Mark Cohea - Landscape Contractor
One of the first was MARK COHEA. Mark has over 30 years experience in the landscape industry and is presently
the CEO of a design and installation firm committed to making every project the best experience possible. Eric
welcomes Mark and Victoria back to the show, thank you so much for joining us. This is quite an undertaking, one
thing that's so important to the success of a project is finding the right CONTRACTOR to install our landscape.
For More Information Click Here
Landscape - Early Stages
Eric would like to talk about diving into this project and the EARLY STAGES. There was a lot of soil amendment
that had to go in. Eric thinks soil prep is so important, one of the mistakes that a lot of people make,
especially if they're new to gardening is they don't invest in what's below the surface. The plants will never
be happier than the home we give them. Of course what's above ground is what we see, but even more important is
what we're doing with soil conditioning, the area below. This is a site that naturally has a lot of red clay and
it is hard to grow in. So we've got to take steps to remediate that and make sure that we've got a perfect
environment for the plants.
For More Information Click here
Steel Edging
One element that Victoria really likes in this garden and thinks is essential, especially when you're using
aggregate and then also having mulch beds, is the STEEL EDGING. Mark adds, we see many installs where they don't
take that extra step. And this edging is really, really a nice touch. He thinks it's one of those extra add-ons
that people should really consider because it's going save a lot of time and effort in the future. The steel
edging is a very, very important part of any good design when we have these types of pathways. Eric asks Mark to
tell us about this product.
For More Information Click here
Slate Aggregate
We were going to utilize pavers on the porch and along the walkways. But during the planning process she really
could not find a suitable product that was cost effective. Mark came in and said, use SLATE AGGREGATE. She saw
the pictures, saw it wet and dry, it was just magical, and it's like, duh, use the slate aggregate. So she then
brought the tile from the inside of the tiny house to the front porch area. It blends with the aggregate so
well, it just sort of all fell together, and again she has Mark to thank for that.
For More Information Click here
Magical Compost Product
We next meet Hank Kerfoot. Hank studied turf in college and early in his career was a golf course
superintendent. But he's always believed in paying as much attention to the roots, what's below the surface, as
to what's on top. And the key to that is the soil. He's developed a product that incorporates mushrooms and soil
conditioners that, together, make an almost MAGICAL COMPOST PRODUCT. Hank, welcome to the show, thank you so
much for joining us. Thanks. It's great to be here. Eric believes that as a gardener one of the most important
investments that we can make in the future of our garden is getting the soil right. So many times when people
say. “Oh, I don't have a green thumb, I struggle to get anything to grow.” It takes very little time to get
beneath the surface and realize why - They're growing in poor soil. Roots must have nutrition. They must have
the right balance of water and air to basically support a good plant.
For More Information Click here
Raised Beds
Victoria, the homeowner, has this beautiful raised bed that will be part of her vegetable garden. It’s full of
blended earth right now, and Eric wants to get his hands in it and see what we're actually working with. Let's
go take a look at it. Hank, so many Americans have smaller and smaller properties and they're moving in the
direction of RAISED BEDS and this is a wonderful example, actually, a beautiful example of a raised bed. These
are spaces where the quality of the soil really, really makes a huge difference. The application of complete
soils, how we use them in raised beds and as with this case, specifically for vegetable gardening that is
important.
For More Information Click here
Indoor Plants
The overall theme of the Tiny House series of shows is bringing the inside out and the outside in. Having plants
inside the tiny house was very important to Victoria so we sought out a house plant expert for help in selecting
great INDOOR PLANTS. Justin Hancock has a wealth of experience gardening and his passion for plants,
particularly house plants, is obvious. Victoria and Justin selected some absolutely stunning house plants.
For More Information Click here
Turning a vacant lot into a beautiful yard requires work. Talking with the skilled folks who make that happen is
not only informative, but exciting. In this episode we do just that. Our guest host built a tiny house in the
past, but has very limited gardening knowledge, so she she needed help in selecting, planting and caring for the
plants in both her indoor and outdoor spaces. So it was time to bring in the experts.
