Christiane Holmquist Landscape Design

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As Fall Brings Harvest, and Score Yields Music, So Does Design Yield Award!

September 28, 2013 By Christiane Homquist

(Regarding my “Gardens of the Year Award” in Eva Ditler’s article
“On key”, in San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles, September 2013. 

Photography by Martin Mann, Patricia Bean/Expressive Architectural Photography and Christiane Holmquist

  Garden of the Year Final _3

Finding the beautiful photos of my award winning design in the San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles magazine and reading Eva Ditler’s melodic description of the garden gave me a jolt of pride and delight. It’s with amazement that I realize how many talents went into the creation of this article:  My client Melissa’s almost lyrical explanation of the garden and reference to the music she “hears” in it and that went into its creation; the writer’s skill that gave such a pleasing and expressive rendering of it; the photographer’s craft in capturing the light and atmosphere of the garden; and the experience, focus on detail and enthusiasm that went into the design.

Yes, and music (as the article refers to): Perhaps, with my love for it, I grasped what Melissa had in mind and was able to create a “melodic landscape garden that takes its cue from music” and that is so enjoyable. And during the creation I enjoyed the exploration of exceptional materials, the symphony of colors, and the concert of ideas between me and Melissa like two instruments playing together.

I deeply appreciate the opportunity to work with her, as I appreciate the award and the coverage of it in San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles.

Garden of the Year 2013 in late afternoon

All of this is impacting my understanding of what I do and where I have arrived, after 15 or so years in this craft.  Designing a garden is risky endeavor:  When I design something, I base it on the client’s mostly verbal description of the desired garden.  At the time of presentation of the design this vision exists only in my own mind; by sharing it with the client, I hope to communicate this vision to her, and, in doing so, expose myself to her “verdict”: Did I capture her description and the desired mood?  Can I communicate, with my craft, my vision, and will she agree with it? Can I then follow where she wants me to take the design and get even more into her head, while applying my own design principles?

GOY 2013 with steel fountain

The present design is one very individual response to a particular set of challenges and demands. However, its results and appeal are based on the same principles that must be applied to all designs and that, as they are applied to a different set of challenges and demands, will create a very different garden and feel:  It’s the balance of hardscapes with living plantings; the juxtaposition of delicate foliage and intriguing materials; the functionality of spaces and the harmony of colors that result in a garden that is useful.  This will be a garden that is deeply satisfying to live in, and that everybody can enjoy.

A big thank-you to the judges that voted for me!

GOY 2013 Award

Read more about this garden in my earlier post “Joint Venture in La Jolla”.

MORE GARDENING & ENTERTAINMENT NEWS:

The Water Conservation Garden in El Cajon/CA is a place that I cherish as place of fun, entertainment and education on water conservation and sustainable landscape design. It offers 5 acres of displays that are easy to walk and explore and that are filled with great drought resistant plants and educational displays of landscape materials.  It offers classes on all manner of landscape issues.  Other events offer landscape design help that can make life easier for novices or those that are into DIY landscape design.

The WCG will celebrate its “Fall Plantstravaganza” on Nov. 2, 2013, from 9 a.m. to 3 pm.  These events have always been highly educational and entertaining to all gardeners and those who love plants and landscapes. You can even buy exceptional drought tolerant plants here and bring your questions to the horticulture “experts”, such as vegetable and Master Gardeners, arborists, and representatives of water authorities; and you can schedule a low-fee consultation with a design professional.  (“I’ll be one of those professional landscape designers here; I also offer classes here and 1 hr consultations.)

Don’t forget to mark your calendars  –  hope to see you there!

Filed Under: Backyard Landscape Design, Drought Resistant Plants, Landscape Design, Special architectal landscape elements, Water Features for Gardens and Yards Tagged With: diy landscape design, drought tolerant plants, Gardens of the Year award, Landscape design awards, landscape design help, professional landscape designers, Sustainable landscape design

Looking for new landscape design ideas for your backyard? What about a pond?

March 1, 2012 By Christiane Homquist

One of my very first backyard landscape design projects was a small urban backyard renovation where the homeowners were tired of lawn and old shrubs.  Ryan and Jill were dreaming of a much more peaceful, enchanting scene and asked me to design a pond that they could view from their deck.

