Grow It Yourself

Back in April I shared that I was trying out growing corn for the first time! It didn’t go exactly to plan, since their growth was a bit stunted (still researching why), but these gorgeous results guaranteed them another plot to try again next season! :-)

Here’s a beautiful reconstruction of a pathway we did a few weeks back! This one was unlike our usual flagstone pathways in that we set it with concrete and shaped in in a slight “u”, as our customer wanted this to double as a pathway and water run-off :-) The result came out so nice!!

Call us at (919) 717-2262 for all of your pathway needs- we offer free consultations and work hard to meet your budget 💚

Here’s a pretty bouquet of sunflowers to brighten your already toasty Thursday! 🌻 We hope everyone is having a good week and able to squeeze in some garden time- we’re currently working on a patio & pathway and are looking forward to sharing photos with you all soon :-)

We are currently revisiting this yard to do some maintenance work, but I had to snap some pics of the gorgeous retaining wall we built a few years ago! 😁 So cool to see it still looking as good as new and with some added foliage. 🌿

Here’s a new-to-me eastern u.s. native plant that was so gorgeous to see in person ~ Rosepink (sabatia angularis)! 💗

Some before & afters of another Durham patio we finished up today :-) We’ve been doing lots of hardscaping recently because of the heat! Our usual lawn transformations & regular plantings will resume when it’s safe to get plants in the ground (when we know they won’t get burnt to a crisp & need so much water to get acclimated)! 💚 Until then, we’ll enjoy the rocks and hope you do too :-)

Our last cool weather crops that survived the heat. Potatoes and onions were planted way back in early March. Now is a good time to prepare your beds for fall season planting. For a free consultation call: 919-717-2262

A happy customer just sent us this photo of her amazing garden! We built the beds, she grew the crops. 😎 So cool to see!

Call us for all of your garden bed needs :-) 🌱 (919)717-2262

Another patio finished up! Here’s some before & after pics in reverse for your viewing pleasure 😎 This was a fun, rounded shape to work on & transform from the previous square placement. Plus, we ended up recycling some of the old pavers to cut up & use as the capstones! It was hot out there, but we had our portable gazebo to give us some shade during the tedious stone placing and setting. :-) We were glad to get it done! 💪🏼

Here to brighten your Wednesday evening with these gorgeous hibiscuses that we got to see every day while working on a patio last week. 🩷

Pics to come of that finished project tomorrow morning!

A few before, during, & after photos of this amazing pathway project. 💚

We spent a few days in this incredible Durham yard a few weeks back to widen and pave this pathway and here is the result. It was hard to see that the space could get any more gorgeous, but with the varied stone sizes & dark gravel filling them in against the lush greenery, it definitely did! A big thanks to our kind clients for calling us out for this one~ we think our team’s visions mended quite nicely with theirs & hope to work with them more in the future. 🌞

Happy Sunday from the currently blooming native gayfeathers / blazing stars (liatris spicata) with a few visitors! 💜 We hope everyone is staying cool out there and able to enjoy your gardens during the brief moments outdoors :-)

If you’re curious about your local landscapers in this crazy heat, the Grow It Yourself crew is still out there going strong during weekdays! We just try to get up & at em earlier in the morning to beat the peak heat, bring lots of water, break out our portable gazebo for those extra sunny days, and head home to cool off when that heat index gets a little too high for comfort.🥵 Thanks for supporting us, keeping us busy, and cheering us on year round!

Bee Balm, Echinacea, & Rudbeckias are in bloom in the garden right now. 💖

Here’s a recent pathway/ stair project we finished up! Both grassy patches on the sides of this house were used by the neighborhood to reach the trail in the backyard woods & often looked like mini rivers after a rainstorm. The customer wanted to fix the drainage problem and make clear paths for his neighbors, so we came in & did just that! Aside from the pathways, we also installed a large underground pipe to further redirect the water & a small rock bed/ dry creek under their drainage pipe. We think it’s a big improvement!

If you have any pathway, stair, drainage needs, or all of the above, give us a call! We can come to you for a free consultation and talk design, budget, etc. 😎

Happy Wednesday!

