Catalyst Landscape Design

Sustainable holiday décor is a trend we can get behind. In this week's blog, you'll find six eco-friendly ways to decorate for the holidays (and save some $$ while doing it!)🌿

Read the Blog >> https://bit.ly/GBBGblog_ecoholidaydecor

Continuous bed lines, lawnmowers dream.

To mow or not to mow in May?

By now you've probably heard about “No Mow May”—Many people have committed to not mowing their yards in May, allowing flowering plants to grow and provide food for pollinators.

But before you stow away your mower for the month, make sure you're aware of the benefits AND challenges this movement brings. There are several ways to support pollinators in spring while keeping your turfgrass healthy and attractive. Learn more here: https://bit.ly/3py81ll 🐝🦋🐦

Image by congerdesign from Pixabay

This is a great resource for new lawns, starting a vegetable garden, orchards, trees, or planting beds.

Spring is here!!! Concerned about your soil and its effects on your lawn or gardens? We can help facilitate the testing of your soil! To find out more: https://www.browncountywi.gov/departments/extension-brown-county/horticulture/soil-testing/

Gardening is a four season activity! Join UW-Madison Extension Horticulture for these FREE gardening webinars to get your gardening season started. This series of webinars includes topics from house plants to seed saving. The webinars are free but you must register..

Go to bit.ly/3IYUVFq to find out more and to register!

These mini-webinars are Wednesdays from February 8 - February 22, 12:00pm to 12:30pm.

An EEO/AA employer, University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming, including Title VI, Title IX, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act requirements.

Put your pruners down and read first 🙃

We know...some of the plants in your landscape are looking a bit tired and it is tempting to trim them back...tidy things up a bit. But many shrubs have already formed their blooms for next spring...find a list of what not to prune now right here, pwwin.rs/FallPruning

A gorgeous wooded lot deserves a beautiful home! This one is getting it all from a paver patio and walkway to a upgraded driveway design. Other important considerations involved deer resistant plants, privacy, low maintenance, spring-fall color, texture and seasonal interest.

Want to make a statement that will last all season? Add texture and colorful foliage.

Color & texture mostly from foliage (with the exception of the blue delphiniums)! 😍 I really wish we had pictures of what my parent’s garden looked like when we moved here in 1990. This area was mostly weeds in the beginning, then it became what was supposed to be a moon garden (not for long…the hedge of white peonies planted here ended up all blooming pink! 😆), now it’s a cozy pathway leading from house to pool. (Tricolor Beech, Sweet Woodruff, Blue Spruce, Twombly’s Red Sentinel Japanese Maple, Slender Silhouette Sweet Gum, Boxwood, & Delphinium 🌿🌿🌿)

There is something beautiful about a clean slate and starting a new beginning during a season of hope. I am excited to be a part of this new build that will soon be complete and ready for landscaping in Spring.

Never underestimate the impact of transitioning from one location to another. Nearly every design I do has one form of a path or more.

I love that hardscape companies are starting to offer more selections for stepping stones. Often times they add charm and character to the landscape.

Putting together gift baskets and certificates this week if you need a pretty amazing gift. 🎄

3D renderings will soon be optional with all design plans. I am so excited to start implementing a sophisticated software that will bring the vision to life.

Little Quick Fire Hydrangea is easily one of my favorite landscape shrubs. When selecting plants for clients that want to maximize color but have minimal maintenance, this one is a must!

What makes this one so special?

🍃 compact size and strong branching
🍃one of earliest blooming hydrangeas
🍃colorful fall foliage
🍃easy to care for
🍃tolerent of full sun (but appreciates afternoon shade)

People will often say I want a plant that blooms all season, when what they really need is a plant that has seasonal interest. The beauty of landscaping is how it evolves and changes from season to season.

Creating privacy and enhancing beauty in your own backyard.

Tackle your landscape projects with confidence! A professional design plan will ensure that you have the right plants for the right spot, giving you color all season long and plenty of winter interest. 🌿

Anyone else have plant fever when it’s 5 degrees outside?

I had the pleasure of designing a master plan for these wonderful homeowners.

