>>How do you design a landscape that makes you love life, that makes you wanna take care of the environment, that maybe makes you have more opportunities with grandkids or something, so it's really about thinking methodically and trying to get to a destination.

(birds chirping) >>You have to think your garden and feel the spaces because each space, it have a character.

But they are all interconnected, and each one serve a purpose.

>>Production funding for Virginia Home Grown is made possible by.

(birds chirping) (upbeat music) >>Welcome to Virginia Home Grown.

Spring is here and despite that late freeze, the 60-degree soil temperature signals, it's time to plant the summer garden.

This month, we're talking about landscape design and sharing ideas to help you create beautiful and functional spaces in your garden.

Keith?

>>As always, we welcome your questions on our website at vpm.org/vhg.

And a little later, we'll be visiting a residential woodland garden with Spring Ephemerals in Bridgewater, to talk with Preston Montague about his approach to design.

But Peggy, where are we off to first?

>>Well Keith, I met with Arnaldo Cardona at his home in Richmond, to see how he maximized space in a small backyard by creating several areas of interest.

So let's get going.

>>Arnaldo, this is an extremely comfortable space, and I know it just didn't happen, because fine landscapes are planned.

So share with me, how did all of this come to be and creating these different spaces in such a small space here in Richmond?

>>Thank you, Peggy, for those words.

>>Yes.

>>When designing this yard and having a limited amount of space.

>>Yes.

>>You have to do a planning first.

You cannot just thinking randomly, you have to really, in my case, do a bubble diagram and plan how things are connected.

But the big idea was creating different outdoor spaces.

>>Yes, and boy, you've succeeded (laughing).

>>Thank you.

And the thing about outdoor spaces are the feelings.

What sensation you want to create in each one and make it different.

>>Yes.

>>So for example, one first part was to create an herb garden.

>>Yes.

>>In which you can also entertain, and then later a part where you can have nature itself, where vegetation is the roof.

In contrast, you have another outdoor space that doesn't have anything, so you can feel the concept of expansion.

>>Yes.

>>And then this space that we're in is the one that is called, what I call enclosure.

>>Okay.

>>Where the trees were strategically plant.

>>Yes.

>>So they can go around you and give you an enclosure so then you have to look up and the sky is the main event.

>>Yes.

>>So last but not least, the concept as a landscape designer is to use vegetation that are fruit trees, that is a concept of urban gardening.

>>Yes.

>>But use trees that have fruits and use them as if you use ornamentals instead of ornamental.

>>So it's basically, I'll say an edible landscape that you have.

>>Exactly.

>>Yes.

>>So the shrubs, really, for example, the blueberries, instead of a shrub I use something that is edible.

>>Yes.

>>And then I did some planting beds.

So I love salads, so I love lettuce, tomato (laughing).

And broccoli >>And just a few, yeah, just what you need.

>>So it's complimenting the concept of functionality with amenities.

>>And you're actually able to do it in an ornamental way.

I love this space 'cause it's walled off and defined, but yet it still interacts with the rest of the space.

But the glory of it is you have the blue sky above you so that you can just feel this openness, and it's very comfortable.

>>Thank you.

And then I use also native plants, like these pots, because I want to attract pollinators that then they will then pollinate the trees.

>>Yes.

>>And the fruit.

And also, I love the concept of English garden and also Japanese gardens.

So I have areas that have gravel, but the gravel really defines the circulation.

Because in a good garden, there isn't any architecture, there is something called spatial sequence.

>>Okay.

>>So it's how you experience the garden, like from a point that is shady to one that is sunny to one that nurture you and you feel the wind.

>>Yes, the different experiences.

>>Exactly, so that's what, you're a good observer because that's what I wanted to achieve when I was planning the garden.

>>Arnaldo, earlier you were telling me about the view from the window and how that played an important part in designing this landscape.

>>I'm glad you mentioned that, because that was the genesis of the whole garden.

>>Yes.

>>Because it is next to the kitchen, but also it's next to the dining area.

So visitors that comes have to see that window.

So in access to the window, used to see a fence before, that it was not pretty at all.

>>No (laughing).

>>It was like two different things colliding.

>>Oh golly.

>>So that's why I did something with lattice that right now is a nursery, but also it can be turned into an outdoor room also if you put outdoor furniture.

>>Yes, wonderful way to define a space using that lattice.

>>So that lattice really is like a screen.

You have a theatrical form.

>>Yes.

>>Because thank God, when you look at now at that through that window, you see that space limit, I mean, the lattice limiting that ugly view, and it becomes now the main event also in the garden.

>>That's fantastic.

You shared with me too, you had drainage issues.

>>Yes.

So that's why landscape design is so important, because people say, "Oh, oh, that's beautiful."

No, but what is beauty?

What is beautiful for one person is not necessarily beautiful to others.

But there's a reason for everything in the garden, so that's why instead of putting concrete in a specific area, I put pavers and gravel, because now, and I dig a trench.

So when it rains now, it's spread well and everything is directed following the slope, of the natural slope of the site.

And it now helps, for example, I have a area I call the (indistinct), a lot of trees, big trees.

And they used to be not as green as it should be, and now all the water runs through it and it feeds the roots and now they're greener.

>>And where you had the water issue before, you now have a cute little sitting area too.

>>Yes.

>>So you've taken that and made it into a functional space.

