Before and After: Windsor Terrace Backyard

We are very excited to share this Brooklyn backyard transformation. We custom built the fence, planter box and storage bench with western redcedar. We installed the bluestone patio, sod and plantings. It's by far one of our favorite backyards yet. It was our first project of the season and we are super happy with it. It was quite the process so we have many photos! Check them out

Before: ,

Everything had to be removed from the yard. The old stairs and the concrete were torn out. The back of the neighbors fence faced into the yard so we built a new one on the inside.

During:

Building the fence

Colin- Let's do this!

Dana excited to start her carpentry career

Fence Complete!

Building planter and bench

Lady carpenters- game planning

Excited and tired- almost done!

Bench and planter complete!

Adding bluestone patio

Plants added! It's starting to look like a real yard!

After:

 

DIY Kokedama

What is Kokedama?

Kokedama, meaning "moss ball", is a Japanese form of garden art. The moss ball can be secured to a platform or hung by a string. They make great additions to any room(and save floor space!).

Materials

• Small plant of your choice
• Sphagnum moss
• String
• Bowl
• Scissors
• Sheet moss
• Soil

Step 1:

Get your materials ready. We mixed some clay into our soil because I've heard that Kokedamas have a problem of drying out too fast. Clay holds moisture so we thought we'd try to add some to the mix. Add water to soil mix. Soak mosses too if they're dried.

Step 2: 

Take your plant from its container and remove excess soil from around the root ball. Be careful not to damage the roots too bad. 

Step 3:

Wet the sphagnum moss and wrap a handful around the roots. 

Step 4:

Press moistened soil mix around the sphagnum into a nice round ball shape.

Step 5:

Wrap your sheet moss around your ball and secure with string.

Step 6:

Hang and enjoy!

We liked our first ones so much we went back to the store and bought a bunch more little plants to do! Mimosas and Kokedamas, sounds like a great Sunday to me. 

Dana and our Kokedama factory

Staghorn teammates Dana and Colin with their new Kokedama

To keep your new creation happy, spray with a water bottle frequently or take down and give a good soak once or twice a week. The amount of water you give will depend on the specific plants' requirements.

We made a lot. 

Meet the Team!

The Staghorn Crew

Katherine Aul,                    Founder & Principal

Katherine’s passion for plants and landscape design began from an early age amidst the daylily beds of her mother’s garden. After completing a horticultural internship at the New York Botanical Garden she went on to receive her master’s degree in Landscape Design from Columbia University. Since then, she has been designing and installing gardens throughout the NYC metro area and beyond.

Katherine finds inspiration in the wild, native landscape. She seeks to create sustainable garden spaces that are beautiful, engaging, and restorative to both the visitor and the existing environment.

Katherine’s enthusiasm for the field has led her to speak on such panels as the 2014 Plant-O-Rama at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and her work has also been featured in Dwell magazine.

Dana Boyd,                          Director of Horticulture

Dana’s love for getting her hands in the ground grew when she traveled through Central and South America working on permaculture farms. She continued this work when she returned to the states working on urban farms in Baltimore while getting her degree in Environmental Science.

Seeing the importance of connecting people, especially in urban settings, with the natural world led her to New York City to work as a farm manager for the Horticultural Society of New York. She has now been with Staghorn NYC since April 2015. Working with Staghorn has allowed her to combine her passion for helping the environment and native species by reintroducing habitat, and connecting people with nature.

In her spare time, Dana tends to her extensive indoor plant collection, travels, reads, does lots of yoga, and likes getting into new hobbies, like ceramics!

Colin MacInnes,                    Director of Carpentry

Colin is a renaissance woodsman hailing from Michigan. After completing his education in aviation, Colin switched gears and refocused his talents on agriculture and later carpentry as an apprentice under a master carpenter in his home state. Now a woodworking pro in his own right, he leads carpentry projects for Staghorn ranging from custom outdoor furniture to decks and planters.

In his free time, Colin can be found building high-end interior carpentry pieces, hiking, fishing, cooking, and spending time with his loyal canine companion, Millie.

New Members!