The sound of water running in a small creek from a small rocky “outcropping” and mound in a far corner of the garden into the pond, and a dense leafy screen surrounding the garden would make the backyard very private and block out most of the city noises.

The design was installed some 8 years ago, and I recently went back to visit and to see how pond, fish and homeowners were doing.

I did arrive with some trepidations: My original choice of screening trees had not been the happiest:  The Brazilian Tipuana tipu is a beautiful tree with lacey foliage and a wide, umbrella-like crown.  It fits well into a low water landscape, is ‘green’ through our Southern California winter but starts shedding its foliage when most other deciduous trees have leafed out already. This takes several weeks until, in early summer, it bursts into the prettiest bloom of orange-yellow Sweet Pea-like flowers.  Besides the leave drop problem I had expected that the trees in this xeriscape design would crowd each other out eventually, and I was expecting that the homeowner might regret that selection.

I was thrilled to see a scene not much changed since the garden had been installed:  The creek was still running to the pond, providing needed oxygen and delighting us with its gurgling and bubbling sounds.  Some twelve smallish Koi were busily milling close to the deck as the evening was approaching, to receive their daily feeding.  The peaceful mood was still there as were the trees, although the homeowner said he would remove them soon because he intended to install solar panels on his roof.  To my relief he said that he had loved their look and therefore didn’t mind the extra maintenance.  I asked him about his maintenance program, and he explained that he adds a biological clarifier on a weekly basis, and an algaecide as needed (both are biological controls).   He also uses a skimmer and filter cloth, hidden under a fake rock, that get cleaned weekly (except during heavy drop like the Tipus drop their leaves); then there’s a biofall (where the waterfall starts) in another plastic box that has the same filter mesh at the bottom and 2 mesh bags of rock. The leaves and petals are not too bad, he says – even when the wind has blown an extra load of petals into the water.

What about “visitors”?  He has created some hollow spaces at the bottom of the pond under several overturned clay tiles where the fish hide when an occasional heron or egret comes to visit.  Raccoons merely push a few of the smaller rocks around in their attempt to catch a Koi, but always give up – they don’t like the deep in the middle of the pond where the fish hide.

Over the years Ryan and Jill have enjoyed their water feature that always entertains them with a lively yet peaceful scenery:  There are rocks and boulders, rushes and grasses at the water’s edge, and there’s the cherished Pineapple Guava that has grown into a graceful large shrub, on the other side of the pond.

There’s the play of sunlight on the water’s surface and the steady darting of dragon flies or other beneficial insects that land on blades and pads of Iris and Water Lilies.  Birds of course come to the water’s edge to bathe and drink as well as other critters.  Visitors come to stay, such as frogs, others wonder out again, such as the occasional raccoon.. There’s the comfortable chair across from the deck inviting to sit and watch the activities at the pond from a different angle, especially the perennial glint and splash of the Koi fish.  There are lots of babies at this time -  they are the babies that hatched in early summer of last year.

I’m not an expert in pond building or maintenance, so here’s a quick overview (and I don’t claim completeness):

The prominent ingredients of a fish pond are water, plants, fish, snails, soil, light, temperature – and time.  After all the ingredients have been put together, it takes time for all to balance out and grow into a clear pond.

Algae, while they are unsightly, may not necessarily be unhealthy; they can make the water appear brownish or green, or grow as fine threads or moss-like coverings on shells, snails, walls and stones.  Small fish can feed on some of these algae… Threadlike algae are often associated with crystal clear water and are evidence of the oxygen-generating ability of algae. A lot of things feed plants, algae and fish:  Food that we give the fish; foliage that drops into the water and decays; and the waste that fish produce.

Adding aquatic plants to a pond not only increases its visual appeal and natural look; floaters such as Water Hyacinth , marginals such as Water Iris , and Water Lilies help reduce algae as they feed on nutrients or block out sunlight – both will starve the algae. Shading the water with leaves keeps the water cooler which is desirable.  Chemical control may also be used if necessary, however great care must be taken to select chemicals safe for fish and plant life.  As the pond matures, the need for chemicals should diminish.  Keeping decomposing material in the water to a minimum will also lower the nutrients in the water, less food will then be available for the algae to feed upon. Prune off old leaves and skim the surface for fallen leaves.