Not just "I need to deal with this drainage", but "How can I deal with this drainage "in a very beautiful way and a utilitarian way?"

But this still, it gives an experience in the landscape.

>>Thank you.

And that's where the herb garden is.

And it's also where the grapes are.

So, when you see it, you also have a saikei garden, like a miniature garden.

So when you see it, I want you to feel like still plants is the main event.

>>But all the plants have a function here.

>>Yes.

>>So that you're getting your grapes, you're enjoying your herbs for your cooking and your soups that you had mentioned.

And you still have a little entertainment space.

I mean, it's just thinking ahead is what you have done, rather than just come on in here.

You've been in here about five years you said, and rather than just coming in and putting things, you took time to think it through, and boy, does it show.

>>Think of this, isn't this great sitting there, maybe after grilling, and then you say, "Hold a second, I want dessert."

So you just have to stand up and grab it from the plant.

>>Yes (laughing).

>>So, you know, you can get the plums I planted, the peaches I love, pears.

>>Yes.

>>Now the apples, the grapes.

So that's why I would like, either in that area or in this, the one that we're sitting right now, you can have a snack but then dessert is all around you.

>>Great fruit salad right here in your garden.

>>Yes.

(laughing) >>You know, Arnaldo, I see over there under the trees even, you've got some compost there, so tell me about that.

>>Yeah, I call it my biomass section, and it's great because then if I have to cut branches or there's any vegetable materials that I don't want to toss in the garbage can, I leave it there because that's natural fertilizer.

>>Exactly.

>>It's nitrogen cycle (laughing).

>>Yes (laughing).

>>So I should call it compost too, but I like it to call it biomass because I let the leaves to the compost through time.

And the best things that the trees that are right there, like I was highlighting before, they were yellowish when I got here.

So by having that biomass right there, all those nutrients are released, and now those trees, you can see how green they are and how strong they are.

And actually that helped me make my neighbor happy, because that helped them with the, you know, privacy.

So I love everything, I don't toss anything.

Every leaf, everything I sweep, I put in my biomass area.

>>Excellent.

Arnaldo, thank you so much for having us here.

It's been great to be able to learn more about the process of a landscape design, and to be able to show it through this space here.

>>The pleasure is mine.

Thank you for being here.

We had a lovely morning and I met a new gardening friend.

Now, Arnaldo is here with me in the studio to talk about landscaping your space.

But before we get started, remember to send in your gardening questions on our website at vpm.org/vhg.

Well Arnaldo, I see you've got some wonderful sketches here.

And so, please explain to us how, you know, how can the homeowner go about, you know, being able to create a beautiful landscape?

>>Great.

>>Or even to have a functional space in their yard?

>>Perfect.

So I'm glad that I can share some concepts and some ideas beside, and the process of landscape design.

So I want to present to you this project, and the big idea was really like in the front of the house, the facade that lead to the street, to only put ornamental plants.

But the backyard, use it as a factory.

Where you can produce only edible plants, herbs, having a vegetable garden.

>>So it's more the functional space?

>>Correct.

And even to generate some income, even to produce plants, ornamental plants that are existent around the house.

>>Yes.

>>So that was the big idea of the whole concept.

>>Okay.

>>Then later, what we do, am onto something important.

Is that when you do a plan, a landscape designer have to draw it in scale.

In this case, is a one-fourth of an inch equals a feet.

And also, you need to know the direction of the sun.

>>Yes, where is North?

>>You have to put the North.

>>And where is South?

(laughs) >>And why that's important?

Because on that depend, the plant material you're going to use.

Do you want to use plants that are soaring plants, or you're going to work with plants that require more shade?

So, this shows the first phase of the garden.

That it was an area here to bring some entertainment, you have to contact the client first and see the activities.

>>Right.

>>That they like to do, for example in this case, grilling, use herbs for the cooking.

And also, there was an area that was paved that needed some kind of >>Connection.

>>Connection.

So that was the first stage of the garden.

>>Oh I see, so rather than this floating out on its own, you actually connected it as to become part of the landscape.

>>Correct.

>>All right.

>>And, the pavement that we use, instead of using concrete or other kind of pavement, we just use pavers, two by two pavers and gravel.

In that way, all the storm water can be collected and traveled towards the garden, in this way you don't create pods and even mosquitoes sometimes that can be promoting the growth there.

So, this was really the first stage of the garden.

>>So putting an underground drainage pipe to gather, allow that water to perc through, and to be moved away from this side.

>>Correct.

>>And you did it with, again, making it a pretty space.

>>(chuckles) Thank you.

>>Yeah.

>>That's why also it's very important to know the slopes in the garden, because you have to design those drainers to go from the higher point to the lowest point.

>>Water flows downhill.

>>Correct.

(chuckles) >>Okay, what's our next steps sir?

>>Yeah, then we need a larger drawing.

(Arnaldo clears throat) And this explain the project in a better way.

And in here now, we want to talk about the fillings in the garden.

For example, if it was for entertaining, we want the vegetation here next to the lounge area to create a concept of embracing you.

>>Okay.

>>Of enclosure.

>>Feeling safe and comfy.

>>Yes.

So instead of using ornamental plants, but we use were fruit trees.

>>Oh, yes.

>>Because some peaches, some plums, they have beautiful flowers like almost like ornamental cherry trees.

And then we also put some planting beds, but we didn't want to put them in places that look like a parking space.

