Designing Eden - Connecticut Landscape Designer

Using Annuals in the Landscape

Richard Schipul — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 02:34:21 +0000

At Designing Eden llc, the landscapes we design and install tend to have a lot of seasonal interest. We accomplish this by using a mixture of various flowering trees, shrubs, perennials and groundcovers. For most of our clients, that approach is more than sufficient in terms of providing enough seasonal color in their landscape or garden. Some of our clients though, want to get as much seasonal color as possible. For those clients, we suggest leaving a lot of space open for annuals. Annuals provide non stop color throughout the growing season. Also, annuals will give a garden a certain ‘wow’ factor that just isn’t possible with shrubs or perennials, especially when a client is committed to rotating the annuals 3 times a year. The coolest part about this approach, in my eyes, is this strategy gives the garden a different look and feel from year to year and even season to season. Below are multiple pictures of the same Ridgefield, CT garden over a two year period. As you’ll see, this garden looks quite different from not only year to year but from season to season.Early spring pansies in front of the fence

Later that same season, the fence is covered with taller annuals given the space a different look.

When My Hollies Get Too Big: Connecticut Landscape Experiment

Richard Schipul — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 23:07:59 +0000

All too often, landscapers and homeowners rely on hedge trimmers to maintain plant size and height. The problem with this approach is a very dense, unnatural looking shrub where all the foliage is only at the outer most edges of the plant. A plant that is so dense is a perfect environment for diseases and insects to set up camp. Also, trimming a plant with hedge trimmers makes controlling height even more difficult because all those new little branches love to push a lot of growth. At Designing Eden, we are able to keep our clients landscapes looking natural and at a desired height for years. That could be one of the biggest misconceptions about how we maintain landscapes. When we are on new clients properties after they have gone a long stretch without any garden maintenance, clients are always delighted to know that it is possible to tame their shrubs back to a more desirable size. It’s the same story with clients who have had another landscape company maintaining their landscape with hedge trimmers for years. It is possible, it just might take a little longer to get to the desired result because we have to reverse the damage done by the years of hedge trimming. Finally, new landscape design and installation clients are pleasantly surprised when I tell them they might not have to rip out all of their overgrown foundation plants. As long as they don’t need a finished landscape when we leave their property, it is possible. Here is an experiment we did on a property in Middlebury, CT. We were on this property to improve their current landscape. Instead of replacing the existing Hollies with Boxwoods, which was the original plan, we decided to save some money and cut the hollies back hard, below the windows, and see how long they would take to fill back in. The thought was if it took too long for the Hollies to come back, we would go through with our original plan and remove them. The money savings would be significant so we all decided to give it a try. Here is the before picture. As you can see, the hollies were a foot above the windows and the clients where hoping to reduce their size by quite a bit. Here are the hollies right after cutting them back hard.Surprisingly, the Hollies are filling in nicely and quicker than anticipated. Here they are 2 months later.
Here are the Hollies after 5 months. Was the experiment successful? I think so. At the end of the day, I was surprised how quickly they responded. I originally told the client they would look acceptable by the second growing season. As you can see, the hollies are now at the desired height and looking acceptable just a couple of months later.

After 32 years of maintaining landscapes, I still don’t know all the answers. I experiment with plants and landscapes all the time. This one worked out for the best.

Moving a Tree in Kent, CT

Richard Schipul — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 00:44:26 +0000

Today we moved a tree for a client in Kent, CT. This tree was the biggest I’ve moved so far with the new tractor/loader/backhoe. Even with 4000 lbs. of lift, we were right at the upper limit with the machine for this 5″ caliper Japanese Maple with a 57″ root ball. There is finally a smile on my face because up until five minutes ago, I didn’t know if the tractor would lift the weight. I’ve moved plenty of trees over the years. With larger sized trees there is always a certain amount of anxiety just after the tree is dug and ready for moving. Just in case there are any doubters, yes we did get the tree out of the ground and on the edge of it’s new location.

Landscaping in Connecticut is Never Easy.