Not all landscapes provide a clean slate and a empty canvas- and that is ok! The hardscapes were done, curbing completely installed and had existing trees and shrubs through out the property. However, there was still gaps to fill, views to obscure, and not all the plants were thriving and needed some reconsiderations.

As a landscape designer, I take great pride in helping clients find the perfect plant for the perfect spot! In addition to making sure everything has a cohesive flow, smooth transitions and seasonal interest. It is a lot like finding that one piece to the puzzle. Having a landscape plan can take all the guess work out of your project and allow you to take on as much as you can when time allows.

As long as the ground is workable, keep planting those hardy perennials and deciduous trees and shrubs!

As plants start to go dormant, fall is a great time to plant. The cool air and warm soil temps means less stress on the plant and the planter 😉

🍃Water new plants as needed until ground freezes. Check soil first to see if it’s dry.

🍃 Wait until late winter/ early spring to do most of your major pruning. Prune spring flowering shrubs as soon as they are done blooming- if done later you risk removing flower buds. Removing dead, damaged or diseased branches is the only pruning that can be done at any time.

🍃Avoid fertilizing until spring. It is ok to test soil and add compost to help with future planting beds.

🍃Protect and stock up on animal repellents and use as necessary. Voles and rabbits find your investment in plants to be delicious!

🍃Additionally, it’s never to late for designs! Contact me today to get a early jump on next years projects 🙌🏻👩🏻‍🌾

The Woodland Garden. This garden bed was existing but had no rhyme or reason. The client is a true flower enthusiast but was at a loss of ideas. The garden is tucked into the back corner of their lot with lots of mature evergreen and deciduous trees behind it- a perfect opportunity for a charming woodland garden!

There are 5 key elements that help bring this theme to life.

1. Curved bed lines- rarely do you see straight lines in nature.

2. Winding Path- Natural stone steppers to lead you through. Not seeing where the path end when you start adds mystery.

3. Mature trees and greenery- having mature evergreen and deciduous trees in the background was a huge advantage. The additional trees and shrubs used help create layers in the garden. The textures and color were carefully placed.

4. Birdbath- My client already had a existing birdbath in the garden which was perfect.

5. Seating- I incorporated a bench along the path. It has the most beautiful view of a weeping willow tree off in the distant and will be a wonderful place of rest and relaxation.

Fall mums are starting to pop! The fresh blooms of color are a fantastic classic.

Vincent Van Gogh once said "as long as autumn lasts, I shall not have hands, canvas, and colors enough to paint the beautiful things I see". We couldn't agree more! Legend of the Fall Fothergilla captures all of those stunning fall colors into one plant. It sets a new standard for the species with brilliant, glowing hues of orange, yellow, and red!
-Zones 5-9
-Full to part sun
-4-5' tall, 4-5' wide

https://bit.ly/3k6rZvo

Good morning, stop and smell the roses!☀️

Some of my favorite gardens are a combination of color, year-round interest, texture and SMELL!

Pictured: Sweet Fragrance Rose

The garden that has been inspiring me all my life 🥰

We took a drive to visit my grandma last weekend but could not leave until we picked a couple buckets of apples.

Harvest season is upon us! Check out these sweet treats on this ‘Reliance’ Peach Tree!

‘Reliance’ Peach Tree is hardy to zone 5
‘Contender’ Peach tree is hardy to zone 4

Both trees produce gorgeous blooms in spring and delicious fruit in August. Like most fruit trees, peaches require yearly maintenance and frequent spray applications to protect them against numerous pest and diseases. Worth it? I think so!

It has been a busy season thus far but I wanted to share one of the designs I finished up. After building a new home, the owners wanted to tackle their own landscaping. Key points to the design are low maintenance and color from spring to fall.

If you are looking for low maintenance and simple curb appeal, give your plants extra spacing. Decorative stone will not have to be touch up like mulch and concrete curbing will make for a clean, well-defined edge. Soft curves are naturally pleasing to the eye. The patio they had will now be hugged by blue and purple toned plants making it the perfect place to relax. In this case, stepping stones were used to transition from patio to lawn- making mowing a breeze.