No, we want to be part of the garden.

>>Okay.

>>So that's why this is a concept of enclosure.

Then in this area, we leave it as a big lawn kind of concept.

>>To kind of expand and broaden.

>>Correct.

Okay, that feeling of expansion due to the fact that in here you can play sports, soccer, volleyball, and you cannot fill the space completely with plants.

You have to really have different feelings and activities and sensation.

And last but no least, because in design you want a dominant area, a subdominant area, and a subordinate area.

>>Okay >>If you put too many dominant areas, they compete.

>>(laughs) Yes.

>>So in here, we left these trees that they're are huge trees.

And when people come here to go to the nursery, all this area is a nursery of ornamental plants, you walk and you have the feeling of having a roof, a natural roof created by the branches of this tree.

So we wanted to have an intimate space versus an expansive space, versus a sheltering space.

>>Interesting, excellent.

So how can a homeowner do this?

I mean, this is beautiful, but it takes talent to create something like that and I would intimidate most of my friends, would go, yeah right Peg.

(laughs) >>But don't worry, it's easier than might look.

>>Okay.

>>So.

>>I'll take this one, you take that one.

>>You still can do it at home.

You can turn your yard into a factory, in a place that combine functionality with aesthetics and beauty.

So, (clears throat) if you can start creating an area, for example, you say what we mentioned before.

That the, you have a main area that is really for expansion, or an area that is like I was doing as an enclosure, this area is a buffer, this area's for entertainment.

Then after you design and select activities that you want, the next step is to create connections.

And that's the most important part because is a circulation.

How you connect spaces and create something in architecture and landscape architecture, is called spatial sequence.

How you experience the space from one space to the other to create other rooms.

(laughs) >>Excellent, we have basically one minute left and I was wondering, we have these lovely suggestions on the design, but you've also brought a few of your favorite plants to put in those garden.

So, briefly let's go through these plants so people also have an idea of some of the layers of the plants that you have here.

>>Yeah, is very important to know that sometimes some plants are beautiful, also come from native plants, like the phlox, phlox cochleata.

And there are many varieties, many species, that the horticultural world is developing, and I love as a ground cover.

Also as, I love trees, but I love the native Dogwood, and we have it from white varieties, to the pink variety that brings so much color.

Also if we don't need flowers and we want foliage, then we have the Maple trees, the Sugar Maple.

And of course, if you want to find an ornamental maple then we have the beautiful, even though it's not native, it's from Japan, the Japanese Red Maple, that brings so much color and life to the gardens.

And last but not least, I'm a fan of irises and azaleas, and we have a native azaleas in United States.

They are deciduous, but we have also now a new variety called Encore Azaleas, that they bloom not only in Spring, and also in Fall.

And last but not least, the irises.

>>Yes >>They look, they come in different colors and they're very loyal plants.

So, those are the plants that I really enjoy cultivating and using my landscape designs.

>>Thank you Arnaldo.

Thank you for coming and sharing us tips on how we can change our concepts as we grow our gardens, and also alter them, but also sharing just a few plants to get us started on those layers.

>>My pleasure.

>>Yes.

So, and now we're going to get ready to answer your questions.

But first, we have a tip from Randy Battle on planning and designing vegetable beds to maximize the amount of food you can grow.

(upbeat music) >>Spring is here.

The weather is great and the soil temperatures are warming up.

Now is the time to start thinking about what you are gonna be planning for your spring and summer garden, you guys.

Now is the time.

Go ahead, you can do it.

First of all, I'm starting some beet root crops.

That means is crops that grow under the soil that can take cool weather and some warm weather.

Over here we have beets, we have turnips and we have radishes.

These things will grow through the spring, into the summer and then we'll transplant other plants in their spot.

These are things that you can start right now in your garden while the weather is still starting to warm up.

I use these basic stakes to separate my rows.

That way I'll know exactly what's growing in each row.

Once they get tall enough, I'll remove these stakes so the bulbs can increase.

So just use your marker.

You don't have to put a label in each and every spot.

Just find what you have and make it work.

And what I like to do is after I separate my rows, I like to think about what I'm gonna plant next, you guys.

Always succession plant.

Think ahead of the game.

If you plant something today, plant it again in three weeks just in case it doesn't make it, you have a backup plan.

And over here, as you can see we've had things growing all winter long.

We have garlic, we have cabbage.

These things are coming to an end.

And as we wrap up our gardening season with our cool weather crops, we want to think ahead and plant some of our summer squash and zucchinis, cucumbers, things that can vine.

You don't have to have your vining plants directly in your raised bed or your earth bed.

You can run 'em up with trellis.

Yes, trellis growing will save you a lot of space and it'll be easier on your back when you go to harvest, okay?

Now, the other benefit to doing that is the leafy vines are gonna give us shady spots in this area.

We can grow lettuces, but any type of leafy greens that really, they don't like the really hot weather but you can make it work if you give him some shade.

So don't forget take the space that you have and make it work.

Whether you're growing in the summer, spring, winter, or fall, there's always something that you can be planning right now.

Design your garden, think about it and grow what you love to grow.

Live love, laugh, grow stuff, and eat it, okay!

Well, Arnaldo we've got quite a number of questions, but first before we get started and I know Keith has a few to share, I just wanted to ask you, when you're walking onto a site what are the things that you look at when you're first walking up to a client or even a new site of your own?

