Today, every time I go to a barbeque or social gathering and meet new people, the conversation inevitably turns to what people do for a living. There’s always a doctor or lawyer or insurance guy bragging about their work. My wife cringes because, I always answer, “I mow grass for a living.” Then after the initial awkward silence, I say “It’s a good living too.”

While the old ad may have been a tiny bit of an exaggeration; our fast-paced business weeds out the weak, the unwilling, and the untalented. Today, The Hilltop operates a very lean business led by seasoned employees and many of our foremen and department heads have been with The Hilltop for twenty plus years. Even the owner of our company, Jim Forrester, started out in the field. It’s this dedication that has set our company apart from others.

So, business is good and we are looking to add another Landscape Architect/Designer to our team. This individual will be able to work in a highly productive environment. They will be experienced in project design and management of residential and commercial landscapes. Having knowledge of CAD will be helpful. The ideal candidate will have excellent hand graphics skills and be strong in formulating design concepts for projects. Must be able to digest and interpret design concepts and directions from the sales team and proceed with design development.

Does this sound like it’s for you?

Send resumes to:

Designer Hilltop Landscape
PO Box 10630
Albuquerque, NM 87184

Or by Email:
admin@hilltoplandscaping.com

PLEASE NO PHONE CALLS

One more thing, if you get hired, we’ll supply the crayons. We’ll introduce our new Architect/Designer in a subsequent post.

*UPDATE*  This position has been filled. Thanks for the tremendous response. We’ll introduce you to our new designer soon!

We all have heard that red roses are a message of love, yellow roses a note of friendship, etc. I personally am a Jane Austen fan. I often have visions of being an Emma or Elisabeth, taking a turn in the garden, collecting a nose-gay of forget-me-nots on my way to town, hoping to conjure true love. I find the concept fascinating, and mourn the loss of the subtleness of the custom.

I understand the difficulties in the practice of carrying flowers in these times (I can just see a clients face as I enter the conference room holding a briefcase, a set of plans and a tiny bouquet of larkspur and calendula—oh my!). But it would be lovely to set aside a tiny area of your yard to a dedicated tussie-mussie garden. The language of flowers is a time-honored tradition dating back to the sixteenth century and can be incorporated easily into your landscaping.

Plants that are Common in a Tussie-Mussie Garden

A classic Tussie-Mussie garden includes:

• Hybrid Tea Rose
• Thyme
• Lavender
• Chamomile

• Mint
• Feverfew
• Coreopsis
• Pansy

• Blackeyed Susan
• Daisy
• Nigella
• Geranium

This display conveys protection, cheerfulness, comfort, hidden loves and united family.

Mint Sauce over Roasted Lamb

Small bunch of mint

2 tsp sugar

1 tbsp boiling water

1-2 tbsp vinegar

Place the mint and sugar on a board and chop finely. Put in a sauceboat and add the boiling water. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in the vinegar to taste.

Tussie-Mussie in a Teacup

Keep your beautiful tussie-mussie garden all year by drying a few flowers and arranging them in an old castoff china teacup filled with floral foam. You will need your dried flowers, small amount of green sheet moss (to cover your foam) a knife, scissors, floral pins and glue. Remember, a nose-gay is meant to be diminutive so keep it simple and sweet. Fit the foam to your cup and cove with a thin sheet of moss. Put your largest flower in the center, and arrange the smaller ones throughout.

Thank yous to Ellen Dugan and Gillian Haslam for ideas and plant meanings.

Lavender has an amazing selection of different varieties, from the dwarf at 8 inches tall to the taller plants which reach 40 inches in height. Leaf, shoot and flower colors vary as well, from silver-white to blue-green to spring green, with yellow, white, pink, and varying purple flowers. Color, leaf texture, height and flower are all items of consideration when planting your Lavender. Not to mention hardiness zones.

Spring is such a trying time for us folks that cook with our landscaping plants. The garden veggies are just now sprouting (if the wind hasn’t blown them away), the fruit trees have months before they bear edible fruit, and your semi-evergreens are no where close to being mature enough to use. So, this is where last years “harvest” comes into play (or some hunting for the appropriate ingredients). English lavender keeps well in a mason jar of sugar: just bundle your lavender together, use a string to keep together and pour sugar around the flowers while holding your bundle down, so the stems are up out of the sugar and easy to pull out. Now you not only have preserved lavender to use, you have a fragrant sugar for your teas, cookies or cakes.

