THANKSGIVING BOARD

Thanksgiving is almost upon us and that means it's time to start thinking of this year's decor! We put together a mood board to showcase some of the designs and colors that we are really loving. Our favorite thing to make this season is definitely garlands, just because they really make your table decor so colorful and there are so many different ways you can style/make them. How do you guys decorate for Thanksgiving? 

Till next time! 

OUR FAVE PLANT: STEPHANOTIS FLORIBUNDA

Stephanotis Floribunda, also known as the Madagascar Jasmine, is quickly becoming our top favorite plant to use especially for contemporary/modern landscape designs. Due to its simple coloring and foliage, it blends well with any home. What we also love about this plant is its magnificent fragrance! Due to its large florals, these beauties really pour out that beautiful jasmine scent. Please, note that this plant is definitely a climber so placing it on a trellis, fence or stake is an ideal spot for it. These plants also do require plenty of sunlight and water. The flowers are produced in summer and only on new growth, therefore it is important that pruning is kept to a minimum, especially during the growing season.

we hope we helped you with all of your gardening needs! 

Your Gardening Checklist

While selecting the right plants for your garden is a good start, there is a lot of work that goes into maintaining your space. As the weather warms up at the beginning of spring, it is crucial to start preparing the soil and plants. The following tips will help set your garden up for a successful spring and summer. 

Check Your Tools

Before you get started with your gardening routine, you should take the time to check your tools. After sitting in the shed all winter, most of them could probably use a little maintenance. 

Sharpen the tools with blades and oil any hinges. Even if you’ve been using your multi-tool throughout the winter, you should check on any oscillating tool blades that you use for gardening purposes. You should also inspect your tools to make sure they function appropriately. Some might need repairs and others may need to be replaced. It’s also a good opportunity to make sure any general yard care tools, like a cordless lawn mower, wheelbarrow, and watering equipment, are in good working condition.

Pruning

The beginning of spring is the perfect time to prune many of your shrubs and trees. With the winter just ending, the branch structures are more visible, which will make it easier to shape your plants. However, before you start, you are going to want to learn which plants to trim at different times of the year. Spring is the ideal time to prune many of your trees and shrubs, but there are some that will need to wait until summer or even fall. 

Clean Your Garden Beds

Clean out your garden beds and get back to having clear soil. Look for any leaves or debris that need to be removed and pull up any weeds that may have started to grow. If you have any dead organic matter, you can throw that on the compost pile. If the organic matter is already starting to compost, you can leave it with the soil. Ensuring that your garden beds look good may require a bit more maintenance than you think. In addition to removing debris and unwanted weeds, clean up the borders of your garden to ensure a nice, neat area. An electric grass trimmer will even out any overgrown grass and help shape the border.

Prepare the Soil

With the garden beds clear, you can start preparing the soil. Since the ground tends to get compact during winter, the first step is going to be tilling the soil. You can use a variety of tools to accomplish this. Depending on the circumstances, you can use a tiller, your garden rake, spade, trowel, or garden forks. Once the top layer of soil is tilled, you can add the necessary soil amendments and then rake the beds flat.

Divide Your Perennials

If you have an established perennial garden, you may have noticed that some of the plants have started to crowd each other. Without enough space, plants can start to underperform. This is why you should consider early spring as the best opportunity to divide your perennials. You just need to be careful to prevent damage when digging around and lifting the roots of your perennial plants.

Early Planting

The start of spring is also a time for early planting. Some plants will require you to start them indoors and then transplant them to the garden later in the season. However, there are plenty of plants that can be planted in early spring. If it is a vegetable garden, produce like lettuce, snow peas, potatoes, and onions can all be planted before the last frost.

Lay Mulch

Finally, it’s time to put down a layer of mulch. With a good layer of mulch on your garden, you can nourish your plants and prevent weeds from coming in to compete with the plants you want in your garden. While you do want to mulch around the established plants, you should wait until later in the season to mulch areas that have seedlings or places that were left open for planting later in the year.

Although this checklist may seem long, it’s the best way to ensure your hard work pays off this summer. Follow these steps for your best gardening season yet.

We would like to give author credit to freelance editor, Rae Steinbach:

"Rae is a graduate of Tufts University with a combined International Relations and Chinese degree. After spending time living and working abroad in China, she returned to NYC to pursue her career and continue curating quality content. Rae is passionate about travel, food, and writing, of course.
WORX /ROCKWELLTOOLS

ECO-FRIENDLY PLANTS

Last week we started a conversation on our Facebook page regarding how to be more eco-friendly and sustainable. One of the ways we discussed was by planting more perennials and bushes for the pollinators because they are so important to our eco-system and environment they need all of the help they can get. So this week we wanted to continue that conversation and talk about what plants you should grow to be more sustainable. 

ALYSSUM

DELPHINIUM

LAVENDER

SAGE

MARIGOLD

YARROW

QUEEN ANNE'S LACE 

we hope this post helped with any of your gardening needs, until next time!

