...through "Guerrilla Art"

I have a friend who earns his living in an unusual field – he is a graffiti artist, commissioned to place his art on buildings. When we met, he oversaw pest management at the greenhouse we both worked at. Since then, his hobby has become his passion and livelihood. He has travelled the country splashing his art on the walls of Miami, Chicago, Kansas City and more. If you’ve been in Detroit or Toledo, you may have seen his work.

I’ve always thought of landscape color plantings as a form of “Guerrilla Art”, which is a term applied to certain forms of street graffiti. There are a lot of similarities if you think about it. Graffiti and landscaping are out in public space for everyone to see and enjoy (or critique). Also, the color theory needed for public space is the same. Both need to consider sight lines for how the art will be viewed. Both need to adjust for mere moments of attention versus minutes or hours of retrospection in a museum or walking garden. If people are speeding by on a freeway, the audience needs to be able to see large blasts of color to interpret the art. Bigger and bolder is most often better. And planning for surroundings is essential to get the cohesive aesthetic the artist is trying to achieve in the outdoor arena.

Do you consider yourself an artist? Most landscapers I know would not. However, it’s hard to deny that the masterpieces they create in yards and public spaces are works of art. I would argue that the medium you use is the hardest to work with, since it is living (or must incorporate the living, if you’re creating a hardscape). Further complicating your living artwork is timing. If you work in annuals, this is less of an issue, but perennials, flowering shrubs and flowering trees all need to be installed with their bloom season in mind. Perhaps you should start listing “Artist” on your business cards… or “Guerrilla Artist” if you want to be edgy.

When I met my friend, he was in a phase of his life where he didn’t express to others that he was an artist, but the transition has transformed his work into his passion and he can’t hide his creative prowess any longer. Obviously, we don’t all need to quit our jobs and become graffiti artists to capture or recapture our passion. We can continue to be artists in our current jobs and turn our love of landscape into artwork the public can enjoy.

For some helpful color theory tips to elevate your art, check out Makenna’s article from last year.

Alliance Lighting’s Bluetooth series of fixtures continue to gain in popularity. What started with the single, yet revolutionary, BL200-BT “bullet” fixture has grown to over 20 different fixtures, which include path light stems, understep fixtures, downlights, uplights, and more in a short period of time.

Let’s talk about how to market these to your clients.

Have you proposed installing these versatile, high-quality fixtures only to be told that your client is not interested in color-changers? Maybe they can’t anticipate ever using anything but white, or don’t want to be locked into “color” only. But here’s the thing - the RGB color change ability is completely optional. These fixtures can stay entirely in the white spectrum, and even have three preset “white” color temperatures. Or you can choose just the right tone and brightness from the graphical interface in the Alliance bt app.

Here’s another selling point - setting up and running your own custom lighting scheme is dead easy. You can group fixtures into zones that all run the same program, for instance. An example might be to zone six directional spots on the front of the house, another with three wide-beam spots on various focal points on the property, and a third for four or five path lights on the walkway to the front door. Each zone can be controlled independently by the client right from the app. Any fixture in your installation can be grouped with any of the others, no need to be on the same run. Also, you can define up to three "scenes" that can be toggled on and off at will.

One more feature: All of Alliance’s BT series of fixtures are dimmable. Clients have the option of changing how bright or how soft they choose to illuminate every aspect of their property, by fixture or by group. There are no additional switches, transformers, or other equipment needed, and changes take effect instantly. The app makes setting lighting schedules easy and they run on their own thereafter.

In conclusion, Alliance's BT series can be zoned, are dimmable, and run from an easy-to-use mobile app. The color change ability is an extra, fun option to use seasonally or whenever the whim strikes, without having to invest in more equipment later. The app is available for Android and Apple devices and is free to download and use.

Landscape lighting just keeps getting better and better. There are few properties that can't be enhanced by outdoor lighting and having a professionally designed and installed system like Alliance's can make a big difference in a client's property value.

When I was growing up my father and I planted gladiolus corms in our flower garden next to the house. I remember their bold colors reliably displaying each summer. When I moved into my own home years later I found all sorts of new and exciting colors available. They were beautiful that first year, but the following year I noticed that most of my glads didn’t come back. After some internet-sleuthing I realized that they are supposed to be lifted and stored inside for the winter. So why did they always come back when I was a kid?

