Making your yard into a garden

Ever wonder what you house would look like with a new landscape? When you are going to be doing most of the work yourself, it may seem like an out-of-reach luxury to have a landscape plan drawn by a designer or architect.

While hiring a designer or architect is often the way to go- especially if you are changing the grade or building structures- sometimes just some guidance is enough.

Conceptual landscape plans allow you to see the overall picture at an affordable price using computer-generated images.

This house is simply amazing. Even without a plant in the surrounding landscape, it is a showpiece. The dramatic eves, the paint color, the view-framing windows- absolutely stunning. Love love love it.

Using computer imaging, we can digitally place the landscape, giving you an idea of how it will look with trees and shrubs in place. We take the information you provide about the plants you love and the way you want to enjoy your yard to create a landscape that is you. Conceptual plans are good for new landscapes, landscape revitalizations, specific areas of the garden, and basic layouts (i.e. driveway placement). While they do not replace a landscape plan, they are a helpful way to begin.

Call or e-mail us for more information about how to get started and pricing. All it takes is a few photographic images of your house and the process can begin. And most landscapes can be designed and in your hands within 1-2 weeks!

Remember: If you want a gorgeous spring garden, you need to plant this fall!

Scout Horticultural Consulting
(843)568-1102
info@gardenscout.com

For more information, check out our website!

Remembering

I saw this picture this morning on Jenks Farmer's Twitter page and it reminded me of picking vegetables with my Grandpa Whitley. Did you notice the homemade buckets made from Bluebell ice cream containers? My grandpa also made his own buckets, only his were from old milk jugs. I still make them today.

While ridiculously easy to make, I never see them lying around any of my friends' houses. So I'm going to assume that none of you know about this trick and show you how.

Just cut where I marked with the Sharpie using a knife (Cindy, I know you are cringing right now at the thought of me using my dull knives) or a sturdy pair of scissors. If you follow the bend at the top of the jug, you'll get it right.Here's what you get. It's simple and it works. And the position of the handle makes it comfy (some people call that "ergonomically correct" I believe).What's more, like the re-purposed Blue Bell containers, it fulfills the "reuse" part of the "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" mantra we all claim to follow. Fill them with berries, okra, figs, shells, pecans or anything else you like to pick up off the ground or off a plant.

Rose Budworms

Seeing a flurry of small moths around your rose bushes? You may be on the verge of a Rose Budworm infestation. These moths aren't collecting nectar from the flowers; They're laying eggs near the flower buds.

Once the eggs hatch, tiny caterpillars (called budworms) crawl to developing flower buds and bore into the petals. They're using the petals as their food source.

The budworms create perfectly round perforations as they chew through the flower buds.
And as the petals unfurl, the caterpillar will have already moved on to another flower or pupated. The rose petals will look like they've been peppered with bird shot and you'll say to yourself, "I've worked on these roses all summer long through the brutal heat and now their flowers all look like this? Just Great."I wouldn't worry about trying to prevent this pest. They are only around for a couple of weeks so it's not worth the hassle. If you do decide to treat, use a biological product like Dipel (a.k.a Bacillis thuringiensis).

Side Note: Something I've noticed over the last few days is that they favor 'Sunny Knockout' over other types of roses. They still get into the other Knockout roses, but they are definitely more attracted to the yellow cultivar.