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Native Plant Rain Garden & Creekbed Rainwater Diversion French Drain
This property has had extensive drainage work due to a lot of underlying bedrock near the surface. This is not uncommon in our inner Bluegrass region of Kentucky. We often hit rocks when digging gardens and excavating. This area is unusual in that there are large slabs of bedrock sometimes not even 6″ below surface…
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Kenwick Lawn to Native Garden and Patio
The customer contacted me and wanted to landscape their property which was mostly bare and consisted of a few trees, and some overgrown shrubs. They also had some drainage issues at the side of the property which is a common issue. Their wishlist included to completely get rid of all of the lawn, remove the…
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Midway Historic Home
THE GARDEN DESIGN INSTALLATION The garden at this historical home was give a new landscape update this late summer. We removed the old roses and boxwoods and installed a whole new native plant landscape. A garden bed planted near the corner of the property was added for several functions. First, it will help mitigate storm…
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Native Plant Series: Ironweed
Ironweed is a common name of 25 species of Vernonia which are native to North America. Many of these species are native to the midwest and southeastern regions. Some species are as short as 2′ tall, while others can reach 10′ tall! It is an upright plant with tough stems, in which it is named…
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The Invasive Species Series: Vining Vinca
Periwinkle (Vinca minor and Vinca major) is a vining groundcover that is native to parts of central and southern Europe in the regions of France, Portugal, and Turkey. It is believed to have been introduced to North America in the 1700s. It is an evergreen plant with thick glossy leaves that grow opposite of each…
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Native Plant Series: Blue Flag Iris
Blue Flag (Iris versicolor) is a native perennial iris to the North Eastern United States and Canada. It is naturally found in wetland areas, marshes, and wet meadows. It likes moisture, so it can be planted in wet/moist sunny areas in a home garden or on the edge of a pond up to 6″ deep.…
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Spring: What Can I Plant & When?
These are general gardening tips, please use your intuition when deciding what the plant and when! For information on when spring is, see this previous blog post: When Is Spring? Very Early Spring. When the ground is workable, it is no longer frozen or too wet. You can plant: Trees as long as they are…
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What Types of Frost Are There?
What is Frost? Frost is a thin layer of ice on a surface. It begins as water vapor (water in gas form) in the air at an above freezing temperature. It becomes frost when the water vapor meets a surface that is below freezing. The water vapor condenses, freezes, and becomes solid. There are different…
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When is the Average Last Frost Date?
Judging when it’s safe to plant plants in the spring can be tricky all due to freeze and frost. The average last frost date is a date gardeners look forward to because it means it’s time to start planting! Even with knowing the average last frost date there’s still uncertainty. As we face climate change…
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Meteorological Spring, Astronomical Spring & Horticultural Spring
Today is the first day of March. To some, today is the first day of spring! There isn’t a one-and-only true way to mark the beginning of spring. It depends on who you ask. For meteorologists, the first day of spring is on March 1st. This is because it is based on climate patterns. The…
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What Types of Landscapers are There?
The landscaping industry is broad and choosing the right professional depends on the demands of your project. Hiring the right professional can put your dream garden into reality. Hiring the wrong professional could become a costly mistake that you may not even realize for years later, when that shrub planted two feet from the house…
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What Services Do Landscaping Businesses Offer?
There are many different types of landscape businesses and each will offer their own set of services. It is important to research a landscape business before deciding to inquire about a project. You may want to look over their website or speak with them on the phone to see if they offer the services you…
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Is Dyed Garden Mulch Toxic?
Dyed mulches seem to be a common material used among homeowners and commercial landscapes today. Unfortunately, dyed mulches in black, red, and even brown is what is most available for purchase at big box stores, gas stations, and sometimes local nurseries. It can be more difficult to find mulch that has not been dyed, but…
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The Annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count
The annual Christmas bird count happens every year from December 14th-January 5th. The Audubon Society hosts the nationwide/worldwide event, but the counts are done by local groups that convene on their own. You can search for a group near you on the Audubon website, or consider developing your own! Each group does one count on…
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Marcescence: When Deciduous Trees Keep Leaves in Winter
If you’ve seen trees hold onto some brown leaves during the winter, this adaptation is called marcescence. We all know it’s normal for trees to loose their leaves in the fall. Cold weather signals the tree to do so. When this happens, the cells around the vein of the leaf stem, which carries the water…
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Fall Garden Chores for the Environmentally Conscious Gardener
Let it Stand… …for the bugs. The more you leave the garden ‘as is’, the better it will provide habitat to all the good bugs and wildlife over the winter. Ladybugs love to nest in leaves and around the base of plants during the winter. Let them be, and they’ll eat the aphids next year.…
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The Street Tree Ordinance in Lexington KY
In the city of Lexington, it is an ordinance that the property owner must have a permit to remove or replace a street tree. If a street tree is removed, a replacement tree must be planted within one year. The following are clips from the LFUCG Street Tree website. Sited Links LFUCG Street Tree Website…
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Growing Strawberries
In years past, I haven’t had too much luck growing strawberries. I’ve tried growing them in containers this year and have had a lot better luck. Strawberry plants grow great in the ground, but when I did this I didn’t get any strawberries! I realize now it was because the chipmunks were eating them all.…
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How Light Pollution Affects Bird Migrations
Each spring billions of birds migrate back north to the upper parts of the United States and Canada. Many are traveling from Mexico, South and Central America, or the southern US. Birds migrate at night and they use the sky and the stars as their navigation map. Artificial lighting from buildings, street lights, and towers…
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Late Seasonal Cold Snaps and their Effects on Plants
There’s a joke in Kentucky that goes something like this, “If you don’t like the weather just wait a day”. Yesterday I worked outside in a t-shirt and got hot (and a sunburn!) This morning I’m wearing my winter coat and hat! While most of the time, it’s just a blip to our fashion choices,…
