SOUTHWEST CORNERS

ONE way to improve the garden, particularly in bare spots, is to use groundcovers to change the aspect for a while or permanently. I have been using these flat stones for two decades.

I am not into gravel,  popular  concrete pavers, round, soft gray stones or white, a fad now.  They never look attractive, except in rare instances when used as dry stream beds in proportion and correct context in the garden.

With very little effort these corners have been transformed and will enhance the spot as self sown plants start growing in the crevices.

PRUNING POST

GARDENING should be mostly fun, however, weeding, pruning and trimming are not necessarily in that department. For this reason when planning a garden one should make sure there is very little to do regarding those shores, unless you are in top physical shape.

Miguel Yamin, is a neighbor five houses up the street. We met thanks to his interest in plants/gardening, even though at 90 there is not much gardening he can do.  However, we have exchanged plants, back and forth.

A couple of days ago, I offered to organize the garden in front of the house, he accepted gladly, even after I emphasized that the pruning I had in mind will look somewhat odd in the beginning as it happens always when a messy installation is ordered.

I spent a couple of hours in the first act, the second will be done next week. Here a few photos of before and after, with a little reiterative declaration....Gardening should be an activity to enjoy, pleasurable and stimulating. Not like one of those blow/cut gardening jobs...always in a rush without any afterthought.

If any juan cares to know I would get rid of the horrendous Lagerstromia, in dead center of this space, ruining it in terms of perspective/focus,  mutilated with a machete once or twice a year thanks to the electrical wires close by.  I would rearrange the bushes, get rid of a couple of Ixoras and so forth.  

UPR SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE TOUR

THIS time
I am going in a different path.  Lets see what architecture is: ar·chi·tec·ture

noun \ˈär-kə-ˌtek-chər

Definition of ARCHITECTURE

1

: the art or science of building; specifically : the art or practice of designing and building structures and especially habitable ones

2

a : formation or construction resulting from or as if from a conscious act <the architecture of the garden>

b : a unifying or coherent form or structure <the novel lacks architecture.

 

What is pertinent to our case, "as if from a conscious act...the architecture of the garden.  These photos are evidence that any architecture school in Puerto Rico and/or their students with a degree in landscape architecture, not only lack a familiarity, notions about plants, bushes, trees in nature/urban/asphalt concrete/ natural environment, but the few they find handy are planted haphazardly violating composition, perspective, aesthetics or any intention to create an amicable, conscious, connection with the surroundings.

 

The school of architecture in the University of Puerto Rico sucks! No wonder every space, installation influenced by these graduates show the same tendency to dullness, turf aberrations without shade with the wrong trees Ylan Ylan one token, tens of ugly palms in a row, just like cars in a dealer, without any consideration as to size, fronds, shapes.

 

The sterility of the whole is a reminder of Brasilia, the monster city by Roberto Burle Marx, the only landscape architect these feeblemeninds seem to know.  http://youtu.be/Qh5d5ccG6o8

I think one, anyone should show some respect to nature, our flora and fauna, in addition to fellow humans. Looking at this photos any one with a sense of aesthetics will conclude there is nothing uglier in our surroundings.  It is a pity, there is tendency to accept as nice, good any concrete/cinder block turd or cow pie they design in cardboard/sketch...with the few fortunate ones who get a chance to participate in the construction of their monstrosities dominating the San Juan metro area and the whole of Puerto Rico.

Check them pictures, you be the judge.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ESTUARIO.ORG ON NATURAL LANDSCAPING

JUST got back from one of my typical walks.  Estuario.org is some group of good will people, concerned with the cleaning and mangroves by the water side.  However, they show a total lack of wisdom, know how regarding ecological, respectful treatment to our flora and fauna when one looks at the lagoon of useless turf they have planted around their unique spot in El Condado.

Here some suggestions to get rid of all that turf as soon as possible. If they had researched the eco-region, endemic vegetation, their narrow, simplistic, polluting, blindfolded view of the scenery would have been wider, as logic, a job well done demands.

All these species below are used to restore dunes, stop erosion, enhance areas affected by human intrusion, in addition to provide
food, shelter, housing material to the local fauna, and a bonus in terms of contrasts of texture, shape, color, flowers, none of which is possible with the silly turf.