The pH of the water can also affect pond balance, and there are formulas suggested to help achieve it. Also, you can determine the most balanced amount of fish and plants for your pond by calculating the water’s volume and surface area.

I’m not an expert in pond matters; I’d rather refer to an ‘ocean’ of information and helpful videos online… You can contact the local chapter of the California Landscape Contractors Association to refer you to a San Diego landscaper experienced in pond building.

And mosquitoes?

Did you know that fish eat mosquito larvae and that mosquitoes don’t like moving water? Keeping your water moving and cleaning off debris regularly that provides hiding places for mosquitoes is a good recipe to control mosquitoes.

What not to love about a pond!  I myself have one, as part of my front yard landscape design, by my front door.  I watch it from my living room window, and although its location isn’t perfect either (the previous owners must have decided to live with the maintenance; they created the pond at the edge of an oak canopy), it’s a most cherished delight of my garden.

Filed Under: Drought Resistant Landscape, Landscape Design, Low Water Landscape, Special architectal landscape elements, Water Features for Gardens and Yards, Xeriscape designs Tagged With: backyard landscape design, front yard landscape design, landscape design ideas, low water landscape, xeriscape design

SMALL BUT LOVELY: DIY landscape design ideas for small spaces

September 16, 2011 By Christiane Holmquist

Replace the lawn with a pond for greater entertainment

The pond is the focal point of this small back yard

Good things come in small packages!

I invite you to my upcoming class at the  Water Conservation  Garden in El Cajon next Saturday. Learn how to create a sparkling jewel of a landscape for your condominium, cottage, side yard, or smaller front or backyard.

I will share important principles of design to consider before beginning your project, show you inspiring visual examples of completed projects, and answer your questions about how to make the most of your small space garden.

This class will also be helpful for people wanting to divide larger landscape plans in to manageable sized projects.

Saturday September 24, 2011,   10am – 12 pm.

Register here:  http://www.thegarden.org/calendar/index.php

condo back yard landscape design in san diego, ca

Comfort, water trickle and colorful foliage beckon in this condo garden.

Filed Under: Landscape Design, Water Features for Gardens and Yards Tagged With: diy landscape design, landscape designer San Diego, small backyard landscaping ideas, Water Conservation Garden

Yay! The fountain is in!

February 2, 2011 By Christiane Holmquist

(Cont’d from http://www.cholmquistgardens.com/2010/12/not-your-everyday-fountain/  )

 cor-ten steel fountain What excitement when the fountain was delivered, after a few weeks of anticipation and faith that the fabricator would “get it” this time.  It’s all we had imagined:  Gracefully curving, it echoes the lines of the house and is of a material that complements its modern character: Cor-ten steel that is formulated to rust naturally and to provide a garden sculpture that works well in this landscape.  Water gently flows over all sides and disappears in the gravel bed underneath (that hides a sub-terranean reservoir from where it is pumped up again). 

This low-volume, water-conserving feature provides constant entertainment as the homeowner sees it from her kitchen window, and will be even more attractive to the grandchildren that can step up closely and play with the water (anticipating this we placed a sitting area next to it.)cor-ten steel water feature in modernistic landscape design

Nothing of these few words reveal of course some “hick-ups” that the landscape contractor had to overcome first (and that are not un-usual in the landscape field):  Tweak the water flow so it sheets evenly over the edges; wait a few days until the water started to clear up after the first rapid rusting which left the water murky.  Now the water is almost clear, and in a month or so it should have completely cleared up.

