A Small Sample of Recent Projects

Every home should have a small pond! It is one of the most beneficial additions you can make to a landscape for all pollinators, birds, dragonflies, and other wildlife. This is a simple project we installed in one day and it didn't break the bank!

This project started as a small area that was not thought out, and had no real value. A small bucket was buried as a makeshift "pond" which was stagnant. There was an old wooden structure on the wall behind as well that was in full sun and not being utilized. 

We removed the wooden structure, most of the plants, and started digging the hole. Various herbs and potted plants were placed on top of the wall in a new space to catch some sun.

An underlayment of a thick tarp (blue) was placed under the liner, and water is added as we smooth out the liner. Rocks were then placed around the new pond edging. 

Finally, we planted some new perennials and annuals as well as moving some existing ones, added a powerful solar water feature which will help circulate the water, replaced the small slate tiles and added river pebbles and a water lily. This was 5 hour job and will add a HUGE benefit for birds, dragonflies, butterflies, frogs and other wildlife. 

This was a fun two-part project. One was the shoreline of a small pond that was being over-run by several invasives, poison ivy and general bramble, and the other was a little hillside area next to a structure for sitting that was also over-run.

It was our happy surprise that at some point in the past, someone had actually planted a few native species along the shoreline, including joe pye weed and spirea. It was left to be for a few years and they were getting choked out. 

The first part was the pond shoreline. We removed all of the invasives and poison ivy that were growing, and left all of the native species of joe pye weed, spirea, new england and wood asters and a few others. We then planted 100% natives along the shoreline including viburnum, oakleaf hydrangea, potentilla, bush honeysuckle, turtlehead, serviceberry, jacob's ladder and more.

The next section was a hilly area and the area around the sitting structure. We removed everything here except some pachysandra that we left for erosion control near the bottom (we will maintain this and may pull this out in time as the garden grows and takes hold with roots. Our fear was this was going to REALLY make the bottom area unstable resulting in a mudslide in any heavy rain). We then planted with a variety of small shrubs, perennials and grass, all native. 

We also fixed the bluestone slabs/walking path to the structure as they were a danger being so uneven- a real tripping hazard- and then backfilled with grass seed. All beds were edged and mulched with natural mulch that will break down safely on a shoreline and add to the structure of the soil. 

A great start to a multi-step project plan that will start again in 2024, where we will be ripping out Russian olives and tons of other invasives along this very long shoreline (about another 150' to go!), and backfilling with more natives. Going to be spectacular in a year from now!