Concrete and Leaves - The MSLA Blog

Ten sustainable landscape design techniques –

2011-06-29T13:02:00.000-04:00

1. plant trees to shade buildings and protect from wind
2. use local material
3. on-site composting & chipping
4. buy plants from local grower
5. reduce your lawn area
6. use drought resistant plants
7. if you need to irrigate install a low water use irrigation system
8. water harvesting – ex- rain barrels, cisterns, rain gardens, bio-swale
9. use organic pesticides and fertilizers
10. apply a min 3” layer of mulch

Gardening Tip of the Week – Pruning Mums

2011-06-27T12:43:00.001-04:00

By July 1st you need to cut back your mums to prevent them from being too leggy in the Fall.

Hello Summer!!!

2011-06-21T15:44:00.002-04:00

Hello Summer!

Gardening Tip of the Week - Moss

2011-06-20T14:51:00.000-04:00

Do you have moss growing in your lawn? Most likely your soil’s pH is too low.

We suggest having your soil tested and then applying Dolomitic Lime to raise it up to the recommended level of 6.0 to 6.5.

Gardening Tip of the Week - Grass Clippings

2011-06-08T08:52:00.000-04:00

Q: What can I do with my grass clippings?

A: You can recycle them in a compost heap — they make an excellent “fuel” to combine with material such as leaves to start the decomposition process. Use them also to mulch flower beds or shrub borders. If you use them as a mulch in the vegetable garden, do not do so if you are using weed killers or insecticides on the lawn.

Gardening Tip of the Week - Houseplants

2011-05-31T08:58:00.000-04:00

How soon can I take houseplants outdoors? When should I bring them in?

Houseplants are, typically, tropical plants we keep out of the cold in our homes. In the Maine, hardiness zones 4b to 5b, Memorial Day weekend can be a general date to target. At the end of the season, think about it at Labor Day and play it by the weather changes.

Gardening Tip of the Week – Fertilizer

2011-05-23T08:57:00.000-04:00

Fertilizers provide nutrients necessary for plant health and growth, such as nitrogen (N) phosphorus (P), and potassium (K).

Nitrogen is needed for healthy green growth and regulation of other nutrients.

Phosphorus helps proper roots and seeds develop and resist disease.

Potassium is also important in root development and disease resistance.

Happy Memorial Day!

Gardening Tip of the Week - Soil pH

2011-05-17T09:55:00.000-04:00

- To raise your soils pH apply a lime such as Dolomitic Lime or NutraLime.

- To lower your soils pH apply a sulfur additive such as Garden Sulfur or Aluminum Sulfate.

The pH scale runs from 0 to 14 with 0 begin very acidic and 14 begin very alkaline. The optimum or “neutral” pH range is between 6.5 and 7.0.

A key thing to remember is that the pH scale is logarithmic scale where a soil with a pH of 5 is 10 times more acidic than one with a pH of 6 and a 100 times more acidic than one with a pH of 7.

Gardening Tip of the Week - Lawn Care

2011-05-09T16:54:00.000-04:00

Some Watering Dos and Don’t

- Don't water at night - water can sit on the lawn and may cause disease.

- Don't water at midday - you'll lose the most water to evaporation at this time.

- Do water early in the morning - evaporation is minimized and the lawn utilizes the most water.

Gardening Tip of the Week – Garlic

2011-05-02T08:29:00.000-04:00

Plant Lots of Garlic: Garlic is an effective and natural bug repellent. Plant lots of it in your garden in among other vegetables to protect them from pests.

You could also make your own garlic spray by boiling a pint of water, throw in roughly chopped garlic cloves and steep until the water cools. Remove garlic bits then spray on plants frequently.

Frederick Law Olmsted's 189th Birthday

2011-04-26T08:55:00.001-04:00

Today is Frederick Law Olmsted's 189th Birthday. Frederick Law Olmsted is recognized as the founder of the profession of landscape architecture and one of the nation's foremost park designers.

For more information on the man and his legacy check out these websites…

http://www.fredericklawolmsted.com

http://www.olmstedparks.org

http://www.emeraldnecklace.org

Gardening Tip of the Week - Q & A

2011-04-25T09:24:00.000-04:00

Q: What is the difference between mulch and compost?

A: Compost should be worked into the soil to make it more fertile. Whereas mulch is spread atop the soil, both to protect the soil from the elements and to suppress weeds.

