Low Maintenance Landscaping
By Sandra Nelson
As much as I love gardening, I absolutely HATE the mindless, time-consuming and oftentimes expensive routine maintenance chores involved in taking care of a traditionally landscaped yard. Rather than a place to relax and unwind, the idealized suburban landscape of perfectly manicured turf, neatly edged walkways and precisely pruned shrubs can easily …
Visit A Tropical Paradise -- In Your Own Backyard
By Sandra Nelson If a trip to the tropics isn’t in the plan this summer, why not create a tropical paradise in your own backyard? Using these 7 design tips from the experts, you can have the perfect place to relax and unwind. KEEP IT LUSH The idea of a lush …
Siberian Bugloss: A Must Have For Your Garden
By Sandra Nelson
Siberian bugloss Finding attractive, well-behaved plants for moist, full- shade locations can be tricky, but Siberian bugloss (Brunnera) could be your answer. This easy to grow groundcover thrives in areas that receive as few as 4 hours of sunlight per day. It loves rich, moist soil, but once established, will tolerate …
Great Companions
By Sandra Nelson My daughter FaceTimed me the other day. She wanted me to see a plant and tell her what would look good with it in her garden. I gave her a few suggestions, but the conversation really got me thinking. I don’t know how many times I have stood in a garden …
Designing Beds That Delight
By Sandra Nelson I don’t know how you are handling stress these days, but I find myself drawn more and more to my yard. When I feel anxiety building, I stroll through the yard, stopping every few seconds to discover the changes from the day before and to soak in the calming power of …
Stachys "Hummelo:" A Must Have For Your Garden
By Sandra Nelson This week’s pick is by Dan Nelson, Lead Designer Stachys ‘Hummelo’ “The 2019 Perennial Plant Association’s Plant of the Year, this is a great plant for the perennial bed and as a ground cover. “ Largely undiscovered by today’s homeowners, Stachys ‘Hummelo’ is a true “Must Have.” An …
Designing A Border That Delights
By Sandra Nelson As much as I love plants and gardening, I have always felt that my gardens were — to put it bluntly — markedly mediocre. The individual plants were lovely, but somehow they just didn’t fit together to make the dramatic impact I dreamed of. So, with all of the extra time …
Spring Clean-Up, The Environmentally Friendly Way
By Sandra Nelson We had a quick taste of spring this past weekend. It was warm and sunny and people in our neighborhood were out in full force taking advantage of the beautiful days to begin their spring yard clean-up. Leaves were raked and bagged, perennials chopped back to the ground, trees were …