>>Great.

So, the first step is what we call an inventory.

See what is in the site, and measure it, and do an as-built in which you can identify existing vegetation, existing structures, if there is an existing pavement areas.

Also you have to look for things like the drainage, existing drainage.

And if you notice that there's extra places where they accumulate water, identify in the map too.

Also the slope of the site.

When we do a floor plan we see a line of two dimensions, but all sites have three dimensions.

(laughs) So it's very important to know the slope.

And like I said before, the wind orientation is the term in architecture landscape architecture.

Where the wind come from and the sun come from, that determine many things that you design.

Last but not least I will say that, for example, things that are already in the garden, you have to decide whether to keep it or not.

Sometimes other people were there, and we might have to decide if we are going to leave that material or we are going to really get rid of it.

(laughs) >>Oh, I see.

>>So we do have a few questions here, and Ashley's asked the question.

She has a potted Blueberry Bush, for a few years they gets white flowers, but they never turn into berries.

So she's wondering is there any ways or ideas about how to get fruit?

>>Yes.

>>So Potassium.

(laughs) That's the key word.

I have an area where I call Biomass, and it happens that bananas have a lot of potassium.

So, I save all those peels of bananas and that's what I do, and I put under the mulch under my plants I want them to bloom and have fruit from it.

So potassium is the key word.

(laughs) >>I would add, you know, potentially they're not getting pollinated obviously, and then also they need, Blueberries like an acidic soils.

So making sure that you're adding the proper amendments to encourage the Blueberries to thrive.

Yeah.

>>Actually bringing native plants in the area will bring pollinators.

So might be another way to solve the problem.

>>It's a great suggestion.

Diana Mapilio, has asked if there's any way to predict whether a Holly tree will grow up to be male or female.

>>There's actually, it's almost impossible.

(Arnaldo laughs) If I had a magic ball.

But it's also why, I don't know about you but I am, I like to go shopping for my Holly trees in the Fall so I can see which ones have berries and which ones do not, and I can clearly tell who's who.

Unless you know how to tell the difference in the flowers in the Spring, Arnaldo any thoughts?

>>Hollies are beautiful trees.

So I will, what I do, I never buy one.

I buy them in groups in lots (laughs) in that way when they grow, I can identify which one is the female and which one is the male one.

>>And just make sure you have one of, you know, at least one male in there for the pollination to get the great berries of course.

>>Absolutely.

>>Francis has asked a question about growing Jensen.

Can I grow Jensen in a cool, shaded, rocky area enrichment?

>>That one I'm not familiar with, I am in that area I have to do my research, because I haven't really worked with Jensen yet.

>>Sure.

>>So I apologize for not knowing that.

>>Well, I know Jensen is very difficult in terms of it taking a long time to germinate, and a long time to get established.

But there's plenty of organizations like the Beginning Farmer, Forest Farmers Coalition, that, you know, will teach about forest farming and getting Jensen established, but I know it's tricky because it's so slow growing.

>>Yes, and I think many of must loose patience before it becomes established, but we do have the right conditions to grow it here in Richmond, Virginia.

You just have to have humus enough soil.

>>That's right.

And we've got a question for Mike, what type of plants work well in a shady location to provide some color or texture?

>>I love Hostas.

When is in an area that is not too sunny and you need some shade, Hosta work very well.

Also I like Pachysandra terminalis, because they are good on the trees and they cover the roots and the trunks.

So those are mostly the ones I use for shady areas.

>>Okay, and of course we've got the native Allegheny Pachysandra.

That's a good option.

Maybe not quite as ornamental as the Glossy Green Asian variety, but still good to think about your native ones as well.

And we've got other question about how to incorporate water features in your landscape, fountains or bird baths and the like.

>>Wind.

(Arnaldo and Keith laugh) >>Many people that like to have water features they forget that if you put in a windy area, you're going to create something called a splash.

And you're going to waste water, plus you're going to keep other areas in your garden or in your house, in your entrance or maybe, too wet.

So, you need to know where the wind blows before you decide to place a water feature.

>>Interesting.

>>Not to say, last but not least, the slope.

>>Slope.

>>If you put in an area that is one of the lowest point in your garden, it will be better.

Because then if you put in the highest point, again, the wind will evaporate the water, and you will have to fill it up again and again.

>>I think we've got time for about one more question.

So Susan has asked, what's the best, what would you recommend as the best way to drain water from the house?

>>Well, we love that we're (laughs) French drainage.

And I use a lot of gravel in my gardens, is because of that.

I love Japanese gardens, and they were the masters in creating real gardens.

So I always like to look at the lower point of the site that I'm designing, and try to make sure that through the circulation, the pathway, the way you walk through the garden, that all the water goes through the lower level, through the circulation part of the gravel.

>>That's great, thank you so much.

We appreciate the great questions.

>>Yes, this was very informative and I really appreciate you taking the time to share your expertise sir.

>>I hope this inspire the audience to realize if they're not landscape designers, you can think like them, and instead of doing a garden, you need to plan it first.

And welcome the idea it goes across, we're going to have more and better gardens in Virginia.

>>Yes we are.

And that's about time we have for the questions for now, but right now I have Randy Battle with the team on Facebook.

So if you have more questions, please send them in through Facebook or send them in through our website at virginia.org.