Happy Earth Day!

2011-04-22T07:18:00.000-04:00

Happy Earth Day! What do you do to celebrate Earth Day? To learn more about Earth Day and find out 30 Things you can do to be green check out these websites…

Earth Day
http://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2011

Gardening Tip of the Week – Q&A

2011-04-18T13:05:00.000-04:00

Q: What is a companion planting chart?

A: A companion planting chart lists plants and partner plants with a variety of beneficial interactive properties. Gardeners can use these charts to create helpful pairings, which improve overall garden health and vitality.

Business in 2010 – part II

2010-06-30T18:38:00.000-04:00

Q? – Business in 2010 – part II. We are now 6 months into 2010, has business proceeded much the way you expected to since last January?

Quote of the Week - 6/22/10

2010-06-22T19:03:00.000-04:00

"The transgression-in a good sense-of rigid professional boundaries between landscape architecture and other disciplines…has been the most promising and important development of the late 20th century."

- Catherine Howett

Quote of the Week - 6/18/10

2010-06-18T17:32:00.000-04:00

"The most important issue of the 21st century will be the condition of the global environment."

- Ian McHarg

Software - to upgrade or not to upgrade...

2010-06-16T17:16:00.000-04:00

Q? – AutoCAD 2010 was released last January. Do you see your firm upgrading any of your software in the next six month?

Quote of the Week - 6/8/10

2010-06-08T18:31:00.000-04:00

“Sometimes, to see things better, we must see things in a different way.”

- John Ormsbee Simonds

Quote of the Week - 6/4/10

2010-06-04T17:02:00.000-04:00

“Where site and structure meet we may well structure the site and at the same time wash the landscape over and into the structure.”

- Hideo Sasaki

Professional certifications

2010-06-02T19:33:00.001-04:00

Q? - CLARB, APLD, greenroof certifications... - how much weight do you think being certified has in a client's decision making?

Quote of the Week - 5/25/10

2010-05-25T18:30:00.000-04:00

"Space is the constant in all three-dimensional design, but a realization of space is not possible until it is defined by materials."

- James C. Rose

Quote of the Week - 5/21/10

2010-05-21T17:12:00.000-04:00

“That scenery which would afford the most marked contrast with the streets of a town, would be of a kind characterized in nature by the absence, or, at least, the marked subordination of human influences.”

- Frederick Law Olmsted

LEED-ND: Neighborhood Development

2010-05-19T17:32:00.000-04:00

Q? - LEED-ND, do you think ‘Neighborhood Development’ will have any lasting impact on slowing down the current rate of sprawl?

Going Native...

2010-05-14T17:41:00.000-04:00

Q? - As more of our clients ask for sustainable landscape, how well do you know your natives. Here is a resource - www.oakleaflandstudio.com/resources/natives.html

Quote of the Week - 5/12/10

2010-05-12T18:41:00.000-04:00

"Should it not be remembered that in setting a garden we are painting a picture?"

- Beatrix Jones Farrand

Carbon Footprints....

2010-05-05T19:03:00.001-04:00

Q? - Do you know the size of your carbon footprint? www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx

Quote of the Week - 5/3/10

2010-05-03T18:21:00.000-04:00

"Trees are much like human beings and enjoy each other's company. Only a few love to be alone."

- Jen Jensen

Quote of the Week - 4/30/10

2010-04-30T18:56:00.000-04:00

“The size of a garden has very little to do with its merit. It is the size of the owners’ heart and brain and goodwill that will make his garden either delightful or dull.”

- Gertrude Jekyll

Quote of the Week - 4/22/10

2010-04-22T18:29:00.000-04:00

“Because over and over again, the times that I've done really good things is because I've had a wonderful client of some kind, and a lot of it depended on me to induce them to be creative.”

- Lawrence Halprin

Energy Star stickers

2010-04-21T18:29:00.000-04:00

Q? - Energy Star - The stickers are now found on all sorts of appliances but how much weight does it have in a consumer’s decision making?

Invasive Species!!

2010-04-16T19:32:00.001-04:00

Q? - Is your invasive species list is up to date? http://www.mass.gov/agr/farmproducts/proposed_prohibited_plant_list_v12-12-05.htm

Quote of the Week - 4/8/10

2010-04-08T17:25:00.000-04:00

“Gardeners, I think, dream bigger dreams than emperors.”

