“November’s sky is chill and drear, November’s leaf is red and sear.” – Sir Walter Scott

Custom Gardens, LLC welcomes you with an invitation to enjoy news, tips, and our
monthly spotlighted plant!

Plant of the Month

We are busy helping clients put pansies in their landscapes for fall color. The pansy is an extremely versatile and hardy “annual.” It provides wonderful spring color — and, to the surprise of many people — is actually also a fantastic plant for fall and winter! In fact, they winter over quite well, and it is not unusual to see them in bloom during the winter … or peeking through the snow. The trick to keep pansies blooming is to pinch off spent blossoms and their stems; this promotes new blossoms and allows the beautiful flowers to keep their full appearance instead of a long, stringy look.

In the Garden with Ellen

I often get requests for circles of flowers around a mailbox. To this I say, let’s do it even better! The circle has been done, and done again … and again! Not to mention, this design doesn’t necessarily relate well to the rest of the property or other gardens in your landscape. But there is no need to worry — we can do incredibly interesting, colorful, and low maintenance plantings that provide year round color. For example, how about a curved bed that goes from the driveway to the edge of the property? This makeover for your landscape provides lots of visual intrigue and offers an interestingchange from the norm …

Did You Know …

Did you know that many of our clients are also avid gardeners looking for another, expert set of eyes? We recently worked with such a client — an enthusiastic gardener — who was concerned her property did not look as good as it could; she had some plants that she felt were misplaced, and others that were overgrown. She also had areas in the backyard where she wanted to add plantings and extra color. Custom Gardens had a wonderful time addressing these concerns with her!
After uncovering in our consultation that lilac is one of her favorite garden participants, we removed a couple of plants she no longer wanted and added two lilacs to build on the one already existing. We were happy to gave her this sweep of color that she will enjoy in the spring and long thereafter. We then showed her how to care for her lilacs so they will stay shrubby and floriferous … asopposed to tall, sparse, and unappealing.

We also moved two beautiful hydrangeas that were crowding out her lovely dwarf Japanese maple and used them to create a new bed in one of the blank spaces on her property. Dividing some of the larger clumps of perennials, we sprinkled them on either side of the path to offer even more color and continuity in design.

Oh Deer, What to Do?

Plants with fuzzy foliage are generally not palatable to deer. A good example is Lamb’s Ear (Stachys). There are several cultivars on the market, which makes this a versatile plant in the garden.

All the Time

Custom Gardens invites you to contact us at 610.613.7506 to schedule a complimentary consultation on your property. Available to discuss indoor plants (what and where) as well as indoor and outdoor specialty gardens and landscapes, we are in the business of making your home or office — your everyday view — more attractive and enjoyable.

Believe this newsletter may interest a neighbor, friend, or associate? We will be happy to add them to our contact list at your or their request.

Sincerely,

Ellen Covner
Custom Gardens, LLC