Hardscape finished

(Another view of our horrendous old stoop)

Well, our wonderful magic makers at Libardi Island Landscape really outdid themselves. They finished up on the masonry job here at our house and Don and I can honestly say that they exceeded our wildest dreams!

Here you can see a close up of the pavers we chose. Pete and Tony really recommended these imported pavers made by Rinox and we're so glad we listened to them. The color we chose is Milton Grey and the style is Trevia.

The biggest design problem we had encounted was tying in the different areas. For some reason, each spot was paved with a different type of material and none of them seemed to match with the other ones.

Today you constantly hear nightmare stories about contractors so it's such a wonderful feeling to know that you made one of the best choices ever. Pete (Piero) and Tony (Antonio) along with their crew never gave us one moment of worry. When we had a question, Pete would stop by in person and explain things and work them out with us. He kept us updated as to their schedule (the weather plays such an important role for them) and made sure that they would get this job done in plenty of time for us to get ready for our daughters graduation party.

This silly patio in front of our breezeway was such an eyesore. It was constructed with completely different materials than the walk-way just feet in front of it, different from the breezeway floor itself and different again from the patio just behind the breezeway. There was just no sense of cohesion here, instead we had a mish-mash of hardscape.

Just last week when Pete came by to check on a question we had with the sprinkler heads, he told us that he had a brain storm and urged us to consider connecting the various areas so that we really had one single hardscape. Such a simple thought but one we had never considered, what a Genius!

Here you can see Tony working on the intricate herringbone pattern which he recommended and we are madly in love with. Can you see our other floating platform in the back ground?

Finally, here's the finished walkway leading into the patio in front of the breezeway. This afternoon I took out most of that plant material and began landscaping my new beds. Stay tuned for one final installation showing the shrubs I've chosen to highlight our new stonework.

Melanie

Hardscape Time

(Ick, our front walk and stoop were an insurance agents nightmare. We no longer felt safe standing on that front stoop. Forget about any welcoming feeling.)

Hardscape is such an important part of any landscape package but easily the most expensive. When we bought our house (almost 11 years ago), we knew we'd need quite a bit of stone work down the road.

The front stoop was so small that you had to step back and down one step just to get the door open. That was pretty ridiculous considering our front lawn is almost 3/4's of an acre. The walkway from the driveway to the stoop was only set in sand and had been undermined by chipmunks more times that I can count.

A few years ago we began to look into estimates on having masonry work done here. The first time I asked for everything at once, the front walk and stoop, the driveway, the back patio and the pool patio. OUCH! That first estimate was the size of a down payment on a house.

(First view of the new stoop and floating platform)

Since then we've had one or two estimates a year, just for the work in front of the house. Not one of the people who came here excited us. Basically they offered a plan very similar to what was here. I'm the first to admit that I know nothing about this kind of design work but I knew that we needed some kind of inspiration. Along came Libardi Island Landscaping Corp. and suddenly we knew we were in the right hands.

(Preparing the foundation for the new walkway)

Pete and Tony Libardi were doing work on the house across the street from us and we did our usual "come give us an estimate" dance. Right from the start we knew things were different. They had done such a classy job on the house across the street. Pete came up with some ideas that I would have never conceived on my own. Not only would the stoop be larger but there would be a "floating platform" at the base of the stoop and then the walkway would be another level.

(Work on the walk way and patio in front of the breezeway begin today)

Today we are only half way through the job and Don and I are just ecstatic. These guys are awesome! Not only is their work amazing and their prices highly competitive, they continue to come up with new ideas.

Just in case you live on Long Island and are looking for a recommendation for some great masons, I took the above photo. We highly recommend Libardi Island Landscaping Corp. Although the job they did here was strictly masonry, they also did a totally awesome landscape package on the house across the street from us.

I've got to go back out and watch the magic they are creating,
Melanie

Dogs Versus Cats as the Ultimate garden pet

(Man's best friend)

If you are a gardener and are thinking of getting a pet, here's some timely advice.

Get a cat. Dog's are cute and might be mans best friend but when it comes to gardening, they will make your blood pressure POP!

Cat's slink around the plants in your garden.
Good cat.

Dog's thunder through the plants in your garden.
Bad dog.

Cats will hunt down any vole, mouse, chipmunk or bunny eating up your garden.
Good cat.

Dogs will chase any vole, mouse, chipmunk or bunny through your garden, decimate a 15 foot swath and come up empty handed with a big goofy grin on their face.

Bad dog.

(What makes you think I was sniffing down that chipmunk hole again?)

Cats will wait patiently at the opening of a chipmunk hole for hours until the wee creature emerges and then pounce.
Good cat.

Dogs will dig out that chipmunk hole so far that you will be looking at China (most likely a Chinese gardener with a dog will be peering back at you).
Bad dog.

Cats are nice and quiet so you can hear yourself think. When a visitor comes by you can actually have a conversation.
Good cat.

Dogs are loud, rude and disruptive. Even if you put them in the house, shut all the windows and doors, you will have to ask your visitor to walk 50 feet down the driveway before you can carry on any kind of conversation with them.
Bad dog.

