Craig Anthony

IMO the whole sustainability/green thing has been with us since the 70s. We just called it something different, but it’s basically the same thing. It’s same thing the old guys were talking about in the 80s when I was a student and it’s been repackaged as new cool stuff like holey jeans or skateboards. I believe that in the not-so distant futur…[Read more]

Thanks Bob… from a guy you would probably call a liberal. I like to call myself a thinker. I think this country needs liberals and conservatives, and I still love you because you’re an American. Please note my friend that not all liberals want to give murderers hugs, and lay down their life for some crappy tree.

I have to agree with Andrew with regards to the number of project possibilities in residential landscape architecture. High-end residential work seems steadier. Things have to get pretty bad like they did in 2009 before rich homeowners stop buying properties and doing landscape improvements. That said, doing residential design has its own special…[Read more]

Kristen I think you’ve received some really great advice so far. I’ll just my two bits.
As mentioned previously it seems like your interest are pointed to earth sciences and design, so there’s a tie in with landscape architecture. If you like to be outdoors depending on the route you choose (or the one that you end up on), you could land a posit…[Read more]

If I can offer you one piece of advice if you’re going to be in design/build/sales–don’t be afraid to ask the tough questions up front. If during the initial visit you learn that the homeowner has been living in the house four three or four years and the window treatments are missing, unfurnished living rooms, etc., start asking questions. Thi…[Read more]

Never ever design anything for free. 

Like!

I don’t get it either. As far as I’m concerned it could have been made of textured and painted fiberglass or gunite.

Nice Rule of Thumb.
I guess the exception would be plants that grow really slow.

I think that “15 year rule” makes sense to me. But, here in the States a lot of people want instant gratification. They’re thinking that they will only live in the house for 5-7 years and they want it to look like the established gardens that they see on their European vacations… RIGHT NOW! So within that 15 year period a home could have 2 or 3 di…[Read more]

Note: I said, “RULE OF THUMB”. But, I do appreciate you pointing out to me that there is a difference between a shrub and let’s say… a concrete box culvert. 

I‘ve used this as a rule of thumb for 25+ years and have had no real problems. I just tell the client that when the plantings are installed it’s not going to look like what is drawn. It will have to grow into what is on the plan. Then I put a note on the drawing stating that the plants are drawn at mature sizes.
I hate seeing shrubs that want to…[Read more]

Nice point you bring up there Andrew. I was initially cautious, because what works in the mid-West and northeast doesn’t necessarily work in the rest of the country. My first thought was that the longer growing season in the rest of the country, along with the different types of turf grasses might be a problem. I stuck my neck out (my boss d…[Read more]

Daniel:
Not to shoot holes in your game. I’ve used your great products for years for brick pavers and even applications it’s not intended for, but as a designer I most often choose not to use it to edge planting beds. Once again you’re absolutely correct about the fact it maintains the original bedline, so if that’s what’s important to the desig…[Read more]

I agree after years and years of deep edging you can have the bedline drift outward, but if done properly only an inch or two is removed along the existing edge. If you only deep edge once a year it takes a long time to expand a bed and a lot of times as the plants grow you need to expand the beds a little anyway. But, I can’t disagree with you…[Read more]

So it’s a bed of rocks with no plants, adjacent to lawn. Sorry I missed that somehow (duh). OK, why not use some kind of chopped stone for edging? It will probably do as good a job or better than steel/aluminum edging at slowing down the grass from migrating into the beds because of its thickness and the maintenance contractor can just use a…[Read more]

Metal edging works as good as weed barrier (landscape fabric) at keeping grass out of beds.

If a landscape is being professional maintained, why do you need any edging between turf and planting beds?

You made me chuckle Trace. I think Fox is the network for small minded middle aged and older men who will let a big haired blond cupcake lead them over a cliff with their “hotness”.  
I hate to say it but I do watch Fox from time to time when I need a good laugh. 

You’re talking out of both sides of your mouth my friend. Sorry, but there are already people concerned and working on population growth issues. Seriously, a global movement to curb population growth, I think we need to figure out how we can stop killing one another and poisoning our planet first. If we keep ruining our environment over p…[Read more]