Eco Modern

Landscaping in the context of Modern architecture and design often takes the idea of minimalism and structure a bit too far in my opinion. Often what is most pleasing to look at and experience, is a space that achieves a balance of different textures and feels. The clean lines and minimalist approach of Modern architecture can be accented and balanced beautifully by the grace and elegance of native plantings. With their dynamic, sensual and soft present, prairie plants are a particularly good compliment to stark minimalist forms. Our eyes have been trained to see the typical closely sheared lawn as a lovely open space to surround our homes with but an earlier observer of the great plains would have found the immense vastness of the grasses and flowers of the prairie to be an almost overwhelmingly open space. We need to unlearn the standards we have accepted with the modern lawn and learn to see the unity and cohesion amongst prairie grasses and flowers. This unified aesthetic of prairie plants can be a more ecologically and visually rich replacement for the often too minimal Modernist landscape design that relies on one or two plant species.
We designed and implemented a project last year that played with the balance of minimalism, angles, space, texture and form. The square cut flagstone with decomposed granite fill provides a nice compliment to the house that in turn, is softened by the grasses and native flowers.
As Ludwig Mies van der Rohe put it “We should attempt to bring nature, houses, and the human being to a higher unity”.

Quartz Mountain

On a recent family trip to Quartz Mountain I took some time out for a little botanizing (of course!). I’m really interested in the “xeric” ferns of western Oklahoma and Quartz Mountain had some awesome examples. The “Star Cloak Fern” was a new one to me and quite striking at that. The Seri people of Sonora used the leaves in a tea to promote fertility and they believed it had “supernatural value”, providing protection to those that carried some in a pouch. It’s rugged gray fronds have a distinct star pattern and curl up when dry. The grey/silver Cheilanthes (probably eatonii) fern that I found also had a rugged and striking appearance. I like all things with gray and silver foliage! I also found what I think to be Pilularia americana (pillwort). These strange ferns have no fronds and look more like grasses or spike rush. I did see what appear to be sorus looking features which lead me to my ID of this. I hope to go back in the summer sometime and see the grasses and forbs in full glory. Overall a very interesting place thats unique features create pockets of cool and somewhat rare plants.

Arbuckle Spring

On the way back from the Wildflower Workshop I stopped by some of my old stomping grounds in the Arbuckle Mountains area.  We were only two weeks into the colossal amount of rain we received in May but things were lush and beautiful.  Some wildfires in recent years had set the stage for amazing displays of Gaillardia, Coreopsis, Thelesperma and Engelmann’s Daisy.  Turner Falls was also lush and overflowing.

Arbuckle Gaillardia

Arbuckle Gaillardia

Arbuckle landscape

Arbuckle landscape

Convolvulus equitans 2

Convolvulus equitans 2

Convolvulus equitans

Convolvulus equitans

Gaillardia pulchella with interesting ray flower arrangement

Gaillardia pulchella with interesting ray flower arrangement

Penstemon cobea arbuckle rock wall

Penstemon cobea Arbuckle rock wall

Price's Falls

Price’s Falls

Turner Falls

Turner Falls

Arbuckle Gaillardia 2

Arbuckle Gaillardia 2

Rudbeckia fulgida (black eyed susan)

R

Height: 2-3 feet
Spread: 2-2 ½+ feet
Type: Perennial
Origin: Native to central and eastern U.S., including some southern and eastern Oklahoma counties
Exposure: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Edible: no
Medicinal: no
Companions: Sporobolus heterolepis (prairie dropseed), Lobelia cardinalis (cardinal flower), Echinacdea purpurea (purple coneflower)

Notes: Rudbeckia fulgida is the common perennial “black eyed susan” sometimes referred to as “orange coneflower”. It is native to the eastern United States and grows in moist to moderately dry soils in open woods, glades and thickets. It’s dependable profuse display of yellow coneflower blooms make it a somewhat ubiquitous but still very worthy member of any bed. It always performs well in our hot summers and it’s very adaptable to different soil and light situations. The bloom period generally starts in June but deadheading can encourage one or more successive blooms. R. fulgida does spread by rhizomes and will gradually spread but it is easy to divide and control. The divided clumps transplant well, and the blooms make good cut flowers. Plant them en masse as a border or in a cottage, meadow, or a native plant garden setting.  Echinacea purpurea is a very nice companion coneflower for R. fulgida.  Pollinators, butterflies and other wildlife like R. fulgida.
There are a number of varieties and cultivars of R. fulgida. The most common cultivar is ‘Goldsturm’ which is a very reliable one to go with but there are many others and natural varieties to consider too. The differences between the varieties is fairly subtle and any of the varieties will work well in your landscape and gardens.

Rudbeckia f with beetle

 

Native Garden for Washington Elementary Outdoor Classroom

Back in August I went and looked at Washington Elementary’s Outdoor classroom space to see what might be done to restore it to a functional place for learning.  For three years or so the area had been virtually left alone and as a result is was in pretty bad shape.  A thick impenetrable mass of Bermuda grass, Black Locust saplings and Torilis arvensis Hedge Parsley had set up camp and virtually no desirable flora remained on the site.  The immediate solution was to remove all of this unwanted vegetation and start from scratch with native plantings that would provide a resilient natural garden full of educational opportunities.  With this in mind I came up with a design incorporating some of our regions ecosystems of tallgrass prairie, shortgrass prairie and cross timber woodlands.  After a couple of vegetation removal visits the site was ready for planting and a volunteer day on Saturday November 1st got the majority of the planting work done!  The ponds will be the next thing to work on and next year will be critical in establishing our plants and keeping on top of the unwanted plants.  Overall this has been a great opportunity for us to volunteer and donate the design, some plants and labor on a project that can demonstrate the value of Eco gardening and also create a civic benefit for our community.  Thanks to Washington teacher Tammy Trumble for spearheading the whole effort and to the students and faculty of OU’s college of Business that volunteered.  Thanks also to Minick Materials who graciously donated compost and Prairie Wind Nursery who donated some plants.   There will be more volunteer days next year so contact us if you’re interested in getting involved.

Rubeckia Subtomentosa ‘Henry Eilers’

henry eillers
Height: 4-5 feet
Spread: 2-3 feet
Type: Perennial
Origin: Central US including parts of eastern Oklahoma
Exposure: Sun or Partial Shade
Water: moderate
Edible: ?
Medicinal: possible
Companions: Little Bluestem, Big Bluestem, Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’, Lead Plant, Baptisia, Prairie Dropseed, Blue Grama

Notes: The one of a kind look and performance of this selection of Sweet Coneflower puts aside arguments against selections and cultivars. In our experience this is a very robust cloned cultivar that’s not too fussy about water and light requirements and blooms for much of the summer and into the fall. It’s quilled ray flowers are very striking and unique and share something of an aesthetic kinship with the unique rays of Gaillardia Aestivalis Prairie Gaillardia. Think of this as a unique Rudbeckia for the back of beds.
Here’s some more information about the introduction of this selection and an Illinois Route 66 prairie project of Mr. Eiler’s.