succulents-espalier

In the Garden: Maintenance Is in the Details

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By Suzanne Arca, ASLA, ALPD, CLCA

Founder and Principal, Arca Design Group

There’s more to landscape maintenance than just clearing weeds and pruning. Though it may quickly tidy up the place, not every landscape responds well to quick “mow and blow” treatments. Keep in mind that each plant species reacts differently to pruning, root disturbances, fertilizers, and watering methods.

Instead we encourage taking the effort to prune only to enhance each plant’s natural form, such as removing uneven or dead leaves from the base of a Flax or cutting stems and branches to mimic a plant’s natural growth pattern, or to better frame neighboring plants, boulders, or sculpture. Also knowing which time of the season and how to prune appropriately for each species are important factors not to overlook.

Appropriate care of your watering system involves maintaining an irrigation plan that best suits your garden and pocketbook. It’s important to know or hire a crew that is familiar with different kinds of irrigation controllers and systems that are appropriate to the moisture requirements of your garden.

If your sunny California native plantings are on the same timer as your Camellias and Rhododendron’s, root rot or other problems could develop, along with issues of wasted water. Keeping an eye out for water pooling from improper drainage, breaks in irrigation lines or a cracked nozzle are also important routine tasks. Having an idea of how your system functions is key to long term plant success.

The health of a garden is also largely dependent on the upkeep of the soil. There is an entire ecosystem beneath our feet which contains beneficial mycorrhizae and other creepy crawlies that help to supply nutrients and break down old plant matter. Adding amendments such as compost created from yard waste replenishes nutrients back into the soil and feeds your plants.

An appropriate amount of mulch which covers the soil in a depth of 1 to 2 inches helps to reduce evaporation and provides habitat for those beneficial critters and plant roots. Yearly replacement of mulch which has decomposed or blown away is also recommended. Keep in mind that the darker the color of the mulch the more sunlight will be absorbed, and that residual heat will reach your plants – which is more of a factor in hotter climates.

Chemicals and pesticides, while effective in some extreme situations, can be substituted for more natural options such as neem oil or iron phosphate baits, which fertilize plants and are harmless to people and animals. Our motto, as a green certified business, is to use fertilizers and use pest control products which are approved by the Bay Area Green Business and Bay Friendly Garden Program.

Suzanne Arca teaches horticulture and design studios at Merritt College and UC Berkeley Extension. She is an award winning landscape designer and contractor at Arca Design Group, Inc., winner of Oakland Magazine, Best of Oakland 2018. Visit www.arcadesigngroup.com or call (510)558-0636.

window box kale

The Artful Edible Garden

by with No Comment Blog

By Suzanne Arca, ASLA, ALPD, CLCA

Founder and Principal, Arca Design Group

Many of us caught the edible garden craze a few years back, but some of us may have found that a farm-to-table garden isn’t always the most aesthetically appealing scene. This doesn’t have to be the case.

Using edibles in landscape design can increase the health and economic benefits we derive from our gardens, and can be done in such a way as to increase a garden’s visual appeal as well. Working within the bigger picture of the overall garden style, thoughtfully incorporating decorative containers, various plant forms, hardscape structures, and blending edibles with ornamentals, are all ways to enhance the ornamental garden while reaping the many benefits of growing your own food.

Although the traditional kitchen garden, potager, or parterre, has its own kind of traditional beauty, that may or may not jive with the aesthetic of your home or existing garden. Is your home and landscape modern, with clean lines and minimal plant materials? Consider swapping out the traditional wood planter boxes for Corten or stainless steel, in a variety of shapes and shades. Food-safe options for these are available.

Arranging your plantings in carefully chosen blocks of contrasting color and texture can also achieve a beautifully clean, minimalist look. Do you have a Mediterranean villa theme happening? Consider planting your favorite herbs, vegetables, or fruits in beautiful, deep ceramic pots, arranged in groups throughout the garden.

Some edible plants provide their own structural support, and some require additional support. This gives us an opportunity to play with the valuable element of verticality in our outdoor spaces. Vines such as beans and peas, grapes, or kiwi can form a delicious, living green wall. They can be trained onto an existing wall with a few wires, drape gracefully over arbors, allowing the fruit to hang for easy harvest, intertwine with artfully shaped bamboo or twig structures, or climb the living wood of another plant.

Fruiting trees provide another opportunity for creating sculptural vertical elements in the garden with some regular aesthetic pruning, the traditional art of espalier. An added benefit of espaliering fruit trees is that they can fit into narrow spaces, such as along a wall. Not enough space for a traditional orchard in your yard, you say? With espalier techniques, you still get to have some fruit trees!

Another strategy many aesthetically minded gardeners employ is the blending of the edible elements with the ornamental landscape. In some cases, this benefits our tender and high-maintenance annual food crops, by providing a more ecologically diverse climate for them. Companion planting can increase resistance to pests and improve soil nutrition.

Some of our vegetables also have aesthetically appealing qualities of their own such as flowers, fruit, interesting leaf texture or color, or plant structure, which can provide visually interesting components that change with the seasons. Think of the bold statement made by the flowers of chives or artichokes, the deep violet drama of a red cabbage or tree collard leaf, the verticality of a stalk of corn, or the way a pomegranate tree transitions from golden-leafed to red-globed glory in the fall.

While annual edible plants may sometimes require more maintenance than your average perennial ornamental gardens, the benefits they offer are multi-faceted. Being in touch with the rhythm of the seasons brings not just food to the table or a reason to work up a sweat outside, but psychological benefits as well. For gardeners with less time on their hands, there are plenty of nurseries that sell small vegetable starts—no waiting for seeds to germinate. Also, not to be overlooked, is the fact that the Bay Area offers the unique gift of a year-round growing season.

All it takes to get started is tucking a few herbs into the edge of that bed by the back door, and you’ll be on your way. Along with enjoying the visual beauty of your garden, why not enjoy the taste?

Suzanne Arca, ASLA, ALPD, CLCA is the Founder and Principal of Arca Design Group, a full-service design-build landscape architecture firm based in the East Bay. Arca Design Group is a Certified-Green and -Bay-Friendly landscaping company. Suzanne is also an instructor in the Landscape Architecture and Landscape Horticulture departments at U.C. Berkeley and Merritt College. Contact her to design your dream garden! arcadesigngroup.com

All photos courtesy of Suzanne Arca