0
0
Subtotal: $0.00

No products in the cart.

No products in the cart.

Serving Albany, Schenectady & Saratoga County 

0
0
Subtotal: $0.00

No products in the cart.

No products in the cart.

Native Plants

Native Landscaping on Saratoga Lake

Native Landscaping in NY Recently we completed new lakeshore edge native landscaping in NY. The new garden build consisted of a home’s foundation landscape design near the shore of the lake. The house is located very close to the lake. Therefore, it was built with a high foundation to prevent flooding issues. We used New […]

Native Landscaping in NY Read More »

Remove Barberry + replace with native wildflowers for better ecosystem health.

Recently we published 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. People in Saratoga Springs, Albany and Schenectady, NY are learning about this. We humans are collaborating against ourselves in a public health crisis through lazy and shortsighted

Remove Barberry with Native Wildflowers. Read More »

native plants like Little Joe Pye.

Native Plants: What Are They?   What are native plants? How can you differentiate a native species versus an introduced species? What designates a plant as invasive? Can a native plant be invasive? We consider a plant native to a region if it existed there already before the explorers (like Henry Hudson and Christopher Columbus)

Native Plants: What Are They? Read More »

eco-friendly gardens

Eco-friendly Gardens and Edible landscaping in Clifton Park, NY Edible plants can nicely augment eco-friendly gardens. In Clifton Park, NY (which is located in southern Saratoga County), there’s an eco-friendly landscaped property that we’ve used edible gardens and edible plants and herbs generously in the design. The above photo contains a June-bearing Strawberry as groundcover

Eco-friendly Gardens in Clifton Park, NY Read More »

Black Cohosh (Actaea racemosa)

Black Cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa)   Black Cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa, aka Actaea racemosa) is one of the finest native woodland plants. It’s also beloved as a woman’s herb. It graces the shade garden and part sun gardens and woodlands around the US. Black Cohosh has many nicknames, i.e., Bugbane or Black Snakeroot. There is also a

Black Cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa) Read More »

Blue Vervain

Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata) is a beautiful and versatile plant that is native to North America. It is a tall, slender plant with spikes of deep blue flowers that bloom from June to September. The plant can grow up to 4-6 feet in height and has a wide range of uses in traditional medicine, horticulture,

Blue Vervain::Verbena hastata Read More »

Shade gardens Goatsbeard.

Shade Gardens in NY Recently we designed and built new shade gardens in Saratoga Springs, NY. There was a small, disorganized collection of existing shrubs and perennials in one established bed by the patio. This garden was adjacent to a woodland area that we rewilded into relaxed shade gardens. We planted many shade tolerant New

Shade Gardens in NY Read More »

Yellow Trillium luteum in a woodland garden.

Woodland Garden Design Recently we were invited to design and build a new woodland garden in upstate NY.  The picture above shows Yellow Trillium (Trillium luteum) and Woodland Phlox (Phlox divaricata.) Landscape design for shade gardens is really enjoyable because the structure is a lot more malleable than full sunspaces. And the plants! Native woodland

Woodland Garden Design Read More »

Pine tree gardening

Pine Tree Gardening Pine Tree Gardening: A recent rainy Monday found us on a break near a Pine Forest in the Albany Pinebush Nature Preserve. This nature preserve is a 2-minute walk from the garden we were working in; a 10-minute drive from downtown Albany and 20 minutes from Saratoga. This particular wildlife habitat is

Pine Tree Gardening Read More »

Butterfly gardens have butterflies.

Butterfly Gardens in Glenville, NY A year in recent history, our company was invited to design and install new butterfly gardens in Glenville, NY. The new gardens were comprised exclusively of NY native plants. The Swallowtail butterfly photo was taken by the homeowner, Mark. The following photo is from summer 2014. It was taken in

Butterfly Gardens in Glenville, NY Read More »

urban gardens

Urban Gardens A recent year we were contracted to do the design and install for the landscape renovation of an urban garden. The client’s urban location crystalized a wildlife corridor in Saratoga Springs, NY through the positioning of several dozen individual local properties with eco-savvy landscape design. This habitat renewal space is located in front

Urban Gardens in Saratoga Springs, NY Read More »

wildlife corridor fodder

Wildlife Corridor Gardens Wildlife Corridor Gardens We were invited to complete a landscape renovation in Saratoga Springs, NY. The project was a design/build urban habitat garden. It is part of an unofficially connected patchwork quilt shaped wildlife corridor in the region of Saratoga and Albany Counties. Migrating birds and butterflies will find this region more

Wildlife Corridor Gardens Read More »

Indicator Species: an ecology lesson. The ecology concept of indicator plant species is one that deserves to be better known. These are plants that exist only if certain environmental conditions are met. This is an Ecology principle, and one that expands the reaches of the physical world’s atmosphere for the person who comprehends it. Understanding

Indicator Species: an ecology lesson. Read More »

Shade garden in Clifton Park

Shade Garden in Clifton Park, NY In Clifton Park, NY a legacy shade garden shines. Saratoga County folks (also Albany, Schenectady, Niskayuna folks) are often puzzled by the shady parts of their property. They may want a garden but think non-native Hosta and Astilbe are the only options for a shaded space. Our world’s forests,

Shade Garden in Clifton Park, NY Read More »

Giant Ironweed (Vernonia gigantea)

Giant Ironweed (Vernonia gigantea) is a gorgeous New York state native species plant that’s listed as endangered and rare in NYS. It is notably difficult to find for sale, even at specialty native plant nurseries. NY Ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis) is another native Ironweed species that’s easier to locate for purchase at nurseries. Both Giant Ironweed

Giant Ironweed (Vernonia gigantea), A Rare Beauty Read More »

wildlife garden build

Wildlife Garden Build in Clifton Park, NY. We were honored to be asked to design and install a wildlife garden system at a townhouse in Clifton Park, NY. The existing gardens were uninspired and expired. The townhouse was surrounded by such a beautiful wetland forest that the renovation was exciting to work on. The wildlife

Wildlife Garden Build in Clifton Park, NY Read More »

Edible gardening in Saratoga

Edible Gardens in Saratoga Springs, NY. These days many people want to grow their own organic food and have edible gardens at home. The photo here shows some Saratoga Springs, NY edible gardens projects in raised beds. It is always a good idea to plant native plants near vegetable gardens to attract pollinators. Native flowering

Edible Gardens in Saratoga Springs, NY Read More »

rain gardens

Rain Gardens in NY This past week found us planting a series of Rain Gardens in NY by a lake. These rain gardens were composed entirely of native plants. Pictured here is the shade garden. Species include Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), Heart Leafed Aster (Symphyotrichum cordifolium), Wild Ginger (Asarum canadensis), Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica),

Rain Gardens in NY Read More »

Cardinal Lobelia for Hummingbird Garden: DIY

Hummingbird Garden DIY: How To Creating hummingbird habitat in our gardens is easy and necessary for the species’ survival. Hummingbird Garden DIY is possible with a few learned principles. Properties that have rich biodiversity have many different native plant species. This includes native trees, shrubs, perennials and native grasses and sedges. Hummingbirds need nectar and

Hummingbird Garden DIY: How To Read More »

winter seed sowing project

In the northeast, winter’s dreary cold can almost make us forget the glorious spectacle and fun of summer. A close connection to the land and growing things starts to feel like a distant memory, but many gardeners and nature lovers overcome this by engaging in winter seed sowing projects. There are several styles of winter

Winter Seed Sowing Projects Read More »