The Ocotillo

Yesterday I took a bus ride with about 2 dozen other landscape professionals. We visited and participate in several seminars presented by Armstrong Nursery, Ball Horticulture, and a couple other industry companies. I took the opportunity to take my sketchbook along and get some ideas on paper while we traveled from the Coachella Valley out to San Juan Capistrano.

Here is one drawing I liked, it was a planting idea for a residence I'm working on in design phase.

The Ocotillo... Several family and friends who have come to visit ask me, "What are those stringy looking cactus things that grow and have bright orange flowers?"

These magnificent shrubs, that look like cactus, are striking and indigenous to our valley! Specifically, they are seen in numbers growing native on the rocky slopes along HWY 74 which is a road I travel everyday! So, I have had the pleasure of watching them, after a period of rain, suddenly sprout all their dark green leaves between their thorns, and push out brilliant orange/red blooms atop their canes. Hummingbirds love these flowers! And conversely, after the next long dry spell (which the desert has many), they completely change, like autumn foliage on the East Coast- from green to gold to orange to brown and eventually defoliate and return to dormancy. This cycle can happen multiple times a year, as long as their is a period of rain!

They are, all too often, given way too much water in the residential landscape, but with a mindful eye on the irrigation, can thrive and be a great accent-they look so great when lit at night, and the shadows cast against a wall! Ocotillos are best transplanted when dormant however, they have a high mortality rate, because many are harvested in the wild where their roots are so extensive and so dynamically reaching for water through rocks, and crevices, that those harvesting them, often cut their main roots too short. These specimens look great because of the bulk of canes, but I'd hesitate. It is possible to find nursery grown stock, and clients should be patient through their growth spurts. Nursery stock tends to be much smaller and have less canes, but are likely to be better adapted to a controlled irrigation system and perform better in a residential landscape.

I love their authentic structure and admire their unique beauty.

Fouquieria splendens (Latin Name)
Ocotillo, Coach Whip, Vine Cactus, (Common Names)

YAY for SPRING!

Here in the desert, spring warms up quickly and everyone migrates outside! Outdoor living rooms, complete with firepits, TV areas, and outdoor kitchens are in full demand! Even in the heat of summer (with temps over 100F degrees regularly) outdoor spaces come alive once the sun goes down.

99% of my clients want an outdoor living space where they can enjoy the views and entertain.

Just like the interior of a home, the party usually lands in the kitchen, so an outdoor food prep/or serving area is a great anchor for an outdoor living room. It can be as minimal as just a serving bar or as elaborate as a chef's dream kitchen complete with grill, sink, fridges (multiple), ice makers, griddle, burners, and pizza ovens. Don't forget to think about where a trash receptacle can be located. The more elaborate your amenities, (beware) then, the more utility use and installation costs associated...such as: the wet plumbing associated with water and sewage for the sinks; the electrical required for the appliances and outdoor lighting, stereo system; and climate control, such as a mist or fog system, or heaters - which may require additional water pumps, and gas lines.

"Dining with one's friends and beloved family is certainly one of life's primal and most innocent delights, one that is soul-satisfying and eternal." ~ Julia Child

...I say try it outside!

Rendering

I'm coloring perspectives and plans for a conceptual design presentation, and I've always referred to this process as "rendering". The other day someone asked me, "what does that mean, you're rendering a drawing?" Thinking to myself, I've heard people talking about rendered lard for making soaps and such. So, naturally I second guessed myself, "am I using the term incorrectly?"
I looked up the definition and was surprised to find (from www.freedictionary.com) :

RENDER (as a verb) means:

1. to present or submit (accounts, etc.) for payment, approval, or action

2. to give or provide (aid, charity, a service, etc.)

3. to show (obedience), as due or expected

4. to give or exchange, as by way of return or requital to render blow for blow

5. to cause to become grief had rendered him simple-minded

6. to deliver (a verdict or opinion) formally

7. to portray or depict (something), as in painting, music, or acting

8. (Electronics & Computer Science / Computer Science) Computing to use colour and shading to make a digital image look three-dimensional and solid

9. to translate (something) into another language or form

10. (sometimes foll by up) to yield or give the tomb rendered up its secret

11. (often foll by back) to return (something); give back

12. (Miscellaneous Technologies / Building) to cover the surface of (brickwork, stone, etc.) with a coat of plaster

13. (Cookery) (often foll by down) to extract (fat) from (meat) by melting

So, although I've used the term consistently since college, I never really knew the full extent of it's meaning until now. And thankfully, I am using the term correctly when referring to coloring in and shading my drawings.

I always say to young people when they ask me how I work, I always say to them, the only time you're ever going to do something good is if you have a good client. And by good I mean all kinds of things.~Lawrence Halprin