Rob Halpern

I guess my objection to what I am seeing here is that, if I am correct that they must be caching the rain water, that they build this huge structure that requires huge maintenance, and say it has to do with sustainability. If one is going to start with the large cistern, then wouldn’t the project be more sustainable if the water were used for…[Read more]

Sheesh, Trace, I was just thinking about urban water run off!

Not intended as snooty, Henry. But this is a site that ought not to have street trees. It is a difficult position for the designer to be in, but they will not work here. And frankly not a single species named by any of us (including myself) suits this site, IMO

It strikes me that planting trees that “want” to be 50′ tall and taller under a 20′ line is bad horticulture and bad design.

Is the limited root room a given?
Can the paving be replaced to make way for structural soil beneath?

The restriction on height matched with the narrow space, limited root zone and high branching translates into doomed trees that may well be butchered until they die. (Is that too up-beat?)
Also, if the area has been Zone 5 then I wouldn’t be so quick to plan on Zone 6a trees (except these poor things won’t have a long life anyway)

There are…[Read more]

I was there last summer and my feet haven’t recovered yet!

Paris is great both for the traditional formal French landscapes and for more contemporary ones such as the Musée du Quai Branly,(http://www.quaibranly.fr/en/musee/areas/the-garden.html)

Well, this particular exhibit appears to be for an even rarer forest relative of komodos, and the faux lechens etc are to educate the public about the animals and their habitat. There will be no fumes by the time the animals are put here.
If these are indeed the blue monitors, they are only recently known to biologists and this may in fact be a…[Read more]

We don’t know why the zoo, which understands better than anyone the importance of planted exhibits (as former Curator of Horticulture there I can attest to that) chose this for these lizards. It does appear that what we see here is what the exhibit will be… no plantings.  But perhaps for these animals the climbing and hiding opportunities are…[Read more]

Well sure, but for what it is worth, my original question was closer to “Is there a problem?”

Which is very different from “A Guide For The Young Person Looking For Employment”

And the noises!

No, probably a black one

Or go a step further:
http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=125443&CultureCode=en

This does not surprise me.
I have worked with a number of architects and engineering firms who tout their numbers and computer analyses when designing something, but not one has ever gone back to the built project to measure whether it met the promise, let alone attempt to learn from it for the next project. When you speak with the people who…[Read more]

This recent article from American Nurseryman explores a similar approach:
http://www.amerinursery.com/article-9570.aspx

My advice to most young people looking, starry eyed, at a career is this –
if you go in this direction and stay, your career may be many things over time. If you stay you might design those pretty parks, but that will probably not be the bulk of what you do. Or perhaps you’ll never do it at all. Perhaps you’ll work on tract home developments in…[Read more]

Last time I up-graded my LandCAD I bought the one year support package precisely so I could get my questions answered. I knew I wouldn’t need the support very long. If you call them on an hourly charge basis they, well, like to ramble on the phone.

I don’t use irrigation though, so I can’t help you.

OK, so a really really big tropical Liriope

Cordyline.
My second and final try