be teeming with activity, as we were scheduled to finish everything by Wednesday morning, and all needed to feel at ease.
During the first days of the project, we had identified a large dead Ash tree that hung precariously over the area where the new playscape would be located. Knowing this tree had to come down, was the easy part, the challenge was to find a professional to take it down within our timeframe. For this, I placed a call to Jeff at Precision Tree Experts. I have known Jeff for a long time, and knew he had the expertise, and the right equipment to handle the job. Jeff jumped at the chance to help us out, and now here he was on Monday morning with five trucks and his whole crew making short work of our hazard. During his initial visit to the site, Jeff had also identified a second tree, with major problems. This one, a Red Maple, prominently figured into our shade/patio garden. Losing this tree would change the entire feel of the patio area, but the hazard would out way the aesthetics, so down it came, causing a reworking of the plantings also.
While the tree work was happening, Gregorio and his crew were busy installing the patio, leaving the area for a short period of time while the Maple was being removed and the stump was ground. They arrived around seven a.m., and would have the patio, steps and sitting wall done by the end of the day. They were quite a sight, each crewmember performing his task, working in symphony with the others, methodically bringing their portion of the project to completion.
During the afternoon, the playscape was delivered and installed, and by the end of the day, we were ready for planting and mulching, and the return of the R-N-L crew.
Tuesday morning, found our site busy again. Winterberry gardens had arrived with the plant material and a crew ready to plant. The R-N-L crew had returned and fired up the Takeuchi, and my Blue Heron crew, Mike and Justin, were also there to help plant and mulch. By Tuesday afternoon, we had managed to finish everything except a narrow area next to the garage that would be left as access to the back yard for R-N-L to get through and hydroseed the lawn area. That and the few plants and small amount of mulch would be wrapped up on Wednesday morning, by the combined R-N-L/Blue Heron crews. We had met our goal, and the homeowner’s now had a beautiful new backyard.
Now for the cool extras; New England Patio donated a beautiful patio set with six chairs and an umbrella. An important component made necessary with the loss of our Maple Tree.
And for the ‘piece de resistance’, at least according to every guy that came through the site, was a Sterling Gas grill. Beautiful with its stainless steel finish, side burner and an infrared element for finishing the selected entrée on the electric rotisserie, (que the angelic music…). It stands as a beacon of barbeque, a guidepost to the gourmet …… Sorry, I got carried away.
For those of you old enough to remember those great TV dramas of the seventies, tomorrow’s entry will be the “Epilogue”. I always liked that segment “Epilogue”, and we’ll see if we can’t bring this series to its proper end (sarcastic applause… I know it been a long blog).
See you in the Garden,
Scott
The FOX 61 Ultimate Backyard Makeover is scheduled to run on June 27th at 12:30 pm. Please tune in!
A deserving Family and 15 Minutes for Blue Heron PT. II
June 24, 2009
Day two of our project began with a job meeting. This is a common occurrence, especially when so many contractors and vendors are participating. Four of those participants met on the homeowners back porch, and the discussion quickly centered on our first obstacle, and what would prove to be an ongoing theme for this project….Rain. Each contractor, stood with his umbrella, the whole group looking more like the crowd at the US Open, than a group of artisans set to reconstruct this backyard. Quickly, we dispensed with ‘interesting topics’, such as; “I wasn’t given enough notice for this project!” and “There’s no way this will get done by Friday!”, and refocused around the homeowner’s story and the opportunity we each had to help them out.
Each participant would bring his certain product or talent to the group; Ron from R-N-L Enterprises, would provide site work, bed prep, brush removal and lawn establishment. Darren from Birch Mountain Earthworks would supply us with mulch, topsoil and playscape mulch. Bryan from Winterberry Gardens would bring in the plant material and plant it. My job was to design the overall layout of the site, including, location of their new shed and new playscape, size and shape of the new patio and sitting wall, and the layout of all the planting beds. I also would be scheduling each of the participants time on the site, keeping each abreast of the schedule, and coordinating with the film crew as to their arrival, so each could be filmed in action and interviewed for the final production. After getting a little understanding and relief from the executives at FOX 61, we set our schedule and were off.
R-N-L got to work immediately, clearing brush scraping sod from the beds, and excavating areas for the shed, the new playscape and the patio. They are an efficient crew, and were able to make quick work of theirs tasks, with the help of their Takeuchi Compact Track Loader (See picture at right). Carefree Small Buildings delivered the new shed, and with the precision of a surgeon the driver placed it exactly in the spot R-N-L had created for it. When commenting on how good the driver was, he replied to me, “oughta be, I been drivin’ this truck for 46 years”.
Next in were John from Nicolock Pavers, and his installer Gregorio. Jamie selected her paver style and color, Gregorio and I discussed the patio layout, and we set Monday as the day for installation. Unfortunately, rain and schedule conflicts, would put the rest of the project off until the next week, but come that Monday morning, the place would come alive with activity.
In part III, tomorrow, we’ll do our best to stay out of everyone’s way, as the jobsite becomes a flurry of activity, including some emergency tree work, the patio installation, plantings and some very cool extras.
See you in the Garden,
Scott
The FOX 61 Ultimate Backyard Makeover is scheduled to run on June 27th at 12:30 pm. Please tune in!
