Save Our Woods - A UK Initiative

The UK government is planning a massive sell off of their publicly owned, ancient forests. Around two-thirds of the UK woodlands are privately owned already. The remaining 33% is publicly owned, managed by the Forestry Commission (FC) and other public agencies.

National treasures like the The Forest of Dean, Sherwood Forest and The New Forest could be sold off. Once they are gone, they will be lost forever.

from save our woods credit: Pablo - Woodlife

The UK public is widely against this and they have started a group called 'Save Our Woods' and a petition drive to force the government to rethink its plans. If they can prove how strongly the public is against this, then maybe the gov't will back down.

Since some of my readers are from the UK I thought I should publicize this...so go to this site ( click on 'save our woods') and check it out:

Save Our Woods

from Save Our Woods

This is what they write in their site:

We believe our trees, woods and forests are too important to be sold to the highest bidder.

We believe our woodlands and forests play an essential part in the biodiversity of our country.

We believe our forests are our natural heritage and it is in the public’s greatest interest for them to remain under public ownership.

and I believe forests make us happy -

this great photo was taken by Jason Smalley of a blogger called widely creative

If you feel the same way and are from the UK – sign the 38 Degrees petition below and find out how to contact your MP.

Sign The Petition - Click Here

from save our woods

AGardener's Little Obsession...

Gardening is a kind of disease.

It infects you, you cannot escape it.

When you go visiting, your eyes rove about the garden; you

interrupt the serious cocktail drinking because of an irresistible

impulse to get up and pull a weed.

 ~ Lewis Gannit

My New Fave Native - Pink Muhly Grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris)

from High Country Gardens

Since Honeysuckle is the color of the Year I decided to share a pink blooming native grass with you.

Pink Muhly Grass!...it is a native 'fave rave' of mine (or, as I call it, a 'fave rave nave'.)

Muhlenbergia capillaris ' Lenca', known as 'Regal Mist' Pink Muhly Grass, is an extraordinary ornamental grass plant for many reasons: 

from Monrovia

• Its flower heads appear in the fall as a frothy haze of deep pink.
• It is low maintenance and virtually pest free.
• It is deer resistant.
• Its deep roots makes it a tough, drought tolerant plant suitable for erosion control on slopes and useful in xeriscapes (Although regular irrigation and fertilization will encourage the best bloom).
• It grows quickly to three feet with narrow glossy green leaf blades.

from Wayside Gardens

It is not hardy in my area as its native range extends from the south Atlantic Coast down into Texas and Mexico (zones 7 -10). Some people in zone 6 can grow it but it is iffy, depending on the microclimate. I will grow it as an annual.

 'Regal Mist' is a spectacular haze of dusky pink when it blooms and looks amazing when placed against a dark backdrop of evergreen shrubs or a wall. 

Plant it in a group to to create a magnificent sweep on a hillside and enjoy the full effect of this grass swaying in the autumn wind.

Plant it by a pond, pool or other body of water.  

Pair Pink Muhly grass with other native plants like fall flowering asters.  In winter, the dried stems creates a soft silhouette in moonlight. A thoroughly enticing, tough but beautiful plant!

 This is from Touch o Green Landscapes 

 Here is a great book on Grasses:

 

 

 

 

Cosmic Circles in the Landscape 2010 - a Video

Matt asked me about examples of circles in the landscape...and I figured this is the best example of circles in the landscape there is.

made with Plywood Planks and tape measures? in the hours between 2 am and 4 am?
 I will let you decide. They appear overnight.

Honeysuckle - The Pantone 2011 Color of the Year - Goldflame, anyone?

Honeysuckle is the official Pantone color of the year. You will see this color everywhere for the next 12 months... in ads, fashion, housewares, etc.

So how does Pantone choose the 'Color of the Year'?

Do they drink several glasses of wine and look swooningly at lush Pantone color swatches and say, 'That's it -  that's the color!"....?

Or maybe they say, "We have all this pink colored inventory that we can't sell because no one wants that color...why don't we make it 'The Color of the Year'?"