Don’t have any lavender on hand? Not a problem. Albuquerque Metro has an amazing lavender community; tea houses, co-ops, health food/herb shops, and weekend farmers markets where you can buy lavender wands, bags of dried lavender, lavender sugar and even Lavender scented teas.

Lavender is a wonderful herb to use in summer savories, but for spring I like to use it in sweet indulgences. Easter weekend I made a new recipe I found in my Tea Time Magazine for Earl Grey Lavender Cheesecakes. A table of 8 skeptics turned into 8 new lavender fans. I was so pleased!

Earl Grey Lavender Cheesecakes

24 mini vanilla flavored wafers

2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

1-1/2 Tablespoon Earl Grey-Lavender black tea leaves

1 tea. Dried lavender

2 (3-oz.) packages cream-cheese, softened

2/3 cup sugar

3 large eggs

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

Garnish: Fresh Lavender

Preheat oven to 325°F

Line a 12-well mini cheesecake pan with paper liners. Place a wafer in the bottom of each cup. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, bring cream to boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat. Add tea leaves and lavender to saucepan. Cover and steep for 5 minutes. Strain, discarding tea and lavender. Cool cream for 1 hour.

In a medium bowl, beat cream-cheese and sugar at high speed with an electric mixer until smooth, approximately 3 minutes. Add eggs, mixing until combined. Add cream mixture to cream-cheese mixture, mixing until combined.

Pour batter into prepared wells of cheesecake pan. Wrap bottom of cheesecake pan with aluminum foil to keep out water. Place cheesecake pan into a roasting pan. Carefully add enough water to roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cheesecake pan.

Bake until set, approximately 25 minutes. Remove cheesecake pan from roasting pan. Cool in pan for 1 hour. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

To remove cheesecakes, place a cutting board over pan, and invert pan and board in one motion.

Garnish with fresh lavender if desired.

Yield: 24 mini-cheesecakes

Prep: 10 minutes

Bake: 25 minutes

Cool: 1 hour

Refrigerate: 2 hours

Honestly, lavender is one of my absolute favorites. It’s all over my house. Hanging from lacy ribbon bows to dry, dried buds mixed with glass baubles in my candlescapes, bunched together in the linen drawers, stuck here and there in dried arrangements for a pop of color and fragrance, I even pour some dried buds into my lavender oil salt scrub for extra character and a froufrou spa like experience worthy of Provence, France (OK-I’m easily entertained).

C’est bien.

It is that majestically wonderful, mature shade tree in the backyard that really sold you on the house. You’re dreaming about sitting under this tree in the summer and having barbecues with the family. It will be a delightful spot. But, is it really a safe tree?

Then, after you purchase the home you call in arborist to have your tree trimmed. The arborist notifies you that the tree has multiple structural issues that deem it a safety hazard and you need to remove the tree. The cost for removing the tree could run into the thousands! Now, not only have you lost your prized shade tree—the whole reason you bought the house—but it’s going to cost you thousands of dollars to remove it! Your idyllic backyard is now becoming a money pit and the sweltering sun is cooking all your dreams of lazing around the backyard enjoying the cool shade of the magnificent tree.

Hiring an ISA certified arborist to inspect the trees before you buy a house could save you money in the long run. An arborist could point out the positive aspects of the tree as well as any of the negative aspects, such as structural issues that may lead to limb failure or entire tree failure. The arborist may also identify disease or insect infestation. These issues could all be addressed and accounted for, if necessary, during your negotiations of the final purchase price for your new home.

Some of the things a Cerified Arborist will look for include:

• Top-heaviness, e.g., as indicated by excessive swaying in the wind.
• Lifting root plate, tearing out of roots, extensive root damage, or root loss.
• Cracks or splits in trunk or large limb.
• Broken trunks or large limbs.
• Hanging broken large limbs.
• Large amount of decay in a trunk or large limb.
• Forks involving big limbs that show signs of weakness or possible failure at the center of the fork, e.g., cracks, bark-to-bark contact,
• Hollows that may be full of decay
• Bulging growth
• Fork failures, leading to shed branches
• Signs that the tree is in poor health, or may be dying, e.g., smaller than normal leaves, dead leaves in summer, dead limbs, much fungal growth.
• Cuts and other indications that the tree may have been damaged by machinery, vehicles, or construction

Having established trees inspected during the purchase of a home is important because you can avoid the expense of taking down trees that are unsafe after you purchase the home. Although a tree inspection does not guarantee that your tree will never die at the least you can get a general idea of the health of the tree and plan accordingly.