Microclimate perhaps? Our main flower garden was against a south-facing brick wall, with years of compost mixed into our sandy soil. Glads don’t like a wet bum, so our native, well-drained soil was a good match. The sun-exposed brick wall warmed up the soil, tempering the chilly winter ground.

Could it have been the heirloom varieties we grew? I’m generally a believer that local heritage varieties are hardier. This seems to be the case with gladiolus. In my experience the new fancy ones, though beautiful, are hit-or-miss with successfully overwintering in our area.

Here are some tips to help you on your way to beautiful spires of color each year:

Plant in pots

Be sure your pots are large and heavy enough so the flowers won’t blow over, also make sure they have drainage holes. Add rocks to the bottom of the pot, top with a sandy soil mix. For an extended blooming season plant pots a couple weeks apart, or mix varieties in the same pot. You can add supports to help the spires stand up as they grow tall. There are shorter, and even dwarf varieties available that may work well in pots without support or the fear of wind damage on balconies. After the flowers are spent it could be a good time to move the pots somewhere less conspicuous, as the plant does not rebloom. Sometime before the first frost, dump out the pots and collect the corms, set them somewhere where they can dry in the open air for a couple days, then lightly cover them up to dry further. For final long-term winter storage place them loosely in layers in a cardboard box, separating layers with newspaper. Keep them in a cool dark place where they may nap until spring, protected from animals and sub-40f temperatures.

Leave ‘em in the ground

With a little bit of luck and some forethought you can have success simply leaving your glads in the ground! Moisture and extreme cold temperatures are what you’re trying to manage. To this end, I have found that digging trenches in sunny areas that are not prone to spring puddling works out well. Planting next to a sun-exposed wall is even better! Dig the trench about 14” deep and fill the bottom 3” with rocks. Mix some native soil with whatever amendments are needed to build a sand-heavy blend with a modest amount of organic matter. Plant the corms at various depths as you fill the trench with soil. I’ve sunk ‘em down 8” with no problems. Hardier varieties such as ‘Violet Queen’ and ‘Atom’, as well as many old heritage classics may help you gain an edge on the colder weather.

Glads will do well with a mulch covering the soil and a balanced fertilizer after emergence.

How's everyone doing? I think we are now past the worst of the summer heat but to be honest I was ready for fall weeks ago. We may like to complain about the weather but when you are out in the hot burning sun day after day I think it's justified. Congratulations on making it through the dog days! Labor Day is the traditional end of summer but you and I both know there will be weeks of beautiful - even hot - weather before we trade sunscreen and Gatorade for hoodies and Carhartts. But today, let's get out of the sun for a minute and do some shade gardening.

I'm a big fan of shade gardening, and the plants that thrive in shade and partial shade. I used to have an enormous Hosta collection but now that I am gardening in the country I had to scale back on those because they are basically expensive entrées for our hordes of deer. I keep a few favorites behind fences but out in the yard I have better luck with ferns. 

Lest you think that all ferns need daylong shade, I have quite a colony of Ostrich fern that do just fine in nearly full sun. In fact they were getting a little carried away so I had to take some of them out. Here they are happily crushing my baptisia.

You're going to need to provide supplemental water especially under big trees, but established ferns can be surprisingly drought tolerant. Maidenhair fern can be a little fussy but Autumn, Lady, Male and Cinnamon fern are all happy in part sun to full shade, which is also where you will find ME when it's 90° or better. And you should really try to have some Painted fern if at all possible. 

So let's take a break from summer heat and enjoy this word search puzzle created by our very own Jeff Good. (Answers here)

In early March 2021, I lgot off the plane in Phoenix and began my Arizona vacation by heading up toward the Grand Canyon. I knew I was in that desert environment so prominently romanticized in Western films due to the mighty Saguaro cacti I could see in every direction. If you see a wild Saguaro, you can be certain you are in the Sonoran. This 100,000 square mile desert in Arizona, Sonora Mexico, and a corner of California is the only place this cactus grows.

