Chris’ Blog

Go Plant A Tree! All year long, I’m perpetually asked “Is now an okay time to plant?” We all get this question, from March through November. My answer is always “yes!” Spring is a great time to plant because the weather is cool and the water needs of the establishing plant material isn’t high. Summer planting is fine too, you

Let’s Talk Ornamental Grasses! Let’s talk about grasses. Not your lawn though (you can get rid of that). I’m talking ornamental grasses! There are so many perks to utilizing them in the landscape! They’re easy to grow, long-lived, and super hardy.  They’re also very resistant to hungry herbivores, namely deer and rabbits. Talk about low-maintenance and worry-free! They come in

My Favorite Summer Flowering Perennials Summer is in full force and man, can we feel it. This summer especially, as all the griping about rain the past couple years has finally caught up with us! Summer is a conundrum for me because even though I have a high disdain for heat, it’s nevertheless my favorite season – it’s when most

There’s a Hydrangea for Every Garden! If there’s one heavily planted shrub that doesn’t get old, it’s the hydrangea. While most shrubs bloom for a small window of time, hydrangeas usually offer a longer blooming period. The flowers come in pinks, purples, greens, whites, and of course, the coveted blues! The color can be changed on some cultivars with horticultural

Native Alternatives to Mid-Century Garden Plants Last time we talked about the importance of making space in our gardens for native plants. I hope you are excited to help connect your landscape with our local biome! Bees and butterflies will thank you, as well as many other important beneficial insects, birds, and so on. Today I want to refer to

Reimagine Gardening with Natives! “Native” is becoming a buzzword these days. But that’s fine with me – I actually think it should be a bigger buzzword. Native plants are important! Today I’m going to tell you why. This may be one of the most important blog posts of the year. I hope you’ll read till the end. As human activity

Transform Your Yard Into a Garden “We Bring Paradise to Life” I know there is a lot in motion and a lot of uncertainty. The current strand of coronavirus, civil unrest, and a polarized election cycle have gotten 2020 off to a rough start. To bring relief to the heaviness, I propose you get outside and garden. Get outdoors, spend

Friends Tell Friends to Plant Annuals! Don’t Neglect the Annuals! Despite the recent frigid temperatures, the spring season goes on as summer temperatures begin to loom. As such, we have our first shipment of annuals in! I was like a kid watching Santa unpacking gifts when I saw them come off the racks; we got some nice stuff! From time

My Favorite Spring Flowering Perennials A landscape or garden that doesn’t incorporate spring flowering plants is basically extending the winter landscape. That might be okay if there is some awesome winter interest but mostly that means a homeowner is choosing to have a “blegh” landscape for an extra 2-3 months. That totals to almost half the year. Don’t miss out!

Selecting the Right Tree for “That Spot” “Folks used to say that there was something in the water that made the trees grow tall and come alive. Trees that could whisper, talk to each other. Even move.”- Meriadoc Brandybuck, the Lord of the Rings. Well, we don’t have trees that can do *all* of the above, but we do have