One of the first was MARK COHEA. Mark has over 30 years experience in the landscape industry and
is presently the CEO of a design and installation firm committed to making every project the best experience
possible. Eric welcomes Mark and Victoria back to the show, thank you so much for joining us. This is quite an
undertaking, one thing that's so important to the success of a project is finding the right CONTRACTOR to
install our landscape. We need someone who's knowledgeable and understands the site. Eric would like to know how
Victoria chose Mark? Well, she had talked with several installation landscapers before Mark. They would look
around the property and discuss how to build or not build the turnaround Victoria really wanted because she’s
not the best backing up in her car. Nobody had great ideas. Some said it couldn’t be done. But Mark just
clicked, the first time he came out he was problem solving from the get-go, he stepped up and said, well, if it
were my wife, I would just put it right here and drew a line in the dirt with his boot and voila, there’s the
turnaround in the driveway. Mark solved the problem, right here, right now, end of discussion. It was just such
an epiphany, it's like, this is good. Afterwards Mark communicated really well with, not only with Victoria, but
also with his work crews. In the mornings they came in, discussed what had to be done that day. His guys went
straight to work, and importantly, they knew what they were doing. Victoria could relax and know that things
were going to happen in the correct order. She was just delighted with everything they did, they got it, then
accomplished in a short amount of time what needed to be done. She could interrupt and ask questions, they were
so patient with her. It made the whole process a pleasure. Eric realizes there often is a lot of creativity and
a lot of problem solving that goes into getting an installation right. Mark has done an amazing job.
Eric would like to talk about diving into this project and the EARLY STAGES. There was a lot of
soil amendment that had to go in. Eric thinks soil prep is so important, one of the mistakes that a lot of
people make, especially if they're new to gardening is they don't invest in what's below the surface. The plants
will never be happier than the home we give them. Of course what's above ground is what we see, but even more
important is what we're doing with soil conditioning, the area below. This is a site that naturally has a lot of
red clay and it is hard to grow in. So we've got to take steps to remediate that and make sure that we've got a
perfect environment for the plants. Mark explains - The topsoil is native dirt with a lot of red clay. First
they had to come in to grade it. It's very important to make sure when you grade to get the proper flow for
drainage. They then brought in the amended planting soil. That needs to be tilled in a good 12 inches to mix it
in with the native top soil. Then from there you're able to plant because now they have a very loose friable
soil. Which means they can now expect that the plants are going to succeed. Then they make sure they don't plant
anything too deep. So when digging holes, every plant is going be about three quarters of an inch above the
surrounding soil. They mound up to the plant, expecting some settling. Then, like with this project, they were
fortunate enough to have a landscape design plan. But if doing it yourself, without a landscape design, before
you plant, lay everything out, make sure to have the proper width between plants. That way one can see what the
ultimate landscape is going to look like before going to all the trouble of digging holes. Once that’s done make
sure to plant at the proper depth. Even if using a container in that soft soil the container can make a little
imprint. Once the plants are planted then add a top dressing of mulch. And that’s a very important step because
when you mulch, it does help maintain moisture for the plants, plus as mulch deteriorates it provides more
nutrients to the soil.
Eric comments, Mark you had quite a few plants that went into this project which required dealing with a number
of vendors, Eric thinks that what Mark put together and what the architect spec’d really, really came out nice.
Mark thinks Kaylin Kittle created a marvelous design. Sometimes you do run into some complications with
availability of product, that happened here and they had to make substitutions. Plus when they added the
turnaround they had to make adjustments in the landscaping. They had to take some of the plant material out or
relocate it somewhere else on the property. And that created a situation where they needed some different
plants. They went to Ruby Farm and walked around the outdoor showroom to get plant ideas. It's always important
to pick plants and colors that the customer really wants and seeing plants firsthand is a good way to get design
ideas when doing a project like this. Eric thinks that’s why it's important to have a good team during this
process.
Victoria, you took an active role in many of the plant selections. Tell us about the process of selecting plants
and all the fun you had at Ruby Farm. Victoria comments that they did run into some acquisition problems, some
of the plants that were on the original design were not available. So, they started looking around and Mark took
her to Ruby Farm and it gave her great ideas. It was a big help, getting out and seeing all the plants and which
plants were going where. Mark was so helpful with the placement of the plants and installing an irrigation
system that assured that these plants would survive the heat wave.