(If you think I can't still hear you, you're wrong!)

When cats dig holes in your garden, it's to bury their business.
Good cat.

When dogs dig holes in your garden, it's just for fun, and never where you need a new hole.
Bad dog.

(Yes, I know the compost heap was on the other side of this wall, I just wanted to dig on this side.)

You can carry home the biggest bag of cat food and not hurt your back.
Good cat.

If you try to carry a bag of dog food without wearing a hernia belt you will find yourself making best friends with the chiropractor.
Bad dog.

Cats do not steal your every garden tool and barbeque utensil every time you turn your head.
Good cat.

Dogs will steal anything not nailed down and chew the living daylights out of it. They will stoop so far as to stick their head under the barbeque vinyl cover just to get a hold of that scrubby grill brush that smells like burnt meat.
Bad dog.

When a cat is inside the house it will not enter a room if the door is shut.
Good cat.

When you have lever door knobs, your dog will figure out how to open any door they desire.
Bad dog.

(Of course I didn't make that mess. You should be more careful with your trash.)

Cats give themselves baths.
Good cat.

(I don't know what you're talking about. I like that smell.)

Dogs never give themselves baths. They will run through every mud puddle in the garden, prance around in a rain storm, attack the sprinkler and then balk at standing in the bathtub unless you join them. Then when they are soaking wet and you turn your back they will make a run for it, open doors and lay down on your bed, on YOUR pillow, not your husbands pillow.

Bad dog.

(Hey! How are you supposed to get a drink around here?)

(What do you mean by "this couch is for people"?)

At the worst a cat will use a plant marker as a back scratcher.
Good cat.

At its best a dog will chew your plant marker only enough so that you can still make out the name (but you will have no hope for finding out where it came from).
Bad dog.

(No words necessary)

Every cat I've had has come when I've called its name.
Good cat.

When I call my one dog by her name she looks at me with that teen-age look. (I see your lips moving but all I hear is Blah, Blah, Blah.)
Bad dog.

(Table? What table? How was I supposed to know not to sleep on the table?)

Cats sleep all day while you are working and then do what ever they do at night while you are sleeping.
Good cat.

Dogs drive you crazy all day long and then try to sleep on your bed while you are laying exhausted in it at night.
Bad dog.

Thus goes one week with Calie the wonder-dog. After a harrowing week of chasing my labradoodle Calie around the yard as she devasted multiple plantings, decimated a family of bunnies and traumatized a colony of chipmunks I've decided to post the pro's and con's to having a dog or cat. Before we had Calie, we were always a cat family so I know well what that was like.

My yard is totally trampled!
ARRRRGGGHHHH.

Children in the Garden

Blithers, I love those succulents but they gave me writers block!



Time for a subject change. One thing that's been dear to me for years is ideas for children in the garden. My girls are older now, one is almost 18 and the other is 13. Still, I'm always looking for ways both conscious and subconscious to have them fall in love with the garden.

Last month my youngest daughter Emily and I walked the garden at twilight. We took along a small bud vase and a pair of clippers and I encouraged her to cut a small arrangement for her night table. Since then I've refreshed that arrangement and a matching one for Lauren's room.

While I simply adore flowers in the garden, I was never one to cut them to bring inside. So my search begins, I'm looking for flowers that have a long life after being cut.

Number one are Hosta leaves. They add class to any arrangement and if you remember to change the water every few days, you will get at least 3 weeks out of those leaves!

Here you can see the leaves that have already been in this vase for two weeks.



I've added a simple white Salvia bloom and cut a stalk of Lychnis (catch-fly).




Finally, I decided to also add a white Tradescantia and Amsonia



Here you can see the finished result on Emily's night table.



While I'll never win a flower show award with this one I still think it's a charming last sight before you turn out the light.

Happy cutting!
Melanie

Succulents don't suck - Part 1 Succulents in containers

Sorry folks, I've been working on this piece in my head for days now and every time I tried to think of a title "Succulents don't suck" just popped into my head. Here on Long Island the succulents I grow are Sedum and Sempervivum (Hens and chicks).

For many years I grew succulents without really giving them much thought. When it came to Sedum, 'Autumn Joy' was probably my first. It was nice but I can't say it really wowed me. Then I noticed other types and varieties of Sedum. Not all of them stood up like 'Autumn Joy', no, there were varieties that spilled, creeped, cascaded and more. Foliage came in all different colors, grays, blues, greens, deep reds, purples and many variegations.

As for the Hens and Chicks, my first variety was a green with a brown tip, given to me by an elderly German gardener at least 20 years ago.

After my first few years of trying to grow a massive perennial border along my gravel driveway, I noticed that the Sedum were the best at taking the heat and dry conditions right along the edge. That's what started me on the hunt for more succulents.


Last year my garden club went on a tour of Chanticleer Gardens. There I saw succulents used in ways I had never imagined, I had an epiphany, came came home and totally changed the way I grew my succulents. Not only were they tucked into my rock walls, along my driveway and in containers but I designed one area for them alone so they could shine.


