When Kathy Popovec wanted to redo her admittedly “plain” front and back yards to match her contemporary-looking home in Mountain View, she was faced with an unpleasant reality.

“We had a few landscape architects come out and to be honest, it was really pricey,” she says.

One architect recommended Popovec contact landscape planner Julie Orr because of her “express garden design,” a service designed to be quicker and less expensive than a regular yard makeover.

Before meeting in person, Orr asked Popovec and her husband True Tourtillott to choose designs from landscape books to give her an idea of their preferences.

Orr then sat down with the couple over an afternoon and completed a design that day. The actual remodel was completed four months later.

Popovec’s original front yard consisted of a plain front lawn raised above street level and held in by a small retaining wall.

One of her priorities was to add a path that connected the front door to the sidewalk. At the time, visitors would have to walk up the driveway in order to reach the path to the front door.

The new paths consist of large, rectangular concrete steps that lend the yard a modern look. Along with a stone veneer attached to the retaining wall, these pieces of hardscape were the most expensive items to install.

Popovec was also stumped with what to do with a corner of the lawn that would be hemmed in by the two paths.

Orr filled the spot with low-lying, fuzzy green lamb’s ears, spiky blue fescues and a large Peruvian lily, whose orange flowers are complemented by its large pot of the same color.

The back of the front lawn also posed a challenge. Popovec wanted colorful plants in front of the house, but didn’t want to cover up stonework on the bottom half of the house.

Orr suggested kangaroo paws, whose fuzzy red flowers are held aloft by thin stems.

Popovec says she loved the result.

“They’re interesting, they lend color, but you can also kind of see through them,” she says.

Most of the plants in the front are new, with one notable exception being a large hydrangea. Popovec, who grew up in the house, said she kept it because it was one of her mother’s favorite plants.

Popovec said its pink and white blooms don’t necessarily fit with the rest of the plants, which are predominantly green, orange and red.

“But it’s a garden,” she says. “You have to have some whimsy.”

The backyard was less complicated than the front, with the couple wanting a space to host parties. Prior to the remodel it was simply a grass lawn.

The remodel included installing an area of flagstone outside the backdoor for tables and chairs and plants along the perimeter of the lawn.

Tourtillott previously lived in Hawaii and wanted to have tropical-looking plants in the back. Orr helped choose pineapple guava trees, apple trees and western blanket flowers.

One thing Popovec says did not go according to plan was the type of agaves that were planted in the front lawn next to the retaining wall.

She had envisioned large, round barrel agaves and was surprised when the landscape installers showed up with agave gentryi, which have a more jagged appearance.

“The layman doesn’t know that there’s a ba-zillion agaves. It’s generic, like a rose … A lesson learned would be if you want something specific, have a picture and point to it and say ‘I want this,'” she says.

The cost of Orr’s express design starts at $650 for a front yard and $750 for a backyard, compared to an average of $3,000-$6,000 for a full-service design, which usually takes a couple months to complete.

Orr says the express service is appropriate for simpler yard designs whose installation costs are generally less than $30,000. But she stressed the price of installation can vary dramatically depending on chosen materials.

Orr also says the amount of customization a client wants, such as an outdoor kitchen or pond, will also determine whether an express or full-service design is appropriate.

Besides providing a design, the express service includes Orr recommending a landscape contractor and overseeing plant installation if the recommended contractor is hired.

Resources:
Landscape designer: Julie Orr, Menlo Park, 650-468-8020, info@julieorrdesign.com
Landscape contractor: South Bay Design and Landscaping, San Jose, 408-452-1270, southbaylandscaping@gmail.com

Goal of project:
Connect front door to sidewalk; beautify yards with more plants

Unanticipated issues:
Confusion over plant selection, mottling of concrete steps

Year house built:
1955 (remodeled 2008)

Size of yard:
1,500 sq ft in front; 1,800 sq ft in back

Time to complete:
1 day to design, 4 months to finish

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I recently got an email and invite to attend a garden tour organized by the Cultural Landscape Foundation.

Green Residence – Seattle, WA

The Cultural Landscape Foundation has started an initiative called “Garden Dialogues”. It’s an opportunity to visit some spectacular landscapes, meet the owners and the landscape architects they’ve hired on to plan and design their spaces and learn about the whole process.

