Growth Takes Time Growth Takes Time In gardens and in life, growth rarely happens on our preferred timeline. We live in a culture that rewards speed, efficiency, and visible results. However, real growth follows a slower, quieter rhythm. It asks for patience, trust, and a willingness to stay present. Quiet Beginnings. In a native garden, […]
Plein Air Painting: Returning to the Garden. Plein air painting is basically the practice of creating art outdoors, directly within the landscape. It is not simply a technique, but a posture toward the world. To paint outside is to accept nature specifically as the primary teacher and collaborator. Nature has in general always been the
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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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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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Bird Gardens: Creating Safe Habitat for Our Songbird Neighbors. Bird gardens for the eco-win. If you want more birds in your yard, the recipe is simpler than most people think. Basically, it starts with habitat structure. Birds don’t feel safe in wide-open lawns or landscapes that are mostly lawn or mulch and annuals. They feel
Preparing Your Garden for Winter the Eco-Friendly Way. As autumn settles in, many homeowners feel pressure to tidy up every inch of their yards — raking leaves, running blowers, cutting down stems, and striving for that “perfectly neat” look. But here’s the truth: less fall cleanup is better for your garden, your soil, and your
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Urban Wildlife Gardens: Restoring Nature in the City Urban wildlife gardens are transforming cities into vibrant, living habitats. As more green space is paved over, small efforts to rewild with native plants can make a huge difference—for pollinators, birds, and humans too. When you plant a native garden in an urban setting, you’re not just
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Wildlife Corridor Gardens Wildlife corridor gardens are certainly one of the most powerful tools we have to repair habitat and protect biodiversity. Straightaway, they exist right on our own properties. Without question, these gardens are intentionally planted green spaces that connect fragmented natural areas. Concurrently they allow migrating songbirds, pollinators, and other wildlife to safely
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How to Create an Indoor Herb Garden for Year-Round Freshness Indoor herb gardens are a wonderful way to source fresh, organic ingredients into your kitchen all year. Whether you’re an experienced gardener or just starting out, creating an indoor herb garden is easy and rewarding. Additionally, it’s a great step towards sustainability by reducing food
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Monarch Butterfly Garden Creating the Perfect Monarch Butterfly Garden: Beyond Milkweed Monarch butterflies are one of the most beloved pollinators in our gardens. Of course, they are famous for their epic migration and striking orange and black color schema. To support these beautiful creatures, many people plant Milkweed (Asclepias sp.), which is the essential larval
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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
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Garden Stewardship. The Key to Eco-Garden Success: Good Garden Stewardship Practices. The first 3 years are everything. Creating an eco-garden filled with native plants is an essential step toward restoring biodiversity and supporting local ecosystems. However, successful native species landscaping projects do not end at installation. Rather, intentional and skilled stewardship is the key to
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Urban Gardening: Transforming City Spaces with Native Plants Urban gardening is more than just a trend—it’s a movement that’s transforming concrete jungles into vibrant green spaces. For city dwellers with limited access to nature, creating an urban garden offers a unique opportunity to connect with the environment, promote biodiversity, and improve well-being. What’s so special
Organic Garden Lifestyle The Beauty and Benefits of Organic Gardens. In the hustle + bustle of modern life, there’s an ever-growing yearning to reconnect with nature. Finding solace in the simplicity of greenery and soil at home is the new frontier. Enter the organic garden – a sanctuary where sustainability meets beauty. The act of
Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) Poison Ivy: A Misunderstood Native Plant with Hidden Benefits Toxicodendron radicans is often much hated by humans, known for causing rashes and swelling. However, it offers surprising ecological benefits. This native species plays a vital role in New York’s ecosystems, benefiting both wildlife and the soil. For many songbirds, Poison Ivy’s
Tick Prevention for Yard. Tick Prevention for Yard: 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
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Natural Tick Repellent. Making your own natural tick repellent 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
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Landscaping for Privacy Basically, if you’re lucky, you’ll have awesome neighbors. People who live right near you that you can share space and joy with are a blessing from God. Neighborhood barbecues and tea shared on the porch with people you actually like are amazing gifts. It’s not always that way. Additionally, even folks who
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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
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
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