by Gloria Ballard | Aug 5, 2022
Fall is coming, and we can expect chilly nights soon. But wouldn’t it be great if you could still gather with family and friends out on the patio for a relaxing evening outdoors? Consider the warmth and congeniality a firepit on your patio or an outdoor fireplace can provide.
“Especially during this time of the pandemic, it’s a good way to get outside without going anywhere,” says Gardens of Babylon landscape architect Ryan Fogarty. While most of us no longer need open fires for cooking (except, possibly, for making s’mores), time with friends around a fire can warm the air and the heart.
As the weather cools, a crackling fire on the patio can extend the time you can be outdoors. “It’s a great way to enjoy being out in the yard,” Fogarty says. “It’s like a little retreat.”
Stylish additions
For outdoor entertaining, family gatherings, casual dinners on the patio, a firepit can be the element that brings people together. In an outdoor room, a fireplace can make the space comfortable even when the weather is cold.
“We have definitely seen an uptick this year with people requesting a firepit built into design plans,” Fogarty says. “It’s a cool experience in nature. Like going camping without going camping.”
Style choices run the gamut, from rustic stacked stones to designs that are sleek and modern, or anything in between.
Design and build
A typical firepit for Gardens of Babylon clients may be circular or square, usually 18 inches tall or a little taller. The width depends on the scale of the design, but it’s typically 36 or 42 inches wide or wider, Fogarty says. It may be built of wall block veneer and capstones, but can be any suitable material that may reflect the style of the landscape and the homeowner.
“If it’s in a patio, we build the patio around it,” Fogarty says. In a wood-burning firepit, the logs sit atop fire bricks flush with the ground. Gas firepits are also available. The gas company taps into the home’s gas line and attaches a fireplace insert, and the building crew builds a wall block or other veneer around the insert to hide it, Fogarty explains.
Questions to ask:
Here are some questions to consider when you include a firepit or fireplace in your landscape design:
- How and when you will use it? It is for entertaining large groups or small gatherings? Maybe it’s just for the two of you.
- Do you want wood-burning or gas-fired?
- How large should it be? Is a small firepit big enough? Is a massive fireplace too large?
- What is your style: rustic? Sleek and modern? Something in between?
- What type of seating will be placed around or nearby?
- If a firepit is to be installed in a patio, is there enough space to accommodate it?
- Should the firepit design include an additional wall for seating? “A firepit with a seat wall takes a lot of space,” Fogarty says. Maybe you’d rather have it out in your yard.”
A fireplace has an extra set of considerations. “The majority of fireplaces we have worked on have been a kit, and we veneer it with a brick or other natural veneer that the homeowner wants, Fogarty says. “A fireplace also requires a chimney flue and the insert, which comes with the kit.”
“For homeowners with kids it’s good for getting outside and sitting around,” she adds. And those marshmallows melting over the firepit for s’mores are something even the kids will enjoy.
To discuss ways to include a firepit or fireplace in your landscape design plans, book a consultation with a Gardens of Babylon landscape design team professional here.
by Gloria Ballard | Mar 16, 2022
Even if you don’t have a personal patch of soil, you can still have a garden. If you have space to plant a garden in the ground, you also want to enhance your porch, patio or deck. That’s the advantage and beauty of container gardening.
But how do you choose the best container for the job? It depends on what you want it to do – fill a nook on your small balcony? Grow a tree on your patio? There’s a pot for every purpose.
Choose your size
Any living thing needs room to grow, so you’ll want a container that provides enough space for roots to spread in the soil. A general rule for a single plant or shrub is to choose a pot that is roughly twice the size of the root ball of the plant you’ll put in it. If it’s too small, the plant’s roots will quickly fill it up; if it’s too large, the roots may struggle to reach the moisture they need, and admit it, a small plant looks awkward in a big, spacious expanse of pot and soil.
Size also depends on whether you’re potting up that single plant, or a container garden with a mix of annuals, perennials or herbs. For an attractive mix, you want a container that is proportionate to the size of the little garden as it matures, and that still provides enough room in the soil for each plant’s roots to absorb the nutrients it needs.
Whatever size is selected, make sure it has a hole to allow water to drain through. Most plants that sit in waterlogged soil will struggle, and likely not survive.
Choose your style
If the look you prefer to cultivate in your space is buttoned-up formal, of course you’ll choose a container that reflects that style – possibly with clean, crisp lines and colors and shapes that match the rest of the landscape and furnishings. If you style is more eclectic, you may go for an assortment of colors and finishes, and they may or may not be similar.
Modern, contemporary style containers may have a sleek finish, unique shapes or bold colors. Garden classics may be in subtle “natural” shades and embellished with simple or ornate details.
