Simply Stunning

Where did Simple Simon get the number 3.14 from? He met a pi man going to the fair !!

Horticultural simplicity refers to the practice of limiting the number of competing textures, colours and sizes within each separate landscape theme and is often expressed by the acronym KISS – Keep It Simple Sweetheart.

As strange as it seems, with so many trees, shrubs, and perennials to choose from, keeping it simple is a lot harder than it sounds. The big idea is to pick a theme and then choose two or three colours, textures or sizes, which are repeated throughout the landscape. A classic example of simplicity is found in the traditional English rose gardens, where the dominant feature is roses, with little else to complicate matters, except for an occasional fountain or park bench.

Even when a theme is selected, it is of utmost importance to group together plants which exhibit the similar characteristics. Randomly distributing masses of different shades and shapes can produce “botanical vomit”, a displeasing situation that can actually detract from the peace and tranquility that most gardens seek to create. The rule of thumb is that groups of different flowers should only be planted adjacent to one another is when their respective bloom periods do not overlap.

It if a more complex landscape is required, or more than one theme is desired in the same area, then it is necessary to create “rooms” where the individual gardens are separated by vegetative partitions that use hedges or vines to create the “walls”. Connecting two disparate gardens requires a “doorway” such as an arbour or two vertical pillars in order to visually prepare the viewer when moving from one contrasting motif to the next.

A Town In Sakatchewan

February 18, 2008

Why do street hockey players have trouble focusing in later life? They have to reset their goals every time a car goes by!!

The goal of a landscape design is to establish a collection of horticultural and architectural elements that personifies the character of the homeowner and his family. Some of the principles utilized to create superior landscapes include unity, simplicity, and balance.

Landscape unity refers to the relationship of a house to its surrounding yard and can be broadly divided into two different motifs; formal and informal. Formal is best described as those designs that exhibit straight lines and right angles in all aspects of the construction. Most urban houses have horizontal parallel siding, right angle corners and square or rectangular windows. A log cabin or a stone house are both examples of informal construction because the lines created by the rock and the logs are irregular in nature.

In the horticultural world, uniform rows of trees in shelterbelt could be considered formal while random positioning of trees in a natural forest is a good example of an informal planting.

Mixing motifs can lead to as much disaster in a landscape as they can in interior design. Situating single or groups of informal boulders in front of a formal house looks as odd as combining Victorian chairs with a brass and glass table in the dining room. The positioning of dissimilar elements can actually make a yard look worse than doing nothing at all.

Unity can be achieved to creating harmony between the house and the landscape by using element styles in the yard such as height, size, texture and colour that closely matches that of the building.

Putting the Fun In Fundamentals

February 11, 2008

Why did students at the horticultural school coat the administrators with glue? They want to stick to their principals!!

The purpose of a landscape design is to blend the art of combining colours and textures with the science of plant propagation to achieve an aesthetically pleasing exterior that is an accurate reflection of the character of the homeowner and his family. A proper design is always built around the residents, not the residence.

Since the actual house is inanimate, it could care less what trees and shrubs surround it. The people who live in the house on the other hand, are extremely concerned about the specifics of the design because the landscape often represents the first impression that many visitors will have. Having a landscape architect compose a design based on the size of the lot and the shape of the house is like a doctor writing a prescription based on the fashion of your clothes and the style of your hair.

The first principle in designing a landscape should always involve discovering the specifics of the people who live in the house. Unlike gunfighters, a savvy designer always asks questions first, and draws later. It is absolutely imperative to ask and discuss a long list of questions regarding favorite colours and fragrances, allergies, pets, children, ages, work schedules, frequency and style of entertainment, amount of maintenance and a whole host more before even a single line is put on the plan.

By completing this rigorous questioning, the landscape designer is then able to offer ideas pertaining to the wants and needs of landlord that will maximized his or her enjoyment of the property for years to come.

Lineman for the County

What happened when the tree touched the power line? It was a shocking experience!!

While many people establish shelterbelts to increase crop yield, reduce home heating costs and to provide habitat for birds and mammals, it is important to consider the proximity of overhead power lines before planting the first tree.

Since most rural overhead lines are not insulated, any conductive material that touches the wire will cause a short circuit from the line to the ground resulting in a brief intense discharge of power that can fatal to bystanders in the vicinity. While most of the electric company awareness campaign is directed at farmers moving tall farm machinery such as augers and implements, it is actually trees planted too close the power lines that cause most electrical disruptions. As surprising as it make seems, trees that grow into power lines cause more than 70,000 hours of outage per year

Although some high voltage wires can be as much as 50 feet above the ground, most rural service is carried on poles that rarely exceed 25 feet in height, making them easily reachable by most trees grown in north central Alberta, such as poplar spruce and pine.