One element that Victoria really likes in this garden and thinks is essential, especially when
you're using aggregate and then also having mulch beds, is the STEEL EDGING. Mark adds, we see many installs
where they don't take that extra step. And this edging is really, really a nice touch. He thinks it's one of
those extra add-ons that people should really consider because it's going save a lot of time and effort in the
future. The steel edging is a very, very important part of any good design when we have these types of pathways.
Eric asks Mark to tell us about this product. What's good about it? Mark feels that it helps keep the mulch
separated from the aggregate you choose. And, it lasts a lot longer than plastic. Another good thing about metal
edging, one can bend it and make a nice clean radius with it. The ends interlock into each other and have slots
so you can take metal steaks and stake it in the ground. It provides nice clean lines and keeps the pathways
uniform. The metal lasts a very long time and it can take a lot of punishment and that's important. But you
don't want it to be part of your landscaping. Some people might put in a little too high.
Eric asks Mark to tell us about this product. She went round and round because she had fallen in
love with the design and it called for pavers. We were going to utilize pavers on the porch and along the
walkways. But during the planning process she really could not find a suitable product that was cost effective.
Mark came in and said, use SLATE AGGREGATE. She saw the pictures, saw it wet and dry, it was just magical, and
it's like, duh, use the slate aggregate. So she then brought the tile from the inside of the tiny house to the
front porch area. It blends with the aggregate so well, it just sort of all fell together, and again she has
Mark to thank for that. Eric thinks Mark has done an amazing job here. It looks beautiful. You've really set
Victoria up for success. Mark thanks Eric for the kind words.
We next meet Hank Kerfoot. Hank studied turf in college and early in his career was a golf
course superintendent. But he's always believed in paying as much attention to the roots, what's below the
surface, as to what's on top. And the key to that is the soil. He's developed a product that incorporates
mushrooms and soil conditioners that, together, make an almost MAGICAL COMPOST PRODUCT. Hank, welcome to the
show, thank you so much for joining us. Thanks. It's great to be here. Eric believes that as a gardener one of
the most important investments that we can make in the future of our garden is getting the soil right. So many
times when people say. “Oh, I don't have a green thumb, I struggle to get anything to grow.” It takes very
little time to get beneath the surface and realize why - They're growing in poor soil. Roots must have
nutrition. They must have the right balance of water and air to basically support a good plant. When we look at
the complete soils that are out there, there are some good ones, but there are also some wonderful innovations
that are occurring every day. Plus there are also innovations that are occurring along the lines of sustainable
product. Eric loves the idea of taking an agricultural byproduct like mushroom compost and converting it into
something that builds beautiful gardens. Eric would like for Hank to talk about his journey in development of
this product. Hank was in the turf business originally, and they always looked at the soil and the roots first.
He learned through the years about making this exciting new product. The master gardeners in the greater
Columbia area, where he's from, absolutely loves this as a complete soil. They've been planting their vegetables
and their flower gardens in it for years and years, it offers everything they need. It has nutrients, it holds
nutrients and it offers some drainage. Straight out of the bag it's good to go. It is simply three components -
sand, the mushroom compost and another additive, which is completely natural. Hank tumbles them and shreds them,
and that's kind of the magic, and together they make this complete soil. But there's no vermiculite, there are
no added fertilizers, it's simply what you get. One thing that lends itself to longevity with this product is
the Chitin in the mushroom compost which takes a long time to decay.
So unlike some of the common products that are in market you might get a season maybe two seasons out of them and
then they're basically spent, if you will. At that point they're fully broken down and then we're having to
think about continually refreshing these products. But working with mushroom compost we get something with
tremendous longevity. It's really got staying power. We can get two to three crops out of each batch. And then
even after that, it's still got needed nutrients, it just doesn't have as much. And that's when people are faced
with either finding another use for it or adding to it to keep the level of performance up. That could be more
blended earth or going back to adding more traditional fertilizer products. The homeowner here started with a
blank slate.This was a new installation, Hank thinks that is the perfect situation because then you're able to
put down a soil like blended earth and till it in. Then you have a homogeneous soil that's really, really been
enhanced. And that is the best opportunity for success with plants. Even though it's a complete soil, it makes
other soils better. You're adding more organic material which will give your plants a little boost or if just a
heavy clay it will provide extra drainage and allow more root growth.
