Confer~nce 1999 - Association of Professional Landscape Designers

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Summer Conference con 'I from front page The period of this restoration, mid 1950's, is a dramatic departure from most historic work being done in our nation and provides an interesting glimpse into tastes and styles of art and design during what is often considered a "back water" of American culture. Final presentation for the session: Artful Landscapes, provided a variety of views on aspects of choosing and placing art in the garden from practitioners involved in a wide range of projects. James Martin, an L.A. who represents award winning sculptor Frederick Hart, explored the multifaceted process of selection, sales and placement on monumental art works in large public and private landscapes. Artist Wendy Ross of the exhibiting Washington Artists Groups presented a slide catalogue various pieces appropriate to outdoor use. Ross also outlined the many elements of communication between the artist, site designer and client. Sculptor Lubomir Tomasszewski many of his powerfully ·€'
Better Landscaping oday GOOD SOIL WINS Better Landscaping Today News (Vol. 2, Issue 6, June 1999) "Good soil and bad plants beats bad soil and good plants any day of the week," according to a landscape architect friend of Adam Davis. Substandard plants will generally develop into healthy, mature plants when they are grown in good soils. On the other hand, good plants deteriorate, grow slowly, and turn off-color when planted in poor soil. No one needs to plant in poor soil since excellent soil can be prepared from bad soil and can give complete success. Poor soil preparation can result in nearly complete failure. Furthermore, it gives an impression of poor design work. While soil preparation accounts for erely 3 to 4 percent of many andscaping budgets, it substantially affects the whole job. It can make the difference between complete success and utter failure. The question is "Why short-cut the soil preparation?" when poor soil preparation can cause excessive maintenance expenses. The additional direct costs of replanting can be two to five times the soil preparation expense. Excellent soil preparation will help guarantee healthy, attractive landscaping-it is like insuring success and it is well worth any slight increase in expense. Almost all desert soils like those we deal with in the western states are poor quality. They are very low in the natural, humus organic polymers which impart tilth to the soil. Poor tilth allows excessive compaction to occur. Nearly everyone complains that their jobs have soils which are difficult to manage. Fill soils and subsoils from "'xcavations are even worse, and they 'nerally end up being the "topsoil" at many construction sites where plantings are done. APLD Soil characteristics can be checked easily. A handful of good soil will compress together like a good potting mix does, but it will not stick together in a tight ball such as with damp clay. This indicates good tilth. Poor plant appearance and discoloration, surface root growth, toppling of trees by strong winds, defoliation and root rot are evidence of using poor soils in landscaping. Additionally, slow growth of ground cover, shrubs and hydro seeded areas can create weed problems. Water-logging of soils also occurs in soil with poor tilth and/or poor drainage. One of the goals of a good soil preparation program is the creation of good soil tilth. A soil with good tilth has the clay and silt particles bound together in reasonably large aggregates whereby they cease being colloidal. Humus from soil organic matter can cement the soil particles together, but it is a slow process requiring large amounts of plant litter accumulation in Letter to the Editor There were many fine speakers at the summer conference including Jim Martin and James Van Sweden. Two designers with styles at opposite ends of the spectrum. Yet they both found the garden to be a wonderful place to view art. Mr. Van Sweden started his presentation with a slide of his back yard. He pointed out, that in the yard there is a sculpture by a well known artist. The sculpture isn't visible when the garden is in full bloom but slowly rises from the greenery as winter circles back into fashion. His point? Gardens are always in transition and adding art to the landscape is an effective way to keep them interesting. Jim Martin started by getting us to consider our client profiles. Many the soil that builds up the soil. This happened in the original prairie lands with a humid climate and tall grasses. Soil Drain or PAM (a water-soluble polyacrylamide) is a polymer which quickly forms long lasting soil aggregates as found in excellent soils. It can correct many of the problems of poor soil. This polyme~ flocculates (binds) the clay and silt particles together to form "water-stable" soil crumbs. Unlike compost, one application will keep soil friable for a long time. Trees can firmly root. Ground cover, shrubs, and turf will quickly become established and form a lush, luxurious landscape. Excellent tilth of soil will also stop waterlogging, water runoff, and soil erosion. The beauty of the landscape design can be accentuated soils have been prepared with Soil DrainlPAM; this way WInS. designers are working with second homes, or traveling with their clients when they transfer. These clients are often 15% of the customer base. They spend more money and want more color and perfection in their landscape. Those clients with an interest in art, can be encouraged to turn their yards into sculpture gardens. They will find it increases the use and pleasure of the property. When a client transfers or spends more time at a second home the art can be relocated. The investment in artwork increases in value over time and can move with the client. Both Mr. Martin and Mr. Van Sweden are hired because they offer their clients a unique look. Both have found art to be a rewarding addition to their repertoire. Sincerely, Joe Highfill, Washington Exhibitor
Page 1 and 2: Journal for the Association of Prof
Page 3 and 4: Environmental Notes con 'tfrom fron
Page 5: APLD Memorial Larry Weaner, APLD vq
Page 9 and 10: APLD TEXTURE IN THE CREATION OF GRO
Page 11: APLD ADVERTORIALS '""'esignImaging

Confer~nce 1999 - Association of Professional Landscape Designers

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?