Brick Paving

Clay Bricks are a time honored way to pave paths, patios and driveways. There are brick roads over 200 years old, and the clay bricks are still in fine shape. Here is one such road in Bethlehem, NY.



There are many advantages to using clay bricks. One is that bricks allow water to enter into the ground, rather than running off to the storm drain. As long as a well drained gravel base is used, the bricks do not have to have a large gap between then to allow infiltration.


The color of clay bricks is permanant, and will never fade. It is not a dye, but is baked throughout the whole brick.

Brick paving is low maintenance, it does not require sealing. If the pavement is damaged, it is easy to take out and fix the affected area.

The bricks are fast to install once the gravel base is sufficiently prepared. And the surface of the bricks is naturally non-slip.

The interlocking nature of bricks allows for many different pattern design alternatives. There are a range of colors available, from pink to yellow, from grey to red.

The Amherst Farmers Supply has a wide variety of bricks available, and they have displays set up to show the different patterns.

Goshen Stone for Landscaping

I love Goshen Stone. It is versatile, durable and beautiful too. The first time I saw it, I was amazed at the possibilities for using it in the garden. Back home in NH, all we had for local stone was granite, which is very hard to work with. Goshen Stone is very flat, and available in pieces that are 10' long by 10' wide. Now, moving such a piece is a different story!


Goshen Stone is unique because it is a sedimentary stone that has been metamorphized. The stone was formed when ancient ocean bottom was squeezed between tectonic plates 400 million years ago. What this means is that the stone is very strong and dense in one direction, and yet it can be easily split and worked at the edge. This allows the stones to be made very flat for paving (You can literally plane bumps off with a chisel) and they can be hand trimmed to fit extremely tight together. The stone is also strong enough to pave a driveway with, or to make a bridge across a waterfall.


Goshen Stone is usually a silver color, but there are also many browns, orange and reds found in different veins. At the Goshen Stone Company on Route 9 in Goshen MA, they let me choose which color stones I want. That way, we can pick for colors most suited for each job. The stone blends well with other materials, such as brick, granite or bluestone.


For anyone interested in learning how to work with Goshen Stone, I will be teaching a class at the Goshen Stone Company in July. We will be teaching folks how to build walls, stairs and patios. We will go over different ways to move and work the stones. This will be the 12th year that I have taught the class. For more info, check out this link: HOW TO CLASS

Dog friendly gardens

I've had a lot of time to spend with my dog Porter because of the weather, and I have been thinking about how to make my garden even more dog friendly then it already is. With no snow on the ground, Po has been turning my lawn into a patch of mud and tracking it all over the house. Of course, this is what dogs do, and mud season hasn't even begun. Here is a snapshot of the problem.



So my first resolution is to get the turf in better shape with some over seeding, lime and organic fertilizer as soon as I can. Goal #2 is to create a better edging around my beds to keep the dog out. In the areas that I have stones making a border, my dog does little mucking about, as you can see here.



One of the major selling features for me on buying this house was the fenced in yard. This allows my pooch to tromp around whenever he wants to, and all the chasing of squirrels is keeping him in good shape for a 7 year old. The trouble is, he releaves himself on any new planting I put in to obscure the chainlink fence. But I have found that bigger plants stand up to his abuse better, and with frequent waterings to dilute the urea he fertilizes them with, they eventually thrive.

We have a large deck and stone patio as a transition into the yard, and this gives the dog an area to lose a bit of mud on the way back in. I plan to expand the paved area in the spring. Here is a picture of it.



Porter loves our yard. We have a good mix of sunny and shady spots for him to relax in, and there are plenty of rabbits and chipmunks to chase. I keep a big area of grass for him and the kids. I have also chosen to not plant things on the ASPCA's list of toxic plants in his yard, and we use no chemical fertilizers or pesticides. There are quite a few poisenous plants on the list, here is a link to it.
PLANT LIST

Porter is a good dog, he almost always does his business way out back behind the compost heap, where we never step in it. I think he learned this because I was always scooping up after him and disposing of his waste back in that area. It took a couple of years, but he has caught on. If anyone has something to add in the comments, I would like to hear from you.

No snow here.

Here is the scene in my yard this afternoon. Some blizzard. All of the weathermen had called for at least 4" - 6" of snow! I'm glad they were wrong, I can't wait for spring to be here. And you never know in New England when that will be. Some years the ground is thaw and dry in mid-March. Unfortunately though, mud season usually extends itself to the end of April.