But I think I know the real answer - some discerning landscape designer planted a Goldflame Honeysuckle (Lonicera heckrotti 'Goldflame') on a trellis for someone in Corporate....and the 'dye was cast'. :)

They saw the magnificent 'Goldflame' Honeysuckle and wanted to share it with the world. It is a fantastic vining plant that  I use often on trellises.

image courtesy of Monrovia

Of course there are other plants that sport this color (or close to it). Here are a few I have found:

Magnolia Purple Breeze - courtesy of Emotive Landscapes

Flower Carpet Rose - Pink Supreme

Canna Panache - from Spice Lines website

photo by stephanie allison

Be ready for a run on 'Goldflame' Honeysuckle this year.....

Sustainable Backyards - Things You Can Do

oakleaf hydrangeas, hosta by a drystream

 

The first rule of sustainability is to align with natural forces, or at least not try to defy them. ~ Paul Hawken

 

Last night I attended a talk by Cornelia Hahn Oberlander. She is the grande dame of ecological landscape design.  She told us how, in designing for a school up near the Arctic Circle, they collected seeds from the native plants and propagated them and then planted these babies after the construction was completed.  Now that is sustainable!

Dicranella heteromalia

Sustainable landscapes promote a healthy environment and biosphere:

• frogs don't die
• plants thrive
• rainwater seeps back into the earth
• lawns are kept to a minimum
• No pesticides - integrated pest management (IPM) is favored
• Bees and butterflies have the native host plants around to keep them well fed and breeding

So how to create beautiful outdoor settings that meet these criteria?

photo by Jan Johnsen all rights reserved

Here are my suggestions for a sustainable backyard approach you can use:

1- LOOK TO THE PAST.  Consider the historic ways people did things in your region, this is the best guide for anyone.

2- LOOK TO THE PRESENT.  Keep in mind the energy and water systems that exist where live, the habitats that surround you and know the materials and construction methods that do not adversely impact the environment.

3 - LOOK AT EXAMPLES. Review examples of sustainability in gardens and landscape design that are being used around the world - on a large scale and a small scale.

4 - USE SPECIFIC TECHNIQUES.  Learn the specific things you can do to strengthen the ecosystem in your garden and your neighborhood..

stone path  grace design associates

We need to be aware of our power to affect the interlocking processes of the natural world and consider everything we do from that perspective. The choices you make in your property, even on a small scale, influence the larger natural world around your space : the air and water quality, the water retention, the plants that attract birds and pollinators, the volume of leaves and grass and more.

 

by Johnsen Landscapes & Pools

 

 

Choose materials that foster a environmentally friendly garden - no rubber mulch under the playset and no tropical hardwoods ( unless from approved sources).

 

I give a 2 hour class that offers ideas for creating sustainable outdoor spaces.  I show how native plants can be used to enhance damp, shady sites, how combinations of flowering plants can create an exuberant display and I explain how to deal with steep slopes that create excessive runoff problems.  

I offer inspiration and practical ideas you can use.

For example, the Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) that I wrote about recently - see this post (click here) - this lovely plant has deep roots that hold loose soil together. It looks great with butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa).  Beauty and Function.

The native Blue Flag Iris thrives in wet sites. They can be planted 'en masse' for a spectacular effect. 

Molding the earth can help stop erosion. Vegetated buffers look great, provide habitats and absorb runoff. There are so many great ways to use sustainable design ideas.

Landscape by Johnsen Landscapes & Pools

 

 

Breath in that Forest Air! The healing practice of 'FOREST BATHING'

Every morning, early, I walk for an hour in a forest near my house.

Right now, my 2 walking partners and I leave our homes when it is dark and cold and we return when it is light. 

We walk on paved streets to reach this forest trail, take rapid strides, breath in the cold air and marvel at the sunrise through the trees. Truly wonderful.