Good morning from a handful of garden berries, Mrs. Wheeler and Dartanion, a few of our berry loving chickens 🐓 We’ve got a cool project going on today on the grow it yourself crew ~ I’ll be sure to share photos in our stories as we work through it and share the final photos here! 😎

Super fresh job just finished up!! Natural boulder retaining walls, river rock dry creek, a bunch of new plants to help keep the soil in, & a thin layer of fresh soil / compost with clover seeds for a pesky area that can’t seem to grow anything! 👏🏽 Check out the last photo for a before pic. We had a very kind & happy customer. 😁

Good morning from our Common Milkw**d, Asclepias Syriaca :-) 🩷

We put this fence in last summer & came to do some maintenance this morning, so I had to snap some pics! It’s holding up so well & is adding a lot to the gorgeous, flush garden. :-) If you have any aesthetically pleasing fencing needs, call us!! We think we do a great job 😁

A little harvest of blooms to dry for tea 🌼
Passionflower, bee balm, & calendula here :-) We know you love to share your garden with the pollinators, but you deserve to enjoy your hard work too~ especially when you’re growing medicine! 💜

Here’s another project we worked on recently for a sweet couple. :-) even the smallest spaces should be given tender love & care 💚 Brand new flagstone pathway with two small garden beds lining the house and fence with fresh soil and mulch for the customer to plant directly into. 😁

Happy Friday :-) Hope you all have a great weekend and are able to get outside, enjoy the beautiful weather, and see some flowers!! 💚🌼

Loving all the natives blooming in the garden right now! Cutleaf coneflower, blanket flower, & passionflower all opened up in the past few days. :-)

We’ve been busy bees! Here’s a recent project that we worked on last week. We cleared out this overgrown garden space and turned it into a native / pollinator garden that was a bit more accessible for the customer & extended a portion of the fence which we’ve pictured here as well! A fresh layer of mulch always freshens up the space too. :-) Call us for all your garden & outdoor space needs! We offer free consultations. Our contact info is listed on our page. 😎

Have you seen the 13 year cicadas yet here in Durham? They’ve been slowly making their appearance for a few days and they are quite the sight…. and abundant! They’re not known to be garden pests, so fear not if you see them resting on your precious crops. :-) if anything, during their decade-ish long period underground, they were aerating your soil and aiding in water filtration. 😁 & besides looking for mates & being a snack for birds when they come out of the ground, they’re just hanging around {without teeth or stingers!}, so just enjoy their presence & the “purrs”, there will be lots this year!

Signed, your landscapers / gardeners / bug lovers. 🌿💖

Strawberry harvest to start off the morning! 🍓

From an overgrown, forgotten garden to a fresh, abundant fruit & veggie oasis! 🫐🍅🌿
We arrived at this amazing spot a few months back to clean up the past year/s of growth & old structures for a few days & then revisited to get to building and planting! 16 new beds, complete with wood & cattle panel trellising, a fresh soil & compost mixture for the beds, & mulch surrounding them. Then we planted cucumbers, potatoes, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, peas, onions, squash, & lots & lots of herbs! We don’t always get to see what gets to grow in the beds we build, so this was quite a treat. :-)
& we’re excited to hear about the abundance this space brings soon 💚

Did you know we do free consultations for garden areas like this, big and small and also are able to work with your budget? Reach out via email or give us a call! We’d love to work with you so you can grow your own produce too 😁

Each year in the garden, some of us like to add at least one type of new crop to learn about & this year, we’re experimenting with growing corn! 🌽 This variety here is called the Glass Gem and is a Native American heirloom that, as you may be able to tell from this photo, has vibrant rainbow kernels :-) while it’s not a sweet corn that is ideal for eating on the cob, it can be popped like popcorn or ground up to be made into grits or polenta! I’m excited to see how it grows amongst the sunflowers and watermelons 🌻🍉

Virginia bluebell sighting at our most recent job site 💙
Remember when we shared a photo of our neighboring countries’ bluebells that are much more invasive when planted here? Well here’s the North American native kind :-) just as beautiful & they were constantly being visited by our eastern swallowtails 💛

Starting off this warm monday morning with fresh leaf tea from the garden! Lemon balm, mountain mint, bee balm, raspberry, thyme, strawberry, & even some deadnettle sprinkled in there :-) So good to have the familiar plants growing in abundance again 💚