Black Cohosh plant (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 […]
Black Cohosh plant (Cimicifuga racemosa) Read More »
Native Fruit Trees in New York. Planting native fruit trees is one of the best parts of this work. Shown in the photo is a line of Red Chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia) trees we planted for an upstate New York homeowner. Straightaway, the fruit tree site location is a half mile from a major wildlife
Native Fruit Trees in New York Read More »
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. For that reason, many shade tolerant
Shade Gardens in NY Read More »
Growing organic produce at home is fun and easy. The benefits of eating organic vegetables are immeasurable. In turn, it makes sense that more and more people are interested in eating healthy and having a direct hand in the food’s growing process. Trucking to the farmer’s market each week can be taxing on many folks’
Organic produce and edible gardens the easy way. Read More »
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.) One reason landscape design for shade gardens is enjoyable is the malleability of structure compared to full sunspaces. And the plants! Certainly, native woodland
Woodland Garden Design Read More »
Raised Bed Success Story Raised bed gardens are a wonderful choice for new organic vegetable production. Checking up on a property recently, we were delighted to see the Little Acre raised beds teeming with life, vitality and organic produce. We filled the boxes with high quality organic soil, compost and organic vegetable seedlings. The results
Raised bed success story. Read More »
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 a sister site
Pine Tree Gardening Read More »
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 »
Natural History In 2012 the Glens Falls Business Journal printed a story about the Jessecology Eco-Landscaping company. It was to celebrate the paper’s special environmental edition. The legacy story did justice explaining the ecological advantages of native plant landscaping and organic garden design. The natural history of a region can be understood when large blocks
What are 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
What are Indicator Species? Read More »
Shade Garden in Clifton Park, NY In Clifton Park, NY a legacy shade garden shines. Homeowners and property managers 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. Undeniably, the world’s forests, loaded with beautiful
Shade Garden in Clifton Park, NY Read More »
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 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. Basically, the existing gardens were uninspired and expired. Presently the townhouse is surrounded by such a beautiful wetland forest, the renovation was exciting to complete. The wildlife
Wildlife Garden Build in Clifton Park, NY Read More »
Wildflower Weddings Presently, in recent years people have been re-evaluating their values and priorities. Many, many homeowners and land managers are currently investing in sustainability for their landscaping plans. While this can sometimes mean a larger investment upfront of organic material and skilled expert contractors, inevitably the low maintenance routines later will save time and
Wildflower Weddings Read More »
Rain Gardens in NY Rain Gardens in NY: A Natural Solution for Stormwater Management. Presently, we planted a series of rain gardens in New York by a beautiful lake. Each rain garden, composed entirely of native plants, is designed to blend functionality with beauty. For example, the shade garden, pictured below, features a variety of
Rain Gardens in NY Read More »
Container Vegetable Garden DIY: How To. Container vegetable garden DIY is easy and fun. Our team created an edible garden in containers. It is teeming with life force, vitality and fecundity. We planted everything in mid to late May. We’ve been disciplined about watering when there’s no rain. The highest quality organic soil available was
Container Vegetable Garden DIY: How To Read More »
Why Seed Sow Wildflowers? Certainly, for hope. 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. As a result, many gardeners and nature lovers overcome this by engaging in winter
Winter Seed Sowing Projects Read More »
Schenectady, NY Butterfly Garden in a nature preserve. A dream came true spring 2017 when we designed and managed the installation of a butterfly garden in a Schenectady, NY nature preserve. This week saw the much anticipated butterfly garden installation at the Woodlawn Nature Preserve in Schenectady, NY. The Friends of the Woodlawn Preserve contacted
Schenectady, NY Butterfly Garden in a nature preserve Read More »
Small Business Love Legacy Post. Small business love. We found a local artist one summer who painted a beautiful sign for us to bring to our garden project locations. It gives a bit more of a sanctioned feel to the work. It sits beautifully in a big flowerpot filled with boulders. The artist’s name was
Small Business Love Read More »
Sustainable landscaping for new construction. Certainly, we were delighted in 2014 when a longtime landscaping dream finally came to fruition for the first time. Because we were hired that year for our first of many new construction landscape design/build projects. At this time, the construction site was in beautiful southern Saratoga County. The homes are
Sustainable Landscaping for New Construction Read More »