Brightleaf

Spring is a great time to go to the garden center and see the beautiful new plants that have arrived from the growers. This time of year I want to buy everything – the new cultivars and varieties, the new colors! But, I’ve learned that some plants just don’t work in my yard, and I’ve come up with alternatives that might not be quite as showy but make up for it with their toughness. Read on to learn about some of these great plants.

When I talk to a client over the phone to schedule a consultation I always tell them that we don’t charge for consultation, but we do charge for landscape design. We do this because the consultation allows us to evaluate a project and determine if it is a good fit for the services that we provide, and it gives a potential client a chance to meet with us and determine if we are the best fit for their needs. At the completion of a consultation, I quote a design fee, and ask the client how they would like to proceed. While some small projects don’t require a design, most do. Read on to learn why.

We recently taught a class at Duke Gardens called “I Need a Plan: the Fundamental Steps to Create a Garden.” The 3 part class taught participants how to plan and implement their own garden, a task that can seem daunting when first getting started. We discussed which plants grow in similar conditions and are suited to plant together, taking into consideration the unique features of different shrubs, groundcovers and perennials.

Read more about the class by clicking here.

When I meet with clients one of the first questions I ask is ‘do you have a budget?’. While lots of our clients don’t have an exact number in mind, and aren’t sure of what landscaping costs, I find that most people have a number that they don’t want to exceed. And, when a client is willing to share that number with us, it is really helpful – having a budget enables us to focus the project on what the client cares about most, and develop a plan that is within reach, or that can be implemented over time, in reasonably sized phases. Read on to learn how to set a budget and stick to it for your project.

By February I am done with winter. I’m ready for spring, and all the exciting changes that it brings to the garden. I’m ready for bulbs, and dogwoods in bloom, and flowering cherries. But, typically the winter has several more weeks before it lets up, and I have to be patient. Read on to learn about a few of the plants that add interest to the late winter garden.

If you’ve ever tried googling a plant name, or a gardening question, you’ve probably come across a lot of information, much of it contradictory. One important consideration when gathering information related to plants or gardening is where geographically that information comes from.

For example, I subscribe to several gardening magazines, which are headquartered and written throughout the country, from New England, the South East, and Pacific Northwest. I’ve seen photos of roses and hosta growing next to each other in full sun – something that would never work here in North Carolina, but is a possibility up north or out west. Fortunately for North Carolina gardeners, we have several resources based on research right here at NC State University. Read on to learn about two that we use regularly.

I’m always looking for plants with attractive fruit at this time of year – they can be a design inspiration as well as great plants to use in my winter decorations. This year I’m trying to branch out from hollies – deciduous and evergreen – and I came up with two other attractive plant options with berries. Read on to learn about Winter Hawthorns and David Viburnum.

You don’t need a ton of tools to perform most routine gardening tasks, but the right ones will make your life a lot easier.  Read on for a list of my favorite tools for planting, pruning, and everything else.

One of the first questions I ask every client is ‘do you have deer’? The second question is ‘if so, how bad are they’? Deer are present in almost every neighborhood we work in, but there is a lot of variation in how destructive they are to the plants. Read on for my tips on landscaping with deer.

Ferns find their way into almost every landscape that I design for a shaded area.  In addition to being shade tolerant and deer resistant, ferns also tend to be incredibly tough.  Read on to learn about my favorite ferns – those I use all the time, and those that I should use more!