June 2006 The Summer Garden

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1 June 2006 The Summer Garden A message from Rick Perry June 2006 Edition Summer arrives this month! The days are getting longer and the weather is warming up. The temperature in my pond is over 60 degrees so I ve switched the fish food to a summer blend that is higher in protein. We ve been telling you for months about the HGTV Landscaper s Challenge TV shows we filmed last summer. We re excited to announce that HGTV has finally put the new season on their schedule! Falling Water Designs filmed two different segments while HGTV was here last summer. The first show to air is the one that I was on. We didn t win that challenge so you won t see much of me which is probably a good thing! That show is #LSC 1001, titled Backyard Wonderland and airs July 6th at 9:30 pm, July 7th at 1:30 am, and July 8th at 11 am. The second show to air is the one that we won and installed in West Seattle. That show you will see a lot of Robin our designer, and a little bit of me in the background, pointing at things during installation of the garden! That show is #LSC 1009, titled Tranquil Garden and airs August 3rd at 9:30 pm, August 4th at 1:30 am, and August 5th at 11 am. I wanted to tell you about two events you won t want to miss this month: The first is an exclusive tour of the Highlands Estate Gardens on Sunday June 25th. The proceeds benefit the E.B. Dunn Historic Garden Trust. If you ve never been to the Dunn Gardens you should check them out. This Tour is of five estate gardens in the Highlands. I m going, so if any of you want to join me I d be happy to walk with you and talk about ideas that can be incorporated in your own gardens. Check out the tour at: My favorite place to buy art for the garden is Bassetti s Crooked Arbor Gardens. Bassetti s is an outdoor art gallery representing all types of artists and art suitable for the garden. They are having their 12th Annual garden and art show on Saturday and Sunday June 24th and 25th. They have art for your garden starting around $35 up to $35,000. This is a free event. Check them out at: Check out this month s newsletter for all kinds of great ideas for your garden and pond. Contact us at: info@fallingwaterdesigns.com

2 Re-Bloomers and Tolerant Flowers Hemerocallis Custard Candy - Custard Candy is a re-blooming variety that bears creamy yellow flowers with a deep maroon eye-zone & green throat above clumps of grass-like, green foliage. The blooms measure about 4¼ inches across, and are showy in the early- to midsummer garden. After they've passed, this plant rests for a few weeks, then begins a late-season encore, just when the garden needs an infusion of color. Reaching 2 feet tall and up to 2 feet wide, this Daylily is a good size for edging, the front to middle of the border, and containers. Like all Daylilies, Custard Candy thrives in blazing sun, needing very little in the way of special treatment to keep flourishing for years. IN BLOOM This months featured plants are re-bloomers, tolerant and offer gorgeous color for your garden -Coreopsis Auriculata Nana An easy to grow, low, clump-forming perennial that is very weather tolerant. Bright yelloworange daisy-like flowers are perfect accents in rock gardens. Its matting habit makes an excellent ground cover or edging plant. Full to partial sun. Growing to 6 to 8 inches high, 2 feet wide. A lovely edger for the front of the garden or at the corner of a walkway where the bright yellow-orange flowers can be admired. It also makes an excellent rockery plant. Good with sun-loving companions. Cool Garden Tools to Use The WheelEasy The WheelEasy is a new take on the classic, age old wheelbarrow that we all know and love from our childhoods. Instead of a solid metal, wood or plastic base, the WheelEasy is made from canvas or tarp to make up a collapsible, maneuverable container. Because of its collapsibility, it is ideal for yard work ranging from collecting weeds to spreading bark to moving boulders. -Hydrangea macrophylla Lady in Red Offers distinctive color and style to the landscape over many seasons. Pinkish-white lacecap flowers mature to a lush burgundy rose. Deep red stems and leaf veins compliment the lush green foliage which becomes reddish-purple in fall. Deciduous. The red highlights really stand out in the spring garden on this 3-foot-high, 4-foot-wide shrub. The leaves are large and toothy, like those of other Hydrangeas, but they glow with red veins, stems, and petioles. As beautiful as Lady in Red is, some gardeners will want this Hydrangea more for its stem strength and mildew resistance than its incredible color show. When you drop the handles to the ground, you get ground-level loading. You don t need to lift anything to get it into the WheelEasy, just rake, shovel or slide into the canvas barrel. The only lifting you do is lifting the handles from the ground. And according to the laws of physics, you re only lifting a portion of the load.

