[david maynes]

Go to the cheapest program. Given the current opportunities within the profession, and really the overall fiscal payback for the profession, I would go cheap.You wont really learn landscape architecture in school anyway, just prepare for it. No need to break the bank (IMHO)

Its not a get rich profession, especially when you’re fresh.I had to move to another country to maintain employment in the profession (2 years ago).

Food for thought

Good luck!

[david maynes]

Where on the east coast? Northern or Southern? Southern exposure?

I’ve used low-bush blueberry sod (V. angustifolium) for instant and extremely effective erosion/bank planting. Its likely a bit expensive, but available! Typically harvested in square foot sizes by blueberry farmers in Maine to supplement their income in the slow times of the production year. The gentleman I use will deliver a long distance for a substantial order size. It was around $2.75 – 3/sq.ft delivered a couple years ago. Not sure if it still is. The name of the farm is Sunkhaze, and they’re out of Greenbush, Maine. They worked alot with UMaine developing sustainable harvest methods, etc.

I highly recommend the blueberry sod route. It eliminates the need for an erosion mat, provides instant stability, can be integrated into local farming, has immense wildlife value, is drought tolerant (once rooted in…typically one growing season if planted in spring), helps a northern farmer get through the slow periods, and is stunning in fall color.

Good luck!

[david maynes]

Check out Peter Latz’ work – Emscher Park/Duisborg Nord in particular. Niall Kirkwood from Harvard has written a couple books on the subject as well.

Good luck!

[david maynes]

It’s not the ‘MLA’ degree that gets you the better job, it’s the knowledge you gain from the research you choose that becomes your professional value and attraction.

I had a BS in landscape hort, then went to grad school (later in my career) to explore the hard science of phytoremediation and its project integration with design and implementation. Now…

I’m an optimist, and believe that someday just maybe, cleaning junk can be done without a dump truck and offsite disposal facility. In ten years perhaps, maybe the intense research and understanding I have of this subject will offer a lucrative and promising later career. We’ll see!

If you’re unemployed and have a research interest, I say an MLA (specialized knowledge) can be helpful. Maybe just not right when you graduate.

Good luck

 

 

[david maynes]

Check out Rusty Keeler out of Ithaca NY (Earthplay) He specializes in natural playscapes and has an interesting ethos regarding implementation and construction…very community outreach based. Nature-based playscapes are typically much cheaper and often times able to avoid the fall height regs and surface material requirements.

Here in Newfoundland, there’s been a big push to go this route. A client (daycare operator) implemented some of the design I did for her, while maintaining the traditional playground stuff. The traditional stuff is ignored. Kids much prefer to climb around, run…go to a dream world they create, not a predetermined plastic and metal creative void.

A good book that gets into the research on the benefits of this type of outdoor creative learning environment is ‘Last Child in the Woods’. 

Good luck!

 

[david maynes]

Agreed with the Nyssa…I didn’t read closely enough…’dunes’. Oops.
Sassafras is superb, but I have found it to be a bit finicky to establish.

Smaller is better in most situations. A good rule of thumb I use for trees is a year of establishment for every inch of caliper. So many times I argue for the small tree, but everyone demands the instant ‘mature’ tree scale. It’s always dicey the first couple seasons.

Nice dialogue

[david maynes]

Nyssa sylvatica (black tupelo) is a wonderful tree that does well in sandy coastal soils. I also second the shrubs cited by Mr Garulay…both myrica and comptonia fix nitrogen too! Bonus
I would use caution with the rugosa rose…I believe they made the list of invasives in the northeast a couple years ago.
Best of luck

[david maynes]

MVV started his career in a CE firm…for what it’s worth

 

[david maynes]

Agreed to all mentioned.

Here in Newfoundland, skilled labor and materials for realizing a particularly inspired project is near impossible. The firm I work for is exploring the seemingly obligatory need to build what we design, just to enable design progress on the island. I believe some places/regions can force the hand of construction upon the design firm, at least if one looks beyond as you say ‘ a dozen plants and two types of pavers’.

Thanks for the thoughts

 

[david maynes]

playground precast rubber edging/curbing might work. It wouldn’t be a super clean look, but a kid wont bust his noggin on it.

see: Softline Flexi Edge for example

best of luck!

[david maynes]

I recall Topos 2010 ‘Sustainability’ had a piece about a waterfront project that used solar panels as a sort of paver (the units were customized to be walked on, etc). I wish I could remember the project and where, but anyhow the general point being using photovoltaics as a hardscape. 

 

[david maynes]

Thinkpad (use to be IBM, now Lenovo). Very solid laptop. Always reliable.

I’ve been using a T60 for a few years. Never had a problem with any of the afore mentioned software…even Sketchup is smooth navigating high MB files.

The other nice thing is you can customize each component (give and take) to help balance the price-to-performance ratio for your application.

Good luck

 

[david maynes]

I believe that planting design can be both, evocative and provocative.

I have always tended toward an eclectic planting aesthetic.

Evocative: context-based indigenous planting palette

Provocative: ornamental planting palette (cultivars propagated for provocation!)

The massing and interweaving of the two creates form, expression, exaggeration, culture (Randall Arendt’s work implies how both ornamental and indigenous planting can be culturally significant), ecotypes supportive of ornamental management obligations over the long term (IPM-based design…increase predators at the right time, using less ‘key’ species, and minimizing scout-monitoring…kind of; the locals protecting the newbies ‘because they know people'(insects)), and the temporal-textural aspects which can be so much more interesting than perpetual color bombs.

 

Planting design is an art. Planting design is a science. Evocative-Provocative.

 

Monday, I have to convince a colleague that less pavers for more planting would be best in a current project. We’ll see how that goes.

Nice topic, but I think Edward said it best; a month? Ouch

 

 

 

[david maynes]

check out STA Pickett et al.
lots of research regarding urban ecology/systems
Here’s a particularly good paper:
http://urban.csuohio.edu/~2427076/papers/LUP2000_2007/lUP2004_Resilient%20cities_socioeconomic_ecological.pdf

IMO, if you want to understand how to implement theories of LU, you have to understand the systems and their interaction. Good luck!

[david maynes]

Myself and a colleague checked it out last summer. We were both underwhelmed.
Darrel Morrison’s meadow plantings were by far way more interesting. Stormking in general, is awesome.
In torn defense to Lin…her exhibit (inside) on the process of creating the wave field was much more intriguing than the product.

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