“If the sun refused to shine
I would still be loving you
If the mountains crumble to the sea
There would still be you and me”
Landscaping Blog
“At some point in life, the world’s beauty is enough. You don’t need to photograph, paint, or even remember it. It is enough” - Toni Morrison
Hey there, and welcome to a new season!
I’m assuming everyone is ready for us to come and get their garden ready for the Spring, oh wait, it’s been spring since January, so we need to get going pronto right!? Things are blooming and greening up, so I better get out of my winter mode of chillin’ and start groovin’. I have been trying to resign myself to stop dwelling on the dramatic climate changes we are experiencing, just do everything I can to make things better, and try to always look at the positive (except when I’m boiling in the EXTREME heat of the summer. I will be VERY negative and cursing out loud, I promise you that) But, as long as I am on this Earth, I will fight for the environment, that is my role in this world, because the fight never ends. There are always evil weeds to battle and deer to cuss out!
“In Nature there are neither rewards or punishments: There are consequences.” - Robert Green Ingersol
Hello All!
Wowee, what a year. I will always complain about being too slow, but last season I was complaining about being too busy! Which I don’t want to get in the habit of, because I definitely don’t want to jinx myself. Both sides of the coin are stressful, but I need to suck it up and get over it. Slow is BAD, Busy is GOOD! Repeat. How about steady? Yeah right, not in this business. Feast or famine:) Oh, and it was a little hot. A special kind of hot. For like 120 days straight. And I have to say, I really didn’t do too well in it. My body and my mind were crying out “What the hell are you doing out here!”. Ugh. Oh well, too bad, I’m not going anywhere or doing anything else anytime soon, so can someone please invent a whole body mister that I can attach to my hat? At least I don’t sweat like Scotty, who actually needs to bring 3 changes of clothes a day, and sloshes around in his boots all day:) Fun stuff.
“Nothing is forever except Change” - Buddha
Hello 2021!!
Did everyone have an interesting year? We humans just got a nice big kick in the rump, stopping us in our tracks, making us take a huge pause. Covid forced us to take a good look at ourselves, and it sure made us reflect on the relationships we have with all that is around us. There has been both horror and joy, and we are all in it, all of us, figuring it out. Life slowed down, with no overrun kids being shuffled here, shuffled there, no traffic to be stuck in (one of my favorite parts), taking stock of what is really important in this world. We were all riding the wave of our own circumstances and it's crazy to think that it has already been a year since this all started!
“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
- Jane Goodall
Happy New Year and Happy Spring!
So tis the season that we all look forward to, Spring, with the days getting longer, flowers starting to bloom, birds showing some love for each other, frogs croaking, husbands buying new cars for themselves for no reason. Except this year without a winter I must say, it’s been a little maddening for Scott, the kids and I, being that we all love us some cold days and cold nights with some ice on the creeks, and some snow on the trees. I really don’t want to go on about all the serious issues that go along with this unusually warm winter, so instead, I guess, the positive side is that we were able to get a bunch of stuff done outside the house that would not have been done in a real winter, and we also had some Witchhazel trees blooming since January that have gone on forever and ever! We did get up to Lake Placid so we could get us some winter, and those single digit temps combined with that dreamy snow gave us what we were looking for! Of course we may have that snowstorm in April when no one, not even me, wants one.
“Humankind has not woven the web of life.
We are but one thread within it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.
All things are bound together.
All things connect.”
- Chief Seattle 1854
Hello and Happy new year!
Change. Connection. Positivity. I’ve been thinking alot about these three things lately. As I grow older, I find myself searching for ways to be more aware of everything around me. Life is short, right? I think about how all life on this planet came from the same place, our Earth, which was created from the cosmic dust of the universe. Crazy. Life on this planet is truly a miracle, and the Earth is really what we all have in common. Constant change, the state of being connected, and the art of staying positive in a very harsh world, these are things that bind us together. What does this have to do with landscaping you might ask? Everything.
“A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people” Franklin D Roosevelt
Spring 2018 Landscaping Newsletter
Happy new year Everyone!!
