Before & After: Windsor Terrace

It's time for another 'before & after' post from one of our awesome gardens from last summer. We are getting pumped about the coming season and looking at our past projects instead of thinking about the cold is way more fun. 

(Cold? What cold? Sorry, I'm still in sunny Mexico but I heard it's pretty freezing back home. Sorry guys, don't mean to rub it in.. :D )

Anyway, this is a wonderful backyard garden we did in Windsor Terrace. 

BEFORE

The yard had preexisting turf lawn and a stone-walled back and side perimeter bed laid out. 

AFTER

We added Ilex Sky Pencils along the back fence. These keep their color year round and sport nice purple berries in the fall. They will grown to 6-8 ft tall! 

Along the sides, we added some Hydrangeas which will grow huge with big beautiful snowball looking blooms. Can't wait to see how big they are later this year!

Flowering perennials were selected in purples, yellow, and white which will bloom from May through October. 

The wall is a nice feature in the yard and we wanted to accent it by having plants that will creep over the sides.

Look at that yarrow shine!

All of these perennials are loved by pollinators! That purple Agastache blooms so late into the season giving bees food when there is little else around in bloom.

Here's one now!

Our "Before and After"s are usually photos from right after we plant. Plants are just in their infancy when they are first planted. They will grow so much and fill out the yard. I can't wait to go back this season and get some real "After" photos to see how much everything has grown. 

Before and After: Cobble Hill Backyard

This backyard project was our last major install of 2015. We had to do a huge removal of the existing jungle of invasive vines, weeds and other debris. We uncovered things we didn't know existed going into it, including a huge rock wall along the back of the yard. We turned our find into something awesome by building a custom cedar planter on top. 

There was an existing patio area which was cleared, dug up, and redone. A sod lawn was added to the center area for a play area. We reused as much of the existing bluestone material and healthy perennials and shrubs as we could. Many new perennials and shrubs were added. The resulting yard was beautiful! We can't wait to see how much everything grows in next season!

BEFORE  

Original bluestone layout

Creeping invasive vines covered all of the fences, trees near the fences, and up a telephone wire.

We uncovered an awesome Curly Willow tree under all the vines to the right in the photo. Now that the vines aren't stealing all it's sun it can flourish!

Under the back wall of weeds and vines, we found an unexpected 3 foot tall rock wall and a huge stump from a tree that had been cut down.

There were some existing plants in the yard that we kept and moved around, such as the three Nandina shrubs in the bottom left of this photo. 

DURING

Weeds and vines removed! Our blank slate

Sawzall action

Stump removal!

The start of the patio! We had to move all of the existing stone(not an easy feat), and then level the area.

After layers of sand and aggregate were laid and leveled, we could bring back the bluestone.

Fitting the puzzle together

After everything was fit together and leveled out, we filled the cracks with a permeable yet strong aggregate. 

Once the aggregate is wet it hardens into place. No need to constantly sweep away pebbles or sand. 

After laying the sod, the yard started to actually look like a yard again. Check out our other blog post about laying sod. 

This is the custom cedar planter built right onto the rock wall.

AFTER

Everything planted and cleaned up! Everything is in it's infancy at planting. 

The Andromeda shrubs along the fence are evergreen and will grow much bigger. It also has beautiful flowers in the springtime. 

The perennials will grow larger and spread more each year. There are long blooming plants so there will be flowers all season. The foxglove was still flowering when we planted it in October.

Colin and Dana admiring all of our hard work.

The anemones were blooming when we came back in November!

Top 5 Fall Blooms- That Aren't Mums

We all know fall is here because everywhere we go they are selling mums. Mums are the true sign of the season, no? Well, we feel that mayyyybbeee mums are a bit over done. They are also annuals, which means after they sit on your stoop for a couple months you throw them away (or compost them. Please, compost them!). And then you buy them again next year and you throw them away and so on and so no.

We would like to help you break this cycle. Here are our top 5 fall blooming perennials:

Goldenrod

Solidago rugosa

Solidago is a great fall perennial because it has that warm fall color. This one is a true fall bloomer. It starts in blooming in September and stays yellow into October.

Stonecrop

Sedum "Autumn Joy"

So many perennial look pretty tired by this time of year. We just stopped in at client’s garden this week to find this perennial perky and in full bloom.

Amsonia Blue Star

Amsonia hubrichtii

Amsonia is a great multi-season perennial. In the spring, it gets little blue star flowers. During the summer, its leaves, which are narrow and needle shaped, go all the way up the stem and the plant looks great as is. But! In the fall is when Amsonia really shines. By late September, the foliage starts turning golden yellow to orange. It pops in any garden.

Russian Sage

Perovskia atriplicifolia

A little contrast to the warm autumn colors, Russian sage provides nice airy blue flowers atop silvery foliage. It’s super tough and smells great too!

Sneezeweed

Helenium autumnale

Sneezeweed is a cute daisy-like flower with a fuzzy looking center. This one blooms from late summer into October (sometimes until first frost).

Top 5 Super Tough Perennials

Want to get into gardening but the few plants you've ever had have all died? 

We get it, you're busy or forgetful or you like to travel and you just aren't around. 

Whatever reason you have, you just can't manage to keep your plants from croaking. 

Well you are in luck! There are super tough plants out there that you could put in the ground and almost forget about completely.

Here is a list of our top five hardy perennials:

Baptisia, False Indigo

Baptisia is a beautiful, tall plant with lupine-like flowers. It's drought resistant and does well in the sun or part shade. It blooms in late spring and summer. In the fall the foliage turns silvery-gray. It's also loved by the birds and the bees.

Nepeta, Catmint

Nepeta is a very easy growing plant. It has a sprawling growth habit, so if all your other plants died, don't worry this guy will fill in. It has aromatic foliage and little lavender flowers. The bees love it.

Echinacea, Coneflower

Coneflowers are super easy and come in any color you could want. They do well in sun or some shade and can grow 2-5ft high. Bonus: they attract birds, bees and butterflies to your garden.

Rudbeckia, Black-eyed Susans

Black-eyed Susans bloom profusely even in the most challenging garden conditions. They prefer full sun and are drought resistant. There are many species of Rudbeckia native to North America. Some may act as annuals while others, perennials. Check the hardiness of each species for your zone. And like most native plants, they will attract birds and butterflies to your garden.

Amsonia, Blue Star

Amsonia is an easy growing, drought tolerant plant. It has beautiful clusters of blue flowers in late spring. It loves full sun and can tolerate a variety of garden soils. In the fall, the foliage turns brilliant shades of gold. Butterflies love it.