The dialogue here in Seattle begins in a few weeks with three landscapes that will be open to the public (for a fee of $35 per garden).

It’s no surprise that the garden that claims to have the most diverse and interesting plant material is sold out (Green Residence), but the other two should still offer a lot of interesting things to observe and definitely learn from.

For more information on the gardens and this whole program, visit their site.

Green Residence – Seattle, WA

Lakeview – Seattle, WA (Photo by Dale Lang)

Bendich Residence – Kirkland, WA

It’s an opportunity to  be in a space that we probably can’t afford, but if you’re at all interested in architecture and landscape design, this is well worth getting an opportunity to see!

I decided to mention this event because it raises a topic that I’ve been wanting to discuss. In my line of work, job titles vary considerably and are loosely given to anyone who claims to be a “landscaper”. I’ve often been asked what the difference is between a landscape architect, a landscape designer, and a landscape contractor.

Many will think that they’re all the same, but these terms are very “loose” at times as they mean different things depending on what part of the world you’re in and/or if you’ve got a license or credentials stating you are, in fact, a landscape ___________.

One of the problems that has occurred over time has been individuals or a company will claim to be one or another in order to secure a job. When someone is looking to hire a company to work on a landscape, most people expect a company to be able to do EVERYTHING. So when it comes to billing, it’s just one check; to one company; and that’s that.

Let’s start with defining each one:

*Landscape Architects (LA): Focuses on the planning, design and direction of a public/private spaces. This field determines the BIG PICTURE thinking more about objects in a space and how it works together. They design city plans, parks, recreational spaces, large estates, commercial properties and occasionally, large-scale residential landscapes   Very little emphasis or knowledge of plant materials and environmental factors beyond their expertise.

*Landscape/Garden Designer: Integrating concepts of design using structure/hardscape and plants/softscape (a term rarely used these days, it seems). Potentially a non-licensed LA. This is what most residential home owners will want to hire. They often have a very strong background in horticulture and pay close attention to proper plant selection, environmental factors, and are able to cater to the needs and specific requests from a client.

*Landscape Contractor: This is the individual or team that is responsible for physically building, installing and maintaining the landscape. They are often general contractors able to build structures, move and handle rocks, install irrigation, and water features.

A smarter and more practical approach is to understand the different roles these different fields/specialties and hire where you see fit. Some folks want to discuss plants and determine which ones grow well together; others want a design to follow and they want to DIT (Do It Themselves), and, of course, most wants the “money-saving package” where everything will be done.

There is A LOT of overlap between the three fields (especially Designer and Contractor) which makes finding someone to work with even more complicated. The results of the work and potential collaboration, however, can be absolutely beautiful and the gardens here on this tour should effectively demonstrate how it all comes together.

I hope you truly consider taking in a garden or two.

R

Homeowners shouldn’t be closed-minded when it comes to interior doors.

Doors are vital parts of homes under construction or undergoing makeovers, thanks to builders and interior designers, who are paying close attention to how doors separate spaces and add architectural appeal.

“Doors are becoming a feature in the home,” said Donna Mathis, owner of Suwanee, Ga.-based DMD Studios.

Soaring tall

Door heights are expanding, and the use of 8-foot-tall doors in single-family homes and condos can add to the grandeur of residences.

“Over and over again, (buyers) want 8-foot doors within the main level,” said Jennifer Crosby, owner of Atlanta-based Crosby Design Group.

Traditionally, homes and condos use doors that extend 6 feet 8 inches, but taller doors dramatically improve the look of the space, builders and designers say. People notice the difference.

“Instead of having this expansive space between the top of your door frame and the ceiling height, it makes your home look bigger and more stately,” said Art Rountree, operations director for Kairos Development Corp., which installed 8-foot solid wood core doors (versus hollow-core doors) at a luxury condominium development.

Designers say three-panel doors are in demand and fit the transitional style of homes. Door manufacturers are coming out with these options, which create cleaner lines, instead of the traditional six-panel door, Mathis said.

