The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 1,400 times in 2011. If it were a cable car, it would take about 23 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

www.naturesintentonline.com

Fall is a great time of year to get your landscaping projects completed. The chaos from getting the kids back inschool has died down, the scorching July and August heat is now behind us and now it’s time to plant!

Right now, we are working on a couple of fun projects; a pondless water feature and a couple of front yard remodels.

Act now to take advantage of fall savings.- 20% off any sprinkler repair project or $ 150.00 off a sprinkler system installation.

If landscaping is more your flavor, how does $ 500.00 off a full front or back yard installation taste?

*Custom Fire Pits
*Water Features
*Custom Plantings
*Specialty Soils
*Retaining Walls
*Outdoor Landscape Lighting
*Custom Flagstone/Stone Slabs

Let us help you make your yard the way Nature Intended……..

801-598-2200

www.naturesintentonline.com

801-598-2200

It’s amazing to me how fast the summers are flying by! I can barely even remember July!

We are still rolling along on landscape projects and the talking heads on the television are talking about the almighty 4-letter word for this weekend!!!!!!! Oiy!

You heard me! S-N-O-W! We are still enjoying 80 degree weather and the lingerings of the wonderful September weather in Utah and the folks in charge of the weather are forecasting snow! Yuck!

We offer a full range of snow removal services, from light and heavy commercial, multi family residences, private developments and residential.  Keep us in mind and give us a shot!   Our 25 years in the snow removal industry gives us the experience and know how to get the job done and done right!

www.naturesintentonline.com

801-598-2200

Design is paramount in landscape construction. Ever hear the term, “form follows function”? It means that you cannot sacrifice functionality, spacial qualities and unity for “looks”. If it looks good but is not practical or functional, then the design doesn’t work.

Design principles that may seem elaborate and complicated are simple and effective, if done correctly. Space, color, texture, light, water, shapes, sound, conceal/reveal, relationships and scale are some of the main principles of landscape design. A solid design can be dramatic, it can be vibrant and it can be ALIVE. You can influence people’s emotions. A talented designer can lead visitors on an experience as they explore a landscape. You can use trees to manipulate the vertical and overhead plane to give a backyard space a sense of entry and to make it appear much larger than it really is. You can partially reveal a feature in the yard to peak interest. Curiosity is a great motivator for exploration.

Light and water breathe life into an outdoor space! It’s dramatic, it’s vibrant and it can even be emotional. The unique thing about using these elements is the landscape changes with the time of day, changes in seasons etc.

I feel very fortunate to have studied under some of the nation’s finest landscape architects at Utah State University. Craig Johnson, John Ellsworth and Vern Budge are a few of them……. Jerry Fuhriman is another.

I felt I had good relationships with all my professors. I worked hard and scored well on my tests, projects and typically did well in critiques and when I defended a design to the jury. Except with Jerry Fuhriman….. Time after time, I walked out of his classroom, red faced and fuming after receiving a sub-standard score on a project I had worked very hard on and felt I had deserved an “A”. It was a very frustrating time for me. But I now know that Jerry had seen something in me. He saw my abilities and my potential, probably more than I did. He pushed me, he criticized me, he even teased me.

The best advice Jerry ever gave me was “Keep-It-Simple-Stupid”. “Monson, less is more! Remember that!” Sometimes landscape designers out smart themselves by doing too much. Too much color, detail, small scale, large scale, the list goes on and on! It causes chaos.

Jerry’s advice evolved into, “give it a KISS and get back to me”, one day in the studio during a design critique. Something in my brain clicked and I fully understood what Jerry was trying to teach me…..he was not only teaching me design principles and to KEEP THINGS SIMPLE and not to over think things. He taught me to trust my instincts. He was at the same time also teaching me to adapt not only to what a professor or a design jury is looking for, he was teaching me to adapt to different clients and their varying individual needs. He was teaching me professional life lessons.

Jerry and I eventually became friends outside of the design studio and the classroom. He and his wife, Sue even had me do some work for them at their home in Cache Valley. I remember sitting in their home telling them about my son Andrew when he was born over 4 months pre-mature and discussing with them his potential health issues. We were all humbled at that time at how fragile life is.

Well, Andrew is now 14 and we don’t live in Logan any longer, and now we have 5 children. Life has certainly changed from the long days (and nights) in the design studio cranking out a project that was due in the morning.

We really miss all our Logan friends. We see the Fuhriman’s less and less as time rolls along, but the relationship and the life lessons learned remain. In fact, I just found Jerry on Facebook by chance WHILE I was gathering my thoughts for this blog entry……it made me smile! Life as well as business, is about building relationships. Even though you might not see friends or dear family members doesn’t mean you love them less. In fact, absence does make the heart grow fonder.

KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID! Fine words to live by!

Simplicity- K.I.S.S.

Design is paramount in landscape construction. Ever hear the term, “form follows function”? It means that you cannot sacrifice functionality, spacial qualities and unity for “looks”. If it looks good but is not practical or functional, then the design doesn’t work.

