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Happy Birthday to Frederick Law Olmsted

Olmsted was born in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1822. Between 1837 and 1857, Olmsted performed a variety of jobs: he was a clerk, a sailor in the China trade, and a farmer, as well as many other professions. He moved to New York in 1848 and in 1857, without having ever had any college education, Olmsted became the superintendent of New York's Central Park



As the superintendent of the park he served as the administrator and then architect-in-chief of Central Park's construction. Next, he served as the administrative head of the US Sanitary Commission, which was the forerunner of the American Red Cross. Finally his last job, before forming his own firm, was that of the manager of the vast Mariposa gold mining estate in California.


In addition to designing for urban life, Olmsted was anxious to preserve areas of natural beauty for future public enjoyment. He served as the first head of the commission in charge of preserving Yosemite Valley and was a leader in establishing the Niagara Reservation, which he planned with Calvert Vaux, in 1887.


Between 1872 and 1895, when he retired, Olmsted's firm carried out 550 projects. These projects included college campuses, the grounds to the US Capitol, and residential communities.


In late 1895 he suffered a mental breakdown and spent his remaining years resting in an Asylum in Waverly Massachusetts. In August 1903 he died.


It was not until 20 years later did people begin to realize the impact and grandness of Olmsted's work, and the vast wonders that he had left the world.


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Frederick Law Olmsted - Founder of landscape architechture

The Top 5 Watering Myths: Gardener's Supply

The Top 5 Watering Myths: Gardener's Supply

I'm loving this article on the myths of watering.  I hope EVERYONE reads this!

Growing Annual Flowers from Seed: Gardener's Supply

Check out this great article about growing annual flowers from seed on the Gardener's Supply website.  Their site is also a great resource for vegetable gardening equipment.  I got my tomato lattice's there!
Growing Annual Flowers from Seed: Gardener's Supply

The Sustainable Sites Initiative Update

The Sustainable Sites Initiative™ (SITES™) is an interdisciplinary effort by the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas at Austin and the United States Botanic Garden to create voluntary national guidelines and performance benchmarks for sustainable land design, construction and maintenance practices. Major funding for the Sustainable Sites Initiative is provided by the Meadows Foundation and Landscape Structures. http://www.sustainablesites.org/about/ 

Attracting Butterflies to Your Yard

Read this great article about attracting butterflies to your property. http://www.almanac.com/blog/gardening-blog/attract-butterflies-more-flowers-and-joy

Study on the Economic Benefits of Green Infrastructure Released | land.asla.org

Great article on greener infrastructure techniques can benefit the community and the environment at the same time.  These techniques can be used on a small scale as well and still reap benefits for property owners, residents and management companies:

Study on the Economic Benefits of Green Infrastructure Released | land.asla.org