Stone Soup Gardens is so up on our design trends! Recently, a client of ours asked us to do a Sugi Ban Fence for their front yard in order to create a bit of privacy between them and their neighbors, while creating a beautiful long-lasting fence. Not afraid of a challenge, we dove right in. What is Shou Sugi Ban, you ask? Shou Sugi Ban is an ancient Japanese technique that preserves the wood, particularly cedar, by charring it with fire. Shou Sugi Ban is an environmentally friendly way to preserve timber and (paradoxically) it actually makes it fire-resistant. Chemical preservatives, paints, and stains become unnecessary as the burning also preserves the wood, and it becomes insect, rodent proof, and weather resistant. It is said to last 80 years with little to no maintenance. While the process takes time, and can be a bit dangerous, the end result is a stunning and appealing option for our rainy northwest climate. Here is a look at the project before we got started: And here is the sexy Sugi Ban effect:
Walk-Up Sale
Saturday March 11, 2017 9 AM- 3 PM Location: King Conservation District (west parking lot) 1107 SW Grady Way Renton, WA 98057 Payment: Cash, Visa, Mastercard (sorry no checks) Plants Available for Purchase: http://kingcd.org/programs-native-walk-up-sale.htm
Last year one of our raingarden installations was featured in a small spot with Ciscoe (of Gardening with Ciscoe) and King 5 for Make a Difference Day 2016. We are so proud! Check out more on the construction of this raingarden HERE.
The design for this garden was by the wonderful Jaqueline Cramer of Earth Care by Design Collaborators. Way to go, team! We are sad to see our employee Joe Barrett leave, but we are so proud of all of the work he's done here at Stone Soup, and we are excited for whatever path he takes next! It does mean, however, that we are hiring again. We are in need of a carpentry lead in particular, though we are willing to work with the right candidate. Are you interested? Do you know someone who would be a good fit for Stone Soup Gardens? Send them our way! You can see our posting HERE: http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/lab/6007748845.html Or download our job description below.
As the weather gradually warms, and the crocuses pop, our crew is busily maneuvering through the sometimes muddy, sometimes snowy world of landscaping. It's been nonstop around here as we work to finish off projects and begin new ones. Here is a peak at what we've been up to lately: Installing a backyard deck and brick paver patio Building a raised faswall bed, a pocket fence, and installing plants Building a Catio Join us for the exciting reveal of Stone Soup Gardens' design options for the Wetmore Community Garden. Our designers will present 2-3 options for the community garden based on all the feedback we have received from the neighborhood. This is the last step before we finalize the design and submit it for permitting so we hope you can make it!
Not everyone has a perfectly square flat space in which to build a garden. Working throughout Seattle, we often run across weird shapes, angry slopes, and poor drainage issues. For this client, we had a weird space flanked by neighbors, a fairly steep slope, and drainage that we needed to prevent from ending up in our client's home, as well as the neighbors down below. We started by creating a tiered path with stairs that would run the length of the home. To improve drainage we used crushed gravel for the path which will help water seep into the ground, rather than slaloming down the slope into the neighbors backyard. This house also qualified for two rebatable cisterns through the SPU Rainwise Program. Those two cisterns will collect the roof runoff and help prevent additional drainage issues in the yard. Here are a few before pictures as we started on the project. The raised Faswall bed we installed is a great option for homeowners. Attractive, non-toxic, and durable, these beds are made from 60% recycled content and are resistant to mold, rot and decay. A perfect combination for our rainy northwest weather. They are also said to last for centuries, but we have yet to test this theory.
The homeowner, having seen our other flagstone patio work, decided she wanted a mosaic along the pathway. We took this one step further by also designing her a flower mosaic for the stairs. While these pathways are time and labor intensive, the results tend to speak for themselves. Recently we've done a few client check-ins for maintenance and boy are things looking good! Fall is a wonderful time for raingardens. They certainly do flourish with all the wet. Here is a little peak at one of our long-time clients' garden spaces. The place looks great!
Interested in seeing what the space looked like before? Check out here, here, and here. |
This is how Stone Soup Gardens rolls - check out our blog for current, upcoming, and past projects, events, and other super cool stuff worth mentioning.
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