Marisa Prefer, Assistant Gardener

Marisa Prefer is a multi-disciplinary educator, amateur herbalist and designer who explores relationships between land, food & power by building regenerative systems for well being. Marisa has collaborated with artists, farmers, healers and big-thinkers of all ages from coast to coast at the Berkeley Art Museum in Berkeley, California, Local Roots Farm in Duvall, Washington, the Sage Mountain Herbal Education Center in East Barre, Vermont, and more recently in New York as the Assistant Coordinator of Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Children’s Garden, the Curriculum Developer for SwaleNY, a NYC Master Composter, the Programs Manager at urban agriculture education outfit Sprout Farms, and as part of the artist group non/studio.

Hester Griffin, Assistant Gardener

Hester's love of plants began during her sophomore year of college at the New School when she planted a dye plant garden. This was the first of many gardens and farms that's she's worked on. Her interest in traveling and plants has led her to many amazing places, but she always find herself back in NYC. There's something especially fun about growing plants among skyscrapers and cement.

When Hester's not gardening, she will most likely be found wandering around NYC, cooking, or working on textile projects. She also escapes the city to visit family in Maine and hopefully somewhere warm during the winters!

We Have an Office!

We are super excited to move into our new office at Coworkrs in Gowanus!

New office, new crew!

Have an awesome weekend everyone!

Awesome Low-Light Houseplants

I’m doing this post because this is something I’ve been thinking about all week. I am moving to a new apt in April and my new room has a dreaded north facing window! I must have plants in my room. So, all week I’ve been scouring the interwebs trying to find the best low-light indoor houseplants.  Here are some that I found.

Snake plant, Sansevieria trifasciata

Image: Mother Nature Network

These are super hard to kill...unless you give them too much attention. Overwatering is the biggest issue people have with these. If you aren’t great at remembering to water your plants, this is the one for you. Allow your snake plant to dry out some between waterings. I actually already do have snake plants (woo) and I water mine about every two weeks.

Pothos, Epipremnum aureum

Image: Rooted in Design

Pothos is another super tough plant that can thrive in low light. Actually pothos can thrive in any lighting situation. When I had a room with no windows, I had pothos growing all over my room. This plant is great because you can vine it all around. It’s a nice one for bathrooms as well. And propagating new plants from cuttings is so easy. I have a couple cutting that have just been growing out of a little thing of water for over a year!  

Parlor Palm, Chamaedorea elegans

Image: Houzz

This one is great if you still want a big houseplant but don’t have lots of light. Parlor palms can grow up to 4ft tall. They’re great for giving you that tropical feeling without ever having to leave home in your dirty, dirty city. (:  These palms should be watered well but allowed to dry slightly between waterings. Under-watering will cause yellow fronds. Overwatering will cause root rot.

Swiss Cheese Plant, Monstera deliciosa

Image: The Garden Glove

This is another awesome big tropical plant for low-light. It can grow up to 10ft over the years! The young leaves are smooth but as it matures they will develop long slits and holes. This plant still needs some light though. If it doesn’t get enough the leaves will start growing without slits and holes so they can have more surface area for catching the light. In the wild, this plant will climb up trees. You can attach its aerial roots to a moss pole of stick them down in the soil. The bottom leaves will yellow if you’re overwatering.

Plumosa Fern, Asparagus setaceus

Image: Domino.com

Lucky for me, I already have a couple of these. I love their airy look. They look so delicate but they are actually pretty tough plants. They do like humidity though so a nice spray every now and then is good for them. They do really well in bathrooms because of the humidity from the shower. These ferns do not need to be as moist as most ferns. They should be watered thoroughly but allowed to dry slightly between waterings.

Rubber Plant, Ficus elastica

Image: Popsugar

These are super tough plants. They can grow huge! You can prune them to grow how you would like though, unless you really want a 50ft tree in your house. (If you do, I’d really like to come visit.) The rubber plant does well in low light and doesn’t like cold drafts. During its growing season the plant should be kept moist but during its dormant season it can be watered once or twice a month. It will show you if it needs more water. It’s leaves will droop or turn brown and fall off. Know a friend with a rubber plant? Well it’s super easy to propagate a new one from a cutting. Make sure you ask them first!

Top 5 Herbs To Grow Indoors

I’d love to have a big garden where I could grow my food, but that seems to be a rare luxury in NYC. We can(and should!) all join community gardens or at least visit farmer's’ markets to access fresh local food, but it’s nice to be able to grow something at home too. Fear not tiny-apartment-dwellers! If you have a windowsill, you have space to grow edibles. Herbs are great indoor edibles that you can grow and enjoy all year round. Here is our top 5 favorite herbs for growing inside!

