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 […]
Soaking in the Green
Do you love walking in the woods? Do you find yourself more at ease and at peace when in a quiet green space? Walking in the woods is what brings me peace. I moved to Dahlonega precisely because of its proximity to hilly wooded trails. Now I have a term to use for why I […]
For the Love of Cooking
The Clarkson’s house in Hall County, GA sits on a high bluff overlooking Lake Lanier. The lake side of the lot is steep, the front approach to the house is level. It is a two-story, contemporary style house, probably built in the 1980s. Additions have been made to it over time. The husband’s passion for […]
Flowers In A Rainy Place
A Travelogue of Flowers: Last year, Jason and I visited a beautiful island…Ireland. We spent one week there, bicycling around 150 miles from east to west, across the Emerald Isle. It was rainy and a little chilly (even in June); however, the flowers were spectacular. This is a country that truly loves gardening! We celebrate […]
Brosche Before and After
We bought our house in Lumpkin County in 2015 (how time flies), and it had a perfectly serviceable front porch. I loved the open feeling of it, and the size was welcoming. However, as with many porches, (something we often rectify for clients) it had started to sink. As mentioned in previous blogs, if the […]
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 […]
No More Amendments… to Planting Holes!
Since 1789, the constitution has been amended 27 times and I am here to say what I think should be the 28th amendment: no. more. amendments. … to planting holes! Okay so here me out because you may not have heard about this but it’s a hot button issue for me. The concept of “amending […]
