Wildflower Yards. Creating a wildflower yard is an act of conservation, artistry, experimentation and possibly even performance art in higher visibility sites. People do love to watch a new native garden develop. Butterflies, songbirds, bumblebees, dragonflies, hummingbirds and mammals will also keep an eye on your new low maintenance centerpiece. There’s a learning curve for […]
Apple Picking in Upstate NY: Top 5 Places to Visit. Top 5 Apple Picking Farms to Visit. 1. Your own backyard. Seriously, why not? Plant some apple trees today and soon you’ll never need to leave home for apple picking. You can do the planting yourself or hire a professional. 2. Saratoga Apple. Located in
Apple Picking in Upstate NY Read More »
The act of restoring wetlands is one that invests in a healthy future legacy for the region’s ecosystem. Wetland restoration is simple at heart. Much like the rewilding motif of garden design, invasive species are removed and natives are added or supported. Wetlands ecosystem function is similar to the kidneys in a mammal’s body.
Wetland Restoration Read More »
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
In Saratoga Springs, NY there is a network tapestry of beautiful native plant gardens. Our company has worked with hundreds of unique design/build projects over the past 15 years in the Albany, Saratoga Springs + Niskayuna/Altamont region. The Saratoga Racetrack Gardens are some of the most beautiful, functional and eco-productive that we have ever
Saratoga Racetrack Gardens Read More »
Ecology Education. There’s a lot of noise in our world right now. Lots of distraction, not a lot of signal. It can be extremely easy for people to be swept up in dramas and agendas that have nothing to do with their actual reality or what they’re capable of producing. Unwrapping the buried treasure in
Low Maintenance Modern Front Yard Landscaping Low maintenance modern front yard landscaping has become a pioneering trend in recent years. People have learned that landscaping doesn’t need to be high maintenance and involve chemicals at all. The earth wants to express beauty. Steering it is possible if you hire professionals who have land literacy. The
Low Maintenance Modern Front Yard Landscaping Read More »
You have your gorgeous native plant landscaping system all designed, built and on its way to mature establishment. What happens now? Garden art projects. Now the exciting times really begin! “Garden art” is a vast category of creations, with a likely-to-be endless scope. Many of the plants and weeds in your garden are possibly edible.
Garden Art Projects Read More »
Making your own natural bug spray to use during gardening is extremely easy. It’s inexpensive too. You have the choice of different essential oil brands, some of them are more or less pricey. If your plan for using your blend mostly involves spraying your clothing and shoes before gardening, do you really need more
Continued from Parts 1 + 2. On a hillside in the SUNY Albany neighborhood, our team planned and executed a major transformation and restoration project. This urban garden was devastated by invasive weed infestations. Attention to soil health and quality was the key to the project’s success. After we removed all the invasive plant
Weeds: Interpretation Read More »
Invasives + Kindness. (continued). This year we’re beginning a deep exploration into healthy land restoration after invasives have devastated a site. The problem is real and gross. For example, in Saratoga Springs, NY the beautiful public park on High Rock Rd is haunted by invasive Japanese Knotweed. Behind the park to the west side, there’s
Invasives + Kindness Read More »
We’ve begun an exploration series discovering a deeper connection and enjoyment of organic garden systems. Our company has worked with hundreds of local families through the years to do rewilding work, integrating native plants into the tapestry of their land. Creating a functional and biodiverse microclimate right at home. Folks have begun investing in
How Do You Make Coldbrew Tea? Read More »
Welcome to the Factory Village Botanical Garden! A currently unsanctioned Level 1 Arboretum space in the heart of Ballston Spa’s exurbia. The Factory Village Botanical Garden is the headquarters of Ballston Spa, NY eco-landscaping company, Jessecology. The wildflower farm is located at the edge of the Colonial Hills neighborhood and features large demonstration botanical
Factory Village Botanical Garden Read More »
In the northeastern US, having a butterfly garden is one of the finest life experiences possible. We need more open spaces where sun-loving butterflies can make their living. Forests cover much of the northeast. Butterflies prefer open meadows and gardens where they can sunbathe. Some people like to research how to build their own butterfly
Butterflies + Gardens Read More »
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
Weeding Large Gardens Read More »
People’s reasons for organic gardening are varied. Some folks love animals and want to protect our wildlife by not using harmful chemicals. Others may have health problems they’re trying to ameliorate by living a chemical free lifestyle. Organic gardening may be seen as an outdoors extension of their clean life. Organic edible gardens gain
Reduce Tick Exposure Naturally: 8 Steps. There is nothing quite like time spent enjoying the outdoors. Exhilarating. But many of us in the northeast have one nagging fear about time in nature and that is, “how do we reduce our tick exposure? Preferably to zero?” After almost 2 decades of organic landscaping, this is something
Reduce Tick Exposure Naturally: 8 Steps. Read More »
Hügelkultur Gardens Hügelkultur garden beds are a German restorative agriculture technique that any homeowner with some extra tree branches and a bit of space can construct. There are many benefits to using this permaculture style of land management. Sinking carbon that may otherwise be considered a waste product is one environmental win. Creating a rich,
Hügelkultur Gardens Read More »
DIY Planting Native Plants. Every year our company receives more and more, and more requests for design plans for DIY planting native plants gardens. The excitement for the growing environmental movement is thrilling. We love all the energy and effort towards healing our ecosystem and eco-renewal! And we’d love to respond to all the new
DIY Planting Native Plants Read More »
Naturalistic Planting. The internationally renowned landscape designer and plantsman Piet Oudolf has popularized a new design style known as naturalistic planting. And so, in the NYC Highline Garden and all the worldwide Botanical Gardens Mr. Oudolf has designed, you can see this theme of beautiful, organized chaos. Natural beauty is celebrated in all its wildness
Naturalistic Planting Read More »