It has been a while since I have written anything, so I thought I would share some rambling thoughts at the end of a busy May. I don't usually do stream of consciousness writing but what the hey? So in no particular order here are a few of my thoughts related to how my own relatively new yard's landscaping is developing. … [Read more...]
School Trees Not Street Trees
It is conference season in the "green" industry and I have been busy at both as an attendee and a vendor. Before I go to another one and get even more ideas, I wanted to share one. This fabulous one, I picked up from native plant icon Gerould Wilhelm from a talk he gave with plantsman Roy Diblik. Before I share it, let me give a bit of background from Gerould's talk. Why most trees are really lonely To simplify Gerould's talk too much, let's say the jest of it was that plants live in … [Read more...]
Live Stakes for Landscaping as Inexpensive Plants
Unless you are in the field of ecological restoration you are probably unfamiliar with the term, live stakes. But perhaps you are like me, and appreciate a good deal. Whether it is a pair of khakis for 50% off the last marked clearance price or a $5 Monday night burger deal at a local restaurant. I love saving money. This frugality (my term, my wife and kids term would be cheapskate) also extends to my yard. While when it comes to landscaping tools or plants for clients, quality is the name … [Read more...]
Simple Prairie Planting
Turning a side yard into a simple prairie planting using plants grown from seed this year is today's blog topic. I have made gardens before with prairie plants in 1 gallon, quarts and even 38 plugs size before, but never with plugs I started from seed the same year. … [Read more...]
Rain Garden for a Sunny Site
It's June and its raining (again). Perhaps you have water in your basement, a washed out hillside, or just some soggy areas where your grass keeps getting killed. In any case, even if it is not flooding, rain can be a problem. Read on to find out how a rain garden might help. … [Read more...]
How will you celebrate Earth Day?
Today is the 48th Earthday, so how will you celebrate? You might think about taking a walk in a nature preserve or maybe taking a kayak ride. While those are great things to do (I hope to get to them both), perhaps you could do something a little more meaningful and longer term. How about making a commitment to take care of that portion of the earth you are responsible for in a more responsible way? … [Read more...]
7 things landscapers do that tick me off
Whenever I hear the phrase the "Green Industry" when people are referring to Nurseries and Landscapers, I cringe. Here are just a few of the reasons. … [Read more...]
Pondless Waterfall Renovation
When I purchased my house in McHenry, IL a couple of years ago, it came with a pondless waterfall in the front yard. Most people, especially passers by walking their dogs, seemed to like it. But to me it looked like water spewing volcano! Time for a Pondless Waterfall Renovation. It looked less like a natural feature and more like a glorified fountain. You see water in nature flow in the valleys, not from the high points. Here is what is looked liked all decked out with red geranium pots … [Read more...]
Keeping Deer Ticks out of your Landscape
Why would I want to make a post about Keeping Deer Ticks out of your Landscape? Besides the near epidemic of Lyme disease in parts of the country spread exclusively by deer ticks, there are also other really nasty diseases that can be spread by ticks like Powassan virus that are even scarier. Plus this year is expected to be a really bad year for ticks. … [Read more...]
Planting Plugs is a Cheap and Easy Way to Plant a Landscape
Why is planting plugs instead of larger plants in a landscape often a better idea? Let's start planting the landscape design for my backyard and I'll show you. Since I am a gardener and not a landscaper, we will be installing this design over time. Why have all the fun at once when it can be spread over the years. If I was a landscaper, I would want you to buy the largest (most expensive) plant possible, certainly not plugs! … [Read more...]