Sporobolus virginicus

Spartina patens

Ipomoea pes-caprae

Scaveola plumieri

Lippia nodiflora

Canavalia maritima

Sesuvium portulacastrum

Remirea maritima

Ipomoea stolonifera

Siden pilosa

Chamaesyca buxifolia

Tephrosia cinerea

Cyperus planifolius

Sansevieria guianensis

Didioa maritima

Achyranthes indica

Wedelia trilobata

Pectis humifusa

Mollugo verticillata

Boerhavia diffusa

Emilia sonchifolia

 

Dune Reforestation in Puerto Rico

A manual for environmental managers

Department of  Natural Resources

Puerto Rico

 

SOME people in the environmental fad/movement without credentials believe they have the bull grabbed by the horns/scrotum, but when one observes with a critical eye, trajectory, credentials, research and some rigorous stance  the

whole scheme of their actions/desires, the results are those shown in the photos at right: a waste of time/money/effort.

 

I do not know who was the fool responsible for planting Lagerstromias, evidently allergic to salt breeze, that is why they

look like crap.  Instead of planting Thespesias, already available close by the water or Guiacum officinale.  I can not find any sense

in this type of foolishness.

 

So get to work. Do the right thing, research, before engaging in

any activity only motivated with good will without fundamental

corner stones.

PD  I have had this information for thirty years.  I got it
when my interest, concern, vocation took a turn regarding
the insane destruction of Puerto Rico's flora/fauna, thanks to the evil
forces of banking/housing/highway developers still dominating
the political/economical scene down here.

 



NATURAL LANDSCAPING II

WHEN I look at the isle environmental scene, one thing continues to irritate yours truly.  The lack of vision and focus, the blindfolds stop every guru in this or that niche to perceive the whole. It is very hard to comprehend, there is no group educating the populace with their do-gooding activities as giving away trees gratis, to stop the proliferation of turf/palms/mutilation of trees, trimmers/blowers and lawnmowers.  Not even the garbage collectors/noise/gas/oil/fumes/pollution, earth warming wisepeople society .  Let there be turf...seems to be their motto.

NATURAL LANDSCAPING ON A SMALL SCALE

 

Many homeowners are looking for an alternative to the continuing efforts necessary to maintain the bluegrass lawn.

They are particularly uncomfortable with the application of costly herbicides and fertilizers.  The shift to a more natural,

environmentally friendly yard with groundcovers, shrubs, grasses and colorful forbs is an inviting alternative.

 

Homeowners can volunteer with restoration organizations as producers of prairie and savannah seeds, beautifying their own yards in the process.  It is important however, that plants producing seeds intended for restoration grow in separate areas from those purchased in nurseries, because it is necessary to keep the native stock to be used for restoration 'pure'.

 

People with small sites who enjoy 'digging in the dirt' may find the gradual approach to converting their lawns a less expensive alternative than a onetime project using a professional designer and installer.  With this gradual approach comes the delight of experimentation with plants and their habitats.  In addition, the maturing converted gardens can serve as plant nurseries for newly dug beds.  Plants will teach the gardener where they like

to grow and will relocate themselves over the years according to changing conditions of sun and shade. An ecologist who has tended a natural garden in Park Ridge for 27 years finds that a garden flows like a river, it is ever-changing.

 

In the natural perennial garden, treasured sentimental favorites, even exotics, can thrive intermixed with native plants to create an aesthetically and personally rewarding landscape. Gardeners can even try incorporating food plants, such as herbs an tomatoes.

 

It is tempting to begin with quick-spreading ground covers and perennials in order to make a beautiful display at the start and prevent soil erosion. Showy plants such as the exotic, early-blooming dame's rocket, and later blooming native black-eyed-susans and purple coneflowers can be used to brighten a garden reliably in its first year.  However, it is important to avoid the trap of starting with extremely aggressive perennials and groundcovers that will then require much time and effort to dislodge.

 

In the first year, generous mulching will keep precious water in the soil and deter weeds and erosion. Eventually, the native flowers and grasses should out compete the non-natives, which are not so well adapted.

 

US Environmental Protection Agency

A Source Book on Natural Landscaping for Public Officials

page 3

 

to be continued...

 

FROM THE EDITOR

TO PR READERS

 

In the first paragraph I did not mention golf. A criminal activity that should be strictly ruled. The amount of fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides to keep it looking healthy, is an abomination....in addition to water waste. There nothing more useless and sterile to the environment than golf courses.

