Plans, and the planning planner who plans them.

I apologize for the delay (to myself and the curious few who were awaiting them). I am a planner, not a professional Planner, but one who plans, and plans and plans, enjoying the creative investigation, ongoing inquiry, and organizing that is part of making a 'plan'.

With delight, I now present my Site Analysis and Proposal ("Plan") for my current residential project.

Site Analysis

 Proposal

I have been fortunate to be able to access this space at will, because I live here. As a result, whenever I had a question about the landscape, I defaulted to making a trip outside to investigate and gather primary research. This may have delayed the design process but is also quite an opportunity and one of only a few cases when one can do this. What I mean is, while I am woo'ing my neighbors, I'll proceed with the construction of my landscape design, which is, of course, part of the woo'ing process.

A few points of note:
1. The evergreen tree. This is a very healthy White Pine that none would want to cut down except an urban gardener or one who wants more sun on the south side of her home. I happen to be both of these. On the downside, if we cut down the tree, we might have to pay money to have this done, and we might find the tree provided a nice service, such as a wind break for the back yard. All in all, the tree may stay.

I'm trying to avoid paying for this service (Hey, anyone want some really nice and straight white pine wood that's great for woodworking!?) and if we should find there is a wind issue, I'll be prepared to plant something else in it's place. You may have noticed, I have not provided a planting plan. A task for another day; a plan for another blog.

2. The Plum tree problem. I recently visited our metropolitan area's fair botanic garden and learned that plum trees need to be planted in pairs in order to procreate successfully. I'm guessing our plum formerly had a mate in a nearby yard, when it was producing fruit successfully, and is now a desperate young widow throwing pollen to the wind in hopeless efforts for offspring. I have provided two options for planting a 'pair' tree for this plum: another dwarf plum tree in the yard or, a wall-trained plum tree against the south side of the house. I just need to insure that the two trees are compatible species and that they will flower at the same time.

3. The vegetable garden beds. This is not my original design. I sketched one on paper while standing in the yard, then designed another in AutoCAD where I had measurements to follow. The temporary cold frame (see previous blog) in this location would fit almost exactly into the northwest box you see in the drawing (keep in mind, north is up in the drawing and because it isn't exact, I will likely redo either the cold frame or the drawing). As the days of this season progress, I'm learning about winter sun patterns from observing the sun and from a housemate who has lived here longer than I have. There may be a few small adjustments made to accommodate the best lighting for the permanent garden beds.

4. Trees in general. Some of the issues with the trees in the Site Analysis are being resolved by simply pruning them more regularly. This increases sun access on the site and improves the health of the tree. Additionally, I intend to research organic pest control solutions for next season's crops.

If I have left out anything, dear readers, please don't hesitate to contact me. Your inquiry is my opportunity.