tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post6861405141852259294..comments2024-03-24T12:55:07.300-04:00Comments on grounded design by Thomas Rainer: Exile from the GardenAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13805682623764800983noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-20630893896243183282011-04-24T23:18:52.618-04:002011-04-24T23:18:52.618-04:00I highly recommend that you not wait a year. Life ...I highly recommend that you not wait a year. Life is short, and a year without gardening is an eternity. I recommend killing off all the sod, and hydroseeding the whole yard with a wildflower mix. It will be inexpensive, and you'll have tremendous joy watching a million little seedlings grow into a meadow. I've blanketed several of my yards with wildflowers. One year I had cars slowing down out front, and taking pictures. All for the cost of a few packets of seed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-87499926314005022152011-04-17T07:03:48.128-04:002011-04-17T07:03:48.128-04:00Don't worry, it's a natural feeling. It ki...Don't worry, it's a natural feeling. It kills me to be away from my parent's garden when I'm living at my tiny student place in the city. The windowsill there is too small to even hold a spider plant :(<br /><br />Focus on getting the interior just right. The garden will survive a year without you and next year you can run out ready in spring with a toddler to "help"...Ruhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02896653669000842779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-63957719084904228522011-04-13T09:20:52.048-04:002011-04-13T09:20:52.048-04:00Heather,
Your garden is one of my inspirations. ...Heather,<br /><br />Your garden is one of my inspirations. I love seeing the transformation you've done with your yard. It's a wildlife oasis. <br /><br />Nicole,<br /><br />Great to hear from you, dear friend! My complaints about business pale in comparison to dealing with twin babies. I don't know how you do it.<br /><br />Vicki, so nice to meet you. I'm glad you found the site. Yours is lovely and charming as well!<br /><br />Allan, thanks for the kind response. I'll probably end up over-thinking the garden. Too much time to think is not a good thing for me.<br /><br />Kaveh, that's good advice. Although my containers are overcrowded already. Hmm, maybe I need to buy more. I'll tell my wife it's necessary . . .Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13805682623764800983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-13580850376692913882011-04-12T18:54:19.365-04:002011-04-12T18:54:19.365-04:00I would just wait. Take your time making the inte...I would just wait. Take your time making the interior more livable and in the meantime you will see the yard through the seasons. That may even help you come up with better plans for your new yard and garden. If the wait is just too much you can plant some containers out that can be moved around later on.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-23117609561165743452011-04-12T17:01:56.732-04:002011-04-12T17:01:56.732-04:00Renovating a home and raising a child, it's a ...Renovating a home and raising a child, it's a wonderment that you have time to compose a blog so beautifully written that I was sorry the post finally came to an end.<br /><br />If it's any consolation, I suspect that all of your hard work and inconvenience will kick the value of the property into the stratosphere.<br /><br />Also, I am certain that the garden, whenever it gets done, will look far better for having been mulled over in your imagination countless times.allanbecker-gardenguruhttp://allanbecker-gardenguru.squarespace.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-75431474976699703472011-04-12T16:33:29.685-04:002011-04-12T16:33:29.685-04:00I forgot to say that I found your blog though Gard...I forgot to say that I found your blog though Garden Rant and have enjoyed it ever since.<br /><br />Sounds like you are undertaking some major projects. If you haven't already, make sure you check with your county to get the proper permits if you need them. It's a pain, but the county can make you tear out all your work if you don't. I'm across the river from you in Montgomery County, and a neighbor of mine finished his basement without getting the necessary permits, and when he went to sell his house the county made him tear everything out.<br /><br />And don't give up. It won't last forever, even though sometimes it can seem that way.Vickyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07728338087488162172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-66315202121375380262011-04-12T16:21:32.266-04:002011-04-12T16:21:32.266-04:00Thomas have no fear! I too am in the exact same ...Thomas have no fear! I too am in the exact same position as I stare into my blank canvas of a yard on a daily basis longing for a luxurious haven to escape to and play with my children! Some landscape architect I am....... Having a new house, a three year old and twins has thrown off my plans, my ability to work on my yard and my budget.......perhaps I am going to have to wait until my three handy helpers are there working by my side. All the best. Love your blog!!!Nicole W.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-73898702915852273262011-04-12T15:15:41.823-04:002011-04-12T15:15:41.823-04:00Heather ( don't you love auto- correct! )Heather ( don't you love auto- correct! )Heather Holmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12614164765858960174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-91031193309539177802011-04-12T15:14:51.150-04:002011-04-12T15:14:51.150-04:00Thomas,
I admire your patience. The wait will be w...Thomas,<br />I admire your patience. The wait will be worth it though, think of all the views you will see and gardens to conceptualize as you look at each of your windows throughout the season. You will learn so much about your space by viewing it for a whole year. I think this is something we all should do before making poor design decisions. Just don't forget to take plenty of photos!<br />HearHeather Holmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12614164765858960174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-86445883848287098122011-04-12T13:39:58.473-04:002011-04-12T13:39:58.473-04:00We've traveled a similar path. We bought our ...We've traveled a similar path. We bought our first house six years ago. The previous owners were hoarders, smokers, and they had a dog that was not let outside on a regular basis to do what dogs need to do. And the decorating was circa 1970. Consequently the interior both looked and smelled bad. But this was during the housing bubble and the price and location were great, so we bought it. <br /><br />It was easy to feel overwhelmed, but we've taken it one piece at a time. Both my husband and I have taken non-credit classes at our local community college to learn how to do things around the house. The classes usually met once a week for three or six weeks, and we have learned about carpentry, plumbing, wiring/electricity, and hanging and repairing drywall. You might want to look at your community college to see if it offers something similar.