Chives

Chives is one of the easiest herbs to grow indoors or out! It has a mild onion flavor that compliments many savory dishes. Keep your chives in a sunny window and water when the soil surface feels dry. The tips will turn yellow if it is too dry. Harvest when the plant is more than 6in tall, leaving two inches at the base for more to grow back.  

Mints

A great herb for making those refreshing summer drinks! Mints such as peppermint, M. x piperita and spearmint, M. spicata are very easy to grow indoors. They actually grows like a weed so they should have own container as to not overcrowd your other herbs. Mint grows well in indirect sunlight, so a good one if you don’t have sunny south facing windows. Mint likes moist soil but not overly wet and a good misting in between waterings keeps up the humidity which mints like.

Oregano

Your classic Italian cooking herb! Oregano prefers a sunny window and well-drained soil. Water about once a week. Oregano is susceptible to root rot so make sure not to overwater. You can start oregano from seed or a cutting from another plant. Harvest your plant regularly to encourage growth. Your plant will be productive for two years. When it becomes woody it can be replaced (or plant it in a larger pot and start a new smaller one from a cutting!).

Sage

Sage is a super tough herb. I recently visited a clients yard and noticed they had herbs sitting outside in the plastic containers they were bought in last year. They sat out over winter. All were dead except the sage! To grow sage indoors, place your plant in medium to full sun. Sage is pretty drought tolerant and should dry out between waterings. Have you ever smelled pineapple sage? It’s amazing!

Thyme

Thyme is an excellent compliment to most meat dishes. Thyme also prefers full sun. Use a well-drained sandy soil, or cactus potting mix. Thyme likes to dry out between waterings and once it is established it is pretty drought resistant, so a good one to grow if you’re always forgetting to water!

Check out our posts on winter wellness herbs and the many uses of herbs too!
If you are growing your herbs indoors year-round, make sure not to have them too close to a window during the winter or they may die! Your herbs will grow less actively during the winter months so they will need less watering. Herbs are susceptible of pests so keep an eye out for any buggers before they take over. You can easily start new plants from cuttings by taking a 5in stem, removing the bottom few leaves, and sticking it in some water. Countless new plants to be had! Enjoy.

I don't know about you but I'm buzzing like a bee about this weather. Temps in the 70s in early March?? Yes, please. Fingers crossed that it's here to stay. We really didn't think we would be out in the garden this soon! Our team already got to go out and start sprucing up some gardens this week. You can start waking up your gardens too! If you’d like some help e-mail us to schedule an early-season maintenance visit. Additionally, Staghorn also offers annual maintenance contracts that are tailored specifically to the needs of each garden. Contact us if you're interested in getting a quote.

Spring Garden Checklist

If you’d like to start waking up the garden yourself, there are some key things that should get done. Here is a quick checklist to get you going!

Turn Irrigation Systems Back On

Once the overnight temperatures are consistently well above freezing and daytime temperatures are consistently above 60 degrees, you can turn your irrigation systems back on. Now is a good time to check for any winter damage that may have occurred. Check to make sure water is coming out everywhere it should be.

Cut Back Ornamental Grasses and Perennials

You should cut back ornamental grasses and perennials to the ground or a few inches above. This should be done in late winter/early spring (now), before new growth begins.

Prune Trees and Shrubs

Spring-flowering trees and shrubs should be pruned in late spring after they flower. Summer-flowering trees and shrubs should be pruned in the winter or early spring just before they push out their new growth. Evergreens are best pruned in the early spring as well just before their growth spurt.

Fertilize

Most trees experience a burst of growth in the spring and then slower growth throughout the summer. It’s good to fertilize as this growth is about to occur. This can be done as soon as the ground is workable and into May. We recommend an organic brand such as Espoma or Dr.Earth.

Assess Winter Damage

As we start to see things coming back, we can assess winter damage that may have occurred. Maybe a few branches of a plant have died or have been broken from wind or the weight of snow. These branches should be pruned off below the damage, to the next set of healthy branches. Generally new growth will occur frm this area to replace the broken section.
 

If you'd like help in caring for your garden this year contact us about setting up a maintenance contract for the coming season. We would love to help you keep your garden looking it’s best all year.

Happy spring everyone!