Newest project

Sneak peak of a current project. This space was not usable and the steep incline made for some dangerous terrain. So we created a design using hardscaping and plantings to transform the once unusable yard into a beautiful and functional space. 

Easter Lilies

Choosing an Easter Lily

We’re all tempted to buy plants that are already in full bloom, but immediate gratification won’t translate into long term enjoyment. Here are some tips for choosing lily plants that will last through the holiday season and beyond:

• Choose a plant with flowers and buds in various stages of development, preferably from tight bud to partially opened flower.
• Make sure the foliage is dense, extends all the way down the stem to the soil line and has a uniform rich, healthy, green color.
• Check the plant for signs of insects (eggs, webbing, actual bugs, chewed leaves) and disease (dark spots, crinkling, wilting).
• Select a plant that is about two-times as tall as the pot. A plant that has outgrown its pot will be stressed.

   

Easter Lily Care in the House

Keep your Easter Lilies blooming by taking a few easy precautions.

• All lilies are extremely toxic to cats and can cause kidney failure. Don't bring lilies into a home with cats.
• Display your plant in bright, but indirect sunlight.
• Protect your Easter Lily from drafts and heat sources, such as fireplaces, heaters and appliances.
• Remove the yellow anthers from the flower centers. This helps prolong the life of the blossoms and prevents the pollen on the anthers from staining the flowers, your hands, clothing, tablecloths, rugs and anything else it can find its way to.
• Cool daytime temperatures in the 60 - 65 degree F. range will prolong the life of the blooms. The temperature can be even cooler at night. 
• Water the your Easter Lily only when the soil becomes dry to the touch and don’t leave it dry for an extended period of time.
• If the lily's pot is in a decorative foil wrapper, be sure water is not accumulating under the pot. More plants die from over watering than under watering. 
• Remove flowers has they fade and wither.

Transplanting and Re-Blooming Easter Lilies

It may be possible to plant your Easter Lily outdoors and have it bloom again for you, next season. The success rate will vary, as with all florist plants that have been forced into bloom. But it is possible and what have you got to loose?

• Wait until all the flowers have withered and been removed from the plant. Keep the plant watered and in indirect sunlight until it is ready to go outside. 
• Wait until all danger of frost has passed and find a sunny, well draining spot in your garden.
• Amend the soil with some organic matter, if needed. Soil pH should be a neutral 6.5 to 7.0. 
• Plant the Easter Lily bulb to the same depth it was in the pot.
• Add an additional 2-inch layer of organic mulch. Lilies like sunshine, but cool soil. 
• The original leaves and stem will start to brown. When this begins to happen, cut the plant down to a healthy, green leaf. New growth should soon emerge from the base of the plant. Let the plant grow foliage the first year. 
• The new growth will turn yellow in the fall and the lily plant can then be cut back to soil level. 
• Top dress the soil with bulb fertilizer or blood meal. Work into surrounding soil, making sure not to disturb the lilies roots. 
• Apply a few more inches of mulch to insulate the plant through the winter.
• Remove the mulch as the weather warms in the spring.
• Begin applying a balanced fertilizer as soon as new growth appears and monthly until the lily blooms.
• Be patient. It may take a couple of year's for your plant to build up enough resources to set flower buds. Easter Lilies naturally bloom in June/July, so don't look for flowers next Easter. 
• If you've come this far successfully, keep your lily well watered the first year as it establishes itself and then treat it as you would any other lily.

Walkway installation

Recently we were able to add a new walkway to the front do a customers house. Great hardscaping can add both beauty and function to your space. 

Daffodils are in bloom

Sunny, yellow daffodils are a wonderful sign that spring has arrived! Plant the bulbs in the fall and they will bloom in late winter or early spring. Daffodils are hardy and easy perennials to grow in most areas in North America, except Southern Florida.

Their attractive flowers usually bear showy yellow or white flowers with six petals and a trumpet-shape central corona. Leafless stems bear between 1 and 20 flowers; sometimes the flowers need to be staked so that they don't weigh down the stems.

Daffodils are suitable for planting between shrubs or in a border, or for forcing blooms indoors. They also look wonderful in a woodland garden and in large groves. You'll find that many gardeners plant the bulbs not just by the dozens but by the hundreds! Their flowers are excellent for cutting.

Red Maple in spring

The Red Maple is blooming with beautiful red buds. Spring is here!