- Mary Cantwell

New plant cultivars....

2010-04-07T17:08:00.000-04:00

Q? - New plant cultivars: How do you keep informed about what is new in the market?

Quote of the Week - 4/2/10

2010-04-02T18:30:00.000-04:00

“When we impose a geometric order on the landscape, we inhabit the landscape with human thought.”

- Martha Schwartz

Quote of the Week - 3/31/10

2010-03-31T17:35:00.002-04:00

"...There clearly is a desperate need for professionals who are conservationists by instinct, but who care not only to preserve but to create and manage. These persons cannot be impeccable scientists for such purity would immobilize them. They must be workmen who are instinctively interested in the physical and biological sciences, and who seek this information so that they may obtain the license to interpose their creative skills upon the land. The landscape architect meets these requirements. He has the precedents of the 18th century to give him courage..."

- Ian McHarg, "Design with Nature"

FSC, SFI, SCS,...

2010-03-30T17:23:00.000-04:00

Q? - FSC, SFI, SCS,... Have you noticed them in your local supermarket and do these logos have any real influence on consumer’s behavior?

Quote of the Week - 3/25/10

2010-03-25T17:50:00.001-04:00

“Design of excellence begins with the givens.”

- John Ormsbee Simonds

Springtime

2010-03-22T17:36:00.000-04:00

Q? - Springtime – Now that spring has arrived is your firm making any type of extra effort to drum up business such as cold call to old clients &/or advertising?

Quote of the Week - 3/17/10

2010-03-17T18:19:00.001-04:00

"It is the calling and duty of the conscientious landscape architect to devise ways of arranging land and its accompanying landscape so that, whatever the particular purpose in view may be, the result shall be as thoroughly convenient and at the same time as thoroughly beautiful as possible. . ."

- Charles Eliot

Cradle-to-Cradle practices

2010-03-16T18:42:00.000-04:00

Q? - Cradle-to-Cradle: It is a great philosophy but do you know of anyone who actually practices it?

Quote of the Week - 3/12/10

2010-03-12T17:28:00.001-05:00

“The great challenge for the garden designer is not to make the garden look natural but to make the garden so that the people in it will feel natural.”

- Lawrence Halprin

Quote of the Week - 3/4/10

2010-03-04T17:48:00.001-05:00

"The most important issue facing landscape architects and all environmental planners and designers in the 21st century will be precisely the integration, perhaps by shotgun, of current economic / political thinking with ecological reality."

- Garrett Eckbo

Global Warming - Truth or Hype??

2010-03-02T18:21:00.000-05:00

Q? - Global Warming - there has been a lot of hubbub in the media about the validity of GW… What is your take on the situation?

Quote of the Week - 2/26/10

2010-02-26T18:09:00.001-05:00

"One of the great prospects for the 21st century is the continuation of currently tentative global trends towards preserving and building more livable, more sustainable communities. It means continuing to move away from the single-purpose, bits-and-pieces mind-set marking our current norms, to work with more integrative approaches to human settlements."

- William J. Johnson

Quote of the Week - 2/18/10

2010-02-18T17:17:00.002-05:00

"Without question, urban sprawl - unplanned, scattered, and disruptive development bursting out from thus desolated cities into the open countryside. Precluding and remedying this phenomenon can and must be a central thrust of our future endeavors as a profession, for we are uniquely qualified to deal in a positive way with this increasingly evident problem."

- John Ormsbee Simonds

Internet Social Networks

2010-02-17T17:19:00.000-05:00

Q? - LinkedIn, twitter, facebook,... are you part of a social network and what do you think is the next big things?

Quote of the Week - 2/12/10

2010-02-12T18:45:00.001-05:00

“What artist so noble...as he who, with far-reaching conception of beauty, in designing power, sketches the outlines, writes the colors, and directs the shadows of a picture so great that Nature shall be employed upon it for generations, before the work he arranged for her shall realize his intentions.”

- Frederick Law Olmsted

Professional magazines

2010-02-09T17:34:00.000-05:00

Q? - Professional magazines – How many do you get and do you actually have time to read each of them?

Quote of the Week - 2/4/10

2010-02-04T17:43:00.000-05:00

“I have found it helpful to think of a garden as sculpture. Not sculpture in the ordinary sense of an object to be viewed. But sculpture that is large enough and perforated enough to walk through. And open enough to present no barrier to movement, and broken enough to guide the experience which is essentially a communion with the sky.”

