Welcome to Spring City Pennsylvania the home of farms and town houses. Most townhouses are left with very little space to do anything with. Then, to top that off; these residences are all landscaped (according to builder association codes) with an unappealing four (4) shrub planting, toss in a tad of mulch and “see ya”. When I first saw this place I thought of the Pete Seeger song “little houses” which went something like this:
This residential setting located in Paramus of Bergen County with its dark slate grey exterior, white shutters and a light slate grey paver entrance was screaming for color to make it shine. Using masses of all summer long blooming petunias, splashes of begonias throughout and the bright yellows of marigolds adding interest, the front bed area of the low-growing cypress and the hydrangeas was completely filled in.
It all started when a tree company removed a few trees and some overhanging branches from my client’s yard. The shade from the trees made the area so dark that it became very difficult to grow any kind of grass.
You can take the kid out of work however you cannot take the work out of a Kid. Well what does that mean? In a nutshell, sixty-five hours a week is not unusual for this business owner to put in and maintain throughout the growing seasons. Even when I’m not working I really am.
This small backyard in Teaneck NJ was quite unruly, overgrown, and old when we arrived. The existing plants were planted with no rhyme or reason. None had been properly pruned or trimmed and years, some had dead branches throughout the interior growth, and some were plain dead.
Who says shade gardening can’t be interesting? This HoHoKus residence located in northern New Jersey was just that. The front of this house had sporadic patches of ground covers which weren’t very attractive and numerous areas of bare ground. Many shade and deer resistant plants have been selected so that this install flourishes with time. Some of the material’s selected were, Ilex Steeds, Variegated and other species of boxwoods, leucothoe, and vinca, a great ground cover for dense shade gardening.
Do you like the color blue? Well this client who lives in Ridgewood NJ wanted nothing but blue in the front of his house. He loved the color blue so much he decided he wanted Colorado Blue Spruces planted.
Teach your children. Working in a garden, a child can experience the satisfaction that comes from caring for something over time, while observing the cycle of life firsthand.
So a few weeks ago I was asked by an associate of mine Rebecca Leer if I would be interested in posing for an art class at the Ridgewood Art Institute. Rebecca is a pronounced artist who is one of the best art instructors I know.
These are landscapes specifically designed for “winter color”. One example of a plant that provides winter interest is the Firethorn, Pyracantha, which is an evergreen plant that is easy to grow and provides seasonal interest and berries.
