I stole this from the internet somewhere.
Landscape Sketchbook - Plan View
I came to landscape design through drafting and design, not through plants or gardening. When I first started landscape design classes I seriously did not know a single plant. LOL. One of the first classes I took was planting design for some reason. It was kinda hard since I knew absolutely zero about plants. :D
But I looooved hand drafting so much. It’s one of those activities where I can really get into a flow state. I like CAD drafting as well but it is not nearly as soothing.
I like to doodle these plan view symbols. Would it be weird to get some of these tattooed on myself?! No, no it would not be weird.
colorful plan view plant symbols
colorful plan view plant symbols
Galvanized Stock Tanks in the Garden
I’m a huge fan of using these galvanized, industrial looking troughs in the garden. Concord Feed has a nice selection of them. This is the one in Pleasant Hill.
A large selection of galvanized containers at a feed store.
People are often shocked when they get quoted for having someone build a raised bed for them. It takes skill to make a really nice, sturdy cedar or redwood raised bed, so it makes sense that it would be expensive. And don't get me wrong, I love a wooden raised bed, especially when they've been built with a wide lip for sitting or resting your tools.
There are a lot of reasons people might want a raised bed, and if they just don't have the money to invest in a well-built wooden one, I think the galvanized ones are a perfect solution. For one, in this area the soil is often hard clay and also very possibly contaminated with high lead levels. It can also be a mobility issue. If you can't bend over or crouch comfortably, you'll want to harvest your veggies or flowers from something at least at the 2' height. These can also just add height to your garden pretty cheaply. I've used them as part of retaining walls.
Another reason these are nice is that you can take them with you when you move. So if you're renting, it will be easier to move these than disassembling wooden beds and reassembling them at your new place.
Homeowners can go to a feed store to buy these or have them delivered, fill them with soil, and they're ready to plant. Adding irrigation is no problem. They have a drainage hole so you can use that to run your irrigation line.
The galvanized troughs will also keep pesky gophers from tunneling up and snacking on your veggies.
I've heard complaints from people about these, and I have counter arguments. If folks don't like the industrial look, you can just paint them. I've seen them look really nice tinted in a coppery color to sort of look like Corten. They might be nice in a dusty grayish-green color as well.
Sometimes folks are worried about chemicals leaching into the soil from the metal. And look, I'm not a metallurgist... but the modern ones are not going to leach anything in troublesome quantities into your soil. Just don't use a vintage one from the '80s or older.
My Current Mental Landscape
My bubble diagram of my mental landscape. I think I was in a bit of a depressive episode when I drew this one. I should redraw this now and then to see how things change. Because, if nothing else, we know that landscapes change over time.
What would yours look like?
Time for a Tea Party
Just a few pics from our back porch tea party. We have some delicious treats from Lovejoy’s in SF plus some extra crumpets and pastries.
A trip to Lake Merritt Garden
A little stir crazy during this dumb pandemic? Thankfully, we have so many lovely places to visit and the weather that makes it even nicer.
This is a fun new area with pots and succulents.
I spy a new play area over there.
This looks like another new area. some awesome boulders and a twig teepee structure. I def want to play here.
I’m currently obsessed with Daniel Smith Pyroll Orange. It is perfect for this cone.
Watercolor sketchbook with some pots and succulents and an orange cone.
Sketchbook
watercolor painting in a sketchbook of a Clanculus margaritarius
The side yard is growing in nicely
“Everyone needs a sideyard”, as my boss tends to say. Usually she is talking about people needs a messy work area - a place to keep shovels and buckets, etc.
In this case, as we only have one side yard, I wanted it to be a beautiful entrance to our garden. The crappy stuff is hidden in a back a bit.
We are finding that this side yard stays nice and cool during the summer The bamboo is growing in to add shade and will hopefully screen the house from our very nice neighbor at some point. I love the way the path turned out. It is very weird to remember that this whole area was mostly underground previously and then WAS a trash area for quite a while as we did the deck construction and laundry room rebuild in the back.
A fine and shady spot to drink a cocktail and have some snacks.
I am a tad concerned for the changing light over the seasons in this area. It is mostly full sun on one side in the summer and then in winter it really does become all shady with some morning and evening light. Originally I wanted this inch to be a live edge bench but with all the chaos and decision fatigue of construction we just went with whatever. It’s nice enough!
Cotinus ‘Grace’, Ceanothus ‘Diamond Heights, Bulbine ‘tiny tangerine’, Achillea and some Armeria
Tim got me that egret at Burning Man in 2012. As we were driving out someone had a bunch still up in their camp and he got out and asked if we could have one. I love it so!
Drawing Vicariously
I’m not heading to the ranch so T is sending me pictures. I am drawing them and it feels just as nice and meditative as getting to go up there.
Chicken Math
Our second to last chicken died in February of this year and, with just one chicken left, I decided that we would get a new batch of chickens. My timeline was dependent on Concord Feed and their schedule of chickens. I was hoping to get some specific breeds. I ended up just getting the ones they had available and I am very glad I did because the week after I picked ours up there was a global pandemic declared and people went nuts buying up all the chickens. It was all about sourdough starter and buying ‘pandemic chickens’ in those first few weeks. I mean, also it was about people being scared, dying, losing their jobs and a host of other horrible things.
We ended up getting six chickens, 2 cream legbars, and four cochins (black, blue, buff, speckled). Our older hen is an Easter Egger and she mostly hates us.