I'm sorry, vpm.org/vhg.

So.

>>And thanks Arnaldo.

And next up, I visited a private garden in Bridgewater to meet with Preston Montague, where he shared his approach to landscape design.

So let's go take a look.

>>Sure.

>>Well, thanks for coming out, Preston.

>>Oh, Keith, my pleasure.

Thanks for the invitation.

>>This is a beautiful woodland garden here in Bridgewater.

>>That's right.

And what's going through your mind when you're stepping into a landscape like this for the first time?

>>Oh, great question.

Well, I'm looking at both the cultural and the environmental influences in a space.

What's the solar energy doing?

What's the wind energy doing?

What is storm water doing on site?

And I try and think about it really methodically in a hierarchical sort of way, like looking for, what are those energies may influence the site the most, down to perhaps the least?

And in this case, we have a lot of wonderful canopy trees, which I think are not only creating lovely shaded spaces, but also providing structure and focal points in the garden.

Once I begin to make suggestions about adding light or removing it from a situation, then I begin looking at what storm water is doing.

What's storm water behavior on site?

Now, typically, I can only see what's happening on the surface.

I have to kind of intuit or make assumptions about what's happening under the surface, but water always wins.

So it's very important to steward it to really serve your interests and not create problems for you or someone downhill.

>>Sure.

>>So Karen, along with a garden coach, has done a really great job of edging these beds to define them in order to create lots of opportunities for planting in a variety of different plants in here.

Let's talk about some of the plants.

What are some of the things in the composition of plants that you're gonna look at in terms of designing spaces with your clients?

>>Typically, I begin, size is a great way to establish a hierarchy.

And so, I look at landscapes from a canopy tree, an under story tree, large, medium, small shrubs, and then ornamental grasses, annuals, and flowering forbs.

Typically, I can create space with those larger plants and adjust the experience with those smaller ones.

So typically, I will begin looking at the largest plants and how can they influence the activity or the experience, but I'm also looking at, how do I organize a space according, first, to structure?

What are the bones?

And then I'm looking at, how can I also cover the ground?

And once to have my structure and my ground cover figured out, then I roll into things like seasonal show-offs.

How do I insert plants that really mark the seasons or accent the structural plants?

And then I add something called a nurse plant.

And these are species of plants that seed themselves around into the landscape and fill gaps that emerge, occupy space where something maybe has a dormant season, and basically just helps repair and support.

>>Sure, and this garden really lends itself to spring ephemerals with all these canopy trees about to leaf out.

So I've noticed some trillium.

I've been noticing some Virginia blue bells, and things like that.

Do you use a lot of natives in your own practice?

>>Absolutely.

I have a recipe.

I try and make all of my properties 60% native, 20% food-bearing plants, and 20% whatever I want.

I think all three of those are super critical for a positive, healthy relationship with the landscape, and a healthy relationship between the landscape and all of these other species that we are essentially serving.

>>Yeah.

>>So I stick with native plants, typically in the canopy trees, because I find that using things like birches and oaks yield a lot of caterpillars, which yield a lot of songbirds.

Also, I tend to focus on my shrub layer being very native, with some of my favorite species being oak leaf hydrangea, or the inkberry holly, both of which take care of very different services in the landscape, screening or just outrageous beauty.

And so, once I select specific native plants that either take care of storm water or achieve ecosystem services, like providing resources for pollinators and birds, then I begin to look for, okay, where can I leave room for edible plants?

And with edible plants, I tend to start with my trees first and work backwards to my annual vegetables, trying to find ways to put perennial crops into the landscape.

So in a garden like this, I would look for opportunities to bring in fruiting trees, then fruiting shrubs.

Blueberries are such a great addition, four-season color, high yields, great pollinator value.

And then I'll move of into spots to have annual vegetables, but that can be a little bit high maintenance.

And so, when I'm identifying places for annual vegetables, I look for ways to kind of squeeze them into the nooks and crannies around my structural plants or some of my favorite oddballs, so that they're integrated into the landscape and not segregated as food over here, ornamental plants over here.

And lastly, the last 20% of my ratio is just whatever I want, daffodils, hellebores, all of those things that really, I don't know, like my grandmother grew.

>>Sure.

>>Or are popular in the area, or are heirlooms, these things that bring a real high cultural quality to the landscape.

>>Yeah.

And when you are looking, maybe you step into an overgrown, a very mature landscape, how would you go about the process of editing the plants that are in that landscape?

>>Oh, great question.

Gardening by removal is my favorite.

One of the things I want to make sure is, do I understand the client's program?

Do I understand what activities and experiences they want to have?

And are there any existing plants or existing storm water behavior that's contrary to those goals?

And then I begin extracting according to that list again.

I'm looking at the big things first.

What canopy trees and understory trees are supporting the program?

Which of those are competing with the program?

And then work my way down to, I guess, the shortest plants.

>>So in addition to edging these beds, Karen has really worked with her gardening coach to build up the organic matter.

So how do you work with your own clients to try to encourage them to feed the soil?

>>Ooh, great question.

You know, a lot of times when people are working with brand new properties, there's an investment that's necessary in relatively, things that are not fun to spend money on.

And that is the infrastructure of soils and potentially mulches, gravels, drainage, storm water management.

And what I love about Karen's garden here is Karen has taken a lot of effort into building her soil, choosing plants that are in the right place, and managing storm water, actually underground through a series of French drains that help harvest water from the surface and redirect it into the beds.

