More Interesting Research: Rooftop Gardens, etc...

Visit the website of Nova Scotian firm, Ekistics Planning and Design for some interesting white papers on research about rooftops garden microclimates, riparian vegetation, and more.

http://www.ekistics.net/publications.html

Holiday Greetings!

Go ahead and take breather. Forget the end-of-the-year deadlines and take time to share the goodwill of the holidays. You deserve it.

Landslide 2006: Spotlight on the Garden

Historic buildings are not the only treasures on our nation's cultural endangered species list -- America 's landscape legacy of gardens is also at risk. In an effort to raise awareness for these nationally significant resources, the Washington, D.C.-based Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) along with Garden Design magazine, have issued a Call for Nominations - Landslide 2006: Spotlight on the Garden.

They are now accepting nominations for Landslide 2006: Spotlight on the Garden . If you know a garden that is worthy of inclusion in this call to action, please download and submit an application. Deadline is January 31, 2006.

http://www.tclf.org/landslide/2006/index.htm

Stormwater Research for Residential Landscapes

Finally, research for the residential scale project! The University of Vermont is studying the effects of stormwater run-off on residential neighborhoods. Read more about it in The Mercury News or the University of Vermont websites below.

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/13367200.htm

www.uvm.edu/~ran/ran/ toolbox/bmp/index.php.

Establish a Standard

If you want to set a standard for the quality of plants on your projects, one of the best resources is the American Standard for Nursery Stock from the American Nursery and Landscape Association (ANLA). I keep a copy at my desk. You can refer to it in specifications or use it to evaluate plant deliveries. The document is now available as a PDF document on the ANLA website.

Click on the address below for document (warning- it is 129 pages)
http://www.anla.org/applications/Documents/Docs/ANLAStandard2004.pdf

Food for Thought

Nature does nothing uselessly.
Artistotle (384BC-322BC)

Plantsman Gets Credit

Landscape architects have been accused of not knowing our plants. Piet Oudolf has proven that we know our plants and they are as important as the structure of the garden. In this article in the Washington Post, he has some great comments on how effective plants can be.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/30/AR2005113000429.html

International Garden Festival

Our neighbors to the North have a wonderful garden competition which was recently featured in our own Landscape Architecture Magazine (November 2005 issue). The next International Garden Festival will be at the Reford Gardens in Quebec on June 24 through October 1, 2006.

Click on their website at www.jardinsmetis.com/english/index.htm for cutting edge ideas and the latest news.

Potomac and Maryland Chapter Awards

The December 2 update of the "The Dirt" features the Potomac and Maryland Chapter Awards. Check out the residential projects.
There is also a review of the new book by Dominique Browning, The New Garden Paradise, by the Washington Post.

www.asla.org/land/dirt.html