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,
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
Regenerative Landscaping Regenerative LandscapingHumans have a regenerative gear. We just need to use it. Most modern interactions with the land are quietly degrading. People mow, spray, strip, compact, bulldoze, and remove organic matter. Good intentions don’t annul the harm and fragmentation that results. Over time, the soil becomes depleted, water runs off instead of soaking
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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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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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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,
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
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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Before, During, After: The Transformation of a Native Plant Garden Before During After. Every native plant garden begins with a view that appears a little underwhelming. The before stage is often bare, compacted, and unimpressive. Turf grass, invasive plants, or tired soil dominate the space. To the untrained eye, it can feel like nothing beautiful
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Early Blooming Natives. Most of the flowering native plants that grow in eastern US butterfly gardens and pollinator gardens trend towards late season blooming. The timing aligns locally perfectly with the Saratoga annual racetrack season. The horses race from July through September. And that’s exactly when area native gardens in sunny spaces are blowing up
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Climate-resilient corporate landscaping. Climate resilient corporate landscaping is a lot more than an exterior upgrade or capital gains. (Although those tangible gains are very welcome in most campuses.) After that, a strategic investment in the health of your property, your people, and the entire region can be realized. When a corporate campus chooses native plants,
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Protecting Plants from Deer. Independent expertise exists because of your support. Affiliate links help our small business at no extra cost to you. The Mild Winter Affect. Altogether the mild winter this year gave way to an exploding mammal population in spring. Undoubtedly there are more chipmunks, squirrels, rabbits, woodchucks, skunks and deer than
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Sugar Maple Tree Sugar maple trees (Acer saccharum) are iconic North American trees known for their stunning fall foliage and sap used to produce maple syrup. Here are some key details about sugar maple trees: Sugar Maple Characteristics Size and Growth: Sugar maples can grow to heights of 60-75 feet, with some reaching up to
Corporate Habitat Garden Projects. Corporate Habitat Garden Projects: Renewing the Local Ecosystem while Saving Money on Maintenance Costs. 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 pollinator garden,
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