At Gardening and Such we specialize in uncovering and reestablishing the beauty of once wonderful but now overgrown, overrun, and unmanageable southern gardens.
We often distribute this flyer (or one like it). Click and read and see if it applies to you!
A wise man once said, "In everything there is a season... a time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted... . a time to tear down and a time to build up..."
We often distribute this flyer (or one like it). Click and read and see if it applies to you!
A wise man once said, "In everything there is a season... a time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted... . a time to tear down and a time to build up..."
This is certainly the case in garden restoration. The first part of the process is what my good friend Bill Kunze calls "jungle taming." This is the "tear down" stage - the generally hard work of getting rid of smothering vines (wisteria, muscadine, smilax, honeysuckle, moonseed vine, akebia, potato vine, cucumber vine, virginia creeper, trumpet vine and so forth), digging out tree volunteers (cherry laurel, oaks of all kinds , hackberry, hickory, etc), cutting away dead wood from trees and shrubs, removing dead plants altogether, and pruning back overgrown shrubs. You can read more about jungle taming here.
The next phase involves assessment now that things are cleaned up a bit. Usually there is new planting to be done, either filling in holes here or there or completely redoing beds from the ground up. In the latter case there is the process of planning and design, making decisions about plants, and then acquiring and putting in the new plants, usually followed by mulching. Read more about the design phase of the process here.
Sometimes the main thing needed is pruning. I am so thankful that many many years ago my grandmother taught me how to prune. It is a lost art with few people around skilled AND available to prune an entire garden of plants. With so much variation amongst plants as to when and how to prune I do a lot of reading to make sure I know just how to prune your particular plants. I take very seriously the pruning of old treasured shrubs that have been in families for generations, especially camellias, as well as all the normal pruning needed on a property field with plants.
In addition, on a bi-weekly, monthly, or quarterly basis we can come to your place and take care of your beds – pruning, mulching, planting, dividing, weeding, ridding your beds of vines and volunteer trees and plants, and so forth. You can read more about ongoing care here.
Most overgrown shrubs – especially ones grown for flowers – may need several seasons to bring back into shape. And some invasive plants like wisteria require two to three seasons to eradicate as well.
Ultimately this work is really about the people. And what gives us the most joy is enabling a homeowner - especially who has been unable to enjoy his or her garden for some time because it has become so overwhelming - to once again to get out and find pleasure in that special place called home.
You can reach me by e-mail at [email protected] or by phone at 803-767-0575.