LANDSCAPES OF NOTHING

Scenes from my daily commute. From left to right: Echium vulgare & Festuca sp., Verbascum thapsus, and Asclepias syriaca. These images give me pause about the value of landscape archicture as a profession. More often then not the spaces I prefer are produced from unintentional happenstance as opposed to intentional circumstance. If these spaces are simply a byproduct of human activity and disturbance, why does it seem we have to work twice as hard and produce so much waste trying to make something half as good?

Internal clarity is not one of my strong suits. It is a very rare moment for me to have a singular thought that doesn't immediately veer off into a series of tangents that send me careening down a road where I not only have no idea where I'm headed, but also have no way of steering the car. This is what made a particular instance from what is now several years ago so memorable. I was in between classes and a friend was telling me about an elective she was taking called "the architecture of nothing." Rather than my mind doing its normal thing and spiraling completely out of control, I just sat there for a moment to chew over the name for a bit... "the architecture of nothing?"... As with most things that seem to be heavy with meaning I decided it was A.) something either brilliantly profound or B.) absolute bullshit. Either way it was this very brief conversation about the class and its ideas that ultimate framed how I view the profession (landscape architecture) and its practice.

The truth is that the course probably was more bullshit than brilliantly profound (hell, the majority of my higher education was looking back), but nonetheless, the conversation it encouraged between me and my friend lead me down the path that would eventually provide me with a sincere appreciation for not only a minimal aesthetic, but the idea that the most skilled designers leave very little trace of their work. Whether undetectable all together or deceivingly simple, the most dynamic designs often take this approach not only when it comes to looks, but make it integral to nearly every part of the project; minimal disturbance, minimal impacts, minimal maintenance, etc. Unfortunately, those that only reflect this in the end product often go in the opposite direction as far as impacts and inputs over the long term. So while producing true "landscapes of nothing" can be overly complex, the plant selection doesn't have to be. While contextualization and specificity are always priority number one (generalization is always the enemy of good design), the following list captures this minimalistic spirit (at least in the northeast) in both aesthetic and temperament. Unfortunately, most of these plants go largely unnoticed in places that people overlook or simply don't care to look at.


SHRUBS:


Cephalanthus occidentalis - Buttonbush
Zones (4)5-10
This underutilized very wide ranging native shrub may not garner much attention in its boggy haunts, but provided a soil that doesn't dry out (can take standing water as well) and a bit-o-sun it performs admirably. Never a standout, but a great filler. Lustrous dark green foliage when grown well. Cultivars include 'Sputnik,'Sugar Shack,' and 'Moonlight Fantasy.'
Purchase from: Prairie Moon Nursery, Pine Lands Nursery, Ion Exchange, Possibility Place, Rare Find Nursery, Cold Stream Farm, Niche Gardens, Long Island Natives, Toadshade, White Oak Nursery, Vincent Gardens, Almost Eden


Comptonia peregrina - Sweet Fern
Zones 2-6(7)
My dad seemed to be constantly tearing bits of this plant for my sister and I to smell when we were kids, and may have been one of the first plants I learned to recognize. A colonizing nitrogen fixer fond of acidic sterile soils.
Purchase from: Possibility Place, Pinelands Nursery Prairie Nursery, Rare Find Nursery, Pleasant Run, Forest Farm


Dirca palustirs - Leatherwood
Zones (3)4-9
Rather common in the literature, but uncommon in the trade. A rather squat and sturdy shrub, that's perfectly content in wet shade. pH adabtable. Flowers not quite as showy, but similar to Spicebush (L. benzoin). In all honesty the form reminds me a lot of Euonymus alatus but with a bit more character.
Purchase from: Prairie Moon, Broken Arrow, E.C. Brown's Nursery, Rare Find Nursery, Reeseville Ridge, Easy Wildflowers


Rhus typhina - Staghorn Sumac
Zones (3)4-8
A native species long appreciated in Europe for its ornamental attributes, only recently fully appreciated here in the US. Anyone in the northeast that has ever driven any major highway outside of the city probably knows this plant (even if they don't know its name). Unparalleled fall color. Soil and pH adaptable. Cultivars include 'Dissecta,' 'Laciniata,' and 'Tiger Eyes.'
Purchase from: Forest Farm, Cold Stream Farm, New England Wetland Plants, Sooner Plant Farm, Toadshade, Pinelands Nursery, Possibility Place Nursery, Urban Tree Farm


Xanthorhiza simplicissima - Yellowroot
Zones 3-9
One of the most adaptable shrubs in our flora, seemingly tailor-made for massing in trouble spots. Will grow well in most conditions provided the pH isn't too high.
Purchase from: Quackin Grass Nursery, American Beauties, Forest Farm, Pleasant Run Nursery, Van Berkum Nursery


HERBACEOUS PERENNIALS:


Onoclea sensibilis - Sensitive Fern
Zones 3-9
One of the easiest ferns to identify and perhaps one of the easiest to grow (provided it has moisture). A bit aggressive if happy.
Purchase from: Prairie Nursery, Possibility Place, Pinelands Nursery, Catskill Nursery, Prairie Moon, New England Wetland Plants, Long Island Natives, Lazy S'S Farm, Toadshade Farm, Yellow Springs Farm


Schizachyrium scoparium - Little Bluestem
Zones 3-9
I become more enamored with this wide ranging warm season grass with each passing year. The only season it comes up short is spring, otherwise a great performer through summer, fall, and winter. One of the few grasses that refuses to be flattened by heavy snows. Amazingly resilient and adaptable. A huge number of cultivars with most emphasizing blue variants and upright forms.
Purchase from: Prairie Nursery, North Creek, Bluestone Perennials, Plant Delights, Prairie Moon, Avant Gardens, Rare Find, Digging Dog, Possibility Place, American Meadows, Everwilde Farms, Toadshade


Symplocarpus foetidus - Skunk Cabbage
Zone: 3-7
Seemingly out of place in the swamps and lowlands of the northeast. S. foetidus seems far too exotic and primordial for the reserved New England, yet it is a staple of our early spring floral chorus. Needs a wet soil to grow well. Will not tolerate any amount of dryness.
Purchase from: Amanda's Garden, Far Reaches Farm, Lazy S'S Farm

IMAGE SOURCES: C. occidentalis (left, right); D. palustris (left, right); X. simplicissima (left, right); O. sensibilis (left, right); S. foetidus (left, right)