A Saguaro is hard to miss. They average 10-52 feet high with the tallest on record being 78 feet. When fully hydrated they can weigh between 3200 and 4800 pounds. These dimensions are reached over its 150-200 year lifespan. They have 3 inch spines, and had I been there in April, I may have seen its waxy white flower bloom. The root system typically fans out as far as the cactus is tall, about 3 to 6 inches underground with a 3 inch tap root.

If you live in Arizona, but don't have a Saguaro on your property, you can have one planted. The best time is fall after the monsoon season. Plants under 5' can be purchased and planted by your average homeowner. Larger specimens require heavy equipment including cranes and backhoes. As much of the root system as possible must be preserved and the cactus must be planted in the same orientation in regards to the sun as it was where it was taken from. Only authorized companies are allowed to harvest Saguaro from landowners willing to sell them. Cacti with arms are more expensive than ‘spears’. Armless spears cost about $75-$125 a foot. A one-armed 75-90 year old specimen can go for $1500-$2300 installed. A large transplant cannot be deemed successful until an entire year has passed. I would hate to be the person who paid $2300 for a dead cactus, which does not include removal. When planting young Saguaro (sounds like a safer bet, but not nearly as impressive), make sure to give them a shade providing ‘nurse’ plant like the Palo Verde to give them a break from the unrelenting sun. If you don’t live in Arizona or Mexico, small plants can be grown indoors provided they have plenty of sun.

If I lived in southwest Arizona I think I would just go visit them at their home instead of kidnapping them and forcing them to live at mine, since they are plentiful inside and outside of urban areas. Or, I could just buy a piece of property that already has some.

So, remember...If you are lost and see Saguaros, relax. You are in the Sonoran desert and have narrowed down your location to an area about 100,000 square miles, and you are most likely in Arizona or Mexico. Technically no longer lost, at least on a global scale.

With the amazing number of bulb varieties in the world it is always a difficult task to decide what to order for our shelves each season, which is why we encourage you to order ahead of time (now) if you want something in particular.

We get 80% of our bulbs from the same vendor and have been doing business with them for over 30 years. We continue this relationship because they can provide the best quality and size bulbs. People always ask if size matters, and the answer is YES!  The bigger the bulb, the older the bulb. It is like buying an already established plant in a little package. You get a stronger plant with lots of blooms and instant display. The plants themselves are also more robust, producing more bulblets for more flowers!

All bulb packages show the bulb size, which is measured in centimeters and references the girth of the bulb at the widest point. When we say a bulb is “top size” that means you are getting bulbs at the high end of the range and you will see that reflected in the garden next season. Your customer will expect a nice display, but how about giving the unexpected - a grand display!

As you will notice on the bulb mailer we sent out recently, many of our varieties are tried and true and have earned their place as staples. Start with the Emperor tulips, with their large flowers, many colors, and sturdy stems. Another classic choice are Darwin Hybrid tulips. Blooming a little later than the Emperors, they also have strong stems, lots of colors, and are known to perennialize, which can maximize their potential. The dark plum ‘Negrita’ Triumph tulip is another show-stopper - pair it with a pink like ‘The Cure’ or ‘Pink Impression’ and wow!

If you are a narcissus fan, you can’t go wrong with ‘Dutch Master’ (yellow), or ‘Mount Hood’ (white). But you can certainly mix it up a little by choosing other varieties in different heights and colors to add some kick or longevity. The white and yellow ‘Ice Follies’ is a gorgeous traditional narcissus that can naturalize and withstands cold, wet spring weather.

Everyone must have a giant Allium, of course! Some people look at them as niche, others think of them as truly great performers. Bulbous Alliums require a little patience. They do not look like the picture on day one, but oh… give them time and they will stand up straight at 3’ with massive purple globes.

Don’t overlook the minor bulbs - not very tall but they get a lot of attention as they are our first look at spring. Many of them naturalize and you haven’t lived until you’ve seen a great sea of blue scilla carpeting the flowerbeds. Crocus large and small, Chionodoxa, Iris, Muscari and the short early narcissus like ‘Tete-a-Tete’ prove themselves year after year.

If you’re not installing bulbs in your designs, it’s time you did - take your client’s landscapes from wow to POW!

