I feel like the best approach for me as an individual is to see what the paints can do, how the brushes interact with the paint...and try. I spatter over them because I like the way it looks.
Perfect. That's the best way to learn, with consistency thrown in.
I think of the little exercise as a way of learning new vocabulary with the brush and paint because paper wetness is very much a dial you can play with just as much as paint thickness. I'd go so far as to say it's what makes watercolor the medium it is.
I can craft almost anything using any type of application and materials. I can do all kinds of hand arts including various types of hook and needle work. I'm confident about those things. Watercolor painting uncharted territory for me. I don't know what I'm doing. I just DO it and see what happens.
I would like to be able to do three things with it. Paint the Pines and Aspens, and I'd like to be able to take my brush markers with me on a trip and paint a small travel portfolio of what I see. I brought it all with me and never used them when I was traveling. I might be better off taking a camera!
You all may be interested in looking into a screening of Five Seasons if you are into Piet Oudolf. He also provided garden design on the High Line Park in New York. That's the work of his with which I'm most familiar where he worked with the site design team to provide the garden design. I don't know but would guess The Lurie Garden was similar.
Looked it up and yep, GGN out of Seattle was the LA firm on the Lurie.
I damned love the Highline. I followed it from concept to buildout. My daughter and her fiance went to NY for a wedding, and I insisted they walk it. It’s such a marvelous concept; I love linear parks and urban green belts (there’s one in Atlanta that’s bananas).
- Doc
Now I feel silly; I actually spent an afternoon in the Lurie just over a decade ago, and I still didn’t make the connection to Oudolf in this conversation, until I checked out his website a few moments ago.
The plan for the Highline is fantastic, and I wish that I could walk that one in person.
The park strip above was done by some older gentlemen who live in the Liberty Park area of SLC. They were one of the houses I was trying to remember, and I found it! I actually talked to the guy when my wife and I were joy riding, and he basically kept throwing plants at his park strip until whatever stuck - but the bottom line is he claimed to have not watered it, that it was all xeriscape and only used whatever water nature provided. Anyway, I’m sure you can identify the plants better than I … something for your idea-catalogue, anyway.
The park strip above was done by some older gentlemen who live in the Liberty Park area of SLC. They were one of the houses I was trying to remember, and I found it! I actually talked to the guy when my wife and I were joy riding, and he basically kept throwing plants at his park strip until whatever stuck - but the bottom line is he claimed to have not watered it, that it was all xeriscape and only used whatever water nature provided. Anyway, I’m sure you can identify the plants better than I … something for your idea-catalogue, anyway.
- Doc
Thanks for linking that pic, Doc - that looks great. Like those fellows, we’ve also been doing a bit of the ‘see what sticks’ approach as well. We want our strip to have plants that will need little to no supplemental watering.
That little blooming yucca in the center is a good choice; they’re tough as nails and won’t need anything more than rainfall. Same for those coral hesperaloe at the rear, which seem to thrive on abuse. Both are very cold tolerant and should even be able to survive your new northern digs (the yucca can even survive Jersey Girl’s climate easily), if you’re looking for something ‘spiky’ to toss in your own garden.
Those carmine blanketflower and purple salvia are also a favorite, but they’ll require a little more than just rainfall to look their best. They’re great performers and will stay in bloom right until the frost days hit.
There are a good number of plants in there that I can’t name; I still have a way to go before I’m as ‘landscape smart’ as I want to be with UT flora.
Well, I’m excited to see what you do with your UT space considering you did so well with your AZ space. We used Millcreek Gardens and Glover nursery as our primary plant providers, in case you’re looking for a couple of recommendations. This year for Utah-friendly-xeriscape plants we actually participated here:
And got ~180 plants for free. We packed our little Prius full of plants, drove back to the boonies, and put them right in the ground thanks to those guys. If you’d like to sync up with our liaison their email is:
They’ll have, at least from the email exchanges we had with them, pick up locations that are in Logan, Ogden, Lone Peak, and SLC depending on where you might want to go.
The park strip above was done by some older gentlemen who live in the Liberty Park area of SLC. They were one of the houses I was trying to remember, and I found it! I actually talked to the guy when my wife and I were joy riding, and he basically kept throwing plants at his park strip until whatever stuck - but the bottom line is he claimed to have not watered it, that it was all xeriscape and only used whatever water nature provided. Anyway, I’m sure you can identify the plants better than I … something for your idea-catalogue, anyway.
- Doc
That is amazing! They do that here in town, too, only they call it a hell strip. Here's something else folks are doing in town and swearing by it. Seeding clover instead of grass. Looks pretty lush if you ask me. I'd love to do that around the house but we already have Dandelion debates because somebody around here (and I ain't sayin' who) doesn't understand the need to feed pollinators.
LIGHT HAS A NAME
We only get stronger when we are lifting something that is heavier than what we are used to. ~ KF
Well, I’m excited to see what you do with your UT space considering you did so well with your AZ space. We used Millcreek Gardens and Glover nursery as our primary plant providers, in case you’re looking for a couple of recommendations. This year for Utah-friendly-xeriscape plants we actually participated here:
And got ~180 plants for free. We packed our little Prius full of plants, drove back to the boonies, and put them right in the ground thanks to those guys. If you’d like to sync up with our liaison their email is:
They’ll have, at least from the email exchanges we had with them, pick up locations that are in Logan, Ogden, Lone Peak, and SLC depending on where you might want to go.
- Doc
Doc, thank you for that link & information. I never knew that this opportunity existed. Looks like they’ve completed the program for the year but I’ll definitely be following up for the next round.
Well, I’m excited to see what you do with your UT space considering you did so well with your AZ space. We used Millcreek Gardens and Glover nursery as our primary plant providers, in case you’re looking for a couple of recommendations. This year for Utah-friendly-xeriscape plants we actually participated here:
And got ~180 plants for free. We packed our little Prius full of plants, drove back to the boonies, and put them right in the ground thanks to those guys. If you’d like to sync up with our liaison their email is:
They’ll have, at least from the email exchanges we had with them, pick up locations that are in Logan, Ogden, Lone Peak, and SLC depending on where you might want to go.
- Doc
Doc, thank you for that link & information. I never knew that this opportunity existed. Looks like they’ve completed the program for the year but I’ll definitely be following up for the next round.
How did you find out about this?
My wife says she thinks she saw it on a local news piece or a Utah subreddit, but isn’t sure. I wish I could remember the gentleman’s name that called us after we applied because he loooooves to talk about the right plants for the right clime. I would’ve suggested talking to him because he was a knowledgeable fella. Oh, well.
I noticed your mention of Yucca for our climate. Guess what? When we left quarters on base to move I dug up some Prickly Pear and planted it up here which is another thousand feet elevation. It's still going strong thirty years later!
LIGHT HAS A NAME
We only get stronger when we are lifting something that is heavier than what we are used to. ~ KF