Even now I feel the inexplicable pull of chicken math. I really want to add some chocolate eggers or a Lavender Orpington… there are so many adorable chickens out there.
Meme showing a still of Boromir from The Lord of the Rings with the caption, “One does not simply get a few chickens”.
Baby chickens are just the cutest things! Check out these nerds as babies:
So the week after got these the SIP order was put in place. My sister and I organized a pet fashion show for the kids in our lives. It was a great success. I submitted several chicks wearing muffin papers.
Photo of a sketchbook page open to a watercolor and ink drawing of a ticket (front and back) saying ‘Pet Fashion Show March 2020”
Picture of a gray and white chick butt wearing a muffin paper as a skirt.
Pink Tamales and an Outing to Pt. Richmond
The goals for this outing were for me to check out the landscape in front of the Natatorium, go to Keller Beach, and to try out a restaurant in Pt. Richmond.
What the heck is a Natatorium?! A natatorium is just an indoor pool. This one is called the Richmond Plunge and it is a public warm saltwater pool. It is fairly newly restored, in 2010 I think the building was retrofitted, solar panels installed (these panels help heat the water) and a new, native plant landscape was installed as well.
Wandering through the landscape in the front of the building I noticed that along the side by the train tracks the landscape continues. There is a regulation sized Bocce Court, a farther back behind the building there are tennis courts, picnic areas with tables and grills, a Little Free Library, and more native plants.
View of a teenager reading a plaque in front of a brick building with a large sign that says, “Municipal Natatorium”.
We ended up going to Masa to get tamales to bring with us to Keller Beach. I had been the Keller Beach before but a long time ago and I couldn’t remember what access was like. My prediction last month that my achilles tendons were giving out was, unfortunately, correct and so I am wearing a boot to try to give the left one a rest. We ended up not going all the way down to the beach but we sat on a bench looking out over the swimmers and ate our tasty tamales. We split a strawberry dessert tamale, the first dessert tamale I have ever had. It was good!
Just sitting by the water listening to kids playing in the water and the sound of wind and waves feels so restorative. I was amazed at how far out the swimmers went! I forget that people swim here. I have only been in the water here (in Northern CA) a handful of times.
View of a small beach surrounded by greenery covered cliffs, a few people are in the water and you can see the Richmond Bridge in the background.
There is so much more to explore around here I am sure we will be back. Here is a link to a PDF of the East Bay Regional Park tri-fold about this areas trails.
Plaque displaying the Ferry Point Loop and Shipyard Trail.
We also made two side trips. First, to Serrano’s Bakery in Richmond and then to TAP Plastics to get some silicon mold making supplies.
Oakland's Downtown Equinox Observatory
Did you know that Oakland has it’s very own equinox observatory? This article in the Oakland wiki suggests it was planned by several prominent citizens in the early 1900’s.
The Oakland Local Wiki is actually a very interesting site to hunt around in. Check out the 101 Things to love about Oakland article. The cool thing about Wiki’s is that anyone can contribute.
Plant Combo
Sphaeralcea ambigua, Dichondra argentea 'Silver Falls', and Carex testacea.
I got this Sphaeralcea from Mountain States Nursery a few years ago, I can’t remember what variety this nice peach color is. The yard was still being trampled by construction so this spot was where I put all my randomly acquired plants. So far I have NOT cut this plant back in the Fall so it tends to get leggy and awkward looking. It really should be cut back to about 6 in when it is done flowering.
Art in the garden
Came across this nice metal garden art a few weeks ago. Desert Steel.
Sometimes you really need a focal point and plants are great for this, so are water features. But art can be a great focal point as well. These all have a really nice level of detail and look amazing nestled among plants.
I really want to use one of these in a project!!
Ruth Bancroft Outing
There are no camps I’m willing to send my kid to this year. So I have reduced my work schedule to have one more week day to hangout with him. While it’s okay to visit public spaces I’ll be whisking him away to visit various sites around town. I feel my privilege in being able to do A. work from home most of the time and B. have the ability to adjust my schedule. I’m feeling this privilege even more as I think about the coming school year. Are we really willing to risk the health of our teachers and students just to get childcare?
So anyway, UPS in Oakland is having a covid-19 and crappy equipment related melt down and thusly the shoes I ordered kiddo are not arriving any time soon. He is wearing shoes 2 sizes too small so I MUST get him something. We head to Walnut Creek to get shoes and have our side trip to the Ruth Bancroft Garden. I haven’t been here in several years, in fact, since they have upgrade to have an event space and a nursery.
It looks amazing. The parking lot is even nice and have beautiful Palo Verde trees planted between spaces. At this time, there are strict guidelines in place to stop the spread of Covid-19. Kiddo and I wore masks and kept our hand sanitizer at the ready.
The garden was full of employees/volunteers working, there was a photoshoot/video interview happening, and there were a several other visitors. I was thrilled to find a plant in the nursery that I had been looking for since the beginning of the year, a Eucalyptus cinerea ‘Silver Dollar’. This plant was in a recent landscape design but I ended up having to find a sub and think I ended up using a Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Golden Mop'. This Eucalyptus is great for a cutting garden. You can keep the plants small and shrub formed if you prune it down in it’s second year encouraging multi-branching. Then prune at will to add to flower arrangements.
The Ruth Bancroft Garden has several pamphlets you can pick up at the kiosk. The especially useful ones are the Self Guided Tour and the What’s in Bloom. Oh! Looking at their website just now I see that they have a YouTube channel that gives you a tour of their blooming plants! no need to leave your living room and brave the sweltering heat anymore!
