Barbara BourJul 111 minThe Future of Dry Basements is GreenA recent tropical storm dumped over three inches of rain in a single day. I watched much of it flood impervious streets, storm drains and...
Barbara BourJul 91 minDesign Hacks: Support Habitat and Reduce Work by Planting in Layers & Densely Planting layers of plants and planting densely reduces maintenance and better supports habitat. Here area is anchored by large shrubs (Cr...
Barbara BourJul 91 minPlant Hacks: Native Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa), Supports Pollinators and Beneficial InsectsButterfly weed feeds pollinators and beneficial insects including Monarchs. Butterfly weed enjoys full sun.
Barbara BourJun 101 minDesign Hacks: Common Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius), Large Native ShrubI love large shrubs. This Ninebark adds structure and full season interest to the garden and provide great bird habitat.
Barbara BourJun 101 minDesign Hacks: Vintage Native Shrubs Worth Saving - Mountain LaurelNative Mountain Laurels (Kalmia latifolia) like this were planted when many of our homes where built. Unfortunately many have been remov...
Barbara BourJun 81 minDesign Hacks: Vintage Natives are Worth Saving - Rosebay RhododendronNative Rhododendron (Rhododendron maximum) were planted when many of our homes where built. Unfortunately many have been removed and repl...
Barbara BourMay 291 minDesign Hacks: Aiming for Perpetual Bloom - Late May Bearded Iris (Iris croatica) and Catmint (Nepeta) False Indigo (Baptisia australis), native
Barbara BourMay 191 minDesign Hacks: Thinking about Refreshing Your Landscape? Consider Reuse of Some of What You HaveTypical landscape refresh is a rip out and replace thing, which can be wasteful. To be honest, some stuff like Taxus badly sheared for de...
Barbara BourMay 191 minLawn Hacks: Whats Wrong with My Lawn?All lawns, including chemical free, require some TLC. Top photo, lawn is overwhelmed with weeds and bare spots. This can be result of low...
Barbara BourMay 71 minPlant Hacks: Native Camassia and Bush HoneysuckleUnder utilized native spring bulb Camassia and small native shrub Bush Honeysuckle (Diervilla Rivularis 'Kodak')
Barbara BourApr 291 minMost Yard Waste is Not Waste At All, It's an AssetA of what we do to maintain our yards costs a lot of time and money and is not so great from environmental and habitat standpoint. Typica...
Barbara BourApr 291 minBring Joy to Your Garden with NativesBring joy to your garden, birds, bugs and pretty much everything else with rich variety of native perennials, shrubs and trees. A list of...
Barbara BourMar 51 minSave Beneficial Bugs, Bees, Money & Time. How? Don't Bother with All of That BlowingThe start of warm weather brings the roar and pollution of blowers. Did you know that blowing is not only a waste of money, blowing is ha...
Barbara BourJan 191 minCare Hacks: All of that Blowing is Not Just Annoying & Polluting, It Depletes Soil and Harms HabitatPale color and moss or signs of nutrient deficient soil. Blowing off plant debris and leaves removes source of nutrition and support for ...
Barbara BourJan 191 minPlant Hacks: Virginia Sweetspire (Itea virginica), Native Small ShrubAn unfussy, subtile native for sun or part shade.
Barbara BourJan 191 minPlant Hacks: Giant Native WeedExperimented with Cup Flower (Silphium perfoliatum), a native sun flower. This informal perennial generated a lot of interest by neighbor...
Barbara BourJan 191 minDesign Hacks: Native Perennial Late SeasonCone Flower (Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus'), native Stonecrop (Sedum acre ‘Autumn Joy’), native Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium purpureum), native...
Barbara BourJan 191 minDesign Hacks: Sunny Perennial Border, Mid SummerPerennial borders (especially if mixed with shrubs) provide full season interest and benefit insects, birds and animals Threadleaf Bluest...
Barbara BourJan 191 minDesign Hacks: Use Shrubs as Stable Design Anchors & Background for Ephemeral PerennialsA variety of shrubs provide full season interest and structure. I think of them as steady anchors for ephemeral perennials. Variety of si...
Barbara BourJan 191 minDesign Hacks: The Value of an UnderstoryOne of the most effective ways to reduce maintenance and improve appearance is cover soil with plants. Understory plants can out compete w...