Free-flowing spaces

Traditional doors that swing out or in can take up valuable space. Some door decisions are focused on open space and creating a flow for entertaining and everyday living, causing people to consider pocket doors or folding doors.

“We like doors to disappear. So when they’re closed, they’re closed, and when they’re open, they don’t exist,” said architect Jose Tavel, co-owner of TaC Studios in Atlanta.

Pocket doors can work between bedrooms and living areas, living areas and offices, bathrooms, closets and other spots in modern and traditional homes.

“I have a lot of requests for pocket doors. Pocket doors have made a comeback,” said Maricita Hughes, director of interiors for Isakson Living. “They’ve come a long way from where they used to be.”

People frustrated with pocket doors that went off their tracks may find that today’s pocket doors are sturdier and less likely to malfunction. Hughes estimates that pocket doors cost about 30 percent more than traditional doors, but homeowners often are willing to pay when space is at a premium.

TaC Studios recently installed a pocket door between the dining room and a kitchen in a traditional home.

“They would still have a very segregated and closed dining room when they wanted it, but when they wanted it to function as a free flow between their beautiful new kitchen and their dining room, it opens up,” Tavel said.

A row of pivot doors also can create an architectural element that can function as a wall when needed.

To the patio

For patio doors, homeowners can replace a double set of French doors to the outside with stackable, or folding doors, Mathis said.

“It is the whole concept of bringing the outdoors in,” she said.

Some manufacturers offer patio doors that retract or fold up, opening up interior rooms such as the family room, breakfast room or keeping room to the backyard. Manufacturer Andersen’s outswing folding patio doors come in 21 colors and seven types of wood, and can be customized up to 48 feet, and open from the right, left or center.

Retractable screen door makers now offer systems that work vertically or horizontally, a departure from traditional doors that swing out and can hit furniture and people.

Steve Kaplan, owner of Peachtree Blinds of Atlanta, based in Alpharetta, Ga., says more people are seeking retractable doors, with his sales of the doors up 50 percent over last year.

“The No. 1 installation area is kitchen/keeping room to deck/patio,” he said.

McClatchy-Tribune

The Irish Times – Saturday, July 7, 2012The award-winning garden by Paul Martin entitled “The Path of Life”. It was influenced by the verdant Irish landscape and uses “many shades of green”.

MEADHBH McHUGH

IRISH GARDEN designer Paul Martin has won a gold medal at the Singapore Garden Festival.

Fresh from winning a gold medal at the recent Bloom festival in Dublin, with a garden designed for RTÉ’s Lyric FM, Mr Martin said he was “delighted” with the win. “We’re on a roll.”

The Singapore Garden Festival, in its eighth year, is one of the biggest flower and garden shows in the world with an estimated 30,000 visitors this year.

In its eight years, no European has previously won gold.

“They pick the top designers from the top 10 shows in the world.

“I won gold at Hampton Court Flower Show last July and was therefore chosen to go,” Mr Martin said.

UK designers Andy Sturgeon and Sarah Eberle were also chosen to compete.

“This year all three representatives from the British Isles will be returning home with medals.”

Mr Martin’s entry garden was entitled The Path of Life and is described as a “journey, with views and experiences changing with each step”.

The garden was influenced by the verdant Irish landscape using “many shades of green”.

The winning design, sponsored by Kerrygold, also contains a water course and is in a contemporary style.

Mr Martin said that taking part in a world event such as this can be “stressful if you’re not organised”.

“In Singapore you have only seven days to get it completely built and planted.”

Designers from around the world were taking part in the festival including those from America, Canada and New Zealand.

They even included New Zealand All Black halfback Andy Ellis.

Mr Martin said there was “great competition between the New Zealanders and the Irish” in both rugby and flowers.

Mr Martin got his love of gardening from his grandfather and learned from him during summer holidays spent in Dundalk.

He then studied horticulture at the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin.

He was awarded his gold medal last night at a gala dinner attended by Singapore president Tony Tan Keng Yam and prime minister Lee Hsien Loong.

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Want to see how water-wise gardens grow? The Sierra Club Big Bear Group presents the 10th annual Xeriscape Garden Tour Saturday, July 14.

