We have a variety of specialty gardens that are designed to enhance your landscape experience.  Whether it is a garden designed to attract butterflies or a garden of edible plants, you and your family will find enjoyment together while observing and exploring these ever changing spaces.  

Please review the different specialty gardens.  Feel free to use your own imagination and creativity to enhance any of the garden ideas.  Give us a call at your earliest convenience so we can further explore how to integrate these specialty gardens into your landscape wishes.  

Butterfly Garden                        Water Garden

Bird Garden                              Children's Garden

Prairie Pocket                           Edible Garden

Woodland Garden                       Container Garden

Rain Garden                              Bouquet Garden

Butterfly Garden  

The grace and beauty of the butterfly creates a sense of tranquility and relaxation in any garden. To create a thriving butterfly garden the following characteristics must be present: a sunny location, nectar plants (food source for adults), host plants (a place for females to lay eggs and food for caterpillars), the presence of puddling (a place to drink), and stones (a place to bask in sun).  

Bird Garden

A garden with a diversity of birds is lively and cheerful. There is always something new to observe...interesting differences and interactions between birds.  When designing a bird garden it is important to keep in mind that birds are like people in there basic living needs.  In order to survive and thrive, birds need the three basics: food, water, and shelter.  Birds need plants that will provide plentiful nectar, seeds, and berries.  In addition, a diversity of shrubs and trees need to be present to provide summer and winter shelter.  Attractive birdbaths and bird houses can enhance the garden aesthetic. 

Prairie Pocket

For those of you who have a large lawn and wish for more time enjoying your landscape than mowing it, than this may be the garden for you.  A prairie pocket garden can be as large or small as the space allows and is filled with a variety of native perennials and grasses.  The garden can be designed with mown paths throughout that will still allow you to maintain your property, but also spend time walking through these areas and enjoying the sites and sounds.  Once established prairie pockets require minimal maintenance.  

Woodland Garden

The woodland garden holds many treasures.  From the subtle beauty of the early spring wildflowers to the cool oasis beneath the trees on hot summer days. Paths meandering through a woodland garden are surrounded by the different foliage textures and contrasting colors of ferns, hosta, and a variety of shade perennials.  A secluded seating area allows you to relax and listen to nature, leaving behind the stress of the day.

Rain Garden

These gardens are designed in areas where water collects after a rain event.  Native perennials are planted in these low areas (ditches, areas along streams, etc.) creating a beautiful mosaic of color and also filtering the water/runoff before it is released into a nearby stream.  These beautiful gardens help restore stream water quality, which creates healthier drinking water for both us and local wildlife.  

Water Garden

The sound of flowing water instantly creates an atmosphere of relaxation and tranquility.  Water gardens can be designed on many different scales; from a large re-circulating stream to a small shallow pond with a fountain.  Water features are integrated into the adjacent landscape using natural rock and a diversity of plants.

Children's Garden

Passing on your love for nature and gardening to your children can be done in some very creative ways.  Gardening together with children can be beneficial to the both of you. As children experience gardening and nature for the first time it will re-open your eyes to the awe and wonder of the natural world.  

Within your own backyard you can create different theme gardens that can help children connect the importance of the land and the food they eat.  An example would be a pizza garden.  This garden is planted in a circle and divided up into "slices".  Each slice would grow a different ingredient for the pizza (i.e. tomatoes, herbs, green peppers).  After the garden matures and you begin to harvest the vegetables it is time for the Pizza Party!

Edible Garden

These gardens are fun for friends and family to experience.  A wide variety of edible plants are available.  These plants range from those commonly found in nature that are edible to the well know fruit and vegetable favorites. Placing these gardens near the kitchen is convenient for easy harvesting.   

Container Garden

For those of you who have only a small balcony or patio in which to garden, container grown plants offer many possibilities.  The variety of plants available to grow in containers is vast; ranging from dwarf fruit trees and shrubs to a variety of annuals and perennials which include some vegetables.  Container gardens have the additional benefit of being able to be rearranged or to replace plants at any time to give the area a different look.  Many of the plants are winter hardy in large containers. 

Bouquet Garden 

This garden design is full of a variety of plants that will provide you with beautiful bouquets to harvest from early spring to the first snowfall.  Not only are traditional cut flowers grown in the perennial beds, but even trees and shrubs are selected to provide interest in fresh or dried floral arrangements.  A few spring favorites are the tulip, daffodil, and pussy willow. With summer comes the beautiful rose, elderberry, dogwood, and a variety of both annual and perennial flowers.  In the fall, the colorful foliage of the different viburnum and willow will compliment the vibrant chrysanthemum. 

Early mornings are the best time to harvest bouquets when the flowers are the freshest. After cutting, immediately place the stems in a bucket of water that is shaded from the sun.  The stems will need to be cut once again when placed in the final arrangement.