In my own garden and patio areas, for example, I have an eclectic mix of pots: tall containers that hold large ‘Kimberly Queen’ ferns in spring, summer and fall, mid-height pots for geraniums or angel-wing begonias, and short, wide bowls that I plant with sedums, or with Creeping Jenny that flows like water over the bowl’s rim. Most of the pots are in shades of blues and greens, but I’m also fond of the look of moss-covered clay pots, so I use those, too, usually planted with annuals and tucked into garden beds to fill empty spaces among the perennials.
Consider the shape & material
When you’re thinking of what shape to use – round, square, rectangular, tapered – consider the spaces where the planted containers will be displayed. Round planters tend to have a more solid, organic feel; square, boxy planters are good for adding symmetry in a garden layout. A rectangular planter may provide the horizontal lines needed in a formal or informal design; gently tapering square or rectangular planters seem to have a softening effect in a variety of style settings. Flat and bowl-shaped planters can be attractive tabletop features.
Glazed ceramic, which is available in a range of textures and colors, is a popular choice for outdoor container gardens. If you plan to leave containers outdoors all year, make sure they are the type that can withstand freezing weather. Large containers are heavy, and very stable in an outdoor setting.
Terra cotta pots, which can be plain or decorative, are porous and provide good drainage. They also dry out more quickly than glazed pots, so you likely will need to water more often. Because of their porosity, terra cotta needs to be moved to a protected location before freezing weather arrives.
Ready to find the perfect pot? Stroll through Gardens of Babylon’s Garden Center to see a wide range of containers of all sizes, from the tiniest clay pot to large, deep containers suitable for a small tree.
by Gloria Ballard | Apr 8, 2021
Give your landscape an energizing dose of tea this spring — compost tea, that is, a rich “drink” that uses the science of Mother Nature to enrich the soil.
“I learned about the importance of compost tea at least 20 years ago, and it just made sense to me,” says Gardens of Babylon owner Mark Kerske. “The soils in Tennessee are not only compacted due to heavy clay, but also depleted by the constant use of toxic fertilizers. Plants are now dependent on the fertilizers for growth, which have wiped out all the good, beneficial microbes in the soil.” Using compost tea is the best way to put the “good guys” back in the soil, Kerske says.
What, exactly, is compost tea?
“Compost tea is THE most natural fertilizer,” explains Troy Hinke, founder and owner of Living Roots Compost Tea in Chapmansboro, TN. It provides new life for soil – especially soil that has been abused, say, by heavy equipment during construction or renovation, or overuse of chemical fertilizers.
“Basically, it’s a liquid form of compost,” Hinke says. Knowledgeable gardeners understand it is the nutrients in compost that improve soil, but the magic is really in the micro-organisms that make the nutrients. “So we’re extracting the microorganisms and putting food in the water to get those organisms to reproduce at higher levels,” he explains.
The “food” sounds like a buffet of treats that soil can appreciate: fish hydrolysates, humic acid, kelp, bacteria, fungi and other ingredients to populate the brew. “The idea behind the concept is that bacteria and fungi are the first decomposers in nature, and they’re breaking down organic matter and hold their nutrients in their bodies. Their predators come along and eat them to make those nutrients in a plant-available form.”
It’s the circle of life on a tiny, tiny scale that provides big benefits for soil in need of help.
What compost tea is not is the runoff of water that percolates through a compost pile or bucket of soil. Hinke calls that leachate, or runoff, and it doesn’t have the benefits of true, actively aerated tea. In fact, it could have a negative effect on plants because of anaerobic or harmful organisms that may be present, Hinke says. Good compost tea starts with finished compost, is aerobic during the brewing process, with foods for the microorganisms to do their work.
“The biology is what makes the difference within compost and compost tea. It’s all about the life within that.”
Why use compost tea?
“It’s a natural form of fertility,” Hinke explains. With chemical fertilizers, the plants may get the correct organisms for growth, but the nutrients don’t regenerate. “Chemicals not only are harming the environment, but you’re spending more money, having to reapply the chemicals over and over again.”
Nature can do a better job, Hinke says. “With this more natural method you’re providing life to the soil, and the life and biology in the soil is making the nutrients available.” In other words, the generous, fortified tea is putting the life in the soil for the plants to manage their own nutrient needs.
“It’s the science behind Mother Nature. It’s how it works in the natural world.”
When? And how?
Spring, summer and fall are good seasons to give your landscape a dose of compost tea, Kerske says. “It’s usually applied once the soil temperature gets above 50 to 60 degrees.” It is applied to established lawns, but is especially good for new lawns started from scratch. If soil is compacted, he recommends three applications a year. “It’s taken years to make your soil bad, so it will take a couple years of applications to improve it.”
The amount to apply is measured per square foot; usually, a typical residential lawn benefits from 50 to 100 gallons of compost tea, Kerske says. The Gardens of Babylon landscape team can provide a total maintenance package with tea applications – “weed and green applications is how we refer to it,” he says. “It’s one of the tools we use throughout the year to keep peoples’ lawns and landscapes healthy.”
