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Tag: Passion Flower

  • Landscape Architecture Design for a Desert Climate: A Zen Garden in Santa Monica

    Landscape Architecture Design for a Desert Climate: A Zen Garden in Santa Monica

    What happens when a Japanese-style garden meets the southern California desert? For the very Zen results, let’s visit a serene gravel courtyard that landscape architecture firm Terremoto designed for Mohawk General Store in Santa Monica.

    Photography by Caitlin Atkinson, courtesy of Terremoto.

    Passionflower vines soften the redbrick facade of Mohawk General Store. “The vines were existing when we started the project and we decided to keep them because they were happy there,” says landscape architect David Godshall.
    Above: Passionflower vines soften the redbrick facade of Mohawk General Store. “The vines were existing when we started the project and we decided to keep them because they were happy there,” says landscape architect David Godshall.

    “This was an attempt to create a garden that was both Japanese and desert simultaneously,” landscape architect David Godshall says, adding that client Kevin Carney wanted a space to have movie screenings and to create a backdrop for fashion shoots.

    The garden, formerly occupied by gardening shop Potted, had existing hardscape (some concrete slabs) and a few specimen plants—including two large palms—that the team salvaged from the previous design. “For the rest of it, we started from scratch.”

    During the remodel, Terremoto removed “chunky, two-inch gravel and a fair amount of existing concrete” and replaced the surface with decomposed concrete with “a heavy dusting” of gravel on top to stabilize the DG, Godshall says: “With this approach you lose the negative aspects of getting DG on the bottom of your shoes and also the feeling that gravel is a trudge to walk through.”
    Above: During the remodel, Terremoto removed “chunky, two-inch gravel and a fair amount of existing concrete” and replaced the surface with decomposed concrete with “a heavy dusting” of gravel on top to stabilize the DG, Godshall says: “With this approach you lose the negative aspects of getting DG on the bottom of your shoes and also the feeling that gravel is a trudge to walk through.”

    “We made the design process conversational,” Godshall says. “We went cactus shopping with the clients. Then we went boulder shopping. After we got all the elements on site, an incredibly hardworking crew shadow boxed them into place. Then there was a lot of looking at how things looked, walking around, and shifting it around.”

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  • 10 Things Nobody Tells You About Vines – Gardenista

    10 Things Nobody Tells You About Vines – Gardenista

    Here’s a question for you: Is a garden complete without a vine? Some may passionately argue that it isn’t, as this type of plant adds another dimension and potential burst of color or fragrance to a garden that other plants can’t provide. I, myself, am a mild vine enthusiast. Maybe it’s because vines, in general, can be tricky to maintain and, if not done properly, become a brambly, ugly mess. A well trimmed vine, though? That, I can get behind.

    Here are ten facts about vines—their nature, habits, and abilities—that might skew your attitude toward (or against) them.

    N.B.: Featured photograph, above, of Alice Waters’s garden by Leslie Williamson, from Californians at Home: Intimate Portraits by Leslie Williamson.

    1. Not all vines are vines.

    Rosa mulliganii, in the white garden at Sissinghurst Castle, is not a vine. Just one rose covers this structure. Photograph by Jonathan Buckley, from Ramblers: The Most Romantic Rose.
    Above: Rosa mulliganii, in the white garden at Sissinghurst Castle, is not a vine. Just one rose covers this structure. Photograph by Jonathan Buckley, from Ramblers: The Most Romantic Rose.

    Did you know that in some parts of the world the term “vine” refers solely to grape vines and the term “climber” is used for plants that climb. To make matters even more confusing, there are plants that behave like vines but aren’t technically a vine. These are called scramblers like some shrub roses that can be trained to climb. So, what exactly defines a vine? It’s a plant whose woody stem needs support to climb and it uses tendrils or it twines up a structure. A vine can also sprawl along the ground.

    2. Some won’t return year after year.

    Morning glory will re-seed liberally. If you want to keep it in check, deadhead the flower once it’s done blooming. Photograph by Matthew Williams for Gardenista, from Gardening 101: Morning Glory.
    Above: Morning glory will re-seed liberally. If you want to keep it in check, deadhead the flower once it’s done blooming. Photograph by Matthew Williams for Gardenista, from Gardening 101: Morning Glory.

    Some vines are evergreen (like jasmine), some are deciduous and lose their leaves (like Boston ivy), and some (like clematis) have both evergreen and deciduous types. Some vines should be treated as annuals (like sweet peas), and some vines are invasive in certain areas and are difficult to eradicate (like blue morning glory vine, Japanese honeysuckle, and English ivy). Pro tip: Before choosing any vine, check with your local extension service to make sure it isn’t invasive in your area.

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