Sometimes I just take a Google Street View screenshot and scribble on it when I am thinking about plants or layouts. Very handy for front gardens! This is not a thing I would use to show a client, though.
Sometimes fast and easy is the way to go!
Ladybug Picnic
One, two, three
Four, five, six
Seven, eight, nine
Ten, eleven, twelve
Ladybugs
Came to the ladybugs' picnic
Folks from Gen-x will probably be able to hear this song in their head. Also, the Pinball number counting sound which is not relevant here...
Image of a ladybug, or lady beetle, on an Eriogonum leaf in Oakland, CA
I love ladybugs, as I think most people do. They are so round and brightly colored and clearly love having picnics., what’s not to like?
Did you know they are also beneficial insects for your garden?
You may sometimes in the spring see garden centers selling little tubs of ladybugs. I admit to having purchased these in the past. I DO NOT recommend you buy these poor things, though. They are wild harvested and can carry parasites.
Anyway, what usually happens? They are long gone by the end of the day. You can do things to keep them there. For instance, release them in the morning and make sure you have wet down your entire garden. Also, a a ton of aphids for them to eat.
If you do have an aphid problem you can ask around your neighborhood to see if anyone has some you can abduct. Really, you want them to stick around and lay eggs because the larvae eat more aphids than the adults do.
What do ladybug larvae look like?!
Cute spiky red and black ladybug larvae.
How to attract ladybugs to my garden?
Ladybugs like to crawl around on flat topped flowers like Achillea (yarrow) and Calendula. They do eat nectar and pollen. Make sure you have water for them and shade. Mostly, they want aphids! I tend to have tons of aphids on my vegetable garden. So, odds are if you leave that kale plant too long it will soon be covered in aphids.
Buffalo Bayou Cistern in Houston, TX
I grew up in the suburbs of Houston. Houston is VERY BIG. Wikipedia puts the Greater Houston area at about 10,062 square miles, slightly smaller than the state of Massachusetts. The suburbs were pretty boring, and as soon as we were teens able to drive, we left our immediate area to explore. We mostly went downtown, as that seemed to be where all the excitement was. We visited all the museums and parks, and of course, the music venues like Emo's, the Axiom, the Vatican, Fitzgerald's... I'm forgetting the others. Someplace called the Unicorn, maybe? Numbers... hahahah. We were underage, so I'm sure there were many clubs that were off my radar, plus my memories of high school are a bit hazy at this point.
I go back to visit my parents, and the area and city always feel very familiar but weird because I no longer really know my way around, and so many things have changed.
My interests have changed with age, as you might expect. Not that I don't still like to go to a punk club now and then! But I do love to explore parks with an eye for design, plantings, and history.
On my most recent visit, I decided to check out Buffalo Bayou Park, and more specifically, the Cistern. I don't remember this area being a park when I lived in Houston. It might have been, but it seems like they have put a lot of effort into it more recently, with tons of trails, landscaping, art, and gathering spaces.
You can see how big the whole park is! There is much to explore!
But it's hecka hot in Houston in July. I'm just not acclimated anymore, and I don't like being so hot and humid. It's not really conducive to exploring the outdoors. I did convince the family to head downtown to check out the Cistern on this trip though! I think I had seen that they were putting on concerts and art exhibits, but for our visit, they just had the regular history tour as an option. I love a history tour, so that was fine by me!
The Cistern is, obviously, pretty big! It held up to 15 million gallons of water. It is not in use anymore due to an irreparable leak. I just love that someone decided to turn it into a place to visit and tour. I'm imagining a meeting where some people are like, "Why the heck would people want to visit a musty old broken cistern?!" And other people are like, "Well, we can tell you are not huge nerds, so we're not even sure we can explain it to you!"
The ramped entrance is very dramatic!
I didn't manage to get many good photos. It looks as you might imagine... just like Khazad-dûm in the Lord of the Rings movies.
The water in this picture is only about 2 inches deep but the reflection makes it look like the water is deep and clear. I recommend this tour and exploring Buffalo Bayou Park. I’ll be back to check some of the other interesting-looking areas. The Lost Lake, the Arboretum, and there is a bat colony to visit(!), and a Children’s Nature Play Area.
Manzanita Gall
I was walking down the street and saw this plant and was sort of baffled by it. Have I seen this before? Maybe? Anyway, I took some pictures and googled around and then also asked my boss @terralindadesign.
So, these are caused by aphids. They are eating the leaves and cause the leaves to create this redish gall around the aphids. I’m still sort of having trouble picturing exactly what is happening here but the link above has a pic of a manzanita gall cut open and filled with aphids. I never took the Pests class at Merritt and clearly I should have!
Then and Now
I stumbled across this picture of our side yard the other day. Wow! It is highly cringeworthy. But such is the price and reality of construction.
Um. It looks you might have left some stuff in the side yard…
About a year and a half later!!!
Just came across these two photos of the space in 2014 just after the basement was done. You can see we still had the metal awning, no stairs, no porch, etc.
Some Drawings
I’m getting in some more sketch time. this first drawing is colored pencil on printer paper. I was just trying out some different styles.
These are some pages in my sketchbook. I was remembering the summer class I took as a young teen at RISD. My aunt came to pick me up and had no idea what we were drawing. We were each standing in front of a huge piece of newsprint paper. What she dis not see was that wee all also had a tiny shelf made of card board taped next to us with a single piece of popcorn on it. Hahahahah.
Experimenting with different colors in watercolor.
Watercolor of a Mission Blue Butterfly
Landscape Sketchbook - Blobs of Color
I was just playing around with color in this sketch. I really love seeing a landscape where there is super bright color introduced. So far I have not really had a chance to get a client to do this. I have certainly suggested it and tried! I really have! I just love a bright contrast and pop of color!
I will never be bored.
Maybe this is one of the ways ADHD is a blessing. I will certainly never be bored.
Photo of a sketchbook with watercolor painting of an embroidered pouch. The desk is cluttered with paints and a Nintendo Switch Lite in yellow.
Sewing is another hobby I have not been as active with. It is time consuming and I have just had other things consuming my time. But I do still admire my dragon hoard of supplies.
Garden Memes
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