Spring Sprucing

Preparing for the Growing Season

By Jenn Diamond

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A SYSTEMS APPROACH TO LANDSCAPING
When called by a property owner to review and develop a landscape plan for a property, Rich Jurgens explains that while the process of design should be unified, the actual construction can be accomplished in a series of phases if necessary. The key is to have a proposed direction at the start so when completed, the composition flows much
like a painting or a piece of music.

The process of a typical design project occurs over a series of stages unlike an impulse design where a solution is reached quickly.

STAGE I Getting to know the owner’s desires and feelings are critical ingredients for the first step. Thoroughly review the current landscape noting any interesting features that can be incorporated as accents. Think of the property in its entirety noting the problems on the site. Scan up, down, and around, outlining problems of privacy, land contour,
drainage, and transition among the various property areas. Drawing a base plan to scale plotting existing items of value provides the canvas on which to proceed.

STAGE II On the base plan, start to correlate the desires and objectives by generally outlining the proposed locations and sizes of these areas to achieve a sense of fit.

STAGE III Now consider the details of the plan. Integrate proposed plant size and color
aspects into the garden, select walk and terrace material options, delineate the shapes of these features and study how they blend with the architecture of the home. Engineering considerations might include adjusting land pitch, incorporating stonewalls and possible drainage improvements.

Rich Jurgens graduated from Rutgers University in 1971 with a BS in Landscape
Architecture. He worked as the designer for Corradi Landscape Associates in Summit for 10 years before starting his own business. Traveling to many parts of the world, he continues to enrich his design perspective and knowledge for use in his own business. The Caporaso firm has built many of his projects.

Jurgens Designed Landscapes, 908-232-7700; www.jurgenslandscape.com.

A CHANGE IS IN THE AIR
Spring is just around the corner, and the “To Do” list for outside projects will quickly pile up. Fertilize the lawn, mulch the beds are a must on everyone’s list, but what about the flowers? The finishing touch for every home is planting the annuals and perennials. Flowers give a home visual effect that can really make a substantial difference even in pots or planters. Color and plant type should draw the eye comfortably throughout the landscape.

Today’s flowers come in all different colors, sizes, textures and fragrances, so how does someone decide on what to buy? You want them to grow well and look healthy, but not overpower the landscape. There need to be a few criteria taken into consideration when picking out what type of flowers one should plant.

Sunlight is probably the biggest determining factor when selecting a specific plant type. You need to take a quick look at where you will be planting to see the amount of sunlight that the area receives on any given day. Full sun plants require at least four hours of direct sunlight per day. Four to two hours is part sun, and anything less is considered shade. Having two types of exposure in an area is fairly common. Try using
complementary colors, so that the areas work as a whole and play off each other.

Soil conditions are essential for healthy plant growth and sometimes overlooked. Ideal soils have a good amount of organic material and drain well. This area tends to be rocky with high amounts of clay. In order to improve on these less-than-perfect conditions, some simple amendments can be made to the existing soil. Blending in sand to clay soil will greatly improve its ability to drain away water, while adding organic material, such as decomposed leaves or dark topsoil, help make rocky soils able to grow beautiful flowers.

The last condition of importance is the effect on your plantings possibly damaged by deer. This condition requires consideration when deciding on what plant types to buy. Enclosed areas with pets tend to be deterrents to deer, but for the open areas, deer resistant plants must be chosen. Deer repellant combined with these considerations will
help encourage deer to stay away. Some good examples of these are: Daffodils, Irises,
Foxgloves, Lavenders, Pansy and Impatiens.

Simply knowing your landscape conditions for your planting area, will greatly help you to decide what to pick at your local garden center. Designers are on staff to help with all of your landscaping needs.

J R Landscape & Management Services; 908-665-2184

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