 

I know, no one is doing it, where can I get some plants, how do I start? Start researching, check the cost of removing turf. Before you do that, start collecting seeds or groundcovers the same way I have.  Any one with compromise,  energy, stamina could do it. slowly but sure.

 

 

 

BAN THE TURF MOVE TO NATURAL LANDSCAPING

THERE are a couple of things most governments and people forget in countries ruled by bankers/politicians in democracies around the world.  The financial crisis, bubble burst had to come soon or later, the destruction of what many thought their way of life, for themselves and their 'future generations'.

If there was no crisis, how could any economy absorb the constant population growth of most countries on one hand, on the other, aging population lasting more and more and more, requiring expensive care...with less and less jobs? 

Think about it...right now lets move to something that governments, people and individuals could do with imagination and commitment, little or no expense, getting rid of turf/lawns in residences and many public spaces, improving life for ourselves, our resources, our flora and fauna, no matter where you live.

'HOW TO' NATURAL LANDSCAPING

 

 



Designing, installing and managing natural landscaping projects will vary in complexity and approach depending upon the nature of the site and  the project goals.  There are different degrees of natural landscaping, ranging all the way from a small native flower patch, to a full-scale replication of a plant community covering many acres.  An otherwise traditionally landscaped site may be installed with a 'natural' stormwater lagoon with a fringe of native wetland plants and upland buffer to trap sediment.

Larger projects have the most at stake, financially and visually. They require a detailed and technical planning process. Some examples of larger scale projects include corporate campuses, university lands and large community parks.

ETHICS OF USING NATIVE PLANTS

Regardless of the scope or goals of your project, there are important ethical considerations regarding how to obtain native seeds and plant material for your project garden.  Native seeds or plugs must be acquired from a reputable supplier.  It is inappropriate under any circumstances for amateur gardeners or professionals to collect seeds plants from 'the wild' except by permission of the owner or as part of a restoration program.

Collection of too many plants or seeds can seriously reduce the ability of the plundered site to replenish itself. Seed collecting ethics are rigorously followed by volunteer groups working with forest preserve districts, other owners of natural sites and professionals in the nursery business.

DEVELOPING AN APPROACH

Planning even if informal, is a fundamental ingredient for a successful natural landscaping project.  The greater the ambition or the shorter the timetable, the more planning and  technical expertise will be required.  A starting point for any natural landscaping project is to analyze the current amenities,
opportunities and limitations of your site and articulate reasonable goals.

A basic underpinning for any natural landscaping project would be an understanding of current soil conditions.  This
knowledge will assist you with your decision about what you can plant where, since soil conditions can vary dramatically across a site.  A soil scientist, such as your local agent from the US Department of  Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service, can tell you the type of soil that you have and the kind of material from which it was derived.  The more a project is oriented toward restoration, the more it must take factors  such as particular soil conditions into account.

Prairie, woodland/savanna, and wetland/riparian projects will have different requirements and will be treated separately in this chapter, although all could exist on one site.  In addition,
this chapter will discuss  how to address stormwater management using natural landscaping integrated into a project's overall design.

 A few words for  readers in Puerto Rico

 

 

I will not pretend or give the impression that I am the one and only authority on this subject and many others related, however, let the record show that I have not seen anything in any source locally on the subject, not from phd's such as Alberto Areces Mallea, in Parque Donha Ines, thinking of endemisms as just trees and infatuated will palm trees/turf.  Or the GAIA, Agrochic,  people into the lettuce/tomato/peppers orbit,  los del Estuario, recyclers,

organic agriculture freaks and every other claque one sees on television or media in general.

 

Now imagine any surface covered with turf in the "Botanical" in io Piedras or Caguas, the UPR campus, the San Juan-Ponce highway median to name a few,  planted  instead with Hypogea gangetica, Barleria repens and Arashis or the one of your preference.

 Life without noise, gas/oil/fumes, pollution.

 

Reference

US Environmental Protection Agency

Green Landscaping with Native Plants

Chapter 4

pages 1-2

 

to be continued...