Victoria, the homeowner, has this beautiful raised bed that will be part of her vegetable
garden. It’s full of blended earth right now, and Eric wants to get his hands in it and see what we're actually
working with. Let's go take a look at it. Hank, so many Americans have smaller and smaller properties and
they're moving in the direction of RAISED BEDS and this is a wonderful example, actually, a beautiful example of
a raised bed. These are spaces where the quality of the soil really, really makes a huge difference. The
application of complete soils, how we use them in raised beds and as with this case, specifically for vegetable
gardening that is important. These boxes aren't inexpensive, they’re nice and will last a long time, but what
you put in them is going be what you grow out of them. Just to be able to get your box, fill it up, plant the
plants, water them, and watch them grow is a lot of fun and fulfilling. One thing Hank loves about this product
is that from year to year, all you need to do is just incorporate another few inches on the top, mix it in and
know you're going to get season after season after season of great growth. It hangs on, it wants to grow stuff.
It will compact a little and you're gonna lose a little bit over time but you can pull it out or you can add to
it which will freshen it and give it more nutrients as you go forward. This product is new to the market and
we're going to start seeing it in many of the places we buy our soil and soil amendments. There have been a lot
of trials that have been done in the process of developing this product. How is all that going? They're the only
one that have a complete mushroom compost product which stands a bit apart. Many of the other compost products
have more of just a straight compost or peat moss. But Hank sees this as the the complete soil. The products
they've been testing against are not competing with the growth, they're not growing as rapidly or completely.
Because many of these products are mostly mill pine bark. The mill pine bark is basically just going to suck
nitrogen out of the plant and can actually make a plant grow worse. Some of the bag products that make claims
are absolutely doing that and depleting the soil instead of adding to it. So the take away message is - Invest
in the soil for your plants. It's one of the best things that a gardener could ever do. Hank you so much for
sharing your knowledge with us.
The overall theme of the Tiny House series of shows is bringing the inside out and the outside
in. Having plants inside the tiny house was very important to Victoria so we sought out a house plant expert for
help in selecting great INDOOR PLANTS. Justin Hancock has a wealth of experience gardening and his passion for
plants, particularly house plants, is obvious. Victoria and Justin selected some absolutely stunning house
plants.
Justin, thanks for joining us. Really appreciate you being here. Eric comments, as a horticulturist he’s known
about Justin’s company for a long time and it’s a wonderful story of a family operation that started small, had
a few crops and now has grown to be the largest house plant grower in the world. Justin agrees it's really
amazing they're a fourth generation family run farm that’s been around more than 60 years. And now has grown to
more than 1,500 plant varieties. They're most known for their house plants, but also grow annuals, perennials,
and outdoor tropical plants. Eric would like for Justin to kind of walk us through each of Victoria’s selections
and tell us what's special about the plant and help us understand why the plant would work great in our home.
The first is a colorful Aglaonema, this guy is one of the very best for beginning consumers. It tolerates low
light like a champ, doesn't need anything special in terms of humidity. It can go a couple or three weeks
without water if it needs to, although, of course, it's happier when it's watered regularly. It has colorful
leaves all year long. One point, if you feel a house plant leaf in general, the thicker and sturdier the leaf,
the more durable the plant is going to be, the thinner the leaf, typically the more sensitive to water it's
going to be.
In front is a Calathea. Calatheas are a more thin leaf plant, so they are a little more temperamental about not
enough versus too much water. Calatheas are loved because they have this really, really beautiful variegated
foliage. This is a selection called Pink Star, which has that nice pink in the middle with the darker, almost
purple edges. With a lot of plants with the purple coloration, like this, the brighter the light, the better the
purple coloration. If one were to put this in low light, which it will tolerate, you’re probably going to find
that coloration goes more towards the green side than the purple side. The brighter light helps pulls out those
nice, nice strong pigments.
