Preston Road – 3 years + Yesterdays – FINAL SPRING UPDATE

Our lovely client on Preston wanted so much to have a garden. We kind of immediately created a friendship which has been a bonus for both of us. We’ve carried it over to breakfast on a few occasions. Our resident works pretty much all the time, and so care and upkeep is an issue. We have followed her for three years now and we began with some growth in the beds but for some reason it was all located along the front and back edges. Not one plant in the bed.  Soil was poor and the squirrel population along with a huge tree that hangs low over her bed, frankly made it a constantly disrupted bed with falling limbs and squirrels digging their hearts out. They were having a ball. We have transformed the bed and created an entire nw look for her. And we now visit four times a year to freshen and abate. It’s certainly come together for her. We’ve added a new Hydrangea bush, mini evergreen trees in planters and worked very hard on soil restoration. It has paid off. Our FINAL VIDEO follows as of yesterdays “spring” additions.
Our client/friend is excited and really happy. We now have mostly all perennials and the large tree has been trimmed and the Squirrel population is way down.

FINAL VIDEO – it’s looking FINE!!

“Contessa” says…. It’s all good.

…….and it was tons of fun. We are very pleased with this transformation.

 

What Flowers to Sow in May with @Lovely Greens | Flowers to Sow in Spring | What to Sow Now! – YouTube

What flowers to sow in May? My top picks of flower seeds to sow in Spring! Because maybe you’re wondering ‘what should I sow this month?’ This month, I ask a…
— Read on m.youtube.com/watch

We personally follow “Tanya of Lovely Greens” from the Isle of Man.

Today she shares what to sow during May.

Nasturtiums are one of her favorites and ours as well. And they are edible. Beautiful in a salad presentation.

Enjoy!

“CONTESSA” says……. it all good.

Wellington Spring Clean Up and New Plantings.

Our second year at this property. Little by little we introduce new and smaller ideas. This homeowner likes our ideas. Small steps. A few planters with flowers and the purchase of  a pink Azalea bush.  LWe have proposed tackling the area on the slope leading down to the front door. They are receptive now that we’ve done a few things for them. Building trust is important with our clients

On Wed this week our homeowner, after a year long hurdle  over the construction of their cement/brick patio had news that resulted in their lovely patio being torn out….at their cost. So some funds must now be appropriated to reconstruct. But they still want to proceed a little at a time. We are happy to accommodate.

For this spring a few planters and the new bush gave them a lift and a mental boost. They were so appreciative and excited to have even just a little “pretty” and color in a few pots.

Certainly our joy and pleasure to accommodate. It was actually a fun “little project.” We know there is more to come.

“Contessa” says……it’s a good thing!

Repeat Client on Mt Eagle

Our repeat client has a woodland property with prolific undergrowth in a bed we created a couple years ago. No budget had been set aside to proceed with any significant  plantings. But since then we have made two attempts at cultivating some wildflower seed. The area is very shady and located in a yard that has very patchy grass growing with a ton of weeds. Unfortunately they keep invading this bed. Native Wildflowers are generally very small at first. Maybe only about an inch tall. It can take up to three years to mature them. It can be frustrating for someone who has little time for care and cultivation. Having said this we have decided to try one more time. In  the interim we have recommended adding a few perennial plants for some growth and color in the bed. While a cost is involved it provides certain growth for our clients satisfaction. They want plants but have no idea how to really care for them.  

We hand tilled the soil aggressively providing holes in the earth so that the seed would absorb into the soil. We used a bag formula of mixed seeds (wildflower) recommended by a farm nursery in MD.

And we added three hardy and well established perennials. Two Day Lilies, one peach and one yellow, along with a shade lover called Huchera which comes in many gorgeous colors. We pushed for this  to help stabilize the bed and to give our homeowner blooms to look forward to. Not being a gardener…. it’s sometimes difficult to persuade folks to invest in plants. Most typically, real hands-on gardeners are quite comfortable spending about $250 for each spring growing season. So we become an advocate for trying new things and actually beginning the process of filling a bed. It’s fun, rewarding and helps the client learn new plants and how much they nurture and enrich our lives. It’s very satisfying to watch plants grow and mature. But it can take some persuasion on our part to help their confidence in investing and planning a yearly budget for plants. Having  said this….. here are photos of the plants we added and our FINAL VIDEO. We saved all the native Virginia  “Violets” in the bed as they are very prolific and a sweet filler to maintain the woodland “look and feel.”  We do like them and nature provides at no cost. And our homeowner has a “honeysuckle” that overhangs the bed. Very natural, free flowing and a lovely aroma.   

