Profuse flowers in a low-maintenance landscape.

This is what it looked like when I was called in, and just after planting. What tiny, baby plants!

And here’s what those plants look like three years later, with regular care and organic fertilizer to help them be their best:

This garden gets a lot of compliments from folks walking past– the owners wanted a balance between cheerful, bodacious color, and not having to do too much garden maintenance.

We take care of the landscape maintenance once a month, and we spend about 5 hours per month taking care of this garden (there’s a back garden with lots of flowers, blueberries and some dwarf fruit trees, a front garden area around the walkway and door, and a long strip of flowers and low-maintenance shrubs along the drive).

For such a large area of planting, most gardens with a lot of flowers would require much more care to stay healthy and gorgeous.

I took care in the design phase to specify some real garden workhorses – plants that bloom almost constantly through the growing season but only need minimal care. Then we added some year-round interest by using a few ornamental grasses and plants with colored or interesting foliage, so that even in the depths of winter there is a feeling of motion and beauty in the garden.

Do you see elements of this garden that you might like? Call us today and see how we can help you create a gorgeous garden suited to your tastes and style.

A peaceful view from the window…

This Eureka landscape (see the “before” photo below) needed some improvement. The view out of a much-used office window was less than soothing – calling to mind the work that needed to be done rather than a relaxing outdoor retreat.

We added a petite tree and some shade-loving plantings, as well as a small fountain to distract from the occasional sounds of the city.

Here’s the “before”:

During the installation project:

One winter later:

And two years later, in autumn:

Do you see elements of this garden that you might like? Call me today and I can help you create a gorgeous garden suited to your tastes and style.

Swaying grasses and subtle color in McKinleyville…

This McKinleyville garden is only a year old, but thanks to fast-growing perennials and ornamental grasses, it’s already got a slightly more mature look to it. While the trees and shrubs are still filling in to balance out the backdrop, there’s already a lot of life and motion to the garden because of how quickly grasses and perennial flowers reach their ultimate size.

The owners wanted a low-maintenance landscape with a bit of room in between the plantings so that things could easily be kept in their places. Mini fir bark was used as mulch for a neat final appearance. Below, you can see the “before and afters” – again, only one year in (click on a Before/After photo to view it larger):

Could you use some help making your “before” garden into an “after”? Set up your design consultation today!

Small space solutions for a garden in Arcata, with year-round color.

This small front garden has a birdbath and small water feature to provide a sense of timelessness and distract from the city noise at the street. Petite plantings provide beauty through every season, and a walkway through the garden directs visitors to the correct door.

In the front entry there were originally straight, 2’ concrete pathways that felt cramped to walk and confused guests as to which door to knock on, and there was a boring square lawn. Now, large rounded stone stairs make it clear to visitors where the entry is:

(Fall)

(Summer)

Do you have a small space with unused potential? Contact me today to set up your free half hour meeting about how you could transform your space.

A wind-resistant landscape.

I designed this commercial garden in McKinleyville (3135 Boeing Avenue near the Holiday Inn/ Airport) a couple years ago, and it’s already filling in admirably despite the rough conditions.

This garden has very hungry gophers as well as strong and salty seacoast wind which blasts the plants constantly, yet you can see that the plants are doing beautifully and there are some really cheerful year-round color combinations to enjoy.

I love the way the ‘Plum Pudding’ Heuchera highlights the burgundy leaf edging on this Phormium grass:

An exotic variety of fragrant Rhododendron:

Low-maintenance shrub rose with evergreen grass:

A sturdy Fuchsia attracts hummingbirds to its plentiful tiny blossoms:

Hydrangea with curled, popcorn-like flowerheads:

This grass flows constantly in the breeze and provides a sense of motion and excitement to the garden:

An evergreen bloomer against the blonde seedheads of the grass:

You can see that strong seacoast wind is no excuse for a boring garden!

Do you have tough conditions in your garden? Let me help you choose plants that will survive and thrive, through landscape design or garden coaching. Give me a call today!

A deer-resistant, low-maintenance landscape with bursts of vibrant color.

The owner wanted a simple, flowing landscape that would be low-maintenance, deer-resistant, and have a clean, open appearance with bright bursts of gorgeous color, and some elegant foliage combinations.

Here’s what it looked like before:

And after:

(1st year, still filling in)

I love the unusual interplay between the orange color of the Rhododendron’s stamens with the orange new growth of the Autumn Fern in the background:

Do you notice the buff throat of this purple Rhododendron carrying the Autumn Fern’s color through the garden? Subtle, but fun! As the garden fills in and the plants grow closer to one another these small touches that bring continuity will become more apparent.

This red Rhododendron has such rich, glossy foliage – much different from the dull leaves on many varieties.

Some lovely natives in this garden to support our local wildlife, one of which is the Giant Chain Fern seen behind the red Rhodie above.

Are you ready for your garden transformation? Click here to request an information packet including addresses where you can see my work.

Entrance to a McKinleyville home where the client wanted year-round color.

Here’s the before:

A boring bare lawn and Escallonia hedge is an unwelcoming sight.

And after (you can see the Escallonia hedge is used as a strong green backdrop instead of the central feature):

Need help creating your garden transformation? Click here to set up a garden consultation or talk about landscape design services.

Low-maintenance color tough enough for the streetside…

This Eureka garden had a carpet of weeds along the “hell strip”, as it’s aptly called. Gardens along the street have to tolerate all kinds of unfortunate conditions – dog urine, vandalism and clumsiness on the part of passing people, as well as the reflected heat from both the fence and sidewalk. In this landscape, we were also dealing with a narrow garden bed, yet the space seemed to call for a bit of height to balance the trees behind the fence.

In addition, most curbside gardens need to be low-care, because it’s not as much fun to care for a garden when traffic is speeding by! Here’s a before and an after shot of this curbside strip:

I love the charming little groundcover at this gate!

It creeps a short way up walls and fences for a “secret garden” type look. It’s actually a relative of the purple Princess Flower tree that we see so often in this area, only with foliage more like Baby’s Tears than the semi-tropical Princess’.

Do you need help selecting plants for a curbside garden like this one? Give me a call today!