If you’ve ever spent any time in the Sonoran Desert, shade is a huge commodity, and there aren't a lot of shade trees. Fortunately there is a fast growing member of the legume family that is native to that desert and does provide shade with it’s 25’ x 25’ multi stemmed canopy, and it is used extensively in the Phoenix area as a landscape and street tree. It is the Palo Verde.

This tree not only provides the important function of providing shade, it is quite beautiful.  Palo Verde roughly translates to ‘green stick’ or ‘green pole’. This is because the trunk and branches are green, and there is a fascinating reason for this.

The tree is full of small leaves that will drop during cold weather or drought. The Palo Verde’s trunk and branches are green because they contain chlorophyll and allow the tree to survive tough times by continuing to be able to photosynthesize without its leaves.

The tree has another beautiful feature which is the mid-spring emergence of yellow flowers all throughout the canopy. This bloom can also occur during unexpected summer rain events. And the tree supplies seed pods which are a source of food for many native animal species.

A good location in the landscape for this tree is a patch of sandy/gravelly, well drained soil in full sun. It is recommended to prune the tree often when young to develop the ability to walk or sit under it, though you should make sure to prune in warm weather as pruning in cold weather is damaging to the plant. Newly planted and young trees benefit from supplemental watering to help get them established. Continued supplemental watering once established will encourage faster growth and a thicker canopy, but this practice will shorten the life of the tree which on rare occasions can reach the century mark.

Despite how common this plant is in Arizona landscapes, there is a good reason for it and the commonness did not diminish the beauty of this plant for me. I would probably cultivate several of these trees for their shade with brief forays into the blistering sun to visit my agave before running back to the protection of their canopy where there would be some delicious ‘prickly pear’ lemonade or iced tea waiting for me. I wonder if there are understory plants that grow in the desert...?

Early this spring I had the privilege of visiting the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona, where I had my eyes opened to how many different varieties of agave there are. They reminded me of hostas back home.  Agave: loves dry heat and sun. Hosta: prefers shade and cooler temps. They are culturally opposite but have some things in common as a landscape plant. (For our Southwestern friends who think hosta is the agave of the Midwest... write your own article.)

They are both easy to care for, though agave may have an edge in that area. They do resemble each other somewhat and are both grown mainly for the look of their foliage. This foliage comes in all shapes, sizes and colors. Over 250 different varieties of agave are out there. Hostas on the other hand top 3000! Hostas come with many variations of the colors blue, green, gold, and white, with many combining these colors in variegated foliage. Agave have a similar palette, but also include some purple and pink and come in variegated varieties as well. When it comes to diversity of shape and textures, agave certainly seems to have the upper hand. Some varieties of agave reach sizes a hosta could only dream of.

The largest agave is Agave atrovirens. It can weigh a total of 2 metric tonnes. Each leaf can be over 14 feet long and weigh over one hundred pounds, and the flower stalk can grow over 40 feet tall. This may not be suitable as a landscape plant, but the Blue American is a gorgeous large landscape plant at 4-6 feet tall and 8-10 feet wide. These, along with other large varieties, can make the largest hosta feel inadequate. Leaves on agave can be wide or narrow, short or long, tightly packed or loose and open. The more you research the more amazed you become with the sheer variety

If I lived in more arid regions, I might miss certain plants, like hostas, but I could see myself joining the ranks of other obsessed agave collectors. Going to agave swaps across the southwest, scouring the internet for more varieties, drunk on my own home made mezcal. Deeper into the rabbit hole I would go, dabbling in cactus and succulents until I’m hooked on them as well. It wouldn't be long until I was involved in shady back alley deals trying to get my hands on the rarest varieties.

There would be an intervention most likely... to no avail.

 All photographs copyright David E. Baker.

…by planting native varieties and native cultivars.

Have you ever taken a moment to really appreciate our natural surroundings? Immersed as we are in smartphones and technology, I think we tend to forget to do this. I am often guilty myself, but I do enjoy walking through parks and woods and seeing the different oaks, maples, and other native species.

Our growing population has created a high demand for roads, parking lots, businesses, and housing. That land that was stripped to make room for a development contained its own habitat and ecosystem. Planting more native plants and native cultivars is a step to rebalancing the habitat that was lost.

What is a native plant?