We spread two bags of high quality garden soil which we sprinkled in abundance to help hold the wildflower seed mix  in place and in the end, we lightly mulched the entire bed. It provides a finished look, but it also helps to hold our new seeds in place. We are hopeful for our clients benefit. But with huge overhanging limbs of the trees in this very wooded area, SUN is a sparse contributor. It’s all about trial and error. But it is always good to try. We are happy to accomplished this “try” for our homeowner.

“Contessa” says…it’s a all a good thing.

Merrifield Site Visit/Buying Trip

I’m missing a photo of one large Rudy Red Rose Bush. It’s in our car “boot” but I think you cannot see it with the shade.

Anyway, it was a good trip, we took care of three (3) clients and will proceed to planting tomorrow. The plants have already been delivered to our clients. It is such a joy to visit this nursery. Plentiful supply and helpful staff. We kind of know the “lay of the land” at this point, so we are able to navigate without having to ask for assistance. It is a huge campus so go prepared to do some walking. Do dress comfortably and wear a hat to protect yourself from the sun.

In our latest PFX Newsletter Ad we included Nursery Site visits, by appointment, as part of our offerings. It’s so worth it to go, if you can book a time. We will pick you up, or meet you there. And we assist you with selection based on your sun and shade. One lovely benefit of going with us is the corporate discount we have established. For example, today we purchased a larger Pink Azalea Bush and our client received a $12 discount on a bush that retailed for $40. Welcome news

Now that the rain is behind us, we can all finally start planting in our gardens. We’ve all been waiting to be outdoors and kick off the warmer season. We do believe it’s finally here. Do remember to enjoy the planting process.

“Contessa” says….. it’s a good thing.

Four Growing Seasons – Winter Berry Bush

Spring – and very soon to be….tiny white flowers

Winter – the bright red berries are prolific,  but the birds come every day so by February it’s pretty much bare.

• • • • •

Early Fall/ winter…. Gorgeous red berries

This is a female Winter Berry Bush. The male bush is nearby tucked in a more shady area of this yard. We walk by it everyday. It may be difficult to tell from the photos, but it’s a real eye catcher. We especially love to see the birds coming for the berries that are tucked tightly to the branches. It’s a stunning specimen. So attracted us. We want one for our yard. Working on that.

”CONTESSA”

Planting Seeds and Preserving Bulbs

Today we are planting seeds for/with a client. And we are finalizing the work in her beds, yard and patio. She has selected some seeds herself and we have a couple so we’ll do a planting in 6-pack containers with drainage that we saved. It will be fun. Her space is very  much shade except for an area near her front door. It’s a sloped area with some vines growing but she also has some planters and we thought we could use them for the seedlings once they sprout. This will add some color. She has been away so this  is the first opportunity we have had to connect with her and to accomplish the seed planting.

Also this morning we had retrieved some bulbs complete with the dirt that surrounded them from a client we just finished some work for.  She was thinning out her garden bed and offered them to us. So this morning we separated them away from the soil, washed them and cut away the bulk of the green dying plant. Now they will dry out in the sun. We’ve laid them out to dry this morning. Next we will store them in a dry place until our fall season and plant them in late October, before the first fall freeze. This is a photograph of what they look like now…..and what they will become. Reuse and bring back beautiful plants. This is an amazing miracle and so gratifying. Our Joy!!

Perennial Virginia Blue Bells

…….thank you God

Yesterday I turned the soil in “the Generals” garden.  Weeding it and bringing new rich black soil to the surface. As I turned to begin packing up my car, I heard lovely chirps.  When I turned back to look, two Robins were forcing their beaks into the soil and pulling up nourishment…the spring worms, their favorite. I even talked to them a little. Inquiring if they had come to visit me or the worms. They stayed. Regardless…..it was a “moment.”

…..and soon I was happily on my way.  God is so Good.

• AMEN •

Three Appointments Today – REVISION – FINAL – Tues – 4/26 – 6:44 pm

Today we start with one of our thirty minute FREE gardening consultations. Our potential client lives on Gunston Rd near Greenway Place. Our appointed time is 10:30 am.