So we're standing on a really high-functioning machine.

And so much of the work in the landscape is really underground.

The more investment you have in your soil, the more you'll reap rewards and the less work you'll do.

>>Right, that's great advice.

Well, thank you so much for taking the time.

And I know you're a landscape architect, a landscape designer, an illustrator, and a podcaster.

How can we pay attention to the things that you're doing and stay in touch?

>>Oh gosh, well, prestonmonague.com.

I try and make it easy.

Put it all there.

I'd love to have new visitors and new people saying hello.

That'd be great.

>>Thank you so much.

>>My pleasure.

>>Well, Karen's garden was really coming alive with early spring plants that day lots of really happy songbirds and the promise of a bountiful, layered landscape to come.

So Preston, you're here with me to talk more about your own practice as a landscape architect, and illustrator and a podcaster, highlighting native plants to demonstrate techniques that you use in your clients' landscapes.

Let's talk how you would begin with some of your clients?

>>Yeah.

Excellent question, Keith.

So the process by which I create a landscape design is not unlike writing a paper, there's a brainstorm phase, and then a rough draft and then a revised draft.

And I'll show you what that looks like relative to design.

So here in front of me, I have a bunch of sheets of paper and markers, and I'm going to make a big mess.

And so if you look at my page here, you'll see essentially a brainstorm.

These are all basically elements that I want in the garden.

Perhaps things I want to experience, things I want to feel.

This is called a program and this is the brainstorming part of the activity.

Now this is essentially something that you want to do as fast as you possibly can so that you outrun that critical part of your mind.

You're just writing down everything you want to do and feel in the garden.

And so here for demonstration purposes, what I'd like to do is examine a quiet place to read and what I'd like to do for a quiet place to read.

Well, I need it to be intimate.

And so I need to reduce distraction, and I wanna pay attention to building it as a room, including ceilings, walls and flooring.

And so, if I wanna reduce distraction, what might that be?

Well, that might be noise from the neighbor's dog or maybe the kids.

And so, I might include a water feature to help break down that noise.

I may wanna also interrupt any sort of visual distractions and I may do that with a hedge or a screen, and that hedge, I may want to remain semi-opaque so I can still keep an eye on the house or keep an eye on the kids, but maybe not be seen.

Additionally, I may want to include fragrance as a distraction just to create that experience, create that moment in that, that really helps keep me there in the moment and doesn't allow my mind to wander.

Now, I may also want to, relative to walls, create a six foot hedge that increases my capacity to be hidden.

And then, ultimately I may want to explore comfort by way of an Adirondack chair, a table, and a hammock.

And so you begin to see here, all of the components of the garden that I want to include.

Now, once I create that brainstorm, your landscape design is a cyclical process between ideation and revision.

And so the program, the brainstorm is where you unapologetically write down everything you want.

>>Sure.

>>But then you go through the next stages to essentially revise your program.

Now, here is a base map of a property that you can download from your county's GIS.

And so this is an overhead map, essentially of one person's property.

It's to scale, one inch equals two feet.

I like to keep it in increments of 10 because a lot of the people who help we build my landscapes come from places where the metric system is the way that they go.

>>Okay.

>>And so what I like to do is to begin to identify those rooms in the base map.

So, what I like to do is, okay, looking at this from a zone perspective, which is a permaculture concept.

I've got zone one, which are places that are around all of the entrances and exits where I pass by every day.

>>Okay.

>>So that might be the front deck, the back deck.

And then I've got zone two, and these are places that I go every day but they're not necessarily at arms length.

And those may be at the sides of the house or maybe around by the mailbox.

Zone three, that tends to be places where I might visit a couple times a week.

And then zone four are my edges, maybe once or twice a month.

And then zone five is pure nature.

I don't bother.

That's where I let natural forces take over.

>>Okay.

>>Now, moving forward, now you notice how fast I'm going.

I'm really trying to out.

>>That's furious.

>>It is furious, because if you pause, you allow that part of your brain that's very critical to interject, and it'll throw you off track.

So draw as fast as you can think.

That's a little trick.

And so, what might I do in zone one?

Well, that's where I want to pass by annual beds, perhaps vegetable gardens, these things that need almost daily tending, keeping weeds out, and then relative to zone two.

Well, this might be larger vegetables or flowers that I might pick to bring in indoor but I don't necessarily need, tend to every day.

So that might be something I put into zone two.

And maybe in the side yard here.

Zone three might be somewhere like a lawn where I play yard games on the weekends, maybe a little place, a little patio where I entertain friends.

Zone four is where I might put my fruiting trees, my blueberries, maybe a little secondary backyard there.

And then I might put an apiary, some chickens in zone three, zone four.

And then of course zone five, back here in the riparian buffer is where I am unapologetically native.

>>I see.

>>And that all, essentially turns into...

I'ma flip this around.

A schematic design, that is a little bit more thought through, a little bit more measured.

So here's an example of something that you guys might use at home.

Let's say that I've all already created a big messy concept on this photo.

And so I might say, okay, I've got foundation beds here.

I might have my vegetables along the street here.

So the neighbors can come by pick.

I've got essentially, some screening hedges there, in front of the window.

Now I'm gonna be giving them real dimensions which might include, right here, just vegetables at the front, tall screening plants here, highlighting architectural pieces and then foundation shrubs there at the base of the house.