There are seven principles of xeriscape gardening: planning a design, soil analysis, appropriate plant selection, turf planning, efficient irrigation, mulching and maintenance. The tour showcases homes that exemplify these principles.

In 2011, the tour brought more than 600 people in touch with Big Bear Valley homeowners who shared knowledge and tips on how to create drought-tolerant gardens using native and low-water use plants.

This year, the tour features six gardens, two nurseries and the Flower Show and Plant Sale at the Big Bear Lake Performing Arts Center. Here are a few highlights.

See a FireWise home showcasing how to be drought-tolerant and fire-safe at the same time, then listen to native plant expert Orchid Black at Hunter’s Nursery answer questions about the benefits of native plants. A scavenger hunt has been added to the itinerary at each home where kids and adults can search for unique, highlighted garden art or features.

Tour attendees also have the opportunity to vote for their favorite home for the People’s Choice Award. The WaterWise Award is given for the yard that uses the least amount of water, and the Jim Otterstrom Earth Home Garden Award is presented for the garden that creates the most natural setting including but not limited to native plants. 

The late Otterstrom was a native plant proponent. He believed native plants were the best way to landscape a yard and his garden portrayed that belief.

In previous years, Otterstrom and his wife, Peggy, handed out seeds, sage advice and lemonade, making their yard a perennial favorite on the tour.

The free, self-guided tour begins at Eminger’s Mountain Nursery anytime between 9 a.m. and noon. Tour booklets, a map to the locations and directional signs help guide attendees. There are booths available with information on composting, water conservation and native plants.

Sierra Club members are at each location to guide arrivals and point out some of the key features at that home. The tour wraps up at 4 p.m.

Sponsors for the event are the Big Bear Area Regional Wastewater Agency, Bear Valley Fire agencies, city of Big Bear Lake, Big Bear City Community Services District, Big Bear Lake Department of Water and Power, Eminger’s Mountain Nursery, Hunter’s Nursery, MDMRA Master Composters, NativeScapes and TSL Landscaping.

Eminger’s Mountain Nursery is at 41223 Big Bear Blvd., Big Bear Lake. The Big Bear Lake Performing Arts Center is at 39707 Big Bear Blvd., Big Bear Lake. For more information and photos from previous tours, visit the Sierra Club’s website, www.sierraclubbigbeargroup.org.

© 2012 Big Bear Grizzly. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Fritz von der Schulenburg/The Interior ArchiveAn English garden in London: A thickly planted courtyard garden makes effective use of a variety of containers. It provides a pleasing backdrop for the dining pavilion at one of the homes featured in the new book “Living in Style London.”

With the worldwide descent on London this month for the 2012 Olympics, many Londoners have recognized the games as an opportunity to head off, renting their homes to make way for the overflow of sports fans requiring lodging in the city.

And anyone who has an opportunity to stay in an English home rather than a hotel — during the Olympics or otherwise — will likely long to bring home the stately character found in old architecture, or to recreate uncommon design features not easily found at home.

The new book “Living in Style London” (teNeues, $59.95) captures “London attitude” in classical, eccentric or forward-looking details that often pay homage to England’s history, its royals or such beloved exports as the Beatles.

Still, many of the rooms could easily be placed in New York, Paris, or some other international city. Not surprising, considering that some of the world’s top designers are behind — or live in — the featured rooms. It’s more than a bonus that some of those spaces expose lovely garden views. Among the book’s lush shots of “fabulously decorated interiors hidden within noteworthy London residences,” there are several that reveal private gardens. Some are havens — outdoor rooms enclosed by tall walls, and many are accessed through gorgeous French doors, in one case surrounded by a stunning array of leaded glass panes.

“Living in Style London” was edited by London interior designers Geraldine Apponyi and Monika Apponyi

Published in Germany and edited by Geraldine Apponyi and Monika Apponyi, the mother-daughter interior design team behind London’s MM Design, the 220-page coffee table tome showcases 237 inspiring images. Text by Judith Wilson appears in English, German and French. The book’s foreword is even penned by a royal — Princess Michael of Kent, herself an interior designer.