Richard Schipul — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 13:59:24 +0000

I’ve been landscaping in Connecticut for over 25 years. Even after all these years, I still get nervous whenever I have to dig a trench or I have to get a large tree ball into a landscape. Why? Because I’ve dug up way too many surprises over the years. My own property never ceases to amaze me. I’m positive that if granite was worth as much as some precious metals, small little Connecticut would without a doubt be the richest locale in the world. It seems that every time I have to dig a hole on my own property, it’s inevitable that I hit a piece of granite the size of a small car. My last trench was no exception. After a really dry summer and the loss of some expensive Viburnums in our nursery, I decided that it was time to invest in drip irrigation. The task included running the main irrigation line just under the soil. Of course, thirty feet into the project, we come across an obstruction. We tried to go around it but it was a no go, it was just too large. No problem, we’ll dig it out with the backhoe. Well it ended up being a big problem! So much so, that my new backhoe could barely pop this huge stone out of the hole. With a 4000 lift capacity on the tractor, I can’t even budge this behemoth. What started as a simple task of burying some pipe, turned into a big ordeal. Before my degree in Landscape Architecture, I received a two year degree in Horticulture from a school in Long Island. I remember learning the process of balling and burlapping trees. It was so easy back then. The soil profile consisted of a couple of inches of topsoil and a lot of sandy loam. I don’t ever remember seeing a rock in two years. Looking back at the experience, I think if I had gone to school in Connecticut, I’d probably be sitting behind a desk in some office park somewhere.

Pruning Viburnum’s Naturally. Heading Back vs. Trimming.

Richard Schipul — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 01:51:00 +0000

Nothing drives me more crazy than when I see landscape companies trimming trees and shrubs with hedge trimmers. Yes, Boxwoods have been trimmed for hundreds of years with hedge trimmers. Although it isn’t the most healthy practice for the plant, it is accepted. As I drive around Fairfield and Litchfield County, I see landscapers trimming all kinds of plants, beyond Boxwoods, into all kinds of unnatural shapes. It is becoming common practice for many landscape companies to trim Cherries, Dogwoods, Viburnums, Andromedas, Rhododendrons and all the other trees and shrubs, found in Connecticut landscapes, with hedge trimmers. Worse, these landscapers typically come once a year to prune every plant on a property all at the same time. Whether they come in spring or summer, there is a higher than likely chance that flower buds are being pruned off in great numbers. Since when is a dogwood suppose to look like a lollipop?

The tree above reminds me of the trees that used to come with Lego sets. Landscapes are supposed to soften structures. Not only does this tree not do that, it will become a maintenance hog. By continually pruning only the outermost branches of a tree or shrub, it quickly creates a very dense canopy. Inside that dense canopy becomes a very humid space with little air exchange. Guess what likes hot and humid growing conditions? Insects and diseases love to set up homes in just such a place. Besides having an increase of insect and disease problems, pruning this way will actually push more growth so the plant will need more frequent trimming. Instead of whipping out the hedge trimmer as my fellow landscapers are doing, try something called heading back. With heading back, you can reduce the size of a plant while keeping a natural shape. A natural shape that won’t increase insect and disease problems. Even though this picture is over exposed, I love what it shows. This week, we had a bunch of Viburnums that needed to be lowered by 3-4 feet. As you can see, it was no problem to reduce their height and not sacrifice the look or feel of the plant by going into the interior of the plant rather than the outside of the plant to prune.

Will heading back take longer than trimming with a hedge trimmer, probably. Will your landscape be rewarded with spending the extra time, absolutely. Why? Because it will be healthier. Also, if you planted a Viburnum, don’t you want it to look like a Viburnum? As this plant grows, it will continue to look natural rather than looking like a bad haircut. Plus, I’d much rather pick up a bunch of branches than getting out a rake to try to pick up a bunch of clippings.

Litchfield County Landscape Design

Richard Schipul — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 12:52:22 +0000

As a landscape design and installation company, our work is always varied. One of our current projects involves working in tandem with an architecture firm to provide solutions for a client with a rather large ‘want’ list. Here are two designs for their landscape. You can see in the designs that the back yard gives the clients two different options for a pool/sports field location.

