2019 Landscape Projects - Tetherow

Landscape Projects 2019

2019 was another year of wonderful projects and gorgeous landscape transformations  and I continue to work with incredible clients and contractors.  Following are pictures of some of my projects that got installed this year:

Tetherow Backyard Upgrade Extraordinaire! 

Before: Most of the pre-existing backyard was a slight slope of native grasses.

After: A revamped, upgraded backyard for all sorts of enjoyment!  A clean modern concrete wall contains a lush lawn with native perennials and grasses to soften the transition to the native landscape beyond.  Good Life Landscaping found a stunning Juniper 'Ghost Tree' which creates a gorgeous focal point when viewed from the patio.

 After:  From the northeast corner of the property and the Tetherow Golf Course, the new perennials and grasses will soften the view.  We can also see the landscape boulders creating additional interest and texture, unifying the modern patio/lawn area and the soft native landscape beyond.

   After:  Previously this area was bumpy dirt and grass from the rain and snow melt from the roof-line above.  Now it is a modern and stylish path down into the landscape that will stand up to any rain or snow storms.

  After:  The landscape contractor Good Life Landscaping installed these large boulders as seating surrounding the Desert Stone gravel patio and path area.  The boulders are actually quite comfortable and provide a great somewhat tucked away area for the teenagers to gather.

  After:  The pre-existing patio was already cut at an angle and so we played with those lines to make the new lawn with diagonal lines to keep it fresh and interesting.  The home owners now enjoy a lush, level lawn to further enjoy the outdoors and the gorgeous views from their Tetherow home.

Landscape designed by Carlseng Designs 

Landscape installed by Good Life Landscaping

Cottage Style Garden in Central Oregon

A few years ago a client approached me needing help with her rectangular backyard.  It was straight and narrow and not at all appealing. 
This is what I started with:

The client wanted an interesting, lawn free backyard to sit and enjoy the sun with a lower patio area with color, texture and year-round interest. 
Whenever I am dealing with a narrow yard I add curves and hidden paths with overflowing plants to disguise the shape. 

Here is the jewel out of the rough:

Wow what a difference a good design can make!  It doesn't even look like the same yard!


Here is how it looks when entering from the alleyway, hmm I wonder what is behind that gate?

Open the gate and you see.......

Oh yes I want to travel down that path!  Curving paths encourage exploration and can help to screen the destination making it more exciting and revealing as you get closer to the end.


Textures:

A variety of textures create texture no what is in flower.

A view of the classic white stone stone bench in the shade of the Crabapple tree surrounded by garden phlox and backed by Hydrangea. 

Certified Wildlife Habitat at Deschutes Brewery

What a garden!  I have been honored this year to upgrade the flower beds at Deschutes Brewery's brewing facility on SW Simpson in Bend, Oregon.  It had been cared for previously by Maureen Klecker, one of Bend's long time amazing gardeners and many of the plants there were planted by her.  When I took on the design work to upgrade the gardens Deschutes stated they wanted to make the gardens more sustainable which sounded great to me!  I took that idea and decided we could create not only a more sustainable landscape but a Certified Wildlife Habitat at the same time!
To create Certified Wildlife Habitat garden I added old logs for habitat, a "puddling bath" for the bees and butterflies, a Mason Bee house for habitat and lots of native plants and other important plants for pollinators species as well as plants that are crucial hosts for butterflies.

Habitat Log

Pollinator Garden

Pollinating Bee on Liatris at the Deschutes Brewery garden

Puddling Bath for bees and butterflies

Relevant plants got labels indicating their purpose in the garden. 

Gorgeous Narrow Yard Update!

Last post about a narrow backyard makeover needs to be updated as the house is for sale and new pictures are posted!  A garden usually looks better after a couple of seasons so check it out now:


What a difference a professionally designed landscape can make, this house has fantastic curb appeal!

 A narrow backyard can look beautiful and be functional when designed well!

Designing a Landscape with Chickens in Mind

Clients are always giving me interesting projects.  Last year was a backyard upgrade for a couple whose small dogs nibbled everything and so all plants had to be double checked on two lists of plants dangerous to dogs.  And the landscape still turned out fantastic!
This year I get to do a mid-town landscape upgrade for a couple who want chickens.  There is a separate area fenced off from the main yard for the chicken coop and chicken run area and I intend to make this area just as lovely as the rest of the yard.
In my research I came across this great website, Nifty Homestead, they have a great list of plants healthy for chickens in addition to a list of plants that are dangerous to chickens.  Some of the healthy plants listed are:

Comfrey
Fennel
Thyme
Sunflowers
Amaranth
Most fruit trees
Raspberries

Some of the dangerous plants are:

Daffodil
Daphne
Hydrangea
Rhododendron

Another good site is Backyard Chickens.