The book frequently demonstrates how old can mesh seamlessly with new. Gallery owner David Gill blends modern art with period furnishings in the 26,000 square feet of his open-floor-plan flat, formerly a hand-bag factory. In another case, a Victorian house was gutted for a client who wanted to stage a significant collection of current American art in a setting “with the swagger of 1940s Baroque.”

The editors quote an iconic American designer in the late Albert Hadley: “The essence of interior design will always be about people and how they live. It is about the realities of what makes for an attractive, civilized, meaningful environment, not about fashion or what’s in or out.”

This is a book that celebrates that notion.

Janet Moyer and Michael Hofman, San Francisco

We went because: We wanted to see the beautiful temples and the gardens that surround them in Kyoto. The gardens form the cornerstone of Japanese garden design.

Don’t miss: The Silver Palace, the Shogun’s Palace and just about any local noodle restaurant. A real pleasure is walking the back streets.

Don’t bother: Maybe pass on city buses, especially during rush hour (take the subways instead).

Coolest souvenir: Personalized chopsticks with local artisan hand engraving.

Worth a splurge: A local guide. Ours picked us up at the hotel, gave us transit info and pointed us to great spots to eat and shop.

We wish we’d packed: Warmer clothes. It snowed one day (but was 60 degrees the next).

Other comments: If you’re attempting to go during cherry blossom season, try to arrange a visit during the week. On weekends, the temples and gardens are packed.

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Got a great photo of yourself?

Submit it and details of your trip at www.sfgate.com/mytrip.

Garden Talk with Landscape Designer Tessa O’Regan at The Aldrich Museum

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Category: Home and Garden

Published on Thursday, 05 July 2012 16:02

Written by The Aldrich Museum

On Saturday, July 7th from 11 am to 12 Noon, The Aldrich welcomes Master Gardener Tessa O’Regan, from Cobblestone Landscaping, LLC, to lead a garden talk that will focus on the main principles of garden design and its connection to painting, sculpture, music, and dance. These links will be illustrated through discussions of contemporary landscape designers such as Piet Oudolf, James van Sweden, and Luciano Giubbilei.

O’Regan was born in South Africa and after graduating from the University of Cape Town launched a career as a clothing designer. In 1997, she and her family moved to Ridgefield where she stayed at home and raised her two sons. She completed the Master Gardener program through UConn in 2004 and in 2011 was certified as a Landscape Designer through the New York Botanical Garden, where she has studied for the past few years. She is also a certified NOFA (North East Organic Farming) land care professional. O’Regan started her own design/ installation/maintenance company in 2007 and designs commercial and residential gardens in greater Fairfield County.

Celebrate summer at The Aldrich every Saturday morning in July and August with engrossing programs and activities for all ages (with chaperone). Participate in hands-on art-making projects inspired by exhibiting artists, explore the Museum’s Sensory Garden, and join us for special events outside in the Sculpture Garden and in the Education Center.

The Education Center will also be open during regular Museum hours and visitors of all ages are also invited to engage with the exhibitions through hands-on art-making projects. Participants will have the opportunity to explore and use a variety of materials and techniques, deepening their connection to and understanding of the work and concepts presented by the exhibiting artists. Drop in and find out what The Aldrich has to offer!

This event is FREE for members, and FREE with the price of admission.

For more information, please contact Suzanne Enser-Ryan at 203.438.4519, extension 38, or 
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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In the late 1980s, Terry Rosen fell in love with a Nicole Miller dress that was way beyond her means as a freelance illustrator. She proposed to sketch fashion prints for Ms. Miller in exchange for the garment; within a week, she was a textile designer. Her best-known fabric for Ms. Miller depicted an assortment of colorful hand-drawn ticket stubs from cultural events.

Now Ms. Rosen has worked her collage sensibility into pillow fabric inspired by vintage bracelets. She began drawing the costume jewelry, which she picked up at flea markets over the years, because she was attracted to the various decorative links. But then the links began to take on a soulful aspect. “I saw them as people trying to search for each other and literally hook up,” she said.

Offered by the online retailer DQtrs in August, the pillows will be available in 17-inch-square ($135) or 24-inch-square ($245) sizes. For information or to order: (415) 673-2341 or dqtrs.com.