Category Archives: Design trends

Design trends

Forest Bathing in the Santa Cruz Mountains

Most of us around here either live in a forest or near one. We are no strangers to nature as some city dwellers might be. We often spend time on a trail. You know the feeling you get when you are out walking slowly in the forest, stopping to admire a wildflower or mushroom that catches your eye? You know it’s good for the mind and body, but why? It turns out that there are more benefits to being out in nature than the calmness it brings.

In the past several decades there have been many scientific studies that demonstrate the mechanisms behind the healing effects of simply being in natural areas. Many of the benefits from the forest actually come from the air. Trees give off phytoncides, such as alpha-pinene and d-limonene, which are volatile organic compounds or aerosols. These compounds protect the trees and plants from insects and disease, but they also benefit us.

Forest bathing is what the Japanese call it. Shinrin-yoku is their term that means “taking in the forest atmosphere.” Forest therapy has roots in many cultures throughout history. John Muir wrote that “Wilderness is a necessity.” Scientists is Japan are measuring what’s actually happening to our cells and neurons.

Trees give off organic compounds that support our immune systems and help our system fight cancer. Other scientifically proven benefits of forest bathing include reducing blood pressure, accelerating recovery from surgery or illness, improving sleep and our mood and reducing stress. Also being around trees can help alleviate anxiety and depression.

Forest bathing lowers our heart rate and lowers levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Soaking in the forest air increases our NK or natural killer cells by about 50 percent. One study in Finland found that spending time in nature cut the odds of using blood pressure medications down by 36 percent. And that’s pretty good.

Other studies have found that something about being in the nature is good for our brains. One study published last year by BioMed Central, a peer reviewed journal sharing research, found that older Americans living in regions with lots of greenery had lower rates of dementia. Another study from the National Library of Medicine found that cognitive decline slowed over a 10-year period for people living in lush spaces.

All I know is that when I am out in the garden or strolling in the forest I feel good. I stop to watch the progress of a banana slug. I listen for new bird calls. And as a garden designer I strive to create a space for clients that brings that feeling to them whenever they are outside.

And part of of that good feeling we get from being outside has to do with the color green. Green is the color of spring, of growth, renewal and rebirth. It renews and restores depleted energy. It’s a positive color and increases our feelings of relaxation and calmness.

If you don’t have a forest of your own bring that forest feeling to your own garden. Stroll in a relaxed way without thinking about weeds or pruning or other items on your to-do list. It’s relaxing, calming, rejuvenating and restorative.

Design trends

Blooming Plants in a Tough Spring

Nature is amazing. No matter how heavy the rain or gusty the wind, flowering trees & shrubs haven’t missed putting on their much awaited spring show. The nectar these flowers provide for bees and other insects is indispensable for nesting birds and the human spirit. This world would be a dull place without them.

The cold and rainy weather didn’t stop an old fashioned shrub like forsythia from blooming. They figure prominently in many old gardens because they are tough plants, able to survive neglect and still look beautiful. The bare stems of forsythia are completely covered with deep golden-yellow flowers in late winter and early spring and become the focal point of the landscape when in full bloom. The showy stems of this easy care shrub are great for cutting. Forsythias are native to eastern Asia but a chance discovery in Germany by a grower who specialized in breeding for the cut flower industry led to the especially vivid variety ‘Kolgold’ in the 1800’s. Forsythia has long been used in Chinese medicine. The flower petals contain powerful bacteria-fighting properties which make it an important dressing.

Flowering quince is another old garden staple providing early color. They are easy to care for and nearly indestructible in almost any soil that is well drained and not overly fertile. Once established quince is a very drought tolerant plant and their spiny branches make them an excellent choice for hedges, screening or as a security barrier. There are red, pink, orange and white flowering varieties. The Toyo Nishiki cultivar even has pink, white and solid red flowers all on the same branch.

Who doesn’t appreciate camellias at this time of year? It seems they are always in bloom given that there are so many varieties with different blooming times. Camellia flowers, thick, tough and full of color, easily sail through rainy weather. Camellias bloom for a long time and with so many types you can have one blooming from October all the way through May. This showy evergreen shrub is quite drought tolerant once established. Yes, with some mulch and and a deep soak every so often they require much less irrigation than you’d think. There are even fragrant varieties, such as Pink Yuletide, a sport of the popular Red Yuletide.