To make matters worse, on rainy or extremely humid days, the tree does not actually have to touch the line to initiate electrical transfer. During conditions of high relative humidity, the electricity can actually arc over a distance of several feet from the line to the conductor in a similar fashion as an arc welder.

Therefore it is imperative that there is a minimum of four feet of daylight between the ultimate height of planted and the overhead line

White Lightning

January 29, 2008

Why did the father operate his illegal distillery while his boys baled alfalfa? He wanted to make shine while the son’s hay!!!

Although making moonshine in a backyard distillery has lost a lot of its popularity due the proliferation of reasonably priced, safer and legal commercially prepared equivalents such as Everclear, at one time many farmers and ranchers would supplement their meager farm income by cooking up a batch of ‘shine’.

Moonshining was a natural for those in farming sector because of the simplicity of the distilling process, the ready availability of key ingredient and the inaccessibility of many of the homesteads made detection by the local constabulary almost impossible.

Because the initial fermentation process required little more than water, yeast and a carbohydrate source such as grain, potatoes or fruit, it was possible for just about anybody to get started. The fermenting mixture, called the mash, could only reach a maximum alcohol content of 15% before the becoming toxic to the yeast, and shutting down further alcohol production.

The secret to the distillation process was maintaining the temperature of the mash at around 85°. Since the ethyl alcohol, or ethanol, boils at around 80°C, compared to water, which boils at 100°C, the ethanol vapor could be collected and returned to a liquid by passing through a condensation chamber, while the water remained with the mash.

Surprising as it may seem, this is almost the exact same process that is being used to manufacture ethanol used in motor vehicles as a method of reducing carbon emissions. Maybe one day the backyard still will come into prominence once again, this time to fight global warming.

Food For Thought

January 22, 2008

Why did the tree buy suspenders? It was too big for his shelterbelt!!!

Although most farmers, ranchers and acreage owners plant shelterbelts to reduce home heating costs, increase crop yields and augment livestock efficiency, an additional benefit is food and habitat for wildlife.

The majority of shelterbelts are planted in straight lines along field margins and road allowances to facilitate the movement of agricultural machinery. While such a configuration allows minimal impediments for tractors pulling massive implements, straight rows of trees can literally be murder to birds and animals that nest or den in these trees.

Surprising as it may seem, some studies indicate that straight line shelterbelt that are isolated from natural groves can develop into a predator trap. Linear rows of trees can be worked very effectively by carnivorous animals traveling in packs such as coyotes and domestic dogs. Occasionally the entire local populations can fall prey to these foraging predators. Therefore it is suggested that at the corners of the field where access of large equipment is prohibitive anyway, that right angled pieces of farmland be sacrificed for trees, shrubs and other types of natural cover. Generally speaking the more space put into trees at these intersections the better it is for the flora and fauna.

Creating a sheltered nook in the corners of the field does more than discourage predation, the expanded sheltered area may become suitable to species that require a minimum territory to colonize. Regardless of what size is planted as animal habitat, food and water must be in close proximity before any wildlife will consider making your gift to nature as a permanent home.

January 8, 2008, Eating In

Who was the first ecclesiastical participant in the show “Fear Factor”? Martin Luther – he had a diet of worms!!!

As most people in north central Alberta already know, cold winter temperatures can drastically slow down the composting process to a standstill. Adding fresh kitchen scraps to the compost bin on frosty January days will become an effort in futility as the bits of vegetative waste freeze before biological decomposition can become initiated. Rather than storing the stagnating trash in lined containers for composting in the spring, many green gurus are giving vermicomposting a try.

Vermicomposting is simply the two-bit technical term that scientists give to the special procedure of using worms to help brake down organic materials. In this practice, special worms called red wigglers are added to the compost where they dine on the decaying vegetation. The worm poop, called castings are excellent for enriching the soil of indoor houseplants, as well as the more traditional outdoor gardens and flowerbeds

The red wigglers are especially suited to thrive in the warm moist conditions the compost pile provides. Substituting common garden earthworms will simply kill the earthworms, and leave the compost to decompose in a more traditional manner.

One of the biggest advantages to vermicomposting is that the entire operation is completely functional indoors. In fact the red wigglers would perish if they are exposed to sub zero conditions. Surprising as it may seem, the vermicompost itself does not produce noxious odors nor do the worms try to escape when the opportunity is presented, making this type of composting ideal for apartment dwellers and those who want to continue composting all year long.