| Passionate about planting | |||
She didn’t realize she loved gardening
until she became a homeowner for the first time.
But 11 years ago, when Alyse Lansing and her husband a nd two children
moved into their 3-story contemporary house —with a yard that was nothing but dirt—she
really started digging it.Lansing discovered a passion for gardening and started planting and re-planting. After about four years, she recalled, “My husband got tired of me changing everything. He’d say, ‘Oh, no. Not another project.’” Finally, he suggested she exercise her creativity for the benefit of others, as well as her own family. So she enrolled in school to learn landscape design and today is a professional landscape designer, still working on her own garden, while helping others create beautiful, enjoyable yards, too. ARBOR PROJECT Sitting on the ground-level patio below Lansing’s tall house, she explained, was uncomfortable. “You felt d  warfed.” To create the feeling of a “ceiling” above
the patio and create a more intimate, enclosed space, she designed a 12’ x
20’ cedar arbor, carefully taking into account the way the steps led down
into the area. Her husband, Joe Gass, built it, using 4 x 4 posts, 2 x 6 double
beams and 2 x 4 slats. The materials cost about $600, Lansing said. Sometimes called a pergola or trellis, the arbor serves as the overhead element to “make a room,” Lansing explained. People wishing for more living space or a way to enjoy their yard more should consider adding an outdoor “room,” she said. “It’s amazing what it does.” “I really like having a backyard that’s your own private sanctuary,” Lansing said. “Gardening is soothing to the soul. It’s a spiritual experience.” Along with the new arbor, the couple installed a nearby “seat wall,” a raised bed planter with a seat-like ledge on top, built of over-sized,interlocking, concrete blocks designed with the look of cut stone. “It’s easy to weed,” Lansing said. “And the dogs don’t run through it.” UTILITY AREA AS ART GALLERY? The area under the deck was an eyesore, Lansing thought. “I have been s  o
trying to cover that up,” she said, referring to the lineup of tools, only
partially hidden by a lattice screen between that area and the rest of the yard.
Recently, however, another designer visited and noticed the shovels and rakes,
arranged in a neat row — much like a wall grouping of decorative items
arranged artistically in a room. “I kind of like it,” he said.
And there’s no point hiding the gardening implements, Lansing said. If
you love your yard and like to work in it, the tools may as well be kept close
at hand.WHAT A LANDSCAPE DESIGNER DOES People who call Lansing for a consultation often don’t know where to start, she said. She offers a lot of maintenance advice. Like most of her clients, she said, “When I feel overwhelmed, always it’s weeding,” that’s the main offender. There’s an advantage of getting professional horticultural advice, she said. “I know their (plants’) cultural requirements – sun, shade, water, soil,” and also their form, their shape and color. When creating your landscape with trees, shrubs, plants and flowers, “You’re using them together in a pleasing way.” By combining plants without knowing much about them, “you can get a real busy look,” she noted. And people can waste money  on mistakes.Some people are on the right track with
developing their yard and just need a consultation – “broad spectrum
stuff,” Lansing said. Others need a full plan, with action steps and all
the components spelled out in detail in the order they should be added. Patios
and walls, access and traffic flow, slope, retaining walls, drainage, pathways,
steps and railing, arbors, trellises, firepits – all interplay and need
to be coordinated for a yard that’s visually pleasing and functions well.“That’s what I do,” she said. “I figure it out.” After the initial consultation, Lansing usually quotes a flat fee. A full landscape plan for an average house costs about $1,000. Her services include the “concept phase,” which involves measuring the yard, making a base map showing major shapes, bed lines, placement of trees and larger shrubs. Then, using tissue paper overlays, Lansing “plays” with all the different ideas and possibilities. The halfway point comes when she shows the client the concept. Once that’s agreed on, she continues with the planting plan. Clients end up with a detailed plant recom-mendation list and a landscape action plan they can phase in over the years, along with advice on what order to accomplish the sub-parts. “It’s really satisfying to see the garden finished,” Lansing said, “even the first year when it’s not yet filled in.” But because it takes a long time to see a garden design fully, “come to fruition,” that isn’t a reward she regularly reaps. But Lansing’s big payoff is seeing her clients, “really get into their garden.” “I like to see people discover joy in their garden.” ••• Alyse Lansing, 44, earned a Certificate in Landscape Design at Portland Community College at Rock Creek. She operates Alyse Lansing Garden Design, providing consultations, garden coaching and full garden plans. www.lansinggardendesign.com Phone: (503)543-7129 |
Tips for developing your yard:
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THE
QUEEN OF Don’t
panic! You can do a lot in just one weekend to transform your yard.
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Tips
for not feeling
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