Waiting for your newly planted tomatoes and cucumbers to grow? Stop twiddling your thumbs! You already have options from your own landscaping that you can use to make a great meal. What better way to welcome the warmer weather than to spark-up the grill?

Upright Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is one of my favorite plants—evergreen, unique form, fragrant and attracts bees/butterflies while blooming the lively purple flowers. I typically plant this guy next to an entrance, so you might gently brush by it and come away smelling lovely. It’s also a great backdrop to lighter green flowering plants such as Mexican Evening Primrose and Lambs Ear.

If you haven’t cut back your ornamental grasses yet (hint: you need to), here is a great showpiece for your table: cut some ornamental grass blades (Pampas, Maidengrass, etc) , 3 Rosemary branches, a hyacinth or winter jasmine branch, a small branch from the smoketree, and a few wisps of English ivy. Arrange in your favorite vase and add a simple lace ribbon. The look is very American Prairie; romantic and down-to-earth.

Rosemary is a fantastic accompaniment to poultry. I always throw in a large sprig when boiling a chicken to pick apart later for chicken salad or whatnot. It’s also a great way to skewer meat and veggies for a shish kebab (recipe below). Simply cut of some branches of mature Rosemary and with a rubber glove on, slide your hand down the branch to push off leaves and little branches. Don’t forget to save the leaves to dry and use another time. Use a knife or scissors to cut away any knots or wooden hang-ups that your meat and veggies might get caught on while skewering them. Since the branches are ‘fresh’ you won’t need to soak them in water like you would store-bought (dried) wooden skewers. But always ‘wash’ any herbs or flowers that you bring inside.

One of my biggest pet-peeves when it comes to the grill is a Chef’de’Grill who leaves his station in between checking, rotating, flipping. Stay on deck and watch that meat!

Grilling Marinade

Marinade for at least half an hour, then skewer meat and veggies. Assemble on Rosemary skewers with cherry tomatoes, red bell pepper, mushrooms, onion chunks and pineapple or apple.

Save marinade after assembling skewers, and add 2 Tbsp apple butter, brown sugar or honey. Baste shish kebabs with this mixture while grilling. Fantastic with cheese, herb risotto and cubed fruit.

Vinnie is a very good customer of mine and I didn’t want to make him mad (besides, I think he’s in the witness protection program). I figured there was something wrong with the new landscaping we had put in. I met Vinnie at his house. The new Xeriscape that we had put in his front yard was doing very well, the plants were starting to bloom and the deep purple-blue catmint was astoundingly beautiful. The new vegetable garden was doing quite nicely; the tomato plants were thriving! Nothing wrong with the landscaping, something else is must be wrong, I thought.

“So what’s up, Vinnie!” I asked concerned.

“Mudder’s day is coming up and I just don’t know what to do! My Mamma is gonna come stay wit’ me for a while and I wanna do sumting special.” Vinnie said with a wild expression on his face.

“I always read your blog and I think you write pretty good so I wanted to see what you thought of dis poem I wrote for her.”

Vinnie is a big burly guy and he can seem a little menacing if you don’t know him. But suddenly his expression changed into one of angelic tenderness as he launched into his poem. And that was scarier than the tough guido I know. I was very uncomfortable.

“Mamma I love thee with all my heart
I cannot bear to be apart
Yer face—“

“Vinnie stop! Stop!” I yelled breaking his reverie. “Sorry, but a poet you’re not.”

“So whatta am I gonna do for my mamma!” cried a desperate Vinnie, looking a little hurt.

“Why don’t we put in a rose garden for her?” I said.

“Oh shua! Now why din’t I think if that? Mamma loves roses and besides she won’t be able to get out much. She can tend to the rose bushes and putz around in the vegetable garden while she’s here.”

“Using roses is a great way to add color and beauty to any yard. Roses that are available today have longer lasting blooms and they are easier to maintain. Small, compact rose bushes make beautiful container plants and brighten up a walkway. A good ground cover is a low spreading rose. The tall variety of roses can be planted three to four feet apart to form a border hedge and climbing roses are good on fences or trellises.

Dramatic effects can be accomplished by using combinations of different colored roses together in mass plantings. Your choices are endless; it all depends on what mood you want to create. Miniature roses can be planted in containers as accents for your patio. Tea roses are great for cutting and putting in vases. Roses not only attract wildlife, but will also liven up the patio with added color and fragrance.”

“Victor, you’re a genius!” said Vinnie excitedly. “Let’s get started on a rose garden right away! So, you wanna heah the rest of my poem? I’m gonna put it in a Mudder’s day card for her.”