Now I find out that our little morning reverie has a name: ' forest bathing' or, in the original Japanese, 'Shinrin-yoku.  This relatively new therapy, the Japanese tell us, literally instills peace, calms us and promotes immunity to disease! Like a walking healing meditation, "forest bathing" coordinates breath and movement in the presence of the scent of forest trees to uplift us.

Ever since a Japanese government agency coined the term, 'forest bathing'  in 1982, 'shinrin-yoku' has slowly made its way into the vernacular in Japan  It has a great many Japanese fans who now can visit forty two 'forest therapy' parks for stress relief. Their goal is to set up 100 within the next decade.

The phrase 'shinrin-yoku' really means “taking in the forest atmosphere" and recently, Japanese scientists quantified the effects of this atmosphere through several studies.

They credit 'phytoncides', the airborne chemicals (odor) emitted by plants that protect them from disease and insects, as the elements that provide a positive, protective chemical reaction within us humans.

One Japanese study followed 280 healthy residents. Some were instructed to walk through a forest or wooded area for a few hours while others were asked to walk through an urban setting.

On the second day, they traded places. Those who spent time in the woods experienced lower levels of cortisol (which induces stress), a lower pulse rate and lower blood pressure while raising levels of white blood cells.

Also in 2007, Japanese men who took two-hour walks in a forest over two days had a 50-percent increase in the levels of natural killer (NK) cells, white blood cells that kill tumors and viruses.

And another study found an increase in white blood cells that lasted a week in women exposed to phytoncides in forest air.

What this tells us is that inhaling scent from the trees, or more specifically,  the volatile oils from trees, makes us healthier. And since we have spent most of our evolutionary history in natural environments - walking in the woods is like a physiological homecoming.

How this works is simple:  These aromatic chemicals go straight up our nose to the limbic portion of our brain which releases health inducing hormones and more to reduce our stress and boost our immune system instanteously!  

(There is a reason the Magi brought frankincense and myrrh....)

Of course breathing in and out also plays a part. Breathing meditation calms the mind and develops inner peace. When you do this in a forest, park or botanical garden and inhale those healthy tree scents you double the benefit.

And if you envision yourself connected to the earth and to others in the same way that a forest is connected by its web of roots then the beneficial health effect is magnified.

In summary, a healthy mind and a healthy body are both rejuvenated in healthy forests.

Maybe that is why I wrote a book on trees:

My Blogoversary - The Moon Gate at Naumkeag, Stockbridge, Ma.

My first blogoversary (that has to be the 'new word of the year') passed and I didn't notice! So in the spirit of belated celebration, I am reprinting one of the very first blog posts I wrote. Its fitting since the snow is about 10 inches high where I am right now.

Two evenings ago, driving along a road in open farm country, I watched as the January full moon rose over a snowy landscape....the large white disc shining brightly in a liquid gray sky was spectacular! I now understand why animals howl at the moon - it must be a sympathetic show of appreciation and awe...

The grandeur of the full moon made me reflect on moon gates, the traditional Chinese circular entryways that lead into contained gardens and cities. The rounded opening alludes to the full moon and the Chinese adage that says, 'Flowers are more beautiful when the moon is full.'
Stepping through a round portal is symbolic of so many things. Like our entrance into this world, an enveloping enclosure calls to us to see what is on the other side. This sort of entry speaks to us of mystery and delight - no soaring Calatrava-like bridge or ornamented portico - a moon gate beckons quietly, saying 'all is well, come see for yourself..."

photo by Jan Johnsen

One of the most lovely moon gates that I have had the pleasure to step through is the gate in the Chinese garden at Naumkeag in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

Naumkeag is a shingle-style 'country house' estate designed by noted architect Stanford White in 1885. As all Gilded Age homes, it is filled with finery and art, but, to me, it is the gardens that make this public attraction memorable.

Sitting on 8 acres of landscaped grounds surrounded by 40 acres of woodland, meadow, and pasture, the property was originally designed by Nathan Barrett then expanded by noted landscape designer, Fletcher Steele (what a great name!) between 1926 and 1956. The moon gate is part of Steele's Chinese Garden (1936-1956) and was added as the last piece of the puzzle in 1956.