It’s almost perfect:  Just wait and see it when all the plants are “in” and also the (low voltage) landscape lights that will illuminate it at night; I think it will be beautiful.

cor-ten steel fountain left to rust naturally

Filed Under: Landscape Design, Water Features for Gardens and Yards Tagged With: contemporary fountain design, garden art, garden design, landscape design, landscaping in San Diego County, limited water resources, low-volume fountain, low-volume water features in the landscape, modern fountain, modern garden sculpture, modern landscape design, modernist garden sculpture, modernist water-feature, rusted cor-ten steel in the landscape, steel art in the garden, Sustainable landscape design, Water Conservation, water conservation specialist, water-conserving water feature

Not your everyday fountain

December 14, 2010 By Christiane Holmquist

I am working on a project in Carlsbad where I have designed a steel fountain. The fabricator’s first attempt was not “inspired” – you can see the kink in the back side of the container.     cor-ten steel fountain

I had imagined a cor-ten steel container, naturally rusted, with a swerving design that would repeat the curved façade of the residence.. The water spouts (you can see them clearly in the photo) will make the water run over the edges with a ripple.

fountain mock-up with wire meshAfter seeing the fabricator’s first attempt (here still with the protective coating), the contractor built a mock-up from wire mesh that looked like a curved cage.  This model was very helpful to determine where to change angles, curvature, height and length to create a more elegant form. The mock-up is now back in the fabricator’s shop, and we are waiting excitedly – will he “get” it, in time for the holidays, as he has promised?

Filed Under: Landscape Design, Water Features for Gardens and Yards Tagged With: cor-ten steel fountain, landscape design expert Southern California, landscape design in Carlsbad, landscape design with garden sculptures in Southern California, landscape design with steel, landscape design with water feature in San Diego, low-volume water features in the landscape, Sustainable landscape design, water-features in the landscape, weathered steel in residential landscape design

Weathered Steel Fountains, Troughs and Shade Sails – how cool can you get?

November 3, 2010 By Christiane Holmquist

As a designer, I don’t meet clients at every project whose taste and dreams I can “read” immediately and who are open to my ideas. For this project I developed a concept of rather unusual materials and layouts, and I was thrilled when the clients received my suggestions with lively interest and reciprocated with creativity and  lots of stimulating ideas of their own.

Rusted steel planters

Controlled-rusted steel troughs maximize planting space in the pool garden

In this relatively small garden, it seemed as though the spaces needed for dining, lounging and just hanging out would leave us with lots of paved areas with no room left for softening and interesting plants. We therefore opted for raised planters as they not only make use of the smallest spaces by “going vertical” but also create dividers and add “weight” to the landscape. Since  in a small landscape they are exposed to close scrutiny, it is important that they be made from a good-looking material. We found that controlled-rusted (or “weathered”) steel would work well with the house’s architecture and the existing copper accents used as end caps on roof beams and fence posts.

Residential application of shade sails

Shade sails protect the dining area from the hot noon sun

Now that weathered steel was introduced in a “cubist” way, we not only used it for the planter troughs, but also for several gas-fired lights and a low-volume fountain, as well as for the edging of lawn, of the raised sitting area and of the pebble-filled French drain around the pool.  And from here the other “hardscape” materials seemed to flow seamlessly:  Glass tiles for the pool; bamboo for the outdoor kitchen cabinets, and synthetic fabric for the shade sails.

Fountain Troughs

Water in the fountain adds sounds and movement

As we went from conceptual design to reality, creative solutions were worked out, from unexpected finger-prints on the weathered steel and the inner workings of the fountain troughs, to the finishes of concrete and stone. With the collaboration of all parties involved and the contractor’s meticulous attention to detail (Schenck Building Company in La Jolla at http://www.schenckbuildingcompany.com  ) this project was well and timely executed.

Filed Under: Landscape Design, Water Features for Gardens and Yards Tagged With: controlled-rusted steel in the landscape, entertainment space in the landscape, french drain around pool, garden design, gas-lights in the garden, landscape design, landscape design expert in San Diego, landscape design with shade sails, landscape lighting, landscaping in San Diego County, low-volume water features in the landscape, naturally rusted steel, outdoor kitchen in the landscape, outdoor kitchen with bamboo facing, pool landscape, raised planters, rusted steel in the landscape, Shade sails, shade structures, steel edging of French drain, steel troughs as planters, sustainable water features, weathered steel in the lands

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Christiane, your design is beautiful. Viewers love the design and color. Thank you so much for all your support while the project was being developed. It would have been more stressful for me had you not held my hand regularly.

Rachel Michel

CHRISTIANE HOLMQUIST LANDSCAPE DESIGN


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