Posts Tagged ‘soil’
Hillside dilemma
Expanded patio and elevated terrace. This family was looking to create a larger, usable space for recreation and entertainment behind their home, but the steep hillside was a challenge. The slope, and resulting drainage issues, limited their ability to use the space. Our firm was hired to turn this formerly problematic and nondescript space into…
Read MoreOrganic herb garden
Inviting herb garden close to the kitchen. The 460 sq. ft. area that would become an organic herb garden had construction soil full of stones and pieces of concrete. We removed all of the soil to a depth of two feet and built new soil with organic soil amendments, organic local soil, and worm…
Read MoreGrowing outdoor walls and floors
Vines and groundcovers for the southern garden. When I think about vines and groundcovers, I remember my favorite childhood book — “The Secret Garden” by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It’s the story of Mary Lennox, a not-too-nice orphaned girl who is sent to live with her uncle in England. She discovers an overgrown and neglected garden…
Read MoreErosion, flood plains, and other landscape disasters
Solutions for erosion and drainage problems in the landscape. As a Master Gardener volunteer, one of my responsibilities was to answer landscape and gardening questions from metro Atlanta residents. Questions such as “what’s eating my peppers and tomatoes?” and “why won’t my hydrangea bloom?” were fairly easy to answer. Recommending insecticidal soap or horticultural oil…
Read MoreSpice up your life with herbs
Grow your own herbs for freshness and flavor. If you’ve ever worked in the kitchen of a fine restaurant, you know that professional chefs demand and accept from their suppliers only the freshest fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices available. They recognize that the degree of freshness of these products has a tremendous impact on the…
Read MoreGot shade?
Celebrating the shade in your landscape. Here’s a question for you: Would you rather spend a sweltering hot July afternoon battling weeds in your perennial bed, sweat dripping down your face, or would you prefer to relax in the 10-15 degree cooler shade of dogwood trees, admiring the magnificent foliage of your shade garden? I…
Read MoreWhy ‘design’ your landscape?
Plan and design for success in your landscape. Designing a garden is done either consciously or unconsciously. Even those gardens that seem to be “all over the place” are the result of a series of decisions– planting a tree here, adding a border of flowers there, perhaps placing a water feature somewhere else. The most…
Read More