Every year I like to think of new ways of bringing us closer to our outdoor environment, and I feel more urgency now than ever before. The importance of keeping the environment healthy is crucial to our health and well being. As humans, we have altered our ecosystem to a perilous point that could be unsustainable for our children and grandchildren. Yeah, clean air and water are kind of crucial to our survival. The current theme right now is that a healthy environment does not equal a healthy economy. Well I say BS!! People and businesses locate to clean environments, not polluted ones. States with clean environments have better economies than polluted ones. Money spent to clean pollution and to invest in the community comes back to us three fold. Yes, the climate has changed in the past without the help of humanity, but it is the accelerated rate at which it has changed that is the difference. We are over swamping the natural processes, and we will not escape that reality (facts can really suck). Sustainability is important for a very simple reason. We cannot maintain our quality of life as human beings, have a LONG term thriving economy, and maintain diversity of life on this planet and our ecosystems unless we embrace it. I really wish I wasn’t so worried about this crap all the time. All I want to do is garden, have awesome experiences with Scott and my kids (love teenagers), and drink lots of wine (because of my teenagers). For me, working in nature is a gift. I see what’s happening, and the urgency I feel compels me to use my skill set to contribute. I want your gardens, my garden, to be an extension of this urgency, and to bring together all the things that will contribute to making our immediate environment healthier, stronger, resilient, even on a small scale.
Ok, I’m done. Had to get that out:)
Read more: How to Make a Difference with Your Garden Today and Tomorrow
“Look deep into Nature,and then you will understand everything better” Albert Einstein.
Hi All
Wowee, what a year. I think we all need a little beauty and peace right now, so are you ready to get that amazing garden started this year?! I sure am. In the garden is where I can escape from the stresses of life. Not that I don’t have a ridiculous amount of plants as it is, it’s just that my gardens make me feel good, so the more the better. Between the chaos of politics, the stress of seeing the effects of climate change up close, and my kids giving me the damn flu every winter, I just relish being home, my sanctuary, where nature shows you balance and understanding. My garden is where I find the peace, to know that life is short, and to enjoy these moments while you can. Although, being out in the garden makes me drink more wine because I am enjoying myself a little TOO much, so I guess that’s not so good:)
In wildness is the preservation of the world
-Henry David Thoreau
My goodness, I can’t believe it is that time already. Winter leaving, spring creeping in. Life continues to speed up every year, and even though I have my kids trained to say that I am 25 to anyone that asks, it still gets hard sometimes to slow things down. Our house and gardens create many areas that can help. I’m always looking for areas in your gardens that will create a pleasant nook to hang out in. No matter how cold hot or rainy it is outside I have to get out there, even for just a little while so I can feel the outside on my face, slow my breathe down, and find some peace. I also end up kicking my kids out in crappy weather and tell them it's good for them, and they’ll appreciate it later. Or not:)
Oh yes, spring is coming. Doesn’t feel like it? Well, you receiving this newsletter means it’s almost here!!! Go to the garden center and get yourself something beautiful to put on a window sill. Herbs, primrose, and bulbs are easy. It will give you some hope:) I’ve been visualizing every day about how the garden looks when things are blooming. I walk the property and look at my blooming witch hazel trees, smell them if they’re open (unfurl above freezing), stare at the bulbs that are coming up (using mind control to get them to grow faster), and make mental notes of the projects I need Scott to do this season. No slackers allowed in this family.
Ok, so Mother nature has reminded us who’s in charge. The bitter cold, constant snow, and massive tree destruction affected us all. If my kids had one more day off, I told them that they would need to build a fort outside and fend for themselves. They’re good kids, but still kids, and I was sick of hearing my mean voice. I started locking the door after I kicked them out in the snow. No you can’t have any more #$%$# hot chocolate!!!
Hello all!
As autumn approaches we are happy to say that it has been a great year so far. Many thanks to everyone! We are hoping that fall is as successful as the spring and summer were.
Early season plantings benefited from one of the rainiest seasons on record. The plentiful rains did, however, cause many plants to take off, and as a result I’m seeing a lot of jungles out there. It also caused a lot of fun things like fungus rot, slugs galor (which my new dog seems to like to chew on), and foliage diseases. Most are not harmful long term, but many plants may need a good pruning. Please get in touch if you would like us to come give things a trim, or to do some much needed weeding.
Hello there!
Native Plants & Less Weeds
It's that time of year again, which means I'm getting old since I feel like every year time goes faster and faster. I always envision myself being immortal and never getting old, but all that dirt (and sun, wind, heat, and cold) I expose myself to is not helping me look young :) For now, my body still works the way I need it to, and even though Scott threatens to trade me in for a younger unit, I just laugh at him and tell him that no girl pushes a wheelbarrow like I do (after I give him a good smack!). This is why I'm setting up my gardens for when I get really old. More plants equals less weeds so I'l have less maintenance when my body is not working quite as well.