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We just heard the first whippoorwill of the year. March 21st. Early, I do believe.

Spring is magical. I'm enamored by the baby leaves, and the unfurling flower buds. These dogwood flowers are not quite ready to face the sun.

These, on the other hand, are wide open to a bright blue sky. Only a few yards separate the two trees. It's all about sunlight, my dears.

I'll admit it: I'm a sucker for a pretty plant. Pretty flowers, graceful forms, colorful foliage... that all resonates with the part of my brain that says "pull-out-your-money, honey". This yellow trillium, though, I didn't buy, didn't plant, haven't nurtured. More often now, I realize how my own efforts pale beside those of nature. How many trilliums once bloomed underneath the big houses and green grass yards and planted flower beds in this place I call home?

This grows in a ditch across from the storage place where I keep my stuff. It has been cut back by road maintenance machinery to the point of having a nice, solid, erect form that probably bears no resemblance to its natural form. Nonetheless, it hosted 2 different butterflies, lady bugs, bumble bees, honey bees, and some unidentified bees within the two minutes I stood there getting pictures.

Once upon a time I planted Mexican hair grass into a rapidly expanding bed of Lysimachia 'Creeping Jenny'. The result is showing off this year like a girl with 'good hair' wearing a cool new dress.

I'm searching for a new camera. I've finally faced the fact that I am a point and shoot, snapshot-type girl. The effort of trying to learn the DSLR has finally worn me down, after six years. So, I have an excellent, smarter-than-I-am camera for sale on Amazon, and I am reading reviews on cheaper, simpler, lighter point and shoots. So far, I'm liking a Canon SureShot and the

If you can't be inspired by the arrival of spring, you need to get outside more.

I have a big project facing me, very little inspiration, and I am running out of time to get it done.

There are 24 or so villas that are rented at the state park where I live/work. I have the job of designing some new landscaping for each one, 'just in case' SC ever comes up with the money to implement the plans.

Nothing fancy, all native, and something with which I have the freedom to put in as much or as little as I see fit.

This is the kind of thing that usually has me walking on air, and absorbed, and unwilling to eat or sleep, cause all I want to do is draw!

The one difference is, this work will be gratis. No pay. None. Twenty four free plans. It is going to test my goodwill, I think.

Better get crackin' though. Spring is coming early this year, and I look forward to being busy, both with landscape design, and work.

Calling all Clients:

This year I am creating somewhat of a schedule for work at your house. The purpose of this, mind you, is to alert you of coming invoices that will amount to more than our monthly agreement!

But also to move things forward with planting and other projects.

This will be subject to change, of course; it is merely a framework to keep me organized and to keep you in the loop as to what I'll be doing, and when. Not everything might be perfectly thought out yet. If you have any suggestions or things to change, let me know.

For things I plan to buy for you in March, I'll be adding to the invoice in February. That way I'll have money in hand when it's time to 'go'.

I think this is going to be a good year! If we keep working on improving the soil, and adding plants that make sense to the landscape, I'll feel good about the process.

Planning Stages

A chilly Sunday today, and a good time to keep my feet warm and think about upcoming work.
One of my most recent clients wants a plan of action for improvements... always a good thing, because I get to put a direction together with a timeline.

There are a lot of camellias down the side of their house. It is winter (almost) so I am all about camellias right now. In the early Spring, I'm all about daffodils. In the Fall, it's the wildflowers that I can't live without.

Funny. You can almost tell the time of year a given property was put into the hands of a landscaper or designer by the predominate blooming plants.

This house is right at the edge of a golf course. The homeowners want their property to have a little more 'pop and sizzle' when viewed from the golf course. (They are golfers... need I say that?)

A previous homeowner planted azaleas, but... yawn.

Homeowners have used existing rock and leftover flagstone to outline several beds for annuals. An okay start, but the beds lack cohesion.

At this time of year, it would be nice to see a little more evergreen, though there is a good sized patch of vinca that doesn't really show up in the photos. (Or from the golf course.)

A pathway to start, more well defined and cohesive beds for annuals, and a showier evergreen groundcover to carry the Winter months, right?

The wheels are churning... stay tuned!