Back in 2013 I had a friend asked me to create a flower cutting garden garden for her.  She loves creating bouquets and I was excited to start on this project.  I had no digital design skills so I just used my Paint program to create a digital plan.  I used word to create a bloom chart table so that the plan had flowers of various colors blooming all through the summer.  The images below show my first sketch and then the final layout, which has numbered plant groups--I provided a separate table for each numbered plant group (not included here).  There is a photo of the beginning of the planting process and then a photo from my friend of the garden in late summer. She remains pleased with the garden and I am sure it was a springboard for her to continue editing the garden and experimenting with new flowers for her bouquets.

 

In the photo above you can see purple asters and pink sedums; behind them, barely visible, is Helenium 'Mardi Gras', behind the Helenium is a maroon leaved shrub--a dwarf Physocarpus 'Diabolo'.  Karl Foerster grass seed heads are just to the right of the Physocarpus, and the classic Rudbeckias are to the left of it.   In front of the sedums starting from the left is a young Perovskia (aka Russian sage), the silver leaved Artemisia 'Silver Queen, an immature Montauk Daisy, and to the right, a patch of spent Coreopsis 'Mercury Rising'.  Peonies, Echinacea and a host of other perennials can be found on the opposite side of the bed.

Unlike other trees in autumn, whose leaves fall over a span of a few weeks, most of the leaves of the Ginkgo tree fall all in one day--or less.  This process started last Sunday morning and was complete by the afternoon.  Its quite a site, all these bright gold leaves flittering, pitter pat, to the ground.  Interesting fact: the best time to harvest Ginkgo leaves for their therapeutic value is now, when the leaves are golden and fall to the ground.  Just maybe find a nice park, not a tree 20' from a main intersection in the city. This week, a full week later, I decided instead of removing the leaves I will mow them in. Give back to the soil which gave it up for the Ginkgo.  Not sure how it will effect the lawn, but honestly, I don't have an official lawn, because I much prefer a healthy ecology.

 

Below there are two articles in the Friends of Dinosaur State Park newsletter in which my work is documented:  The first is an article I wrote regarding the addition of two new (at the time) Wollemi pine saplings and the second picture documents my work cataloguing botanic specimens in the museums herbarium which was started in 1974.  

 Working at Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill, Connecticut, helped advance my knowledge of plant evolution as they put me to work creating displays for the halls of the exhibit center.  I also had the opportunity to write an article regarding the new (at the time) addition of two young Wollemi pine saplings.  I led the public on tours through the facility and plant walks on the outdoor trails.  It was a fantastic experience and my fellow staff members were extraordinarily supportive.  I feel proud of the work I did there and will always have found memories.  

As a seasonal naturalist working at the Kellogg Environmental Center & Osborne Homestead Museum I lead a public workshop on creating altered books and this is a photo of the flier for it. I also painted the animals on the canvas used for a bag toss activity for a large public event that the CT DEEP held in the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History. Perhaps the animals did not need to be painted with as much detail for a simple childs game, but it didn't take me long and I enjoyed it.  Plus I get to look back at my work and feel good.  It isn't DaVinci level work but I was surprised that they turned out better than I thought.

 A couple of assignments from last years NVCC Landscape Design course. Looking at it now I would probably remove the smaller rock island at the three way path intersection. The other drawing was a neat little perspective exercise.

 

It was about 13 years ago when I worked for Natureworks and first saw this property designed by the owner Nancy DuBrule. Several years later, Susan and Bill Wasch contacted me through my ad on Craigslist and asked me to do maintenance for them. When I arrived I realized it was the same property! They mostly had woodland perennials--mostly dry part shade tolerant plants. Shrubs and grasses and a lovely Viburnum rhytidophyllum (leatherleaf viburnum). I worked there for several years until I became a greenhouse manager for CTDaylily. They were lovely people and I am grateful for the experience.

 

Thirteen years ago I took on my first design job ever--I didn't have any training in digital design programs or never took a design class. But I did have a few years of landscaping and gardening under my belt and I was familiar with the growth requirements of many plants. Looking back of course I see my mistakes but I can also see I am off to a strong start. Thank you to my friend Sue Capuano who gave me this opportunity.