>>That's great.

This has been a whirlwind.

I love the novel approach that you have here.

>>Yeah.

>>I like this blank slate and you've designed a cozy landscape.

You've given us lots of things to think about in terms of the natural resources, and thinking about water, and sun, and wind and all of these different features that one might consider when acquiring a brand new landscape, a blank slate.

So thank you very much.

>>Oh, my pleasure, Keith.

Thank you.

>>Great.

And I also also want to remind you all, we are gonna be answering questions after this.

So please do send in your questions again to vpm.org/vhg Preston, it's been a real pleasure and I'm really looking forward to being able to answer some of the viewers questions that come up.

Thanks so much, it was a lovely demonstration and I had a great experience with you.

>>Thank you, Keith.

I appreciate it.

>>Yeah.

And now we're gonna go get ready to answer your questions.

But first we have a tip from Dr. Robyn Puffenbarger, on how to plan a landscape feature that many people find to be tricky.

Slopes.

(offbeat ticking music) >>Today, we're thinking about slopes.

And many of us might think of that as an additional challenge to our landscape design, but planting plants in a slope and on flat ground is really basically the same.

You just wanna take a little maybe extra time watching your water as you think about your slope.

So what I did in this area of my yard where the slope is fairly tough, I watched on a couple of days where we had hard rains, and what I was looking for was erosion.

And if you see the surface of your soil eroding off, you'll want to do some more, either with simple terracing, or maybe some more serious engineering, 'cause you don't want the water rolling off that quickly and taking your top soil away.

Here in my property, erosion is not a problem, so I felt comfortable going ahead and adding some new plants to this area of my yard.

So some of the plants that will do well include bleeding heart, which is a native to Virginia, creeping phlox, which is also a native.

This is one of the cultivars that you can buy at the garden center.

And then the last plant I have here today is a coral bell.

I really enjoy coral bells because of their nice flowers early in spring, which help my bees, and then they'll also continue to flower even till hummingbirds come and then they'll feed them as well.

So I'm gonna plant this coral bell.

I wanna be careful when I plant on the slope to keep the plant flat.

I don't wanna angle it one way or the other.

So I'm gonna pull this plant out of its pot, and I'm gonna look, oh, the hole is a little too deep.

I'm kind of trying to average between this high part and this low part.

So I need to put some soil back in.

I'm working on getting the soil all around, and then one of the things that I like to do when I'm planting on a slope is add a little bit of this extra soil around kind of as a berm to catch the water as it comes down the slope, when it rains, water the plant before it then moves on down the slope.

So while slopes may seem like a challenge, plants love them just like they like flat surfaces, so don't be afraid to add some new plants to your sloped areas of your yard.

>>Success in the garden, begins with planning.

Think about your goals for your space and make that plan.

You don't need to do it all at once.

But you know, we've got some more questions to answer, some for all of us, so let's get going, okay?

Our first question is, Mike from Dinwiddie, and what are the first things to consider with planning and organizing a large space?

>>Well, the same amount of energy it might take to design a small flower bed.

It's all the same process.

Your building from some... Basically big generalized bubbles, all the way down to specifics.

So the process that I demonstrated before will work for a large space or designing a key chain.

And so go with your gut, organize things that you want and experiences that you want to feel, in roughly the locations that you want them in.

And then just keep drawing, just use your pencil.

Don't lift the pencil off the page, begin to give those spaces relationships, and real dimensions.

And what you'll discover is that your gut was right.

Your first instinct was right.

And it's just a matter of documenting those, not just thinking about them.

>>So don't overthink it, do it.

>>Do it, yeah.

>>Yeah.

>>And fast.

>>I really love this approach.

>>Outrun that critical part of your mind.

Yeah.

>>That's so novel.

>>Just think bigger, that's all.

>>Exactly, yeah.

>>That's interesting, coming from Maymont, they really thought big.

(Robyn and Keith laughing) >>Indeed, right?

Yeah.

>>Other people can think big.

>>Indeed, and when you're working big, you're building a big ecology.

And so I like to, if you're talking about organization, start off by organizing forests, and then grasslands, and then hardscapes and patios, and focus on that hierarchy of plants I mentioned in the segment.

Start with canopy trees then organize your under story trees, your large, medium and small shrubs.

You'll back your way into it.

And also, working with a clean sheet of paper, make a mark, just drop the pen.

Once you create that piece of dust, the snowflake will grow.

>>Wonderful.

Well, I have a question here too, from Nancy from Goochland says, what happens if you have...

I'm sorry, wrong question.

I'm gonna go back to the other question, is what happens if you have an area of your yard though, that has a disease issue or a problem, how do you work your landscape around that?

>>Oh gosh, I mean, if you have an area of the landscape that's dealing with disease, you want to treat it the same way that you would treat your body.

Rest.

Leave an area of the landscape that you feel like you're dealing with disease problems.

Let it relax.

I like to seed annuals into those spaces, just to cover the ground, so that you have root penetration that mixes the soil and reorganizes the microbes underneath the soil.

It will work itself out.

That's how it works.

But if you continue to aggravate it and do too much to it, you may perpetuate that disease because you may not know where it's coming from.