- James Rose

The Sustainable Site Initiative

2010-02-03T19:28:00.001-05:00

Q? - Thoughts on ASLA's Sustainable Site Initiative – Do you think it should be a separate document or part of LEED?

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

2010-01-29T18:37:00.000-05:00

Q? – American Recovery and Reinvestment Act signs have been popping up all over the last few months. Has your business benefited from it?

Quote of the Week - 1/25/10

2010-01-25T18:42:00.000-05:00

“Garden and house belong together, visually and actually.”

- Thomas Church

Quote of the Week - 1/20/10

2010-01-20T17:41:00.001-05:00

“Each type of landscape has a soul of its own.”

- Jens Jensen

New niches in 2010

2010-01-19T18:32:00.000-05:00

Q? - As our economy begins to stabilize is your firm looking to expand into new niches such as greenroofs or outdoor kitchens in 2010?

Landscapes in Winter

2010-01-15T17:15:00.000-05:00

Q? – LA magazine published an interesting article on landscapes in winter in the January issue. Do you plan on visiting your projects now?

10 Must Read Books for 2010

2010-01-12T18:32:00.003-05:00

I am working on compiling a list of 10 must read books for 2010. So far I have eight and I am looking for some suggestions.

1) The Green Economy

by: Van Jones

2) Devil in the White City

by: Erik Larson

3) Cradle to Cradle

by: William McDonough and Michael Braungart

4) A Clearing In The Distance

by: Witold Rybczynski

5) Last Child In the Woods

by: Richard Louv

6) Gardening with Nature

by: James Van Sweden

7) Consilence

by: Edward O. Wilson

8) Green Infrastructure

by: Mark Benedict

9)TBD

10) TBD

Quote of the Week - 1/11/10

2010-01-11T17:09:00.003-05:00

"Landscape architects should be in the vanguard of the environmental movement, discovering ways to help design environments that at the most fundamental level 'do no harm' - and beyond that, in ways large and small, contribute to the renewal of the earth and of the human spirit."

- Catherine Howett

Landscape Architecture magazine 100th volume!!

2010-01-07T23:21:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone – A round of applause to Landscape Architecture magazine on their 100th volume!!

Quote of the Week - 1/6/10

2010-01-06T17:33:00.008-05:00

"Be proactive, not passive. Do not wait for people to ask for help. Make things happen. Stimulate others. Invent projects that need doing. Seek allies and help. Don't worry about career or money or having enough to do. Just do good work and all the rest will happen."

- Laurie Olin, FASLA

Landscape Architecture in 2010

2010-01-05T17:14:00.001-05:00

Q? - The Future of Landscape Architecture in 2010 - In what markets do you see growth occurring and how do you plan on tapping them?

A New Year with New Beginnings

2009-12-31T11:48:00.002-05:00

The MSLA wishes everyone happy and safe holiday
and a very joyous and rewarding 2010.

December Question – The Design-Time Vortex

2009-12-01T07:49:00.001-05:00

Does your firm get caught up in the Design-Time Vortex around this time of the year? Where all your clients seem to suddenly call asking you to finish their projects. They want to get their project submitted and done before the end of the year so they can start new projects in the New Year.

November Question - Genius loci

2009-11-01T17:12:00.001-05:00

Genius loci other wise known as The Spirit of the Place.

What does it mean to you?

October Question – Foundation Plantings

2009-10-01T08:09:00.001-04:00

Do you find that more of your client’s prefer to trim their foundation plantings in precise geometric shapes or do they go for a more natural look?

September Question – Bidders list

2009-09-01T17:04:00.001-04:00

What are the five key traits you look for when determining if you want to add a landscape contractor to your bidders list?

August Question – Ecological landscape design

2009-08-01T08:19:00.001-04:00

- conserve water
- preserve biodiversity
- protect the environment

What does ecological landscape design mean to you?

July Question – CAD vs. Hand graphics

2009-07-01T09:06:00.001-04:00

The current buzz on the grapevine is that hand graphics are a thing of the past. What percentage of the landscape plans that your office produces are Cad vs. by hand?

What is your preferred method?

Do you think that hand graphics are a thing of the past?

June Question- Plant Specification Information

2009-06-02T12:41:00.000-04:00

Where do you get most of your plant specification information such as height and flower color for the newest All American Shrub or US National Arboretum selection - from books, the web or from co-workers?

