Daily Dose Blogger Bios
Bed Me Down!
Check them out! These are my brand spankin' new vegetable beds - aren't they snazzy? Minions J&Z crafted them from beautiful pieces of redwood - and yes, I know, that's a lot of trees ... but just think of all that will be saved by years and years of produce coming from these strong, well-built beds!
You'll notice that they are different heights ... we decided that varying the levels would make for a more dynamic visual experience as well as allow for me to use taller crops like corn and pole beans to screen out more of my neighbor's roof by planting them in the higher beds in the back. As far as the front three beds go, the shortest bed (we call it 'the coffin') is for lettuces and radishes, the next highest is for herbs, and the highest is for tomatos (!). The back beds are the ones we call 'The C' and 'The L' - these will be the home of corn, beans, peas, melons ... anything that is tall or is vining. One of my favorite parts is my bench/storage box, which has yet to be finished, but is located at the foot of 'The L' - it will be a lovely bench, but I can flip up the seat and below is all I need to dig, cut, harvest, and cultivate my potager. Cool, huh? This bench fits into the hollow part of 'The C' in what may be seen as a racy manuver by some - but as I've said many times before, a garden has to be sexy.
Yes, this is alot of wood right now - but just imagine the beds full of colorful fruits and veg! Needless to say, I'll keep ya'll posted!
Just look at the tired, happy Minions, checking out what they designed and built...
Wow!! I cannot wait to see these full of yummy bright veggies. What a cool idea!
I know! Would you look at all the room I have? I can't believe it took me so long to come up with the idea of putting a potager in this area - maybe it was just TOO obvious for my skewed brain to see. And - something you will totally appreciate, Katef, is that the Minions are going to build me a bbq/grill/wood burning oven right across the patio from the potager! So come fall, I'll be able to cook up a storm outside, and gather herbs and veg while I go ... a sprig of rosemary here, a basil leaf there - I'll grab a couple of peppers to throw on the fire...
It really sounds dreamy, doesn't it! I hope the plan turns out ... so many things can go awry while building, you know...
Germi, We live in Valley Village (San Fernando Valley) and have had terrible success with a grass lawn we inherited from previous owners. We want to plant a new lawn with grass likely to do well in this climate and most forgiving of our ignorance in lawn upkeep. Do you have any suggestions on what type of grass to choose, and when to plant? Thanks, Hopeful Gardener
Dear, sweet Ohr ...It's not your fault! All the nice lawns you see in your neck of the woods are only pretty because they are chemical junkies that need enormous amounts of water! I can only give you my honest opinion - and this is exactly what I would tell you if you were a client ... trying to grow a successful lawn in Valley Village is like trying to light a bonfire in a tropical rainforest - you simply aren't in the right climate.
Long ago, before droughts and global warming and multi-tiered water rates, it didn't seem so weird to try and grow a Connecticut style lawn in the SoCal dessert. Now, not only is it an expensive proposition, it is so ... forgive me... dull. Imagine how great it would be to plant a beautiful carpet of colorful shrubs, succulents, and flowering perennials! You will use less water, you'll attract birds and butterflies to your home, and you'll give a lovely gift to your entire neighborhood. I have a garden instead of a front lawn, and it brings me endless joy. Sperling's Nursery is close to you ... go and begin a gardening adventure! Follow your heart ... don't waste your time trying to make a lawn work where it never was supposed to in the first place! I set you free!
...bbq grill oven...in garden...built in...
Excuse me, I have to go lie down.
The funny thing is that none of us know exactly what we'll end up with. Working with sculptors on garden projects means that you have to give up a certain amount of control over the outcome ... My BBQ/grill/wood burning oven could end up looking like a giant puppy dog or a locomotive!
Germi, we are already taking out the front lawn and replacing with gravel and wonderful drought resistant plants. However our kids have made us promise that we will keep the lawn at the back for them to play on. So ... what lawn do you suggest? We have read that St Augustine and Zoysia are possibilities. Thanks.