“Sure Vinnie let’s hear it.” I said reluctantly. Vinnie again assumed a theatric pose and clasped his hands near his heart.

Mamma I love ya with all my heart
I cannot bear to be apart
Yer face is a work of art
And you been wit’ me from the start

You’ve been gone for no good reason
And your smile I have been missin’
Soon yer face I will be kissin’
Welcome home from Federal Prison.

“It’s beautiful Vinnie” I said wiping a tear. “Just beautiful.”

Happy Mother’s Day from the Hilltop.

Whether it is to enhance your home or business for cosmetic reasons or to make it more salable, a licensed landscaping contractor has the special training and experience needed to handle all of your landscaping needs. We can design driveways, patios or a pool area, do decking and yard grading and give you a completely personalized landscape design. We will show you how the use of a pond and bridge, pools, trees, shrubs and flowers can beautify and enhance your home and increase its value.

You may even decide to have a yard designed around using drought resistant plants and ground cover that will conserve water. This will significantly reduce your lawn care time and be more attractive to prospective buyers.

Smaller sized yards can be made to look deceivingly larger with the secrets that a great landscape contractor will know. It is a technique called “forcing the perspective”, by planting the shrub and foliage to face each other; this extends the rear of the landscape. Making the yard appear longer and wider, this adds more beauty and makes it appear interesting.

An experienced landscape company can do wonders for your landscape. They can correct any existing problems and be able to show you problems that are not so apparent. Trees that are in need of pruning or removal, for example. Shrubbery that needs to be cut down. Irrigation problems that should be fixed. It is amazing how removing an old dying tree or manicuring the yard will dramatically improve the look of the yard. This will increase the curb appeal and value of your home, should you ever decide to sell it. This is why it is very important to choose the right contractor for the job.

Busy homeowners who care about the external appearance of their home as much as they do the interior can turn to a landscaping contractor for design ideas and to handle outdoor projects.

Few homeowners are savvy as to the best way to enhance landscape features using contour lighting, uplighting, grazing, moonlighting, or backlighting techniques. A licensed landscape contractor, however, knows how to exploit the benefits of low voltage lighting features.

Hiring a landscape contractor to help you get your home ready for sale is a smart move and will help you improve your curb appeal.

But for some people in New Mexico, their backyard is an obstacle course, and a handpicked tomato, no more than a dream. Many people with disabilities cannot enjoy their backyard, because they are simply not accessible. Things as simple as gardening, barbequing or even playing with their children in their own backyard become insurmountable tasks.

The Hilltop can help disabled veterans and others with disabilities with an accessible low maintenance landscape in which they can enjoy their families and pursue other outdoor activities. These outdoor activities improve quality of life and have intrinsic therapeutic value. Existing landscapes can be renovated to include these areas, but it is much easier to design these areas in the initial development of the project, whether it is commercial or residential.

Some of the things that can be included in an accessible landscape:

Making paths into the garden areas

• Paths must be wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs
• Made of concrete or pavers to facilitate movement

Building an accessible barbeque grill area

• A built in BBQ at the correct height will make it easy to grill

Building raised gardening areas

• Raise planting beds allow easy access to garden areas
• Raised provide visual stimulation at eye level
• Can be part of sensory garden

Providing a synthetic turf area where they can play with their children

• Synthetic turf areas are wheelchair-friendly and easy to maneuver
• Synthetic turf areas can be multi-functional, accommodating a putting green, croquet field, or outdoor physical therapy area

Other entertainment areas:

• Accessible fire pit
• Outdoor patio area
• Outdoor kitchens
• Accessible Horseshoe pit
• Sensory Garden
• Fountain area
• Therapeutic hot tub

The purpose of accessible landscape areas for people with disabilities is that they can have the same quality of life that is available to others. Whether it’s playing with their children or barbequing with their friends, accessible landscapes and gardens provide disabled persons with rich therapeutic environments.

Art De La Cruz, chair of the Water Authority Board, congratulated TransCore for being the first business to take advantage of the X2 Double Rebate Program. “In an average year, the Water Authority gives rebates for replacement of more than 400,000 square feet of high-water-use turf. By focusing on slopes, which can use two to three times more water than flatter landscapes, and small areas, which are very hard to water due to overspray, we hope to encourage local businesses to help us save even more water in this very dry year by addressing these challenging areas. The TransCore project alone will save the Water Authority enough water to meet the annual needs of seven to eight homes for an entire year,” De La Cruz explained.

