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...one other deer thing...

Apr 11, 2016
1 min

...one other deer thing...

Another semi-repost this week. Coming up soon - a review of Derek Jarman's Garden. The first in a sporadic series of books we really like but seldom use. Another good source for avoiding deer friendly plants is Vincent Drzewucki's book Gardening in Deer Country. Published by Brick Tower Press this book has an incredible amount of information for both the professional and the casual gardener. Really worth adding to the library. Available at many book stores and at Amazon. #dee

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A Reference for Deer Resistant Plants

Apr 7, 2016
1 min

A Reference for Deer Resistant Plants

It is kind of a crazy week and I know I have posted this info before. I will try to get back to original programming within a few days. Thanks! Rutgers University puts out a very comprehensive list of landscape plants rated by deer resistance. While it is true that New Jersey deer may have a different palette than deer in the Hamptons (just being honest here) I have found that the Rutgers list is a good place to start. As always, it is probably a good idea to ask you local nu

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Books we use a lot 2

Mar 29, 2016
1 min

Books we use a lot 2

I'm not shy about pinching other people's good ideas. Whenever I am stuck or uninspired there is one book that I always reach for first; Architecture In The Garden by James van Sweden. van Sweden is one of the co-founders (along with Wolfgang Oehme) of Oehme van Sweden & Associates. Together they revolutionized landscape design in the United States and went on to develop a style sometimes called the New American Garden. It rejected vast, manicured lawns in favor of textured

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Cutting back ornamental grass

Mar 31, 2015
1 min

Cutting back ornamental grass

The one thing that is fairly common in all our landscapes, both traditional and contemporary, is our reliance on ornamental grasses. Most are deer resistant and the range of color, texture and size makes it easy to find a place for them. The one issue that throws both homeowners and professionals alike is: “When is the best time to cut my grasses back?” “How far should I cut my grasses back?” Ornamental grass can be divided into two different categories. Cool season grasses,

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Fireplace ash in the garden

Mar 14, 2015
1 min

Fireplace ash in the garden

Luchi and I go through a couple of cords of hardwood every winter. That produces about 60LBS of ash per season. Instead of carting it off to the dump a great place to use it is in the garden. While most of the nitrogen gets burned off during the fire, the ashes are high in phosphorus (3%), potassium (4%) and calcium (20%) making it an ideal soil amendment. It’s great around deciduous trees, fruit trees, perennials and root vegetables (the exception being potatoes as it m

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OK with the snow (at least for a little while longer)

Mar 3, 2015
1 min

OK with the snow (at least for a little while longer)

The late fall is always a busy time of year for us. In November and December of 2014 we planted close to 10,000 plants, most of them perennials. With all this snow and cold weather I could be forgiven for taking a wee drop or two while I worry about my new gardens. But with all the snow on the ground I am sleeping like a baby. Every inch of snow on the ground is like a having a layer of the pink stuff that you have in your attic. Just 3 inches of snow on the ground can keep t

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