Tag: Landscape Design Lexington Kentucky
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9 Invasive Shrubs to Avoid in the Landscape
You may have read about 4 Bad Invasive Trees To Avoid in the Landscape a few weeks ago on my blog. This time I’m going to focus on some bad invasive shrubs we should avoid in the landscape. All of these shrubs began their time in America being sold as ornamentals. Many are still sold at…
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Preparing the Garden for Winter
Preparing the garden for winter consists of cleaning up and covering. Although it may seem not much is going on in our garden over the winter months, there is still abundant life going on underground and inside nooks and crannies we can’t see. Properly preparing the garden for winter will ensure a lively one in…
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Fall Cleanup: Leaves & Perennials
Want to save a lot of time and work? Leave those leaves be! And the perennial stems in your garden too. Now, I know it’s considered normal to cut down all the old perennials, grasses, in your yard once they become dried up. It’s also kind of normal to rake up all the leaves in…
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4 Invasive Trees To Avoid in the Landscape
Invasive species are a big threat to our North American ecosystem. Most invasive species have been brought from Asia as ornamental specimens. They not only do nothing for our ‘living landscape’, but they also take over and drown out our native species. These specimens could just be considered statues, because they aren’t contributing to our…
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What is Landscape Design?
What is a Landscape Design? A landscape design at its basic, is a drawn and written down plan of landscape and garden spaces. A design can be created on various scales depending on the project. For example, a city may have an urban plan which may show where new parks or green infrastructure will go.…
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Wild Ones Lexington: 2015 Monarch Waystation Garden Tour
Wild Ones is a national organization that advocates using native plants in the cultivated landscape, increasing natural landscape areas, and education. There is a national chapter and smaller local chapters throughout the nation. The Lexington Chapter of Wild Ones recently held a Monarch Waystation Tour, highlighting 10 monarch waystations in our city. They comprised of…
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American Goldfinches
Watch a video of the pair eating sunflower seeds (watch out for the Spicebush Swallowtail fluttering by!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7rM6K-9Uww In Kentucky we are able to see the North American Goldfinch year round. It has been fun to watch this pair hanging around my yard for the past few weeks. They’re attracted to the bird feeder which…
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Landscape Transformation: Hartland Gardens
Before and after residential design in Lexington, Kentucky. Boxwoods, pussy willow, Japanese maple, and roses were replaced with evergreens, deciduous plants, and perennials, many native species that will prove themselves in the landscape.
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Creating a Native Bee Home
Last weekend we set up a table at Arbor Day at our state Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. Although it was very chilly and rainy out, there was a good turn out and got to talk to a lot of people and other vendors. Our display booth focused on native bees and showcased a native bee home, which…
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Native Plant Spotlight: Dicentra A Spring Blooming Ephemeral
In the spring we often see the plants commonly called Bleeding Hearts in our Kentucky landscape. The common ones we see at a lot plant nurseries are a type from China called, Lamprocapnos spectabilis, so they aren’t even in the genus Dicentra. However, there are a few types of Dicentra Bleeding Hearts native to Kentucky! The…
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Native Plant Series: Blazing Star (Liatris)
One of my favorite perennials is the Blazing Star, or commonly referred to as ‘Liatris’ as its latin name. It is also called Gay Feather as I’ve seen large nursery companies refer it to. There are a lot of varieties of Blazing Stars, about 30 total, but overall they have many similar characteristics. They are…
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Native Plant Series: Serviceberry
The Serviceberry is a beautiful flowering small tree or large shrub native to Kentucky and appear in other parts US. It is called serviceberry because about the time the fruit comes out, the waters of the creeks are warm enough to be baptized in. The genus Amelanchier, has several varieties. There is the Allegheny, Downy,…
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Native Plant Series: Pussy Willow (Salix discolor) A Spring Flowering Tree
Last summer I came across the Pussy Willow shrub somewhere among my research. I had always seen its stems put into floral arrangements (or even faux ones that light up!) but never really thought of it much as a plant. The native variety around Kentucky, and much of North America is Salix discolor. Of course different…
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Plant Series: Snowdrops A Blooming Winter Flower Bulb
Snowdrops are one of the earliest flowers to bloom in late winter or early spring, they can even bloom when there is snow on the ground! They are a sure sign spring is near. Snowdrops naturalize and begin blooming heavily after a year. They can be divided and planted in other areas of your garden.…