Carol A. Krawczyk, Landscape Architect

07/20/2021

When people ask me the secret to getting rid of weeds, I tell them: Green Mulch. What is Green Mulch, you ask? My definition of Green Mulch is to use layers of plants which are intended to cover the ground, provide different types of roots to fill the soil, and a variety of "canopies" or heights to catch water, feed wildlife, and provide aesthetic interest.

I have been watering such a garden for my client recently and have been weeding it as I go. Total weeding for THE WHOLE GARDEN (which has been in place for four years) was two small handfuls of oxalis and tiny pokeweeds.

The ground cover garden (2nd Photo) was once a bare slope under trees. The client wanted lawn. I convinced her to plant a variety of native plants, together with some of her divided hostas, to create a changing view throughout the year.

Plants -- especially perennials -- grow and can be divided. We took advantage of this by evaluating the garden throughout the year and then dividing certain plants in the spring or fall to add or switch out other plants. And some go to friends! Instead of putting down yards of mulch, we added compost and planted lots of small plants and transplants. Our garden grew quickly (covered the area in a year) while most gardens limp along because the hardwood mulches inhibit root growth. Cost? About the same.

Last week, when it was in the 90s with incredible (!) humidity, where would you like to be? In a garden full of weeds or hardwood mulch or this shady oasis?

07/18/2021

The Professional Horticultural of 2021 had their graduation Friday! I had the opportunity to see their capstone projects which are featured in Longwood Gardens' Idea Garden (where the orchard used to be). There are three gardens that present personal experiences that take the form of landscapes.

The students had a remarkable control of color! Billy Russell's team used "color echoes" where groupings of plants played off each other by using the same colors of purple/bronze/red and gold. They placed these like wild colorful groups of color (chaos/noise/wildness) surrounding a serene, black reflecting pool in the heart of the garden (peace/quiet/reflection/focus).

Mark Volpe's team took inspiration from Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken" by creating a zigzag wooden boardwalk that splits in the center of the garden to provide two different opportunities. The garden takes advantage of time: the yellow wood in Frost's poem is not yet yellow (but will be this fall) and the purple and yellow understory of plants give you the hint that the garden is full of contrasts, including sun/shade, natives and non-natives, as well as these complementary colors.

Hannah Watt's team takes on the idea of fire and rebirth. A perimeter "edge" of blackened trees, set in blue-black bed of coal, reflect the intense heat of the fire and its remnants. The ring inside is comprised of flowers and foliage in warm colors of yellow, orange, red and brown-violet, to represent flames. The heart of the garden, set apart by bonelike branches of rhododendrons at the base of a mound, are clouds of verdant blueberries and cranberries which represent fire-resistant plants (think Pine Barrens and Western USA fire-prone landscapes) that, like the phoenix, rise from the ashes to continue living. Here, time is also an important part of the composition in that these plants will turn brilliant red in the fall -- making you think that the center of the garden is really its heart.

Take a look at these gardens! See what tools landscape designers/horticulturists use when they know the power of plants!

04/25/2020

I was looking for topiary for one of Rebecca's clients two weeks ago. We saw some espaliered fruit trees as well. Here are some pointers to training trees as stand-alone walls, fences, and decorative/functional fruit growing:

Once thought only reserved for formal gardens of the high court, designer Nick McCullough shares tips on creating an espalier for your own garden, including what fruit-bearing and non-fruit-bearing tress are best to train into espalier designs.

02/16/2018

02/15/2018

If you are following The Garden Calendar for Southeastern Pennsylvania 2018, NOW is the time to perform rejuvenation pruning, stooling (also coppicing and pollarding) shrubs and certain trees, cutting back ornamental grasses, liriope and mondo grasses while all these plants are still dormant.

In this article, I will focus on rejuvenation pruning:

Rejuvenation pruning is performed on overgrown shrubs, usually that have not been pruned for many years, or certain shrubs -- like lilacs -- that have grown sucker shoots but not too many flowers for a year or so. The shrub(s) are cut back severely. (In the drawing, the dark part of the plant is what will remain. The light part shows what will be removed).

Many homeowners are shocked by this, convinced that the plants are now dead.

When the shrubs come out of dormancy, in spring, however, Auxin, one of the plant growth regulators (aka hormones) that is normally present at the end of each branch tip, moves to the cut ends of the branches, concentrating energy for new lateral branches to be produced.

Within two months, new leaves and branches will come forth and start recovering the shrub again, but much lower to the ground. This will make it easier to keep them in shape and you will really be pleased with the results.

02/03/2018

The sun is welcome this morning, but the view is not exciting from my living room window. Although Charles Cresson had brought in cuttings of his snowdrops and Prunus mume (Japanese Apricot) on Wednesday's lecture at the University of Delaware, I have no bulbs peaking out from the glacier-like soil in my garden. Even my winter jasmine flowers are curled up in their crusty leaves, like the groundhog in his den.

So, I'm bringing you another article from Fine Gardening Magazine about winter-flowering shrubs and trees! Enjoy!

For a welcome ray of sunshine, try these 10 plants that bloom in winter

02/02/2018

Learn how to identify, prevent, and fix it--no matter where you live

02/02/2018

Unusual bark characteristics such as bright color, unusual texture, and sheen can draw the eye in a drab winter landscape

02/02/2018

Use these hellebores, bulbs, and shrubs for blooms from fall to spring