Next to it is a plant called Alocasia Reginae. One of the common names for it is silver velvet Alocasia, because
it has kind of silvery leaves on the top, but they're burgundy on the bottom. This is a newer variety, it was
discovered maybe 20 years ago, but it's just now finding its way into horticulture. So that's really exciting.
It's leaves can get more than a foot, maybe even 18 inches in size as it grows, so it becomes this really
spectacular statement plant, it’s closely related to elephant's ears but it doesn't get as huge, which makes it
a great house plant.
Next to it is the Silver Dragon Alocasia. It’s a close relative, which you can probably tell by the the leaf size
and shape. It has really thick leaves, they almost feel like they're they're plastic, and that tells you it's
nice and durable if you forget to water, if you don't get a chance to fill the reservoir once a week. It has
this gorgeous kind of silvery foliage with darker veins. Justin likes plants with silver highlights like this,
because they're so fun to accent with other plants. Because silver is a neutral you can combine it with
anything. One can put it with pinks, purples plus it looks really fabulous with greens too.
Another newer one to horticulture is Golden Crocodile Philodendron. It’s called crocodile because the leaves have
toothed edges. When this guy gets going, the leaves can get almost 3 feet long. It’s a spectacular, spectacular
plant and has this bright golden yellow color. It's kind of a fun one too because you can train it to grow
however you want. You can let it climb. If you put a pole nearby it has aerial roots that develop along the stem
and they'll latch into the pole, and it will be this magnificent vine. But if you let it grow like this without
a support, it’s just going to be more of a bushy plant. Even though it will get fuller and fuller and bigger
it's not going to need a support.
The next plant is botanically known as Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma. It's a mouthful, so the common name is Mini
Monstera because it has these fenestrations with these windows and leaves. It is a fairly fast growing, climbing
plant. After a couple of months it gets taller and taller and taller and will really benefit from support. If it
gets too big for you, you can trim this one back any time you want. It takes really, really well to pruning.
In the middle is Money Tree, botanical name is Pachira aquatica. It is actually a tropical tree from from South
America. It has fun braided stems, if you want you can let that continue as it grows or let it form a more
natural multitunk tree. It’s a really, really forgiving plant. It’s common name Money Tree comes from the legend
that a farmer who was kind of down on his luck, got some seeds, planted them and they ended up growing. He made
a lot of money selling the seedlings and the fruits of the tree, so it was considered good fortune, hence the
name Money Tree.
Justin, so many great selections. Victoria, do you have any care questions about your plants? She does. She's
started trying to acclimate them inside and outside and she understands if it goes below 60, bring them in. Does
she have to worry about the 95, 98 outside temperatures we’re having now? These come from tropical regions where
where it gets that hot. Will they have a problem when pulled back into the air conditioning, where it's 68 to
72? They may be a little stressed if that happens, but it won’t have a major impact on the plant. But understand
their growth will slow. You might see a couple leaves yellow as the plant says well, this is a big change
because in nature plants don't move locations. Which one do you think is going to get the biggest? The Mini
Monstera is going to get the biggest, the fastest because it is a climbing vine. The Alocasia, Calathaes and
Agalonema are all bushy plants, so over time none of those should get taller than about three feet. Victoria
mentioned that the self watering containers have made her job a lot easier, made it very simple. One of the
really brilliant things about the self watering system is that because the plants are always getting the perfect
moisture levels they tolerate being pot bound a lot better than plants watered by hand which can often result in
the plants being a little wet. So if you don't get around to repotting them every year, in a self watering
container they're going to be fine. Eric thanks Justin for sharing his knowledge with us. These are great and
wonderful plants, keep up the good work.
We've enjoyed following the landscaping of Victoria's tiny house. It's exciting to see this project come
together. In the upcoming show, we'll discuss selecting the right perennial plants for your garden and how to
help them thrive.
Agastache in the past was just offered by a few nurseries. There are new cultivars in the works and some beauties in the market, our friend Dan tells us about three. For an interesting article,
click here .
Click here to sign up for our monthly NEWSLETTER packed with great articles and helpful tips for your home, garden and pets!
