Plants are living organisms, and their health can be researched and treated like much like ours. From perennial stages of growth (they look dead in the winter!) to common disease and pest problems, the more you know, the better they grow. One of our favorite resources for clients is the University of Minnesota Garden Extension’s Diagnose A Plant feature. Simply click your plant type, species, and symptom to see what the issue could be!

Native plants are ones that have naturally grown in a specific region for a certain amount of time without human intervention. They are plants that contribute to the health of their ecosystem by acting as host plants for beneficial insects, food for wildlife, natural filters of water, and erosion control. There is dispute on that exact length of time a plant must have existed in a place before becoming ‘native’, but it is typically hundreds to thousands of years. The specificity of native is what is important to pay attention to: A plant can be native to a whole region (the southeast) or a state (North Carolina). There are also keystone plants, which are native plants that are highly important to the health of their ecoregion. We use ecoregions to determine what to use in our designs, and we aim to use 80% native plants. While we may grant requests to use ornamentals in our designs, we will never install invasive plants.

We have two ideal planting seasons here in NC: Spring & Fall. Summer is too hot for plants to get established, and Winter is too cold. This is why, if you’re installing your garden with us, we typically install in the opposite season your consultation occurred in. If your consultation occurred in the fall/winter months, we will install in the spring. If your consultation occurred in the spring/summer months, we will install in the fall. Ready to get on our schedule? Contact us to book your consultation today!

Yes! In North Carolina, our subtropical climate means that are garden tasks we can be doing throughout the whole year. Curious what those our? Check out our Monthly Maintenance Lists!

When we install, we use natural hardwood mulch, which is a dark brown color. We find it is ideal for moisture retention and weed suppression. While your mulch choice is up to you, we strongly warn against using any type of dyed mulch. It often contains harmful metals and chemicals that we do not want to put into the ecosystem. Pine straw is quite popular in the south, and typically fine for the environment, but it does not suppress weeds or retain moisture quite as well as hardwood. If the longevity and health of your plants is most important to you, go with natural hardwood!

Yes! Plants need food just like we do. The best type of food is organic matter, something like cow manure, which should be applied around the base of the plant at the beginning of your growing season. If your plant is deficient in a specific nutrient, try to find an organic brand of that nutrient, like Espoma or Dr. Earth.

When you have bare space, or a ‘gap,’ in your garden, it’s an invitation for unwanted plants to establish residence. We recommend minding the gap and filling those bare spaces with green mulch. This can be low-growing ground cover like native strawberry, hardy native grasses, or simply more desired plants!

You know you have invasive species in your yard, but how do you get rid of them? The best tactic is to rip them up by the roots, which is easiest to do in the winter months when they’re in less of a growing-mode. Don’t want to do it yourself? We offer clean-up days just for invasives!