Learn more
After his extensive training in organic food production, composting and compost tea, Troy Hinke became the soil and compost tea specialist for Gardens of Babylon. In 2015 he moved to Chapmansboro and worked for a large-scale composting facility before starting Living Roots Compost Tea.
For a deep-dive into the relationship between soil and microbes and how compost tea contributes to the circle of soil life, Hinke has produced a ten-part podcast on the subject. Find What’s Brewing?: A Compost Podcast on Spotify, or in iTunes in the podcast Farm Land.
Ready to rejuvenate your soil with a dose of compost tea? Book a consultation with the Gardens of Babylon Landscape Maintenance team here.
by Gloria Ballard | Sep 4, 2020
Rain is good for gardens, of course. Too much of it, pooling in the wrong places in your yard, can cause drainage problems around your landscape and in your home.
“Proper drainage is probably one of the most important services that you should have around your home,” says Gardens of Babylon owner Mark Kerske. “You want to keep the water away from the foundation of your house.”
Water running into the basement or crawlspace can cause mold and other problems. Downspouts from the gutter can push rainwater into the foundation if they’re not properly routed. Water that leads to damage on any part of the property causes trouble over time. “The problem with poor drainage is erosion,” Kerske says. “It can affect the structure of your house or driveway.”
Change the course
There are several methods for guiding water away from the house, depending on the origin of the problem.
- Downspout extension: If rainwater rushes through a gutter downspout near the foundation, a tube on the end of the downspout can empty rainwater farther away from the house during a downpour. The piping can be aboveground, or installed from the downspout in a trench that runs underground, out from under any mulched beds, where the water exits through a pop-up drainage emitter in the lawn.
- Berm: The way water travels over the ground depends on the topography of the property, and if water naturally runs toward the house, a bern –a raised soil barrier or ridge — can be an effective way to direct water away from an area, Kerske says.
- Swale: A trench-like depression in the ground forms a chute, of sorts, to direct the water flow. It can be lined with large chunks of rocks to slow the velocity of the water. “When you have a large amount of water coming toward your house, you want to slow it down,” he says. “If you direct water into the swale, you can get it to go where you want.”
Again, the lay of the land will suggest which method is best. “If the land behind the house is much higher, that’s where you really need a good swale or berm,” Kerske says. “The key is to move the water away from where it wants to naturally go.”
Design challenges
For any landscape design project, a designer and homeowner will discuss any drainage problems on the property that need to be addressed. “That’s the first step. We can do a drainage consultation and assess what the problem is.” Kerske says. “If it’s something they can’t do or don’t want to do, we can put together a design and calculate what it will cost to do the repairs.”
If the solution to a drainage problem calls for a swale or a berm, that can become part of the overall landscape design. “We can put native plants along the streambank. We can use groundcovers, and make it look like the swale belongs naturally in the landscape. That’s where a designer can really be of help,” Kerske says. “The designer can incorporate that drainage swale or berm into the landscape plans.”
Solving drainage and erosion problems in a landscape is the first step in any design plan, Kerske says. “There are so many hills here in Middle Tennessee. We do a lot of drainage work,” he says. “I think proper drainage is the most important part of landscaping.”
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Gardens of Babylon offers landscape drainage and erosion solutions. Book a consultation with a Gardens of Babylon landscape professional here.
by Gloria Ballard | Aug 26, 2020
Landscape Audio makes your outdoor space special
Imagine relaxing in your personal outdoor retreat. It probably has comfortable seating, just the right amount of shade and sun, and soothing music all around. A custom sound system designed for the specific needs of your landscape takes outdoor music enjoyment to the next level. An outdoor audio system is a nice addition to your outdoor living area, says Eric Van Grinsven, a landscape designer with the Gardens of Babylon design team. A backyard retreat is the area where you can get away to when you need a break. “It’s your little spot you can disappear to or just relax and be surrounded by nature.”
Indoor, outdoor: What’s the difference?
Your favorite music sounds good indoors because there are walls and ceilings to bounce the sound back to your ears. But even the best indoor speakers, when they’re outdoors, send music out into the open where sound quality is diminished. A system designed for outdoor spaces balances the sound coverage throughout the area, tailored specifically to your landscape design. Outdoor speakers are also more durable, built to withstand the sun, wind, rain, cold, dust, dirt, bugs and other elements that you expect in an outdoor environment.
How does outdoor audio work?
Gardens of Babylon is a certified dealer of Coastal Source, a landscape audio systems company based in Moorestown, NJ. Chris Marshall, a Coastal Source landscape lighting and audio designer, explains that a landscape audio design specialist will consider the size, shape and needs of an area, based on the landscape design submitted by the dealer. The setup generally includes a power supply, amplifier, audio streamer and speakers.
Interested in including audio in your backyard retreat? Schedule a free phone consultation through the Irrigation, Lighting & Audio portal on the Gardens of Babylon website. You can also schedule an in-person audio demonstration to hear how outdoor audio can transform your outdoor living areas.