<br /><br />Since buying this house we have done the following ourselves: ripped up the what-we-thought-was-grey-but-was-really-bright-blue-under-all-the-grime carpet, refinished the floors to get rid of the charred look from the dog urine (saved a lot of money doing it ourselves, but I wouldn't do it again), ripped panel board off the walls, removed the wall paper under the panel boards (mustard yellow), painted all the walls everywhere, redid the electrical wiring, put in a ceiling light fixture in our living room (there wasn't one there), put in ceiling fans in several rooms, and we're almost done redoing our main-floor bathroom (we took it down to the studs and put in new everything). As money presented itself over the years we've had hired out to professionals to replace our: furnace, hot water heater, all our windows, doors, siding, our clogged sewer line, and to finish the unfinished attic.<br /><br />I'm proud of all we've been able to accomplish over the years, but it's still hard not to be impatient. I'm still waiting for the money to redo my kitchen which is the size and shape of a large walk-in closet. And I'm waiting to re-landscape the front yard where the sewer line was dug up. Right now I get to look at a sea of mulch. I was planning to take on the front yard this year, but one of our cars just died, so that will probably have to wait until next year. I've gotten better at waiting, I suppose.Vickyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07728338087488162172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-24759568704349139092011-04-12T11:41:07.385-04:002011-04-12T11:41:07.385-04:00Adrian,
It's so reassuring to hear stories li...Adrian,<br /><br />It's so reassuring to hear stories like that. Even if I could install the whole thing tomorrow, it would take years before it really fills in, so I feel this enormous pressure to get started NOW. So stories like yours remind me that it's ok to slow down. We've been on such a frantic pace to get the insides renovated, it's hard to think about subtle change. But that's exactly what's needed.<br /><br />Thanks!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13805682623764800983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-69587496449470143052011-04-12T11:13:04.148-04:002011-04-12T11:13:04.148-04:00It sounds like we won't be seeing a garden tra...It sounds like we won't be seeing a garden transformation implemented on your blog this year, however I hope you do take us a long on your thought process as it evolves.danger gardenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09227500551609537140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-15418477535366435402011-04-12T11:06:12.357-04:002011-04-12T11:06:12.357-04:00Dear Thomas,
Congratulations on your house. Be c...Dear Thomas, <br /><br />Congratulations on your house. Be careful of lead.<br /><br />Two stories: <br /><br />My husband and I once bought an abandoned three flat, gutted it, and as soon as the top floor was more or less done, moved in and lived on that construction site, doing much of the work ourselves. This is where our son was born.<br /><br />Then, son being a year old, we moved to our present house. As a city girl, I had no idea what to do with the garden. The weeds grew and grew, until one day I saw the former owner outside chopping them vigorously. That day I became a gardener through sheer embarrassment. Yet I still, after my daughter was born--busy, busy-- mainly had to watch the light for several years before I could do much more than tend what was there; but learning all the while. <br /><br />Now, twenty-four years later, the garden and I (and my husband and children) have grown in wonderful ways I would never have imagined when we were starting out.<br /><br />Wishing the best for you and your family,<br /><br />AdrianEcological Gardeninghttp://www.ecologicalgardening.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-1403818002812552692011-04-12T10:39:51.815-04:002011-04-12T10:39:51.815-04:00Great point, Greggo. What's the saying about ...Great point, Greggo. What's the saying about the cobbler's children's shoes?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13805682623764800983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-44829354394853713222011-04-12T10:17:17.686-04:002011-04-12T10:17:17.686-04:00Nice, I feel your pain or is it gain? I too strugg...Nice, I feel your pain or is it gain? I too struggle with an artistic brain which never rests. I believe as designers(professionally) we have to succumb to economic realities (time constraints, client budgets, plant availabilities, client requirements, among other things), and are not able to spend the amount of time to understand the site. But, as our own gardens are concerned we have to ability to "live" and share in the site on a daily basis, and can "edit" as we go.greggohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10490422976382424491noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-18677982732940752402011-04-12T10:06:19.066-04:002011-04-12T10:06:19.066-04:00Julia,
Thank you! It's much easier said than ...Julia,<br /><br />Thank you! It's much easier said than executed in a design. If you see a project that pulls it off, let me know.<br /><br />Thomasthomashttp://www.groundeddesign.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-47238063401599564872011-04-12T10:04:00.575-04:002011-04-12T10:04:00.575-04:00David,
I love to hear that a great landscape arch...David,<br /><br />I love to hear that a great landscape architect like yourself is so busy. May you never get to your garden! Albequerque needs you.<br /><br />ThomasThomashttp://www.groundeddesign.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-26732845597158252572011-04-12T09:27:16.469-04:002011-04-12T09:27:16.469-04:00"The garden is a mediated state between proje..."The garden is a mediated state between projected possibility (concept) and objective reality (site). Too strong a concept can obliterate the subtle details that make a site special. But a strong site or context can swallow a timid concept. The best gardens hold this tension throughout."<br /><br />Hopefully, people will be quoting you on this for hundreds of years. It's worthy of it.Zanshinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09191049348342595048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850578816787718159.post-64917390857708637072011-04-12T09:02:31.631-04:002011-04-12T09:02:31.631-04:00I can relate about exile. Just mine is in "mu...I can relate about exile. Just mine is in "multiple deadline, more work than ever" exile, dreaming of what I will replant, refine and change to replace all the casualties from this winter! Great points you make, thanks.Desert Dwellerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00952727692048782529noreply@blogger.com