Until then, the landscape can seem so barren without snow. All the browns and greys are a downer. That combined with the short days can make you want to reach for the prozac. To fight off the S.A.D. winter blues, I like to use a good mix of rocks and evergreens in my landscape designs (as you can see in the shot of my front yard). To me rocks are always interesting. Perhaps it's from growing up in the Granite State (NH). I even have a rock on a spring (Thank you John Sendelbach). That way, the rock is always moving.

The value of community gardening

Lately I have been thinking globally about how I can act locally to help with our slow economy. A basic underlying problem with the modern world's economy is the deficit and growing debt incured by Europe and the United States, and this will not be easily reversed. However, using locally manufactured goods and local products keeps wealth in our community. Our gardens should create wealth for us rather than taking value away.

Quoting from Tom Hartman LINK
"Manufacturing and extraction are the only two ways to “create wealth.”
“Wealth” is different from “income.” Wealth is value, which endures at least for some time. Income is simply compensation for work. If you wash my car for $10 and I mow your lawn for $10, we have a GDP of $20 and it looks like we both have income and economic activity. But no wealth has been created, just income"
On the other hand, if I build your car, I’m creating something of value. And if you turn my lawn into a small farm that produces food we can all eat, you’re creating something of value. Not only do we have an “economy” with a “GDP,” we also have created wealth."


GOSHEN STONE PATIO WITH FRUIT TREES IN AMHERST

With this in mind, I plant to use more local products like Goshen stone, Black Locust lumber, and native plants in my projects. I already do this as much as posible, but now I see it more as a mission of educating folks. I also hope to plant more edible plants.

Increasing energy efficiency through landscaping, as well as reducing maintenance expenses, helps preserve wealth too. Reducing lawn size and using appropriate plants is the way to go.



There are several community gardens around the valley, and I hope to see more. Getting a community farm share, joining a coop, or planting fruit trees are ways we can create symbiotic relationships with our local landscape. Any way that our community can become more self sustaining will help preserve our wealth. I believe that globalization is an issue best addresed by working toward a localpermaculture.

Mill River Park

I took my dog Porter for his usual walk at Mill River Park in North Amherst today. The river was really flowing without much ice, and the fields were pretty bare. Winter will be returning tomorrow, I am told.



We found a few structures made of sticks in the woods. My children tell me that they are Fairy houses. Who am I to doubt them. Perhaps dwarfs live there?



We met a group of dog-walkers in front of the Mill Canal Newt. It is great to see so many folks outside today enjoying this mid-winter thaw. Tomorrow I will be shoveling sidewalks all day in the blizzard. Today we were letterboxing!



Hiking with my dog and kids is one of my favorite activities. Perhaps the nicest things about the Pioneer Valley for me is the huge trail system. There is so much public land open for recreation, and it really adds to the quality of life. After tomorrow, I will have to get the xc-skis out!

Sustainable Landscaping

There has been a lot of interest in creating sustainable and energy efficient landscapes lately. My good friend and associate Susan Reed recently had her book published with the title Energy-Wise Landscape Design. A description of the book from their website is "Combining general guidelines with tips, techniques and actions, this fully illustrated guide explains the many opportunities our landscapes provide for conserving energy."
Link for the book
There are a few pictures of gardens Whirlwind built for Susan's clients inside the pages.



The Ecological Landscaping Association is having their 16th Annual Conference & Eco-Marketplace on February 25, at the Mass Mutual Center in Springfield, MA. I attended last year, and it was a great experience. Not only did I find suppliers of green products and hard to find native plants, I also learned a ton about ecological practices. I definitely recommend attending.
Eco-conference Link



Right here in Amherst, and as part of the Sustainable Architecture in the Pioneer Valley exhibit at UMass, there will be a presentation titled "Sustainable Landscapes - The Greening of our Suburban and Urban Places" on Thursday, April 15 at 7:00 pm in the University Gallery. Speakers include Kim Erslev, Faculty, Conway School of Landscape Architecture; Patricia McGirr, Assistant Professor, Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning, UMass Amherst; and Erica Rioux Gees, AIA, Kuhn Riddle Architects. This event is free and open to the public, and you can be sure that I will attend.
Sustainable Architecture schedule of events