TYPES OF SUCCULENTS: HANGING

Plants have become a staple in our home now, and what's amazing about decorating your abode with plants is that since there are so many different varieties our options for design are endless. My favorite type of plant to add into my home is a hanging type, especially succulents since that is much less work then a pothos or any other type of perennial. A hanging plant really can fill that space that seems difficult to fill and it adds so much depth and color. Here are some of my favorite types of hanging succulents that I personally love to work with. 

BURROS TAIL 

DONKEYS TAIL 

( not to be confused with its sister, burros tail. the strands on the donkeys tail are heartier and longer )

STRING OF PEARLS 

STRING OF BANANAS 

FISH HOOKS 

CHRISTMAS CACTUS 

Hope this post inspired you! 

till next time.

7 IDEAS + TIPS TO ENHANCE YOUR GARDEN

Trench Edging 

1. The oldest and most cost-effective technique is called trench edging. Basically, it involves making a cut in between the lawn and garden bed straight down, about 6″ deep. Make another cut at a 45-degree angle toward the garden bed and away from the lawn until it meets the first straight cut at 6″ deep.

The angle prevents grass from spreading across the border and into the bed. Remove and compost the loose soil and trim the edge of the grass until it’s nice and neat.

Fill the trench with the same mulch you used in the garden bed. In addition to being inexpensive, this is the most natural-looking edging. However, you will have to maintain it by trimming the lawn back into a clean line as it grows or repeat the trench process.

Curb Edging 

2. Using a curb is a very clean way to divide space in the yard. You could use poured concrete, which comes in a variety of colors, but keep in mind that poured concrete can crack as the ground shifts as well as stain. Poured concrete does open up a wide range of options as it can be poured into a variety of shapes and personalized with shells, stamps and other things pressed into it while wet. A poured concrete curb at least a foot deep into the ground is also a handy way to ward off gophers.

Concrete pavers are an excellent alternative to a poured concrete curb edging. They also come in a variety of colors and styles to blend in with your home’s exterior and are easily installed in mix and match patterns. Pavers provide much more flexibility than concrete as individual pieces are easy to remove when need be.

Both options are very durable and more permanent solutions that work well in a number of garden styles.

Bender Board 

3. All it takes is a trip to a big retailer like Home Depot to pick up bender board edging. It’s flexible and made from 100% recycled polyethylene plastic that comes in several color choices and sizes.

Because it’s flexible, bender board is difficult to place in a straight line (the thinner the strip, the more easily it bends). That being said, it’s easy to cut with a saw and install without professional help. Basically, all you need to do is lay the bender board out in the sunshine to loosen it up. In the meantime, dig a small trench, set the bender board in, level it and refill the trench with dirt to hold it in place. If you are creating bends, hold them in place with matching plastic stakes every 4 – 6 feet (usually sold separately).

Make sure to install bender board high enough to prevent grass and other plants from simply extending their roots over the bender board.

Metal Edging 

4. Metal edging is becoming increasingly popular as it looks fantastic in succulent gardens, in between gravel and planted areas and in front of contemporary homes. Unlike bender board, metal edging can stay in a crisp straight line with no problems. The sheen it adds lends a more modern look to a garden as well.

The type of metal chosen matters. Heavy-gauge aluminum or weather-resistant steel will not rust but other choices may. Powder-coated steel can come in a variety of colors, but untreated steel may take on a rusty patina. Black metal tends to look very formal whereas green or brown does not. Thicker metal edging is more durable but also more expensive and note that any metal over a long period of time may start to fray in the elements.

Metal edging is easy and can be fairly inexpensive to buy at home improvement stores. If your soil is soft, digging a trench to put it in place may be totally unnecessary. To install, simply place a 2×4 plank along the top edge of the metal and hammer the wood to drive the metal bender board into the ground. Installation can be an easy DIY project.

Wood Edging 

5. Adding wood edging creates an organic, rustic feel to the yard. It could be something as big and bold as railroad ties or simply a 2×4″ plank. Keep in mind that untreated wood will rot from moisture in a garden application rather quickly. Treated wood will last a bit longer but is also subject to decay and will need eventual replacing since wood can also change color over time.

If you’re going to use a wood edging near a vegetable garden, it’s best to use untreated wood to avoid chemicals leaching into the soil. Also, if garden edges have curves in them, wood might be difficult to use as it’s almost always cut in straight planks.

Rocks and Boulders 

6. By far, the most natural-looking way to incorporate rocks and boulders as edging is to use stones native to your area and bury them a few inches deep to make it look like they’ve been in place for a while. Gaps between boulders and rocks can actually be good for drainage. If a line of distinction or boundary is your goal, make sure that the rocks and boulders are of a similar size to create continuity. Make sure that nearby ground cover won’t grow over the rocks so that the entire line is visible.

Brick Edging 

7. It doesn’t require much skill to install brick edging. Bricks come in crisp red color when new while salvaged brick lends a more rustic, faded appearance. Lichen and moss like to grow on the brick which is the desired look for many. It’s not necessary to mortar brick in place when laying it flat. Each piece can be set on sand and placed side-by-side to create the look desired. 

Hello readers! We can't believe it's almost Halloween, wow time flies so fast. This spooky month has got to be one of my favorites because the color palette for fall is amazing and who doesn't like to do artsy things with pumpkins and skulls. 

Check out this year's mood board for the ghoulishly good season!

till next time!