A really big pet rock.

Water Features make great companions.

Adopt one today. There are many boulders out there looking for a good home. Nothing is better than the sound of water in the garden. Especially on a nice summer night. This particular stone is a basalt column which is a very dense volcanic rock.

A recirculating bubbling boulder really does make a great companion to any landscape. They are great as welcoming accents or clustered together for a very full sound. If you are using just one make sure to place it close to where you do most of your outdoor living. If it is placed too far away it might get lost in the rest of the garden. All that is needed is a nearby power outlet and enough room to dig a basin to hold the water.

Bubbling boulders fit into almost any space. If you have a open space, a larger and more prominent stone is preferable. If your space is more intimate, a smaller boulder with nice subtleties is probably best. Your local stone supplier should have a selection of pre-drilled stones to choose from, or you can pick your own and have them drill it for you. The character of the stone will determine the amount of noise it will produce. A smooth stone like the one above has a very consistent bubbling sound, while a rough stone will have a inconsistent splashing sound. If you already have a space in mind these characteristics will help you pick your new garden companion.

Here is a picture of basalt before it is harvested.

Columnar basalt at Sheepeater Cliff in Yellowstone. pic. from wikipedia

Spring Blooms

These "pigsqueaks" are one of my favorite plants for the landscape. They have a beautiful bloom in the spring, lush green leaves during the summer and have a subtle reddish tone in the fall. They look especially nice planted in mass or nestled between boulders for a pop of color in the spring and texture year round.

This year has been a little different for us here at Olive Branch. We've had a very busy spring. Landscape season is upon us and we are currently in limbo with our house on the market. We're doing a little less gardening of our own this year, but we do have a potted herb garden that is going strong and we're enjoying the work we've done in the past. After such a long winter, it's hard to believe the tulips have already come and gone and the peonies are about to bloom! Although we're missing a lot of the gardening we are used to doing, it's kind of nice to spend some time just enjoying what we have.

This spring Olive Branch added landscape maintenance to it's list of services! We are very excited to offer this to our clients. We take great care with proper maintenance and take pride in ensuring that our customer's landscapes are always at their finest.

"Boing"

I love adding art to the landscape whenever possible. I added this "boing" by Diane Mattern to my parents garden last fall. I have enjoyed seeing it all winter standing tall above the snow cover. For this particular site I wanted an upright accent. The space was a little tight for a tall slender evergreen and I wanted instant impact. I am excited to see this sculpture change as the landscape grows and matures. For this particular piece I planted ornamental grasses around the base, once the grasses fill in it will appear as though the "boing" is rising out of the grass. Diane can do a "boing" in just about any size and any color.

More Fall Faves

This "pig squeak" or Bergenia cordifolia is a great addition to any garden. Not only does it provide great interest throughout the growing season but it is also one of my favorite perennials for fall and winter. The leaves persist long into fall turning from green to a deep red. They provide a great contrast against the brown and grey of the fall landscape. These almost tropical looking perennials will slowly multiply and become a great mass. I especially like them amongst granite boulders.

Staircases in the Garden

Here are a few examples of staircases that we have designed for some of our clients. I know the gardeners out there will be disappointed for the lack of plants, but it is still nice to show a good foundation for a garden. I love stairs in the landscape because they give a person a destination. They can lead someone to a patio, a sunken fire pit, a water feature or simply another area of the garden. They can also frame a landscape as in the top photo and cause a person to pause and take in the view. They also offer so many possibilities as far as container gardens, lighting display and even a place to set the pumpkins in October.

Fall Renovation Project

Today we installed a small ornamental grass and perennial garden at my parent's house. We ripped out several overgrown evergreens, various overgrown shrubs and shrub roses. Unfortunately, I didn't get before photos, but you can see one overgrown evergreen in the third photo from the top. (Ripping that out tomorrow). The large grasses will eventually grow rather tall and add some interest through the winter. We also had the challenge of hiding leftover stumps. The grasses and perennials that we chose should do a really good job of that. The yarrow will thrive and add a nice swath of color. We also chose a trial geranium, in the final photo, that has been tested to be hardy to zone 6 (we're zone 4/5) so we'll see what happens with that. I guess since it's my parent's house, I can get away with being experimental! Hopefully, we will luck out and they will do really well.

There are still some finishing touches to be done with this project. We will, of course, rip out the evergreen shrub at the corner and attempt to save the greens for my wife's holiday decorating. Then we will extend the yarrow around the corner and possibly add a unique, small evergreen which I have yet to choose. Any suggestions? We will also add some bulbs for spring color, a fresh layer of mulch and possibly a sculpture nestled somewhere in the grasses.

Patio and Landscape Upgrade

With this particular design, we were challenged to make a small yard more functional. We chose an otherwise awkward, unusable space in the side yard to feature a new concrete patio. Although it isn't yet furnished, it will be a nice spot to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee and talk with the neighbors. This patio will function almost as a substitute for the traditional front porch.

We extended the patio into the backyard in order to have a more private place to sit and also a place to hide the grill. The backyard is small, but we left plenty of green space for the dogs, for play and for future gardening. Once the plants grow in and the patio is softened with some container plantings, it will be a very enjoyable little spot.

A Master Plan for the Garden

This is an example of a detailed master landscape plan. There are many ways of shaping an outdoor living space. For many, it happens over years of hard work and a few mistakes and victories along the way. (That is how my wife and I do it). For others, a major overhaul may take place in one season. They want it done so they can spend their time enjoying their space. We design master plans for both types of people.

Often, a client wants to chip away at their yard over the years, but they need a plan to guide them along the way. They will be able to refer back to the design whenever they want. Having a design done with their specific needs in mind will help to ensure proper plant placement and hopefully save them some time and headache in the future.

For those that are professionally installing a landscape in one season, it is crucial that a professionally designed plan be followed. The above plan includes many different elements including a paver patio with an outdoor kitchen and firepit, a kid's play area, a driveway with coordinating paver banding and, of course, several perennial gardens. Having a plan helps the homeowners and the different companies involved in the installation to be on the same page at all times. It also helps the landscape installation company work more efficiently. If the homeowner is concerned with plant placement (one would hope..) a design will keep things on track.

Most gardeners love the process of planting and working the garden over a lifetime. I love to experiment with plants and see what works and what doesn't, but a landscape design sure does help to visualize a project and keeps one from making a potentially expensive mistake.

When Man Gets In the Way

I had to get a picture of this when I was in a forested area outside of Omaha recently. You don't want to get in the way of a tree. They mean business.