Sautee Nacoochee’s Native Peace Garden
Sautee Nacoochee Center’s Native Peace Garden – A Unique and Hidden Treasure At Art of Stone Gardening, one of our interests and specialties is native gardens. The use of native plants in any landscape is a major bonus because native plants support local fauna (insects, birds, other critters, etc.), bring resilience against pests, and have […]
Hemlock T.L.C.
You’ve heard it before: Save the Trees! But hear me out, hemlocks are particularly important and particularly in danger. A few years ago I talked about the hopeful hemlock and its fight for survival. Now I’ll explain a little more about how you can treat them. All About Hemlocks: A Refresher If you didn’t know, […]
Dig a Hole, Plant a Tree
Dig a hole, plant a tree. It’s that easy, right? Unfortunately, no. As a Certified Arborist, I get asked all the time about what trees I recommend, where to plant them, and how to care for them. There’s a lot to consider when planting a tree and it can be overwhelming to say the least. […]
Climbing the Professional Ladder, but Not the Trees
At the beginning of the year, I shared with you that I’d been studying to become a certified arborist. It was a challenging course, and your encouragement meant a lot to me, so I’m happy to report the outcome: I’m an ISA Certified Arborist® The designation recognizes my formal horticulture education and my practical, field […]
Your Pollinator Garden Pathway: Think Linear and Local
Like Velcro®, Jacuzzi® and Kleenex®, the term Pollinator Pathway®is actually a registered brand name. It refers to a civic project founded in 2007 by “design thinker” Sarah Bergmann. Its now-famous pilot enterprise was the creation of a mile-long, 12-foot-wide system of connected greenspaces planted with the intention of helping native plant pollinators move through the […]
I’m OK…You’re Still Pruning
Last October—October 2nd to be exact—we had a little blog chat about pruning. Remember? I was on my annual crusade against general, indiscriminate pruning in late fall, and I promised if you put away the shears and loppers then, the time would come in the spring when it would be okay to bring them out […]
Dentist Adopts Garden Hygiene
My dentist was keeping me in the dark. It wasn’t his dental practice, per se. It was his gardening practices. He had allowed the garden in front of his office to become so unruly and overgrown that the bushes and trees completely blocked the windows—and virtually all the natural light. I offered him a deal: […]
Small Fall Native Trees
Aah…Beautiful autumn in Northeast Georgia. As I’m out and about these days, I’m thinking about how so much of the splendid fall color we see is from the big native trees…in the big-picture landscapes. You know, national forest lands and public parks, undeveloped rural acreage along the highways and mature, old-growth neighborhoods (not the people, […]
The Hopeful Hemlock
Are you familiar with the Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)? I hope so, because that means the tireless work of a whole lot of North Georgia volunteers is paying off in increased awareness of the tree’s beauty and value—and of the plight that is threatening its survival. If you’ve hiked the slopes, ridges and ravines of […]
Fall To-Do….Or Not
Avid gardeners and piddlers, alike, know there are plenty of chores to busy ourselves with in the autumn months—in case we’re not busy enough already. You know, tidying up, maintaining tools, organizing and planning. But today, I’m going to focus on what I believe are the two most important things you should be doing right […]