REVISION #3 – MONDAY – 4/25 – 4:00 pm 

Our FREE consultation last week realized some advice and gardening information for our potential new client. He will be in touch with the PFX office to learn about Buildium and proceed with placing a ticket to have eight healthy bushes removed from his two beds on either side of his entrance steps. We must say it’s an odd arrangement. They are Laurel. Healthy but need a relocation so he can have a spot in which to plant some perennials. We advised him to use the community Buildium tool to report the issue. It should not be an issue finding a good home for these nice bushes. Once the removal is completed we will consult with him to select some new plants and create pretty garden beds outside his front door. It’s all good…. and a new neighbor who wants to learn about planting. We are happy to teach. Yes!!
•••••••••••••••••••••••

Following our 10:30 consult we proceeded to our Preston Rd appointment. Our repeat client asked us to purchase three (3) new perennials, come to tidy and see if we can revive her mini Evergreens. She admitted her own neglect during March to keep them watered. We’ll see if we can cut back dead growth and fertilize to stimulate some new possibility. While there, we’ll make sure everything else in the beds is looking healthy and secured in the soil. This area has tons of frisky squirrels and they seem to really thrash about in her beds in particular. We’ll spread a good coating of “blood meal” to help prevent them from disturbing her plants. We’ll plant the new items, add a few seasonal annuals. More on Monday. This  project was billed at three (3) hours inclusive of the mulch application. Plus the cost of three bags of mulch/$15, and 3 perennials at $50.

REVISION FINAL  – Tuesday – 4/26 – 6:44 pm 

••••••••••••••••••••••••

At 2 pm we arrived to the 1000 block of Beverley Drive to complete a routine maintenance and tidy. It’s been since February that we were there. We will fill her new larger metal hanging basket with a Coir Liner. We will then use Geraniums and some trailing vines to fill it. And we will place three (3) new Begonias in planters for her Etegere. A fantastic client who gives us the freedom to do the work as we see appropriate. A good two to three hours work here. Five (5) new bushes planted last spring here, doing fantastic. Three (3) Scarlet Red Azaleas and two (2) Cherry Red Knock-Out Rose Bushes. We will fertilize. Redefine the edging on the beds and tidy the Pansies planted last fall.  Very soon they will give themselves up to the hot summer temps and we will replace them with summer annuals.

REVISION #2 – Sat – 4/23 – 4:34 pm

Today we really weeded, saturated every bush with the hose laying near each one as the hot sun was really drying the blossoms. They were very thirsty. We trimmed the Holly Tree  and used the hose to clean the porch under the Portico. So much yellow pollen covering everything. Secured all the plantings and deadheaded spent blossoms. We have been  nurturing a Geranium all winter for this client.  It was huge but very green. We have cut it back to stalks and planted it in a white planter situated in the sun in her garden bed. Once it starts sprouting we will transplant it to her new metal hanging basket, which we found. We have used this technique before to recycle a plant back into a new bloomer. Frankly, it usually blooms even more the second year. We will see how it produces this year. Today was a productive three (3)hours. Monday we will return  to weed and tidy the side bed along the whole length of thus corner property. It’s a “tons if weeds” project. At least another (1) hour.

Stay tuned Monday for our FINAL  progress videos as we are not at completion just yet.

REVISION #3 – MONDAY – 4/25 – 4:00 pm 

All finished at Beverley Drive until time to purchase annuals for planting once thePansies “give it up.”

Most likely Impatiens or Periwinkle will be the replacement. We will be doing the install. Photos to follow once complete, along with pics of the planters on her Etegere and her hanging basket.

•••••••••••••••••

An absolutely perfect day for gardening.
Many shared blessings will be enjoyed, and my heart is filled with gratitude for my gifts and the labor which i love.

MY Lord and Savior God, you are generous with your always timely provisions. Thank you!

Spring came to us in its own time this year….. even so, we are exceedingly grateful.

“CONTESSA”

Martha Custis – Referral Client

A Butterfly Bush install today. This new client was a referral from one of our great homeowner clients. Ms Peggy, is  helping us to help others. We are always looking for referrals. So if you know of anyone who could use our services, do not be shy to tell them about us. Our unique style is to help you and to keep you. We follow you and your projects and check with you periodically to make sure you and your gardens are doing well. The best part is……we make wonderful new friends.  It’s a “Two-fer.”

This was a one hour project.

“CONTESSA” says…. It’s a good thing.