Design principles that may seem elaborate and complicated are simple and effective, if done correctly. Space, color, texture, light, water, shapes, sound, conceal/reveal, relationships and scale are some of the main principles of landscape design. A solid design can be dramatic, it can be vibrant and it can be ALIVE. You can influence people’s emotions. A talented designer can lead visitors on an experience as they explore a landscape. You can use trees to manipulate the vertical and overhead plane to give a backyard space a sense of entry and to make it appear much larger than it really is. You can partially reveal a feature in the yard to peak interest. Curiosity is a great motivator for exploration.

Light and water breathe life into an outdoor space! It’s dramatic, it’s vibrant and it can even be emotional. The unique thing about using these elements is the landscape changes with the time of day, changes in seasons etc.

I feel very fortunate to have studied under some of the nation’s finest landscape architects at Utah State University. Craig Johnson, John Ellsworth and Vern Budge are a few of them……. Jerry Fuhriman is another.

I felt I had good relationships with all my professors. I worked hard and scored well on my tests, projects and typically did well in critiques and when I defended a design to the jury. Except with Jerry Fuhriman….. Time after time, I walked out of his classroom, red faced and fuming after receiving a sub-standard score on a project I had worked very hard on and felt I had deserved an “A”. It was a very frustrating time for me. But I now know that Jerry had seen something in me. He saw my abilities and my potential, probably more than I did. He pushed me, he criticized me, he even teased me.

The best advice Jerry ever gave me was “Keep-It-Simple-Stupid”. “Monson, less is more! Remember that!” Sometimes landscape designers out smart themselves by doing too much. Too much color, detail, small scale, large scale, the list goes on and on! It causes chaos.

Jerry’s advice evolved into, “give it a KISS and get back to me”, one day in the studio during a design critique. Something in my brain clicked and I fully understood what Jerry was trying to teach me…..he was not only teaching me design principles and to KEEP THINGS SIMPLE and not to over think things. He taught me to trust my instincts. He was at the same time also teaching me to adapt not only to what a professor or a design jury is looking for, he was teaching me to adapt to different clients and their varying individual needs. He was teaching me professional life lessons.

Jerry and I eventually became friends outside of the design studio and the classroom. He and his wife, Sue even had me do some work for them at their home in Cache Valley. I remember sitting in their home telling them about my son Andrew when he was born over 4 months pre-mature and discussing with them his potential health issues. We were all humbled at that time at how fragile life is.

Well, Andrew is now almost 14 and we don’t live in Logan any longer, and now we have 5 children. Life has certainly changed from the long days (and nights) in the design studio cranking out a project that was due in the morning.

We really miss all our Logan friends. We see the Fuhriman’s less and less as time rolls along, but the relationship and the life lessons learned remain. In fact, I just found Jerry on Facebook by chance WHILE I was gathering my thoughts for this blog entry……it made me smile! Life as well as business, is about building relationships. Even though you might not see friends or dear family members doesn’t mean you love them less. In fact, absence does make the heart grow fonder.

KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID! Fine words to live by!

Here are some ways that we can spruce up our own yards and increase it’s “curb appeal” while we wait for Mother Nature to make up her mind…..

1. Clean out flower beds-

You might not have flowers coming up in your beds yet, but make sure they’re presentable. Trim dormant ornamental grasses and perennials to the ground, clean out any leaves and trash that seems to accumulate over the winter.

2. Break out the Pressure Washer-

Our homes and hard scaping have taken a beating over the course of the year. Clean your home and pressure wash the concrete. You’ll be surprised when it almost looks brand new again……

3. Prune your trees and shrubs.

Cut out the dead wood early, before spring sets in. You’ll want to be sure to wait to prune the flowering plants until after theor blooming cycle is complete.

4. Prune your flowering shrubs.

As mentioned in # 3, you want to wait until after the plants are done blooming before pruning your flowering plant material.

5. Get your containers planted.

While it’s too wet and muddy to accomplish anything in the yard, you can plant your pots and containers. This will bring onstant color to your yard.

6. Add mulch to your planting beds.
It doesn’t matter how carful you are, your bed mulch seems to just vanish. Yes, it will migrate some with wind, kids, neighborhood pets etc…..It never ceases to amaze me how quickly bed mulch needs replenishing…….Thats NOT a bad thing though. Fewer things will make your yard look brand new again. Mulch it, stand back and enjoy it!

Simplicity- K.I.S.S.

Design is paramount in landscape construction.  Ever hear the term, “form follows function”?  It means that you cannot sacrifice functionality, spacial qualities and unity for “looks”.  If it looks good but is not practical or functional, then the design doesn’t work.