Perfect, Ohr!
You are doing EXACTLY the the right thing ... get rid of lawn where you can, and if you have kids of 'playing on the lawn' age, go ahead and have some - but the smallest area you can get away with. Thinking of lawn as an area rug is what I like to do. I mean, let's face it - nothing accents a garden as perfectly as that emerald green swath ... but we have to be responsible to our climate and our environment.
As for what kind of turf grass to use, well - St. Augustine is traditionally used in hot, shady, drier areas; areas that get alot of traffic and/or have dogs romping around on it. My problem with it is coarseness - it spreads by stiff runners, and the blades of the grass itself tends to be thick and somewhat sharp when cut. It doesn't feel so good underfoot. We at Elysian Landscapes have had alot of success with MarathonII. It does work in areas of dappled shade, but you must decrease the amount of water you would normally use.
Lawn failure is usually due to too much water and too much heat. In shady areas, the evaporation of collected water happens more slowly than in the sun, so it is really important NOT TO OVERWATER. I know overwatering is the first response to heat ... resist! And always water early in the morning ... sometime between 6am - 9am is best. You might want to wait until fall to install your lawn - I know this may not be possible, but you'll be giving your lawn a much easier time of it in it's early months.
Keep me posted about it's success - unless your back yard is in deep shade, you can have yourself a nice little carpet of lawn.
If you can't go faux, I agree on Marathon 2. I'm not far from your neighborhood and that's what was recommended to me. We don't do Zoysia much in So Cal. St. Augustine gets thatchy and I believe goes dormant in winter.
Nice going on those veggie planters! And thanks for the input on grass. We moved into our house a year ago and have not taken care of the lawn we inherited. The backyard is basically all dead-- I may ask the gardener to stop going back there. I've made some effort to keep the front respectable, but since I'm a new homeowner I didn't know about reseeding and whatever, so it's not looking so great either...
I'm planning on buying a bunch of big pots for my side patio. Can you recommend a place roundabouts Eagle Rock (or LA generally, I don't mind the drive) that has colorful pots at reasonable prices?
p.s. I just returned from vacation and can't tell you how cool it is to (1) be home and (2) have several Germinatrix posts to read thru!
Chanchow, you are a reader (and neighbor) after my own heart. Welcome back to Eagle Rock! I hope you had a nice trip ... this heat is pretty sucky, isn't it? I don't know why I have the feeling that it isn't going to let up - like we are going to be this hot through Hallowen. Please please I hope I'm wrong!
Darling, have I got a candy store of colorful containers for you! Pot-ted ! (here's a link to the post I wrote on it when the blog was in it's babyhood)
http://www.typepad.com/t/app/weblog/post?id=36117580&saved_added=1&blog_id=366043
You are going to LOVE it! The address is 3158 Los Feliz Blvd, LA, CA 90039 . It isn't far, and there are so many beautiful things there for your garden ! Pots, fountains, furniture; all well-edited by the fabulous Mary Gray. Go and have a ball, and let me know what you think!
That one sorta looks like a coffin??
The Minions and I actually call that one 'The Coffin'! Props, Me5! The Coffin is going to be the home of all of my different varieties of lettuce and salad greens. I think cemetary chic will be all the rage in vegetable gardens next year...
Bermuda grass is drought tolerant, we all have that here in Atlanta. You can get some rain barrels and water whatever grass you want to plant.
Hi Jessing! Yes, Bermuda is drought tolerant, and a very valuable lawn grass for the south. Marathon II, however, is especially perfect for us in Southern California, where Ohr lives - and you never have to overseed it for the winter. It isn't as tough as Bermuda or St Augustine, but with that toughness comes a thick thatch build-up and lots of weedy runners.
The thought of having enough rain to fill a barrel makes me green with envy, by the way. I don't think we've had more than 5 inches of rain in 2 years!
I love your unusual raised beds! Can you post an updated picture of the finished products? I plan to steal many parts of your fabulous design.
Thanks
Steal away! That's what I'm here for!!!