3 Outdoor Entertainment Just for Grown-Ups: Adult Entertainment Spaces When you re thinking about redesigning part of your garden it s important to think about the over-all use of the space. Falling Water Designs clients often ask for stunning plant material and beautiful hardscapes. Occasionally when there are small children we will include a play structure and a small level piece of lawn to play on. Many clients seldom think of including spaces for themselves that will bring them out into the garden to spend time out-of-doors. Therefore Falling Water Designs always tries to include these types of spaces in the designs we create. Ask yourself what types of activities will make your garden even more inviting and get you to stay out in the garden space. Here are just a few ideas: A small vegetable or cutting garden so you can grow your own vegetables or flowers for cutting and bringing in the house. Secondary destinations such as a small conversation or fire pit. A putting green, bocce court, or sports court. A spa, pool, or outdoor shower. A covered entertainment space with a built-in BBQ or fireplace. Remember that comfort is very important. Plan on providing shade if the space is too sunny or hot to otherwise enjoy. Make sure that the space has a sense of privacy and that you don t feel like the neighbors are staring down at you. Purchase comfortable furnishing so you can really enjoy your time outdoors. Your garden should be more than a pretty place that you admire from inside the house. It should be a multi-use space that invites you outside and keeps you entertained once you re out in the garden. Try to incorporate things that appeal to you personally and that keep you in the garden.

4 Recipes: June is Strawberry Month! Rick s world famous strawberry pie! This recipe is for a fresh strawberry pie. Easy to make. No bake! And delicious! - One pre-made, purchased, sugar cookie pie crust. (or make your own if you know how!) - One jar of Strawberry glaze. From the baking aisle. - One box of Regular Strawberry Jello. - Two or three quarts of fresh strawberries. - Fresh whipped cream. Take the fresh strawberries and hull them (remove the green stems) but don t cut them up. Put them in a bowl and then sprinkle the dry strawberry Jello mix over them to coat the strawberries. Add enough strawberry glaze to lightly coat all the strawberries then dump everything into the prepared crust. Pile them up really high for a fun presentation. Put the pie in the refrigerator and chill it for several hours. When you serve it cut into generous wedges and serve with a big dollop of whipped cream. Are there still parts of your design not installed? Do you need lighting or pots on the patio or deck? Another great idea for strawberries: Use them for ice cubes! Hull fresh strawberries and then freeze them whole. When you serve drinks for your guests pull out the frozen strawberries and use them just like ice cubes. Great for lemonade, ice tea, or other libations! Contact us at A NEW TEAM MEMBER Please welcome Anthony Davis, the newest member of the Falling Water Designs Team. An Iowa native and avid conservationist, he takes on the role of Lead of our 2nd crew. Anthony comes to Falling Water Designs from his work with the non-profit organization Mountains to Sound Greenway where he worked as a trails specialist and project manager. There he headed up groups of volunteers doing environmental restoration along I-90. Currently, Anthony is working for his degree in Agriculture and is set to marry his fiancé, Dianne, this summer. Anthony plans to one day work with developing counties in support of the advancement of their own sustainable agriculture.

5 Before & After Our Latest Garden Redesign Let Falling Water Designs make your outdoor vision a reality. We specialize in: This project was really fun because the transformation was so instantaneous. The client s front property slopes up quickly about 12 feet to the house. When we arrived there was a series of failing, crumbling, retaining walls, and a fence that was falling over. We removed all the retaining walls, cut out part of the concrete driveway and re-graded the site. Then we installed 18 tons of large granite boulders to hold up the slopes. We installed natural stone riser steps in three different places and railings along the stairs. New Soil, plants, and huge trees completed the transformation. We chose plant material that had colors of burgundy, purple, yellow, and orange to compliment the color of the house. Ponds, Fountains, Waterfalls, & Other Water Features Decks, Patios, & Other Entertainment Areas Using spectacular plants in a design that is tailor-made to your style by one of our talented designers

6 June Calendar Garden Tasks: Get Down and Dirty Renovate June bearing strawberry beds Fertilize strawberries and water regularly to promote new growth Plant another crop of sweet corn and green beans Watch tomatoes for foliar leaf disease development and treat Mulch crops for moisture conservation and weed control Continue a regular fruit disease and insect control program Remove sucker growth from base of trees and along branches Pinch herbs to keep bushy and fresh with new growth Turn compost pile and keep moist for a quicker breakdown Pinch chrysanthemums for development of a bushy plant Deadhead spent flower blossoms to keep plants flowering Check plants for insects Pond Tasks: and then go for a swim Remove flower stalks from peonies and iris Trim spent rose blossoms Fertilize roses with about 1 cup of low analysis fertilizer per plant Mulch flower gardens for the summer to conserve moisture, control weeds and cool the soil Remove dead foliage from spring bulbs Water and fertilize container plantings regularly to encourage growth and flowering Prune pines and spruces to shape and control size Water newly planted trees and shrubs as needed Prune spring flowering shrubs Do not damage tree trunks with mowers and weed whips Check for spider mite damage on various shrubs 25% OFF Select Summer Fish Food June Supplies Sale! Start fertilizing your aquatic plants with fertilizer tablets. Once a month push several tablets into their pots. Cut off the dead blooms from your aquatic plants. If your pond has reached 60 degrees, which it should have by now, switch to your summer high protein fish food. Back-flush your bio-filter every six weeks This offer only good while Supplies Last Call for details A note about privacy. Falling Water Designs will never sell or share any of your information. We use your only to send you information like this newsletter. If you d rather not receive this newsletter in the future just let us know and we ll remove you from our list. Contact us at Info@FallingWaterDesigns.com or call us at Check out the website at