 



60 YEARS WITH BOTANICAL INVENTORIES

THANKS to my training in the New York Botanical, I have kept some focus on all the issues regarding horticulture, gardening, farming, environment, reforestation, nature, habitat, flora and fauna, water, soil and air and many other issues directly/indirectly related to those things, creatures that keep us living. 

These last ten years have not been easy around here.  It seems the national pastime is not to accept criticism, to act like a fool over and over expecting new, different results.  The default on the 100 billion national debt, is just one token.

In the beginning, I believed that not having a botanical inventory at hand, would make any juan a jerk in this field, unfortunately, that is the rule, the majority of the population does not keep one, including owners of nurseries, local edible garden gurus/preachers and other people in related enterprises.

The only possible way any nature/landscape restoration can take place in the mostly sterile asphalt/concrete urban contexts in Puerto Rico is to study, propagate and plant vegetation according to their eco-region.  Contrary to custom and use: selling trees or giving them gratis to the people to be planted in the worst possible places, sidewalks for example.

Every tree in the metro zone of San Juan, has been chosen mistakenly and planted by feeble minds. It is not the exception, but the rule.  There are some Higuaca Landscape people in Guanica, a desert by isle standards, planting turf and very proud of it.  Same goes with palms, hedges and Ficus.

Inventories could solve many problems in the long run, if people started thinking, looking, considering growth habits before any planting takes place.  The other advantage of this study, is to become aware of how fashion, impositions from nurseries to the public destroy the variety, aesthetics and beauty of the scenery, not only in my context, but those in rural areas are also contaminated with the same nursery  available crap.

The first link below is our own. With over one hundred species keeping and updating the inventory allows your truly to determine how fast/slow anything growths, effects of drought, shade, humidity and diseases depending on their relation to the four cardinal points, another issue swept under the carpet.

These plants, trees, bushes, succulents, orchids, vines, moss in Sociedad Horticultural Bouret's collection are not from nurseries except, maybe five out of the over one hundred.  The garden has been a work under construction for the last five years with one great misfortune. The Guaicum officinale, me pride and joy, passed away last month after a rotation to avoid them branches to hang in the electrical wires as time went by. RIP 

http://moorslayer.blogspot.com/2013/01/botanical-inventory-2012-refried-post.html


The most documented garden in the Caribbean is followed by the inventory from the Luis Munhoz Marin Plantation in Trujillo Alto and the University of Puerto Rico in Rio Piedras.

http://anglospanoreview.blogspot.com/2009/10/fundacion-luis-munhoz-marin-foundation.html

Let the record show that many edibles/fruit trees in the LMM plantation, --ruled by leeches-- were destroyed by the Alberto Areces Mallea/Gabriela Ocampo team, their rivals from Parque Donha Ines . Therefore, the inventory is not about what is left standing, but was there once upon a time when the god like figure in the isle politics, lived there with wife and children.

 

 

 http://caribbeanbotanicalreview.blogspot.com/2011_01_01_archive.html

The UPR was a magnificent example of green scenery with some rudimentary beauty, since no landscape architect/arborist was there to design a plan with rules of composition, an aesthetic most, or integrated pest management or just management for  trees and surroundings. A visit there now, will let you down...It feels like Detroit, Michigan...instead of abandoned, dilapidated structures...it is the vegetation...sick, mutilated trees, ill pruned hedges too tall or too wide, cracked, uneven pavements, hell on earth if you ask me.


.


The last link, the Diaz/Sola family botanical inventory at Manuel Soto Aponte street in the Caguas Country, has some affective load, beyond my usual distant, cold ways regarding gardening study and research.

I met the family during my high school/college days spending lots of fun and joy times during that decade, circa 1969.  The historical significance of all these inventories is that I do not know of any one bothering to study the pathetic, dull, boring, lacking imagination  aesthetics/composition gardens, except Parque Luis Munhoz Rivera, in San Juan, the only exception, but that was seven decades ago.

The lack of research, a result of lame landscape architects copying what they see in Florida,  explains why in Puerto Rico the lobby entrance of a hotel, a school, cemetery, backyard residence, highway median all look the same with the same stupid plants hedges, palms, Ficus and turf, planted in the same copy cat way with the same stupid predictable curves,...No context is considered or used, or growth habit, irrigation/soil need and you name it.
 

 

http://caribbeanbotanicalreview.blogspot.com/2011/05/historical-urban-garden-inventory-in.html