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Wake Up to Pink Dawn and Birdsong with this Five Star Shrub
Opening my kitchen curtains this January morning, I see pink florets bubbling from little branch tips. Then, a flash of ruby face and green wings as the resident Anna’s hummingbird zooms in to land on his customary perch. At the sound of a thousand tiny twitters, I look again to see sprightly … more
Three Natives to Add Sparkle to Your Winter Garden
Aren’t we the luckiest living in the mild, green Pacific Northwest? With four distinct seasons, but none so extreme that we have to hide indoors, our gardens can (and should) engage us year round. I hear you that winter looks the bleakest. Let’s keep the interest (no cabin fever, friends!) with the … more
Sheet Mulching is like a Band-Aid Over an Infection – Your Step by Step Guide to Fail-Proof Soil Prep
If you’ve dipped at all into permaculture, you’ve heard of sheet mulching. A technique for prepping weedy ground for planting, sheet mulching uses layers of cardboard, leaves and other organic debris. The promise is that weeds will be killed while enriching the soil with organic matter. There’s some truth to this promise, … more
Raise Your Garden as You Raise Your Children – Landscaping with Respect for the Nature of Your Site
Say you had a kid with an aptitude for math that loved making art and inventing contraptions. You tried tossing the football with him, but it wasn’t as fun you wanted it to be. You were pushing him to be into it, but the interest just wasn’t there. Perhaps you had dreams … more
On the Job with Aaron: Stepping Stone Paths
My favorite paths are built of flagstone, and they’re usually built by this guy: master of his craft. Assisting recently, I was reminded of our son Alder’s vision therapy exercises with parquetry blocks. He flexed the muscle in his brain that stone masons like his dad use every day. Aaron can flip … more
Goodbye Lawn, Hello Blooms and Birds and Free Time
“Look! Look! Look at THAT!” “Ahhh! Sooo gorgeous…” This sounds like an exchange you might have while on vacation visiting an exotic place with giant hibiscus in bloom, or hiking in a pristine wilderness where golden eagles soar. But what if this experience of awe greeted you whenever you pulled into your … more
Move Right Out, Your Garden Awaits You
Your garden wasn’t finished when I came by to chat about outdoor furniture and found you sitting outside, coffee in hand and laptop open. Amidst the newly planted shrubs and mess of the gas line trench, you were right at home, living as comfortably outside as in. Up on Morning View Drive, … more
So You Think You Want to Hire a Landscaper
When filling out bureaucratic forms with little boxes, I struggle to fit the truth of what I do into the small box labelled “occupation”. Often I’m able to at least write “landscape designer / contractor”, which feels like a near fit. But if the box is too little, I’m forced to merely … more
Well-Clothed Landscapes for Low Maintenance Beauty
Picture your friend on a golden beach in her sporty little bikini. Nice, right? Attractive even! Now put that same good friend in your front yard in mild Oregon wearing the same spare outfit. Do you rush out to offer her a sweater, jeans, socks and boots? Of course you do. You’re … more
Open Your Doors
It’s our goal to design and build landscapes that invite you to open your doors to Nature’s beauty. What happens when you open your doors? In the words of William Blake, “If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is, infinite. For man has closed himself … more