Design principles that may seem elaborate and complicated are simple and effective, if done correctly.  Space, color, texture, light, water, shapes, sound, conceal/reveal, relationships and scale are some of the main principles of landscape design.  A solid design can be dramatic, it can be vibrant and it can be ALIVE.   You can influence people’s emotions.  A talented designer can lead visitors on an experience as they explore a landscape.  You can use trees to manipulate the vertical and overhead plane to give a backyard space a sense of entry and to make it appear much larger than it really is.  You can partially reveal a feature in the yard to peak interest.  Curiosity is a great motivator for exploration.

Light and water breathe life into an outdoor space!  It’s dramatic, it’s vibrant and it can even be emotional.  The unique thing about using these elements is the landscape changes with the time of day, changes in seasons etc.

I feel very fortunate to have studied under some of the nation’s finest landscape architects at Utah State University.  Craig Johnson, John Ellsworth and Vern Budge are a few of them…….  Jerry Fuhriman is another.

I felt I had good relationships with all my professors.  I worked hard and scored well on my tests, projects and typically did well in critiques and when I defended a design to the jury.  Except with Jerry Fuhriman…..  Time after time, I walked out of his classroom, red faced and fuming after receiving a sub-standard score on a project I had worked very hard on and felt I had deserved an “A”.   It was a very frustrating time for me.  But I now know that Jerry had seen something in me.  He saw my abilities and my potential, probably more than I did.  He pushed me, he criticized me, he even teased me.

The best advice Jerry ever gave me was “Keep-It-Simple-Stupid”.  “Monson, less is more!  Remember that!”   Sometimes landscape designers out smart themselves by doing too much.  Too much color, detail, small scale, large scale, the list goes on and on!   It causes chaos.

Jerry’s advice evolved into, “give it a KISS and get back to me”, one day in the studio during a design critique.  Something in my brain clicked and I fully understood what Jerry was trying to teach me…..he was not only teaching me design principles and to KEEP THINGS SIMPLE and not to over think things.  He taught me to trust my instincts.   He was at the same time also teaching me to adapt not only to what a professor or a design jury is looking for, he was teaching me to adapt to different clients and their varying individual needs.  He was teaching me professional life lessons.

Jerry and I eventually became friends outside of the design studio and the classroom.  He and his wife, Sue even had me do some work for them at their home in Cache Valley.  I remember sitting in their home telling them about my son Andrew when he was born over 4 months pre-mature and discussing with them his potential health issues.  We were all humbled at that time at how fragile life is.

Well, Andrew is now 14 and we don’t live in Logan any longer, and now we have 5 children.  Life has certainly changed from the long days (and nights) in the design studio cranking out a project that was due in the morning.

We really miss all our Logan friends.  We see the Fuhriman’s less and less as time rolls along, but the relationship and the life lessons learned remain.  In fact, I just found Jerry on Facebook by chance WHILE I was gathering my thoughts for this blog entry……it made me smile!  Life as well as business, is about building relationships.  Even though you might not see friends or dear family members doesn’t mean you love them less.  In fact, absence does make the heart grow fonder.

KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID!  Fine words to live by!

The same rule applies in landscape construction.   You would never use an 8,000 lb skid loader to plant a shrub, and you would never use a square mouth shovel to set a 1,000 lb boulder.   The same rule even applies to landscape design.  A solid planting design requires space appropriate plants and plants suitable for the local climate and soil conditions.

People love evergreen trees, I am one of them.  I have seen all too often a yard that has a Colorado Blue Spruce planted next to a home or driveway.  Now, call me crazy but what business does a tree that at maturity will grow to be 60′ to 80′ tall and 20′ to 30′ wide have any business being planted in most yards,  let alone next to the house?  Not much.  An inexperienced landscaper or a home owner might plant this tree when its 5′ or 6′ tall and plant it next to a bay window  or a deck because it’s a “cute” tree…..  The next thing they know this cute tree is maturing and is majestic and LARGE!  It’s now blocking the front door….it’s pulling the rain gutter away from the house……

Sound silly?  I see it all the time.  Disaster?  Maybe?  Not so much……  Luckily, there are growers that have propagated sub-cultivars of nearly every plant species.  These cultivars are grown for a smaller size, or better color, different growth habit etc….. 

Love a Colorado Blue Spruce but don’t have the space for it?  Try a Hoopsii Spruce or a Bakerii Spruce or even a Fat Albert Spruce……yes, I said Fat Albert!

A terrific resource for landscape professionals and avid gardeners is the “Manual of Woody Landscape Plants” by Michael A. Dirr, or “The Dirr Manual” as referred to in the industry.  Trust me, it’s a yawner, but it WILL tell you everything you want or NEED to know about nearly all ornamental landscape plants in North America.

Picea omorika…..page 718 in the Dirr Manual.

Acer palmatum….page 27 in the Dirr Manual

Acer palmatum ‘Atropurpureum’ Ever Red.  Page 31 in The Dirr Manual.

Moving water can quietly drown out the sounds of the busy world around us……… It can please the senses and help create a sanctuary in your very own back yard…….