A CONNECTICUT LANDSCAPE DESIGNER’S GARDEN

Richard Schipul — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 00:10:05 +0000

People I meet all the time always say to me “you must have the most beautiful gardens at your house”. Well, I’m sure you’ve heard “the shoe-maker’s wife often goes in ragged shoes”. I can relate! The fact is we are a work in progress and most likely will always be a work in progress. So how does a landscape designer approach his own property? I do have a partial landscape design complete but it isn’t your typical plan. It is very conceptual, designing space rather than what plant goes where. At one time we had a quaint little mixed perennial garden around our carriage house. We have since built a more ‘normal’ house towards the back of our property. Since moving out back, the carriage house garden is definitely not the well manicured landscape it once was. The new house is where we focus most of our attention now. In the new house, we lived for three years without a front walkway and another three years without a single plant. After 7 years, I’d love to say our property magazine worthy, but it isn’t. I am definitely feeling good at what little we have landscaped but there is still plenty to do. A major retaining wall project, a bluestone patio with seating wall, a fence, another retaining wall with steps, rebuilding an old farm wall and plants, lots and lots of plants. Oh, that’s not the complete list, but it would put us well on the way towards completion. As for the garden, I look at the landscape surrounding our house more as a trial garden than anything else. Garden stalwarts mixed in with tropicals, annuals, uncommon perennials I am always testing as well as a bunch of perennials we haven’t had much luck with at our clients properties in the past. If they don’t perform here, they will be removed from my list forever. Some day, I hope our landscape comes to fruition but in the mean time, a little progress every year is always welcome. Once the Hollies get a little larger, our front yard will really look like something.

13 Common Landscape Design Mistakes: 8. A Lack of Bloom Sequencing.

Richard Schipul — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 01:42:14 +0000

This post came to me today while looking at my own garden. The last thing you want to do when designing a landscape is not provide enough interest throughout the garden season. I’ve seen way too many gardens over my 25 year career as a landscape designer that ultimately disappoint homeowners because of a lack of seasonal appeal. There is no reason to not have a four season garden in Connecticut besides a lack of proper planning. With a nine month growing season, there is plenty of opportunity for a four season garden. Sure, you have to be creative during our long winters but it can be done with evergreens, winter flowering plants and bulbs, exfoliating bark and interesting textures to name a few. Look at what you have and when you lack flowers and then go out there and fill in the gaps. This is what landscape design is all about, proper planning! Here is a close up picture with one perennial past its prime after flowering for 6 weeks, one in full flower while a third is just coming into its prime.

Moving Towards Computer Landscape Design

Richard Schipul — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 01:47:38 +0000

If you are a regular follower of this blog, you’re aware of my quest towards designing all of our landscapes with computer aided design. Triumph, tribulation, excitement, frustration, and stress are just some of the emotions I’ve felt in recent weeks and months as I continue the process of moving my landscape design and installation business to the digital age. This past weekend, I was finally able to color a landscape design that we are currently installing. It took multiple attempts to get everything just right in the design before I was successful at a fully colored landscape design in the color software. The first couple attempts were at least partially successful. Plants were colored the first couple of times. The hardscape was colored the next couple of times yet it took me awhile to pull it all together. Overall, I am really happy with the look and feel of the color rendering. If you think about it, having a software program color a landscape design with a click of a button is pretty amazing. Here is my first successful attempt at a color rendered landscape design.

Critter Resistant Gas Plant Won’t Dissapoint As Long As You Have Patience

Richard Schipul — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 12:05:53 +0000

I’m a horticulture nut. I’ve been to public gardens, private gardens and nurseries all over the world from the United States to Canada some Caribbean Islands, Europe, even Australia. While traveling to nurseries and gardens around the globe, I’m always looking for low maintenance, interesting plants that are critter resistant. One plant I wasn’t acquainted with, that I saw quite a few years back, was Dictamus purpurea. Once i got home, I located some puny little liners and put them in the ground. The reason Dictamus purpurea or Gas Plants as they are commonly referred to, remain so underused is because they are extremely slow growing. Because it is so slow growing, it is a hard plant to make money on so most growers pass it by. In my opinion, that’s not a reason not to locate this plant and get it in your garden as soon as possible. Notorious for its difficultly to move once established, I decided to study the effects of growing Gas Plants in Root Control bags at our New Milford nursery. I was hoping to get the benefits of field growing with little root disturbance when it was time to move to a future home in someone else’s landscape, something Gas Plants dislike. After putting some liners in the ground in 2008 it became a waiting game. While most perennials can go from liner to a saleable one gallon container plant in 4-6 weeks, my Gas Plants slowly reached their full potential in a couple of years. In fact, it took 3 years just to flower which is unheard of for a perennial. Once mature, this plant has been great. Nothing eats it and it flowers in our nursery for what seems like a month or more. Its size is similar to a peony, a good plant for middle to back of the border in a landscape. Give it a try! If you like this post, comment or visit www.designingeden.com to see some of our work.