Photo from Family Food Garden

Water Feature Fun!

I am designing a back yard for clients on the East side of Bend that includes a water feature.  Water features are a great addition to any landscape, they add the beautiful sound of water, create a cooler environment on hot days and can encourage birds or butterflies to visit if designed correctly.

When designing a water feature visual aids are crucial so I always include photos to accompany the design so the clients and builders know what exactly we are going for.
My pinterest account has lots of gorgeous water feature ideas - check them out!

For my current project designing a pondless water feature these are the photos I am printing for the client so far:

The water feature will be surrounded by trees, shrubs and perennial flowers to complement the scene.  

Time for Bulb Planting

I am always scouring the shelves of the local nurseries looking for bulbs at the end of Fall so I was thrilled when I was in Costco and got a huge bag of 90 daffodil bulbs, wow!

Yes, Costco is not a local nursery but they do have good quality bulbs.  Remember that the deer resistant bulbs like daffodils, narcissus, iris, grape hyacinth, etc always sell out fast.  Tulips are deer candy!!!

The key for healthy bulbs and a a good looking planting is to always plant more than you think you should.  Bulbs can also rot so make sure you have amended well draining soil.

I like to layer my bulbs so I have grape hyacinth or siberian squill coming up among the daffodils.

Plant away and look forward to spring!

Xeriscape Backyard Makeover

So many of my clients here in Bend Oregon are looking for a low water, low maintenance, fire safe landscape and deer resistant as well.  It is often a challenge to make all of that work but here is a wonderful example of just how good it can look.

Before any work was done, the backyard was largely untouched and full of flammable Manzanita bushes.

Plus, without anything to distract the eye, the view of the neighbor's house was all too apparent.

Since this client, like so many of us in Bend, likes to spend her time out playing, it needed to be a low maintenance landscape and attractive as well.

I came up with a palette of plants to provide seasonal interest that was deer resistant, low water and good for beneficial pollinators that invites the client into the landscape.

What a fun project and gorgeous results!!!  By choosing a few key plants and repeating them throughout the landscape, unity within the yard was obtained.  Dwarf evergreen elements were also incorporated in addition to the native Chokecherry Tree that provides interest and habitat for the bird population.

Besides a good landscape design, having an excellent contractor install it is crucial.  Anna Vacca of Anna's Gardening installed this garden and knows exactly how to make plants happy.

Happy First Day of Spring!

Happy Spring!

More Awesome Plants!

I was loading or pinning plant images onto Pinterest for a client and when I looked back I was thrilled with the selection and these are only the ones the client's were unfamiliar with.

This has been a slow journey in transforming their long neglected back yard.  Yes, pictures to come Friday when we start shaping the beds and planting the first installment.  So exciting!

Check out all my other project boards at Pinterst for more great images!
http://www.pinterest.com/tanyacarlsen/

Elderberry 'Sutherland Gold'

This is stunning in the landscape and contrasts nicely with most everything

else in garden.  We will have a dark blue bubbling fountain next to it, gorgeous!

Coreopsis 'Red Satin'

I can't get enough of this dark red color! Plus it blooms

all summer and is great for pollinators!

Pink Monkey Flower

Native to Central Oregon and a stunning perennial!

Sweet Summer Love Clematis, My New Favorite

As a landscape designer it is difficult to name my favorite plant, but I do have a current favorite, 'Sweet Summer Love' clematis.
I grew 'Sweet Autumn' clematis back in Northern California and loved how it completely covered a patio wall there, I wanted to try again here in the High Desert and couldn't resist to try this colorful variety!

It is a Proven Winner and a repeat bloomer of cranberry/purple fragrant flowers - what's not to love!

I generally stick to what is available in our local nurseries since our climate is tricky and my clients want dependable plants, but this one I ordered through Harmony Farms in Tumalo for a client (and one for me of course!) to add some color to her patio.

The fragrance is like soft vanilla and the small flowers are beautiful little violet beauties, I can't wait to see how it does in Central Oregon. If it over winters well then look out for it next year I will be ordering lots more!