So just general rule of thumb, when you're dealing with disturbed diseased areas, re-vegetate it, annual seeds, whether they're vegetables or zinnia, or ornamentals, whatever, and just allow it to heal, let nature fix it for you.

>>That's good advice, right there.

Sorry, and my apologies.

That was Mary's question, but now we have one from Nancy as well.

What are your least favorite plants to use?

>>Mm... >>Different angle.

>>Yeah, my least favorite plants to use.

Well, really plants that don't do very much.

I like for my plants to provide some sort of service, and so plants that perhaps live a short lifespan, but don't seed around.

They don't do much for me.

Plants that essentially don't mingle well with other plants, don't do much for me either.

I'm trying to build an ecology.

And so, I'm not really as a designer so much focused on that plant there and that plant there, I like to be a little bit messier.

And so really, yeah.

It's plants that underperform, because that's gonna bring in so many more variables than a vigorous plant that you didn't expect.

>>Right.

>>Yeah.

>>Well, Keith, I'm gonna throw it to you.

What are your least favorite plants?

>>Least favorite plants, well, I'm big onto native plants, and I agree with Preston that often plants that really don't have a function, either an ecosystem function or just, aren't pretty, maybe they get sloppy, they might not be hearty.

These are the things that really bother me in a landscape.

And also things that are prone to being eaten by deer.

I think that's a big one too.

(Robyn laughing) Yeah, because you know, I have a woodland garden and of course, I get tired of having to work so hard to cage around the plants and to keep everything from getting devoured.

So, I like to be a little bit lower maintenance with with regard to my landscape.

How about yourself?

>>Well, I'll dive in there and say, I don't like true geraniums.

And it's because my summer internship in college, I was work in Ohio with 10 acres under glass.

And my job was the geranium house.

And I had to pick and clean those plants week after week.

And so I have never grown one professionally since.

>>Fair enough.

>>It's like eating ice cream, when you get sick, you kind of get sick on ice cream.

We have to repair your relationship with geraniums.

>>Well, these are the pelargoniums, the big fluffy balls, the real pretty guys.

I love native geraniums.

I'll plant those forever, the crane's-bill.

And it's nothing personal against them and it's not culture it's just... After working with them for so many weeks in that greenhouse, I've had a lifetime of enough.

>>It's too much.

>>It was way too much (laughs).

>>I've got a ton of native geraniums at my house.

They seem to just be seeding around everywhere.

Maybe we can repair that relationship.

Well, invite you over, we can go weed my place.

>>I'd love to.

>>Yeah, native geraniums are definitely lovely.

>>Right.

>>And I know we often get a lot of questions about, when somebody gets an overgrown landscape, how to go about the process of really, honing in on the things to keep and the things to do away with?

>>Well, ultimately the plants that you select and let's just talk about plants.

Those plants should encourage activity.

And so, come up with a plan that includes the activities that you want to participate in the scape.

And if that tree blocks your capacity to throw a Frisbee, perhaps lose it.

It's just a matter of removing those elements slowly.

So they facilitate activity.

Good storm water behavior, good wind flow, all these things that support your comfort.

That's really the way to go about it.

And of course learn your invasive species.

>>And absolutely, >>Right.

>>eradicate those.

>>Great suggestions.

>>Yeah.

>>Just one at a time, take it slowly.

So many people get so overwhelmed with the invasive species issue.

And I know just giving it time and persistence, you'll be able to beat it >>One a day.

>>Yep.

Well, Preston, this has been a joy having you with us.

>>Oh, thank you.

>>And I wanna thank you for sharing your knowledge.

>>Oh, it's my pleasure to share.

Thank you so much.

>>Facebook is an absolutely great way to stay connected with us between shows, and we always love hearing from you.

And matter of fact, after this show, Jen Naylor is going to have a video on Facebook about red buds, and it's not growing in your garden, but it's putting it in the kitchen, which is fascinating.

We also have some upcoming Richmond events, it is April and May, and oh gosh, it's a whole list.

But we've got Historic Garden Week and it continues now, through April 30th, but also on April 30th, our Herbs Galore and More at Maymont.

And there's so many events going on, gosh, it's very difficult to know where to even start.

So we've shared 'em all on Facebook.

So Keith, what's happening in your world?

>>Well, there's lots going on of course, in Charlottesville, the Piedmont Master Gardeners are holding their annual native spring plant sale rather on May 7th, and up in Harrisonburg at the Edith J.

Carrier Arboretum at James Madison University, they're actually holding their native plant sale, which is from may the second through the seventh.

>>Wonderful.

And I understand Keith, you do have some other news to share.

>>I do actually, we've been talking all about spring beginnings here with the first few episodes, and I'm reporting that very sadly, this will be my last episode of Virginia Home Grown, in a few weeks, I'll be moving with my family to California, to start as the director of horticulture and operations at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.

>>Well, Keith, I know that's an awesome opportunity for you and I just wish you all the best.

And I thank you for everything that you've done for the show the past few years.

I also wanna thank again, Preston, and also Arnaldo for being here tonight.

I wanna thank Randy and Robin for sharing their expertise.

And I wanna thank you for watching.

Next month we'll be featuring community gardens and learning about the impacts they make in their neighborhood beyond growing food.

I look forward to being with you then.

Remember, gardening is for everyone and we are all growing and learning together.

(uplifting music) Happy gardening >>Production funding for Virginia Home Grown is made possible by... (birds chirping) (light guitar music)