Another tough plant that can take weather extremes is the Lily-of-the-Valley shrub (Pieris japonica). There are many varieties of this spring bloomer. Some have pure white flowers, other sport various shades of pink or dark rose.
I have the smaller variegated foliage model with dainty, drooping clusters of pure white flowers in early spring. Right now it is covered with flower buds so dense that you’d think it was already blooming. The new growth in the spring has a beautiful pink tint. This shrub will hold up to the wildest weather. Another plus for the Lily-of-the-Valley shrub is that is useful for fire-scaping in the landscape and it isn’t on the menu for deer either. I love this tough plant so much I now have a Valley Valentine plant with lovely deep rose flowers.

I was able to rescue a few potted hellebore from my burned out property. They didn’t look like much that year with all the foliage burned off but they came back nicely and are in full bloom now. One of my favorites is called Cinnamon Snow but all of the varieties of this buttercup relative accept wind, rain, cold and less than perfect soil while getting by with only moderate watering in the shady summer garden. Deer aren’t attracted to them either.

Don’t let the weathers spoil your spring fever. Spring may be a little slow in arriving this year but it’s coming.

Design trends

Is Spring Really Here?

Old fashion Bleeding Hearts are in full bloom.

Spring IS here at least according to the calendar. Weather Underground has predicted rain or the chance of rain for many of the remaining days this month.There are so many things I want to do out in the garden and the weather is getting in my way. Being outside playing in a rain jacket is not what I picture when I think spring but whatcha gonna do? I can hear the songbirds singing to each other. They are timing their activities by daylight hours, not Weather Underground.

On Saturday, March 20th the day and night were almost equal. That’s why it’s called the Spring Equinox. Some years it falls on March 19th. It would occur on the same day every year if the Earth took exactly 365 days to make a complete revolution around the Sun. But it it takes the Earth 365.25 days on average to go around the Sun once. Whatever the exact date and time it is officially the first day of spring.

This year, especially, think of gardening as therapy. Every moment you put in your garden is paid back with fresh vegetables or fragrant flowers. Think about it- stir up the soil, plant some seeds and you have flowers and vegetables in a few months. The satisfaction you get from cultivating living things is priceless.

Get started on this free therapy by tending to your garden this week:

Plant low water use plants in place of those that have been struggling. Use your precious time, space and sun to grow the plants you most want to look at, pick or eat. As a reminder, never work with soil that is very wet and keep off your lawn the, too, as this can compact the soil.

Cut back deciduous shrubs and vines except those that flower in the spring. Don’t prune rhododendrons, camellias, or azaleas until the last flowers have started to open and green growth has started. Prune frost damaged shrubs if you can tell how far down the die back goes otherwise wait until growth starts. For your shrubs, test bark for viability by scraping with a sharp knife.

If you are interested in being less of a slave to your lawn, consider reducing the size. If you’ve decided that you don’t need a traditional grass lawn anymore at all, replace it with a sustainable alternative.

Check drip systems for leaks or clogged emitters. Flush sediment from filters and check screens for algae. You may need to add emitters if plants have grown significantly.

Spread fresh compost around all your plants. Good soil is the secret to successful gardening. The first principle of organic gardening is to feed the soil and it will feed the plant. Remember that all gardens used to be organic. Layer compost or wood chip mulch on top of the soil and let it slowly decompose and filter down into the earth.

Check for early aphids and blast them off with a hose or use no-toxic sprays like horticultural oil or insecticidal soap. Check for snails and slug damage and apply organic iron phosphate bait. Earwigs and sowbugs can be controlled by organic spinosad. Reduce their numbers by eliminating hiding places. Clean out leaf litter and garden debris where they hide. Copper pennies in your containers can also deter them. Note – the pennies must be dated prior to 1983 when the copper content was reduced. Modern pennies have a high contest of zinc which can cause problems in your garden.

Get weeds out of the garden early and you’ll save yourself a lot of digging later. Weeds rob your plants of precious moisture and nutrients.

Fertilize if you haven’t already done so. Citrus, shrubs and fruit trees just emerging from dormancy are begging for their first meal of the season. Perennials benefit from both a fresh layer of compost and a light application of balanced fertilizer. They respond to phosphorus especially in the spring for root growth, stem sturdiness and flower development. Wait until azaleas, camellias and rhododendron have finished blooming before feeding them.

Plant cool season vegetable like peas, chard, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, lettuce, onions and other greens. You can also sow seeds of beets and carrots. The soil is still too cold for tomatoes and other warm season vegetables.

Plant a spring flowering tree such as a flowering cherry, dogwood, crabapple, plum or a native western redbud to welcome the new season and make your spirits soar.

The most important to-do for March is to take time out and enjoy your garden and our beautiful surroundings. Those last few weeds will be there tomorrow but you’ll never get another today.