Folklore Gardens

After moving into our home in 2001, I began to gradually reclaim the landscape from years of benign neglect. Little by little, year by year, I removed invasive plants, trucked in soil, built retaining walls from an endless supply of stones I found onsite (OMG! So many!), and added hundreds of plants. Along the way, I made many mistakes common to beginning gardeners. I planted shade plants in sunny spots, and plants that prefer full sun in shade. I used synthetic fertilizer until I discovered that leaf mulch and a little compost create the healthiest soils and deliver better, more sustainable results - and make watering established plants mostly unnecessary except in extreme drought conditions. It took me several tries to figure out what plants do well in dry, part-shade locations (yews, for one). And I learned the hard way that, yes, a 24-inch juniper can grow to 8 feet tall and 6-feet wide and engulf a corner of your house! All's well that ends well, as they say, and I now use this knowledge and experience to help clients create and maintain beautiful, resilient, Earth-friendly gardens that meet their specific needs.