Mozaic Landscapes

09/16/2024

https://apple.news/AUYdxObL9SO6h8jTsh9RNrQ

When the British brought the Lantana camara, a thorny shrub with pink and yellow flowers, to India in 1807, they thought it would make a pretty, decorative hedge for their bungalows and official buildings. It was also planted in the Indian Botanical Garden in Calcutta, then the capital of British In...

11/10/2021

Kids need trees to excel!
This study found that the more tree cover around a school, the better its standardized test scores in both math and reading. The study included 450 middle schools and nearly 50,000 students in urban, suburban, and rural communities

"But whether they are physically in school or not, contact with nature could be critical right now.

"I think the need for trees is more acute at this time. One of the big benefits of greenery, and one of the reasons we think it affects academic achievement, is it's a really potent stress reliever. Kids are aware that things are weird and that a lot of adults are kind of freaked out. And so having access to nature might be even more important than usual."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/11/201109124724.htm

10/03/2021

As the last of the leaves fall from the trees, the time has come for countless hours of raking and hauling before the first snowflake falls. While this may be a nuisance for some, for Will Bonsall,

02/02/2021

Consider natives in pots!

The new wave in landscaping is building habitat by growing native plants, but you don't need a yard to promote biodiversity. Hummingbirds, butterflies, bees and other pollinators are happy to dine on native plants growing on balconies or patios.

01/29/2021

Here are some before and after photos of a recent local landscape installation, expanding the client's outdoor living during Covid. Can't wait to go back when trees are in leaf and blooming.

12/11/2020

The impact of introduced plants on native biodiversity has emerged as a hot-button issue in ecology. But recent research provides new evidence that the displacement of native plant communities is a key cause of a collapse in insect populations and is affecting birds as well.

09/24/2020

Beautiful and healthy!

Edible flower and herbal spring rolls.
From the Heirloom Gardner

09/13/2020

Tidy beds, enrich soil and protect your tools so that you’re ready to grow your own food come spring

09/05/2020

If you gotta have a lawn, consider all the drought tolerant alternatives (native grasses, kurapia, etc), mow less, and keep to a minimum size you’ll use. Here’s a good article about why having a big lawn is losing its appeal in home gardens.

The traditional lawn – manicured, verdant, under control – now finds itself at the confluence of two hot-button issues: climate change and Indigenous rights