Over the next week I'd like to visit the various plantings and plants and show you the magic I see in my succulents. To begin with, I'm going to show you how I chose to plant up the iron container that I featured in an earlier piece.


The first step was to find a medium to hold the soil in the container. I can't say I love the look of this coir (coconut fiber) but from past experience, I like the way it holds up over time.


Next I simply filled the container with a mix of potting soil and compost. A container like this dries out almost instantly and while the succulents can handle dry conditions, I don't think they'd like the hard, baked dry lump of just potting soil. When I add some compost to the mix, it seems to keep just enough moisture in so that it doesn't turn into a brick.


Now comes the fun part. What should I choose to put in this planter? Since I've been on the hunt for new succulents, I had many new babies to choose from. Plus, I also had oldies and favorites that I had potted up last year.


My first choice was this wonderfully textured Sedum reflexum 'Blue Spruce' that I picked up yesterday at Paul's Nursery in East Northport.


I simply took it out of it's container, removed some of the extra potting soil and stuck it in my new iron planter.


The next choice of plant material was easy. This Sempervivum 'Red Rum' was also at Paul's. I passed it three times but finally had to give in and buy it. It's by far the largest Sempervivum in my garden. Another tip to any of you who live in this area, the label on this pot says "Glover Perennials". I've been lucky enough to visit Jim Glover's nursery out on eastern Long Island and I find his plants to be some of the best available around here.


Again, I removed a good few inches of the potting soil and in this case I also removed one of the "chicks" growing with this plant. The offset was quite large already and I potted it up in a separate little pot. It didn't have to be removed but I thought the balance would be better with just the one huge Sempervivum.


Now you can see how the 'Blue Spruce' and 'Red Rum' look together. I love it already!


The final choice was the hardest and I held several different pots up to see what I liked. I was looking for something that would add another texture and also compliment the color scheme. My final choice was this pot of Sedum cauticolum that I made with cuttings last year. (Stay tuned, one of the next posts will show you how to propagate your Sedums.)


Once I had all three plants in the pot I added more soil and tamped it down well so there wouldn't be sudden cavities after a good watering. I also moved a few stems from the two Sedum so they already began to intertwine.

Last but not least you can see my container here, on my succulent filled step, just waiting to be worked in to the ultimate arrangement of beauty.


See you soon with lots more of my favorite succulents,

Melanie

Photo Parade - Blooming Today

Happy Memorial Day!

Today is a day for parades. My daughter Lauren is marching for the very last time with the Walt Whitman High School marching band. She graduates in a few weeks and marching band/color guard has been a major part of her life for the last 4 years. I am so proud of her!

In memory of all the service men and woman who have fought and those who gave their lives for our country I salute you.

This photo parade is dedicated to a man I never met, I don't know even know his first name. My father's father, my grandfather, either named Manfred or Helmut (stands to reason as my Dad was Manfred Helmut Dorausch and his brother was Helmut Manfred Dorausch). My Opa was killed while fighting on the Russian front during World War II as a German soldier. If he was like my Dad, he was a gentle soul and loved the outdoors so this parade is dedicated to him.

Blooming today, May 28, 2007 in South Huntington New York, zone 6b are the following treasures.

Salvia 'Eveline' brand new to the garden last week.

Oenothera 'Cold Crick' against Sedum 'Frosty Morn'

Geranium macrorrhizum 'Bevan's variety' which I totally missed when writing about hardy Geraniums! To be fair, I didn't photograph every geranium in bloom today but I couldn't resist a few of them. This magenta color seems to be impossible for my camera to capture.

Clouds of Nepeta mussini everywhere you turn.

Weigelia 'Wine & Roses' against a chartreuse Physocarpus (I'll get the name later)

Symphytum in pink, another beauty that didn't photo well

Geranium 'Katherine Adele'

A perennial Lychnis whose tag is missing :-( but is still lovely

Dicentra eximia with my blue bowling ball in the backdrop

Unknown cultivar of sky blue Iris germanica and Calie the wonderdog sniffing a flower

Rhododendron yakusimanum X 'Percy Wiseman'

The bank of Rhododendrons that were the only flowering thing here when we moved to this house almost 11 years ago. I also had to capture my hubby Don who is installing a new sprinkler head before our masons arrive to work all kinds of magic out front.

Blue Siberian Iris, not in bloom yet but I just love the buds!

Geranium 'Cambridge'

Geranium cantabrigiense 'Karmina' (which sure looks a lot like Cambridge to me)

Salvia something or other, the name is buried in the bloom

Geranium nudosum, brand new and already blooming! (Thanks Mary Kay)

Polygonatum - an unvariegated variety given as a treasured garden gift.

And that's all folks, stay tuned, I've working on a piece on Sedums based on their foliage, not their bloom. Also should be doing a piece on Hosta real soon.

Opa, you'd be so proud to see your great grand-daughter Lauren. She looks like an Italian but marches like a German!