The most wonderful aspect of this particular moon gate is the masonry. The wall, of which it is a part, is built from dark red brick and gray fieldstone. The gate itself is brick topped with lovely brickwork and a wooden roof. The masonry is quite different from traditional Chinese moon gates which are often fashioned from smooth stucco or finished stone. Here, the large round gate fits in with the native plants of this region perfectly and does not look ersatz or slightly out of place as so many Chinese gardens appear to be in my part of the world.
Btw, it is said that a moon gate brings good luck to all who pass through it so, with that, a summer visit to the Berkshire Mountains and the stunning Naumkeag may be just what you require! This photo blow is taken from the Naumkeag official website:

E. Fay Jones and his Ethereal Pinecote Pavilion

The Crosby Botanic Arboretum contains a Mississippi Landmark, as designated by the Department of Archives and History of Mississippi.

It is a 'symmetrical shed' (as described by its designer) that is set upon on a base of brick, surrounded by trees and facing out to a still lake.  It is called the Pinecote Pavilion and was designed by the Arkansas architect, E. Fay Jones in 1987. He was a master in the true sense of the word. He died in 2004.

Jones' Pavilion is an inspired piece of architecture.... Imagine being asked to design a open air garden pavilion for an arboretum in Mississippi, and instead of the normal gazebo or pergola, you take it upon yourself to design a soaring, captivating open air structure that seems to float on the water. In a way, it is very much like the ancient Golden Pavilion  of Kyoto (Kinkaku-ji).

But the true inspiration was 'a higher order' as Jones described in a radio interview in 1994,

"I like to think of myself as being concerned with a higher order of things and probably the clearest manifestation we have of some higher order in the universe is what we see in nature and what we feel in nature." ~ (E. Fay Jones)

Jones described his Pinecote masterpiece this way :

"The Pavilion is a gathering place. This simple, open building ...is a starting point for nature walks, for talks and discussions about important things in the environment and natural world, a place for exhibits and artistic performance, and a setting for social gatherings."

It is designed for discussions on important things in the environment and natural world. I like that.

He goes on  to say:

 "The all-wood structure is built of indigenous material, native pine, and is fastened together with nails, dowels, and metal connections. There is complete exposure of every construction element, all visible from within and without. Every framing member, every beam, brace, and connection is absolutely necessary to achieve structural stability."

It is sustainable! I hope they rebuild this Pavilion every 20 years like they do with the Ise Shrine. That way it will stand forever.

"The building is ordered by a geometric theme —....to build a strong relationship of each part to the whole and to achieve organic unity....This is analogous to the organic unfolding or blossoming of so many forms of botanical growth. The imbricated pattern of wood shingles also emulate and recall many of natures’ surfaces—the bark of trees and the wings of birds. "

A building that looks to the growth of trees for inspiration....Very wonderful.

"...decorative enrichment will come from the ever-changing patterns of light and shadows that play on the closely-spaced structural elements as the sun and moon move across the sky. Time of day and seasonal changes will modify the shadows that frame the light and will keep the spaces in and around the Pavilion vital and alive, continuously enhancing the poetics of revealed construction."

A building in tune with the sun and moon as they 'move across the sky'. Amen.

Mississippi Preservation

Fine Gardening Magazine Website and my Blue Gate, Grass Steps

Welcome Fine Gardening Readers! 

I say that because yesterday I got so many new visitors here due to my garden photo on the fabulous Fine Gardening Magazine website. For those who don't know it, check it out - it is full of all manner of things horticultural - very inspiring and informative.

Yesterday they featured a shot of a lovely blue gate entrance in one of my gardens: click right here for the link.  

 

And today they featured my signature Grass Steps and garden. Click here for that link.

 

The Great Photo of the Day site is run by Michelle Gervais, who has an extensive hands-on knowledge of plants, gardens, nurseries, etc. She even worked in my neck of the woods for a time. You can subscribe to her photo of the day. Click here for that.