stone work. We handled all the landscaping, irrigation, drainage and outdoor lighting needs. The tree in the driveway closest to the home helps break up the expanse of hard material. We used Nellie R. Stevens Hollies to block the view of the street.

is easy to enjoy the spring and summer garden with the full of color and bounty of green leaves. But what is there for you in the winter when the 'scape is nude of its covering of leaves and flowers?

What is your favorite thing to look at in your winter landscape?

I love winter gardens!. Less clutter, bare bones, stark and beautiful.

Think Texture and contrasts. This is when your garden art shines as well!

Plants with Winter color. It isn't all about blooms! Berries, bark and leaves all have value in the winter'scape. Top of my list is of course the Coral Bark Maple. Hollies with berries (Red or Yellow). Red, Yellow or Orange twig dogwoods. Exfoliating trees, white bark trees, Curvy trees such as a Henry Lauders' Walking Stick. Evergreen plants with colored leaves also add good 'backbone' to your garden. And yes, blooms are not bad either with the Lenten rose sand the Camellias!

Moss Rocks and boulders. Rocks are can be a place to draw the eye for a 'rest'. They don't have to be huge be a big hit in your landscape. Remember to bury some of the boulder into your landscape so that it does not look like you just threw a rock down. Play around with it, different angles, don't be afraid to experiment! Boulders are pretty resilient on the transplant (ok that one was pretty lame and lands me in the plant geek category)

Garden Art and interesting structures. Arbors, Pergolas, interesting pots all add an ambiance to the garden year round. Let your whimsical side loose with fun recycled and up-cycled objects d'art!There are plenty of awesome projects that are on my clip board and others here that will make your garden fun!

This is when you see more clearly the lines and curves (or lack of), the balance and flow of your garden structure. Take a look around at your garden, does it look lopsided? Has edge between the lawn and the landscape bed gotten a bit confused and hairy looking? Great time to tackle that! Grab the water-hose and pin it down with some sod staples and reestablish your bedlines. If you have any dormant plants you might want to make sure you know where they are before you do this). Clean those messy lines up while you have plenty of time. Good hard work in cold weather makes you warmer!

So folks get out there and dig it, ya dig? If you have any questions please contact me anytime!

because of the heavy rains we are expecting and my lawn is fairly steep. Should I wait for a more gentle rain?