This is a complicated question with much debate. Some believe it means plants that are untouched by man and naturally growing in the wild. You’ll encounter discussion on exactly where that “wild” needs to be to qualify as “native” for your particular project. Then there are native cultivars or “nativars”, which are selected, named varieties of native plants, with some improvement such as a more colorful bloom, nicer habit, or better disease resistance. It can be easier to source nativars than the original species, too as some plants do not lend themselves well to nursery production. You'll want to determine what the differences are from the original wild version to see if the improved one works in your particular project.

Benefits of planting more natives and nativars

• Once established they require very low maintenance.
• Often require less water.
• Attract and support native wildlife such as birds, butterflies, pollinators and more.
• Native plants help you use less fertilizers and pesticides.
• Already adapted to local climate conditions.

It is always a good idea to plant multiple different species and not all one variety. Doing this may prevent catastrophic loss in case a new disease or insect outbreak occurs, like the ongoing Emerald Ash Borer, Dogwood anthracnose, Boxwood blight, or Oak wilt situations.

Fun fact: A native oak tree supports over 500 species of caterpillar compared to the non-native ginkgo which supports only 5. Plant some oak, the songbirds will thank you. (Research by entomologist Doug Tallamy)

There are choices to make in any landscaping project. The microclimate can provide a place to start, then the considerations of general design and how much maintenance are one is willing to carry out, site traffic and usage, etc. Within the framework of your plans there are opportunities to go beyond visual enjoyment - your clients could actually taste the fruits of your labor!

Let’s begin by considering some plants that are readily available, or may already be in your design toolbox.

Aronia (Black chokeberry) is popular in Michigan landscapes. The white spring flowers turn into loads of nearly black berries which are eagerly eaten by birds. I encourage you to pick some for yourself - they may be exceedingly tart, but are tasty when added to sugary lemonade or made into jam. Consider Aronia m. ‘Viking’. Aside from the outstanding fall color, it's berries may be eaten right off the branch for an invigorating antioxidant-rich wallop to your tastebuds.

Agastache (Hyssop) is a perennial with aromatic leaves and flowers. There are blue-purple varieties and some newer cultivars in pink, coral, yellow or orange. Mix bruised leaves into tea for an alluring licorice flavor. Some varieties sway towards a mint flavor profile that I’ve enjoyed smashed into vanilla ice cream. Hyssop flowers make an enticing garnish in summer drinks.

Do you have dandelions in your lawn? Besides feeding honeybees, dandelions are a versatile culinary bonanza! Not only are the leaves an excellent salad green, but the flowers are edible, as well as the roots. Young flower petals have a honey-like flavor good in tea and jam, and the entire flower head may be sauteed in butter with garlic and eaten with a little salt on toast. Dandelion roots may be dried and brewed into a medicinal tea with many benefits.

Whenever discussing eating self-harvested plants safety must be mentioned. Always consider the plant and it’s surroundings. Pesticides, fertilizers, and any other runoff from the surrounding area will make it’s way onto and into the plants. Only consume a plant that you have properly identified and be sure to know the areas exposure to potential toxins.

If there is any doubt, do not consume it! 

These are some of my favorite edible landscape plants:

• Borage - Annual herb with star-shaped edible blue flowers.
• Daylily - Unopened flower buds can be eaten raw or cooked.
• Pansy - The flowers are often used as a salad or dessert garnish.
• Fruit trees and shrubs - Blueberries, apples, cherries, peaches, pears, etc.
• Honeyberry - (Lonicera caerulea) Large blue-black berries, used like blueberries.
• Lavender - Aromatic flowers and foliage with countless uses.

Perhaps the following recipe will inspire a patio conversation this summer.

Dandelion Wine

Boil 1 quart of rinsed dandelion flower petals in 1 gallon of water for 4 minutes, strain out and discard the petals. Allow the water to cool to under 100°f. Stir in 1 sliced orange, 1 sliced lemon, 8 cups of sugar (or 7 cups of honey), and 1 package of wine yeast and pour into sanitized plastic vessel, ideally fitted with a fermentation lock, but a towel and loose-fitted bucket lid will work. After 2 weeks decant or siphon into a secondary vessel or bottles and allow to age for at least 1 more week. Garnish with a freshly picked flower from your yard and enjoy the fruits of your labor.