Recently I wrote about the story of how I came to be the landscape designer for Allison Mack's wildlife garden. I was as surprised as anyone in the summer of 2012 when my phone rang and on the other end was an internationally known actress and activist who had heard of my ecological garden design business [...]
Invasives and Nuance I've had a long and complicated relationship with Cup Plant (Silphium perfoliatum), and we finally broke up for good this year. The opening photo shows C. perfoliatum's cousin, Compass Plant (Silphium laciniatum). It's Invasive Species Awareness Week, so I thought maybe it's a good time to open up about my experience of [...]
Drone View of a Saratoga Lake Garden Natural Landscaping Photo Shoots in Saratoga Springs, NY This summer past we had the happy occasion to work with Ray Stockwell of Stockwell Media on a natural landscaping photo shoot in Saratoga Springs, NY. The sites photographed were naturally landscaped properties we designed or renovated over the past [...]
Butterfly Garden at the Ballston Spa Church This year we were delighted to be asked to create a butterfly garden in Ballston Spa at a Church: Christ the Savior Orthodox Church on Eastline Rd in Saratoga County. The butterfly garden was designed to accent the lovely roadside sign the church recently had built. This [...]
Blue Mistflower in a Saratoga Springs Garden This year brought many new native plant garden projects, and many return customers who wanted more projects where mature natural gardening projects exist already. Natural landscaping can be addicting like that, once a person experiences how easy and beautiful native plant landscaping is, and how many wonderful [...]
Recently I wrote an article about the link between using Japanese Barberry shrubs in landscaping and an increase in human Lyme disease infection rates in the surrounding neighborhoods. As people in Saratoga Springs, NY are learning about how we the people are collaborating against ourselves in a public health crisis through lazy and shortsighted landscaping [...]
In the region of upstate New York where I live, Lyme disease- an infection of the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria that's spread primarily by deer ticks- has become an epidemic. All the odd controversies aside, there are physical realities about this situation that are not being acknowledged. Primarily the reality that we are a part of [...]
Conservation Bouquet with Invasive Plant Purple Loosestrife A deep appreciation for native plants usually is cultivated in a person's mind or heart once education about invasive plants really sinks in. Once I understood a little bit about how noxious, introduced invasive species can crowd out natural areas and prevent our wildlife [...]
Sky View of New Construction Gardens This year we had the honor of being asked to do the design and installation landscaping for a new home built by the construction company Halfmoon Construction. The new home will be net zero for meeting and exceeding the highest energy efficiency standards. Creating a habitat garden [...]
New Woodland Garden in Saratoga Springs, NY This summer we designed and installed a new woodland garden in Saratoga Springs, NY, in the neighborhood near Saratoga Lake. Shade gardens are one of the easiest places in the property to landscape sustainably, because of the rich and diverse body of available native plants that [...]
Privacy Landscaping in Saratoga Quick, don't think about it just answer: what do you think of your neighbors? Do you secretly cringe when they catch you at the mailbox? Or do you like them enough to comfortably share the neighborhood without overthinking it? I'm asking because "landscaping for privacy" is brought up [...]
Archimandrite Athanasy in the Monastery Gardens This fall I had the delightful opportunity to design and install a new butterfly garden at St. Tikhon's Orthodox Monastery in South Canaan, PA in the yard for Archimandrite Athanasy. Butterfly Garden for St. Anna The monks at the Monastery keep honeybees and sell the [...]
Diane Donato interviews Jesse from Jessecology about native plant gardens in Saratoga Springs, NY.
A Native Plants Walk in Saratoga Springs, NY In Saratoga Springs, NY there's a public access trail right in town where people can walk, run, take their dogs and view some native plants in the wild at the same time. Having access to nature trails in an urban area like this exponentially increases the [...]
On August 9th there will be a Habitat Benefit Garden Tour in Saratoga Springs from 4pm-7pm. The tour is self guided, consisting of ecosystem friendly, sustainable gardens designed by Jessecology. Tickets are $10 and will support the Saratoga Code Blue Shelter. They are available at 2 locations: the help desk of the Healthy Living [...]
Celebrating Earth Day at Healthy Living Market This Thursday, April 24th, join me in celebratation of Earth Day at the Healthy Living Market in Saratoga. I am teaching a class about the benefits of using native plants in our landscaping and gardens, with a slideshow of about 20 of my favorite native plants. Let's celebrate [...]
Over the winter and early spring, we've been updating the website. If you've tried to send an email and haven't recieved a response, please try again. Chances are that I never recieved the email as we've experienced some website construction problems. Happy spring everybody!
Snowy Holiday Gardens The beauty and stillness of the winter holidays is upon us, and though winter solstice is still eight days away we've already had multiple snow storm events, often lasting days on end. The effect of the snow on the outdoors in general and our gardens in particular is just sheer beauty- quiet, [...]
Dear friends,I have so enjoyed the gardens that I've had the pleasure of creating - the habitats they provide, their impact on our local eco-systems, and the humans that I've been able to make happy with their beautiful, healthy new garden living spaces. I love them so much that I knew I needed to share [...]
Love, love love these green garden-related products and services. If you're anything like me, you dream of green while the world is cold and covered in white. This holiday season, why not do as I do and bring the garden into your home? I've curated a list of some of my favorite products, including a shelf-load of books [...]