Summer fun

Pink, Blue, Purple are such beautiful color combinations. It makes me happy just seeing them washed together. When I would design the recipes for each flower bed at Thanksgiving Point Gardens, I loved using these cool colors and then pop them with a complimentary color. Look how the lime buds pop next to this pink and green leaf. 

 This photo shows how repetition and contrast makes color sing. These coral freesia with the yellow centers look electric. But the blue in the background complements the yellow mass, and it brings the blue value out in the coral petals.

 I love the warm gold tones on the older petals of this hydrangea. It warms the edges of each flower and acts like a mat around a beautiful painting.

 The lime on the baby flowers and in the bottom left plant makes the pink look even more vibrant and pure.

 This photo shows how warm and cool pink add depth to the planting. I love the blue overlay in the bottom flower repeated in the top right flower head.

I have always loved the bark of a sycamore tree. I do not have room for one at my home, they are a huge tree when mature. They are fast growing and a true showstopper in every season. 

 This project has been a different expression of style. I wanted to show elements of NYC without having buildings or landmarks. I used graffiti and wet paint to create the set. The center of the stage has a large turntable that is painted like a palette. The 5 colors I chose represents the 5 burrows of the city. The paint is intermingled around the stage by bare footprints. They form trail and adventures for the actors to play off of. Fire escape ladders hang overhead to give height and dimension above the actors. I didn't want specific words or lettering in the graffiti, just the look of graffiti. I have painted many many sets for the school. This one is different than anything I have worked on before. The story takes place in and around the city. I hope people enjoy it, and that the students will be inspired by it.

I love the fresh green new growth on the trees today. We are expecting a storm tonight that may bring snow to the valley. I spent the winter clearing out these meadows of dead undergrowth. I feel like my work paid off.

A water feature is one of the first elements of landscape design that fascinated me . When I was 15 years old I dug out a small kidney shape pool in my mom's back yard. I studied the rules and  took advice on how to make a pool. I have designed and made many pools over the years. I enjoy a formal koi pond in my own garden. But the one thing I do not like is pool spring cleaning. Removing all the stagnant  water and debris is always more work than the year before. Maybe it is just the fact that I am one year older, all I know is,  I like the project less each year.

The bottom of the pond pictured is a gravel over pond liner installation. This is not the best or most effective surface. The waste and organic matter is hard to clean out of the rocks, After all of the heavy lifting and dirty work, it is nice to sit back, enjoy the view and relax.

This is a large water surface when it is full and up and running. The wild ducks love to sneak in each spring and try and set up nesting. Ducks and ponds really do not mix. At least pools without good filters. I spend many mornings chasing ducks out of the garden. A formal swimming pool is just a few step up the hill, I refuse to let the ducks into the swimming pool. 

One year a hen hatched 7 ducklings out and they enjoyed the garden. Soon enough they found a way into the swimming pool. They could get in but not out of it. I made floating islands and stairs for the babies to leave the water.