A landscape architect shows off the equipment you need to upgrade any outdoor space
Whenever I design a yard, I try to harness the land's potential in a way that complements the natural environment. As the president of Terratecture, a landscape architecture firm based in Indiana, I've improved more than 500 outdoor spaces in the past 17 years using that philosophy. Whether I'm designing a simple flower garden on a tiny city lot or digging ponds and pools on a 40-acre estate, the challenge isn't so much what I'm going to do as it is
how I'm going to do it. Having broken hundreds of gardening tools, I know there's a lot of junk out there that falls apart the first time you use it, rusts in the rain, or doesn't have replacement parts. So when something impresses me, I add it to my repertoire for good. Here are some of my favorite tools that you can use to transform the land outside your door.
1 Greenscreen
"Made of galvanized steel, this trellis system allows a climbing plant such as clematis to grow all over its wire walls. Buy various shapes--rectangles, curving walls, columns--and then mount them together with clips." From $8 per square foot, greenscreen.com
2 Felco Pruner Model 2
"Professional horticulturalists were once the only ones who could get Felco pruners. I use them for everything from cutting fresh flowers to pruning boxwoods. Unlike knockoffs, you can replace individual parts as easily as the entire tool." $40, felcostore.com
3 NightOrbs
"Far more creative than the outdoor lighting options you'll find at Home Depot or Lowe's, these colorful handblown glass spheres make great focal points in the yard when illuminated by their low-voltage bulbs. Use them sparingly though; they cost about $500 apiece." nightorbs.com
4 Muck-Truck
"This device is three times larger than a regular wheelbarrow, and it has a 5.5-horsepower Honda GXV 160 engine. Translation: It does all the work, and you just guide it along. It has even carried a 500-pound boulder up a 20-foot hill for me." $2,600, mucktruckamerica.com
5 Pen, Sketchbook, and Scale
"When I got into this business, the first thing I bought was a truck. These three tools--a Pilot Precise V7 roller-ball pen, a sketchbook, and an architect's scale--were next. I'm big on planning. Use them to sketch your beds to scale, which will help you determine how many plants will fit and how much mulch you'll need." amazon.com
6Dirr's Hardy Trees and Shrubs, by Michael A. Dirr
"Every landscape architect I know has this book. It has entries and photographs for about 1,200 varieties of North American plants and describes how much sunlight, water, and space each one needs. Rather than simply walking into a nursery and buying whatever is in bloom, use this book as a reference. People are often surprised when a plant grows as large as it does." amazon.com
7 A.M. Leonard King of Spades
"People often use shovels for chores that better suit spades. This one, which is practically indestructible, has a specially designed thin, flat edge that I use to edge lawns, cut roots, rip out old plants, break up hard soil, and strip sod." $89, amleo.com
8 Cypress Design Freewater Rain Collection System
"Because of droughts, Atlanta and Las Vegas have very strict outdoor watering schedules, and I expect that to become more common. One solution is to use drip irrigation instead of sprinklers. Connect this unobtrusive L-shaped tank to the downspout at the corner of your house to collect rainwater, then pipe what you need from there. I'm astounded that my 95-gallon tank is always as full as it is." From $175, cypressdesigns.com
Dean Hill, 45, hosts DIY Network's Grounds for Improvement.
