Native Plants Line the Path to Sustainability

If you are a reader of the Art of Stone Gardening blog posts, you know that we frequently discuss the importance and significance of native plants in landscapes. When you plant natives, you help rebuild habitat, strengthen the web of life and fight climate change. In this piece, reprinted with permission by Homegrown National Park®, […]
Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly and White Pine and Rhododendron and…

When you look out the window in North Georgia, you see shades of gray, brown and tan. The color in our landscape comes from the evergreens, and in Georgia we are blessed with many, all of which are candidates for decorating.
Invasion of the Invasives

Eeiii!!! Run for your life! We’re being invaded by invasives. Invasive plants creep into the yard, into the garden, often unawares. They are kind of like weeds but only more so. They “take over” an ecosystem, causing major disturbance to areas where they are present. They lack natural predators that would keep them in balance […]
I Speak for the Trees pt. 3

As a certified arborist, I guess you could call me a professional tree hugger. I recently attended the International Society of Arboriculture conference and I have a lot to share with you about trees. This is the final blog of my 3 part series. In the first part, I elaborated on the importance of trees […]
The Earlynn Miller Project: Life Changing Work

Meet Dr. Earlynn Miller: Dancer, teacher, visionary, lover of life. Earlynn came into my life as my fathers’ partner. She passed in the spring of 2021. Earlynn Miller was an incredibly creative and artistic soul who retired from a 30 year career as full time dance faculty at James Madison University (JMU) in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Art […]
I Speak for the Trees pt. 1

As a certified arborist, I guess you could call me a professional tree hugger. I recently attended the International Society of Arboriculture conference and I have a lot to share with you all about trees. In this 3 part series, I will dive into the reasons why we need trees, the types of trees we […]
Take it or Leaf it: Advice on Plants in Pots

Plants, like people, are tough. Both can adapt to a wide range of living conditions. Though plants thrive naturally outdoors where they can spread their roots in the ground, they can also survive in many other situations, such as in pots. If you have shied away from planting in pots, read on. Here’s a primer […]
If at First You Don’t Suc(seed)

In 2020, we shared with you the story of a client who wanted her grass lawn replaced with perennials. She is interested in native plants and sustainability. Transforming her space from grass to perennials was one of the first two projects of this kind for Art of Stone Gardening. The Plan The plan for the […]
Secret Wall, Secret Garden

This past year we had a client in Sautee Nacoochee that had a failing wooden retaining wall supporting a cracked and failing driveway. The yard, however, was a beautiful array of mountain laurel and native North Georgia foliage. Our job was simple: tear down the current construction and replace it with a wall and driveway […]
Masters of the Gardenverse

Previously on Art of Stone Gardening… If you’ve been keeping up, you may have heard me talk about the UGA Extension Service and some of my bigger-than-life friends like Terrie Thamer who boast the coveted title of Master Gardener. Now I’m here you to tell you all about MGEVs (Master Gardener Extension Volunteers) and the […]