Designing Landscapes That Last
Recently, I read a blog posted by another arborist titled ‘Deforestation by Design’. His premise was that by planting the wrong plants, in the wrong way, and in the wrong place, we are essentially deforesting our landscapes. Or ensuring that we will have to plant again much sooner than if we did it right the […]
Weary of Weeding? Consider Going to Ground Cover.
Believe it or not, there is a certain subset of the population that enjoysweeding. Many cite its therapeutic benefits like quiet time in the sunshine,listening to the bees and the birds, and the rustle of the wind in the leaves ofthe garden. But let’s face it, having to weed constantly, especially at the peak of […]
Invasive Grasses: A Burning Issue
A week or so ago, we all watched in horror as wildfires consumed the area around Lahaina on the island of Maui in Hawaii. What is often thought of as lush and tropical went up in flames in a matter of minutes and turned into a blazing inferno. How could this have happened? Sadly, it […]
Made in the Shade
Ah, shade. Especially at this time of year we humans love the shade. Cool respite from the sun relaxes us and creates such beauty in the world. However, our plant friends have different preferences for sun. Some like it sunny, some like it shady. https://artofstonegardening.com/garden-landscape-install. Here in the Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont there is a […]
Saving Water One Drop At A Time
Cisterns: We have a client who challenges us with her visions. We have worked with her for years, and she still comes up with new dreams for how she wants to live in her Lumpkin County home. In 2020, we shared with you the story of replacing her lawn with perennials. https://artofstonegardening.com/the-path-from-lawn-to-wonderland. She is interested […]
Sourcing Native Plants: It takes legwork
Before You Shop Before I direct you to some sources for local plants and you go shopping, keep the following points in mind. * Found across much of eastern North America, the Crested Wood Fern likes swamps, swampy woods, or open shrubby wetlands. It is one of hundreds of types of wood ferns, so having […]
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®, […]
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 […]
Discover Native Groundcovers
When it comes to groundcovers, there’s a lot of ground to cover. Shady, shallow-root areas under tree crowns, where nothing else wants to grow. Steep hillsides and banks, where erosion washes away anything trying to grow, along with the soil and nutrients. No-longer-wanted expanses of lawn, where mowing, thatching, fertilizing and watering don’t make for […]