May Question - The Technical Manual

2009-05-01T14:02:00.000-04:00

How often do you and your co-workers refer to any of the many technical manuals such as the Sweets catalogs, RS Means Data books and Time-Savers Standards?

April Question - Oh Deer!

2009-04-01T08:22:00.002-04:00

Deer, they munch on your zinnia, they devour your yews and the poor arborvitae don't have a chance!!

How much deer damage did your projects endure after this long winter?

Do your the deer have a particular taste for ___________?

March Question - LEED: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design

2009-03-03T07:24:00.000-05:00

How do you see LEED affecting the landscape architecture profession and your office in the next five years and what does LEED mean to you?

Now that the USGBC had developed a new basic LEED level – Green Associate, are you more inclined to become accredited?

February Question - Snow

2009-02-02T08:35:00.001-05:00

Snow – Oh what to do with it!

How do you factor all the snow we get in the Northeast in your designs?

Do you rely more on on-site storage or removal?

Veterans’ Memorial Bridge between Portland and South Portland

2009-01-23T18:29:00.002-05:00

Hi,

On another front, not sure how aware you are of the replacement project for the Veterans’ Memorial Bridge between Portland and SoPo.

I have gotten involved and sit on a stakeholders committee (actually representing the Portland Society of Architects Advocacy Committee…long story…), which had its first meeting last Thursday before the ULI event at Portland Museum of Art (and excellent forum, if you didn’t happen to attend!).

MAIA is getting involved, as is GP Landmarks, Portland Trails, and many from the bike-ped community. I am probably remiss in not pushing this sooner, but my plates can only hold so much! This should be brought to our membership, and we should think about weighing in in some way, if desired.

The PSA has issued a position statement (posted on the MSLA website eNews page, under Mid-Winter 2009), and early communications have gone to the cities’ planners and the MDOT encouraging, among other things, the consideration of aesthetics and “design excellence” in the project. An RFQ is supposed to hit the streets in February, and we are concerned that the typical MDOT RFQ model will not include criteria for design qualifications and are urging dialogue/review/input into the process.

Thoughts? Please forward to others in our organization who may wish to comment and dialogue.

Thanks,

Mark G. Johnson ASLA, LEED AP
Landscape Architect

January Question - The Business of Landscape Architecture in 2009

2009-01-06T15:39:00.008-05:00

As the economy continues to struggle into 2009 many firms are watching their list of projects and clients shrink. It is during these times that firms begin to tighten the fiscal belt and become creative in drumming up new clients and work.

What has your firm done to become more frugal and at the drafting boards?

December Question - MSLA Events

2008-12-01T23:31:00.006-05:00

What was the last MSLA event you went to?

Why did you go?
What would get you to go to more events?

November Question - Ecology and Stewardship.

2008-11-03T16:03:00.003-05:00

A significant component of the National ASLA Meeting last month in Philadelphia was Nature and its interconnectivemess to people.

So the question to you is has you or your firms notices any increase in the work which as a notable component relating to the environment and nature?

October Blog Question - Mastic

2008-10-01T08:40:00.003-04:00

What exactly is Mastic? Do you know?

Have you every used it on a project?
How well did it work?

Inquiring minds want to know.

September Question - Masterformat 2004

2008-09-03T08:09:00.002-04:00

Masterformat 2004 – Good, Bad or Indifferent?

What do you think?

Monthly Forum Question

2008-09-01T08:03:00.005-04:00

In an attempt to stimulate more dialogue between members and hopefully engage the public in general, I will be posting a question topic to you each month.

Seed mixes for underdrained filter swales

2008-08-29T08:41:00.000-04:00

So Mark Johnson of SMRT has put out a general question to the membership concerning seed mixes for underdrained filter swales; in specific, what has been working.

"We’ve been getting mixed reports on various seed types, but by and large, the nature of the growth/filter media and the inherently droughty condition makes it tough to get much to grow. The DEP is basically relying on “developers” to determine a successful specification, so they’re no help. I look forward to your input!" - Mark Johnson, SMRT-Portland

Welcome to the MSLA blog - Concrete & Leaves

2008-08-26T20:50:00.001-04:00

Concrete & Leaves is a forum and resource for anyone who has a question or thought, from the ubiquitous to the earth shaking. I hope you find it informational.

Enjoy!