Before + After Photos Before and after photos reveal how a garden grows into itself. They hint at transformation, momentum, and possibility. In native landscaping, though, those images work best when they’re read as part of a longer story. The first year after installation can be especially pleasant to watch, particularly in gardens with clay […]
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Ocean Shore Stabilization, Restoration, and Ocean Ecology. Ocean shorelines are living edges, basically not static property lines. In healthy ocean ecology, beaches, dunes, salt marshes, tidal wetlands, oyster reefs, seagrass beds, and coastal shrublands generally work together to absorb wave energy, hold sediment, filter runoff, store carbon, and provide nursery habitat for fish, birds, shellfish,
Edible Food Forest Gardens: Permanent Native Agriculture that Feeds People and Wildlife. At Jessecology, we’ve been building Edible Food Forest Gardens for over 15 years. These gardens nourish both humans, the wildlife and the neighborhood’s ecosystem. Food Forests mimic the layers of a natural forest. They feature fruit trees, berrying shrubs, herbs, vegetables, and beneficial
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Grow Slow, Grow Strong Grow Slow Grow Strong. Healthy landscapes are not rushed. They are built through time, restraint, and an understanding of how plants actually grow. In native gardens, success is rarely immediate. Instead, it unfolds gradually. When we allow that process to happen, gardens reveal a simple truth: grow slow, grow strong. During
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Rewilding is a wonderful and relaxed form of land management that anyone with plant literacy and land can practice. Essentially it boils down to removing any invasive plants and letting the natural seed bank express itself. Rewilding is not like formal garden development. A new garden bed is not created, and soil amending isn’t
2024 Design-Build Project Review: Albany Pinebush Meadow Landscaping Transformation At Jessecology, every project is unique and precious, but the pièce de résistance for 2024 design-build project is unparalleled. Our homeowners entrusted us to transform their entire ~1/2 acre property into a breathtaking Albany Pinebush-style meadow. Located nearby the Pinebush park, their home is technically within
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Corporate pollinator garden projects. Corporate Pollinator Garden Projects: Renewing the Local Ecosystem while Saving Money on Maintenance Costs. In general, corporate habitat garden projects are one of the most effective ways for a business to create visible, lasting good. When a company chooses to replace turfgrass with organic native wildflowers, the results ripple outward. A
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Best Peony Care: Be Brave. Cut Them Back After Blooming. At Jessecology, we don’t plant Peonies. Our focus is on native species that support pollinators, birds, and local ecosystems. But many of our clients already have Peonies, and we’re happy to design beautiful native gardens around them. One of the best things you can do
Chop and Drop Mulching for Biodiversity and Soil Health What if one of the best mulches for your garden was already growing there? Chop and Drop Mulching for Biodiversity. “Chop and drop” is a simple gardening technique where stems, leaves, and other plant material are cut down and left on the soil surface rather than
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From Roots to Radiance From Roots to Radiance: Story of a Native Garden in Development. Every lasting garden begins underground. Long before flowers catch the eye or grasses sway in the breeze, a native landscape is quietly establishing itself below the soil surface. Understanding this hidden phase helps homeowners appreciate the full journey of a
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Gardening 101: How to begin gardening with native plants. We know—gardening with native plants is exciting, but it makes some people nervous for some reason. If you’ve ever found yourself staring at your new garden and thinking, “Wait… is everything okay out there?”—you’re not alone. Let’s walk through some of the most common concerns we
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Caring for large gardens is quite a different fête from caring for small gardens. The maintenance routine required to keep a small native garden thriving is often quite manageable. Weeding monthly is usually a breeze after plants are established. It’s fairly common knowledge by now that using native plants returns a low maintenance garden
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Free Audiobooks in NYS: A Gift for Your Curious Mind PSA: Free Audiobooks in NYS. Did you know that free audiobooks in NYS are available to every resident? If you live in New York State, you automatically qualify for a free library card from both the Brooklyn Public Library and the New York Public Library.
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Right Plant, Right Place. “Right Plant, Right Place” is a simple phrase that carries so much ecological wisdom. It describes the foundation of good garden design and the difference then between landscapes that struggle and landscapes that thrive. When plants are matched to the conditions they evolved in, gardens cooperate with nature instead of fighting
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No Mow May Is Missing the Point. Every spring, social media fills with reminders to participate in No Mow May. The idea is simple: stop mowing your lawn for a month and allow flowers to bloom for pollinators. No Mow May Misses the Point. While the movement has succeeded in raising awareness about pollinator declines,
Railroad Ecosystems: The Hidden Conservation Corridors Across the Landscape. When most people think of railroads, they soon think of transportation. Ecologists, however, generally recognize the importance of railroad ecosystems and railroad corridors as valuable components of the natural landscape. As development fragments forests, grasslands, and wetlands into smaller patches, wildlife generally faces growing challenges. Many
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Urban Heat Islands: Why Cities Are Getting Hotter and How Native Plants Can Help. If you’ve ever walked across a blacktop parking lot on a summer afternoon and then stepped into a shaded natural area, you’ve experienced the urban heat island effect firsthand. Urban heat islands are basically one of the fastest-growing environmental challenges facing
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Forest Succession: How a Forest Builds Itself Over Time. Forest succession is generally the ecological process that describes how a forest establishes, develops, and matures after disturbance. Whether the land has been cleared, burned, or simply left open, plant communities do not appear randomly. They arrive in a sequence. Each group basically prepares the way
Patience Makes Gardens In a culture that expects instant results, gardens quietly teach a rather different lesson. Healthy landscapes are not rushed. They are grown according to natural timing. When working with native plants, patience is not a nice idea. Patience makes gardens. Patience Makes Gardens: An Urban Pollinator Oasis Edition. Basically, the first year
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Pollinator Gardens in Albany, NY To be sure, in the past few years, many customers have reached out requesting pollinator gardens in Albany, NY. We love it! Native plants are exactly what we need for urban habitat restoration. Many of our clients live in the neighborhoods surrounding SUNY Albany or the College at Saint Rose.
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