The project was recommended by The Hilltop Landscape Architects & Contractors, which installed the original turf and storm drainage areas in front of TransCore in 1993. “ When we learned about the Water Authority’s double rebate program, we thought it was the perfect time for TransCore to install a water-conserving landscape that would assist the Albuquerque community’s need to conserve water,” said Victor Rodriguez, maintenance division manager of The Hilltop.

The steeply-sloped turf in front of TransCore’s Albuquerque facility requires more water than flat areas to remain healthy and consumes approximately 50 percent of the company’s outdoor water use. Irrigation alone accounts for 83 percent of the facility’s total water use every year.

Joe Viola, director of manufacturing for TransCore explained, “When Hilltop approached us with an attractive xeriscaping plan that would preserve our existing trees, incorporate a more efficient irrigation system, and, with the cost savings, would pay for the upfront investment, we realized now was the time to make the change. We hope other local businesses will make a similar commitment to Albuquerque’s water conservation.”

TransCore will also qualify for entry into the Water Authority’s contest for commercial xeriscape conversions judged on design and water-saving potential. Award prizes include $12,000 in rebates on water bills for first place, $8,000 in rebates for second place, and $5,000 in rebates for third place.

The new xeric landscaping installed will feature low-water use plants and shrubs such as Mountain Mahogany, Sumac, Bear Grass, Buffalo Juniper, Winter Jasmine, Desert Willow, and Apache Plume which, when mature, will cover about 50 percent of the area. Gray gravel and cobblestone will be used as ground cover and will tie the project into existing storm drainage areas at either end.

The landscaping conversion will preserve existing mature trees, including six Sycamores, one Purple Leaf Plum and four others. Rodriguez said the project will be enhanced by Rain Bird Corporation’s donation of a Rain Bird® ESP-SMT Smart Control System. “This system combines simplicity through Extra Simple Programming (ESP) with the ability to control irrigation based on weather conditions as well as pre-determined settings,” he explained,

“The X2 Program is a great example of private businesses working with the Water Authority to conserve our most precious resource. The double rebates and contest go a long way to encourage businesses to make the change now. We are glad to be able to participate,” Rodriguez said.

The X2 Double Rebate Xeriscape program and contest allows eligible commercial Water Authority customers to earn a double rebate (a water bill credit of $1.50 for every square foot) of steeply sloped or small area high-water-use turf converted to low-water-use plantings through October 31, 2011. For more information, visit www.abcwua.org or call The Hilltop at  898-9690.

I have tried numerous ways to keep them safe while keeping my yard intact while I’m at work. One of the most important things to remember is that “a bored dog is a destructive dog.” Dogs need an area to do dog things such as dig, chase each other, or play with toys.

When I first bought my house the backyard was all dirt, but looking at dirt gets old very quickly. As I began to develop a few design ideas I always had my dogs in the back of my mind. Getting my design right the first time took some very careful planning. Dog runs don’t have to be eyesores. I built a dog run on the east side of the backyard so my dogs would have morning sun and afternoon shade. I originally made the fence out of horse wire and 4′ cedar posts, but one of my dogs kept getting out and touring the neighborhood while I was at work. I decided to build a solid 6′ cedar fence. Since I put up the new fence I have not had to retrieve my dog from the pound.

Inside the dog run I put about 4″ of gray crusher fines to give them a nice soft area for fun and games. It’s also important to give them a bathroom area. I waited about two days to see which area they chose and moved the dog houses and water bowl accordingly. Keep in mind dogs need shade so they don’t get sunburned, and have a cool place to sleep during the summer months.

After I had a place for the dogs while I’m at work, I designed the rest of the yard. I would have loved grass, but I knew grass would never stand a chance with three dogs, so that idea was thrown out. I used a combination of gravels ranging from crusher fines to cobblestone. Dogs do not like to walk on cobblestone or fractured rock, although they will if that’s the only choice. It’s possible to control your dog’s path around your yard. Most dogs will walk on the path with the least resistance.

Using mass plantings and cactus can also be a way to control your dogs traveling paths. Dogs are very curious animals, and will explore any new items in their yards. Some items they find more appealing than others. Landscaping with dogs is really about trial and error, and observation. Observing your dog’s patterns, personality and habits is the best way to take control of the situation.

There are many different dog breeds. If you are considering getting a dog, doing a little research on which breed is best for you and your landscape is a great idea. If you want to improve your backyard, a comprehensive plan from a qualified landscape designer can take your dog’s needs and habits into consideration for a more enjoyable backyard, and a happier dog.