Here’s a sampling of the last part of the rather disjointed* landscape installation at Sierra Providence East, in the alternate landscape area that the owner approved, anyway! (* more on that later)
Now, back to making progress on final design for the other Providence facilities. That’s part of what I’m trying to work on the design of, in between everything else.
Photos from October to early November 2014:
The switch of these exact two cacti species is all-too-common.
A month or so before the last phase of this landscape installation, was when the architect and I found out about not only an owner-driven edible growing area, but also the east side being envisioned for hospital staff and community gatherings and events. Even movies.
Do you think that would have been more effectively designed when I was designing that space?
I do. But at least I was involved by the architect, the general and landscape contractor, and met the owner to discuss this. My first call on the trees was only to take out (3).
Onward!
“Whoa, what’s that green area, Desert Dweller?”
“Not to worry, compadre!”
Until a future post as to why, just be comforted that it’s not just to rest your eyes on, and that I’ve been designing lawnless new or conversion landscapes before most garden blogs spoke of such craziness. Especially those in far wetter areas…which is most :-)
Contractors on my jobs often still put in too much 1/4″ distribution or spaghetti tubing to each plant, but we’re getting closer to doing it per the plans, and to minimize future maintenance problems when raking.
If you recall the HOG, Miscanthus spp. is cherished in their arsenal of about 12 cool-mesic plants for my former desert town…not in my arsenal for 20 years. That’s when I learned so much about arid-region horticulture, there was no going back.
Thanks Judy, Mielke that is. And Schuler, Martino, even Ten Eyck. Speaking of before…
In fact, within a year, there was no way but to start my own business and/or move. Glad in many ways that I could do both in time.
That grass is in this LA’s arsenal of 142 42 plants…I keep forgetting about supplier-caused-limitations of plant availability for the high desert. That’s the reason for the 100 species cut. But I do try…
Each was planted in 2’s, to compensate for the 5 gallon sizes I specified not being available.
This part of town gets frosts 1-2 weeks before my area in the fall. And the nights cool down more in summer. Just 20 miles away, a different climate zone, not a microclimate.
Hint: a microclimate is something one can mostly walk in and out of; not usually so with a climate zone.
I designed the center of both lawn areas to have a depressed grade up to 12″, to hold and percolate stormwater, instead of running it into the paving. But that puddle is from an irrigation valve that stuck; it was swiftly repaired.
I hope this shows one way how I do more with less, and that it also has you wondering why there’s lawn in the desert.
Stay tuned!
