| Gardening is a kind of disease. It infects you, you cannot
escape it. When you go visiting, your eyes rove about the garden; you interrupt the serious cocktail drinking because of an irresistible impulse to get up and pull a weed. - Lewis Gannit |
Good
Earth Gardeners We can design any garden for you, from the most modern garden to old-fashioned cottage, Japanese, children’s (including playground plantings), fairy tale, rain, meditation, sensory, monochromatic, night-blooming (for those of you who get home late from work), herb, vegetable, habitat, butterfly, bird, whimsical, rock, bog, sculpture, topiary, tropical, period gardens such as French formal (think Versailles), low-maintenance, drought-resistant/xeriscape, or collector’s gardens. We love native plants and use them in every landscape, augmenting them with a few well-chosen imports. Scheduled garden maintenance is available at hourly rates. Gardening requires lots of water - most of it in the form of perspiration. Lou Erickson Services include: Design – We’ve designed over 200 gardens in Anne Arundel County since 2003. We can design the garden of your dreams for you. Installation – We’ve used the same reliable, experienced crew since 2004. · Maintenance – Deadheading perennials is our middle name. It’s important to us that your garden looks not just good, but PERFECT. We maintain small courtyard gardens or large estate gardens Rain Gardens –Save the bay! Save money! Did you know that tax credits are available for rain gardens? Runoff from your roof or driveway can be filtered through a rain garden filled with native plants. These plants are tolerant of wet conditions when it rains, dry conditions when it doesn’t, and everything in between! Runoff is cleaner, cooler and better utilized. Vegetable Gardens – Not just for a corner of the yard - our vegetable gardens are works of art. What is more delicious than a home-grown tomato? There can be no other occupation like gardening in which, if you were to creep up behind someone at their work, you would find them smiling. ~Mirabel Osler Pebble Mosaics – See pictures on the portfolio page. Espalier – Apple & pear trees, magnolias, pyracantha, figs and more can be trained into beautiful two dimensional designs or into living fences to create a garden room. Batboxes – Chances are you’ll notice the bats have moved in when you notice how many fewer mosquitoes there are in your yard. We build our own boxes using the design from Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources Natural Stone Stairs and Paths & Flagstone Patios – So much nicer than pavers. Custom Welded Sculpture – Not as outrageously expensive as you might think. Although we can charge you more, if you want us to. Beneficial Insect Releases – Ladybugs, lacewings, etc. We order our insects from GardensAlive!.com. Consultation – If you just need a nudge in the right direction invite Good Earth Gardeners to your garden and we’ll listen to your gardening goals and help augment your garden plans to obtain them. Garden Docent – Hire garden-savvy accompaniment for a trip to Longwood Gardens, Ladew Gardens or a hike through the woods. Spring/Fall Clean-Ups DIY - Plans for installing your own garden from a design made just for you to install. Alternative Lawns – Call and ask about Yarrow & Ajuga lawns. Or, be our guinea pig and experiment with us. We want to try Blue Grama Grass, Creeping Oregano, Carex pensylvanica, moss and more. No non-natural herbicides or pesticides…not even Round-Up. In fact, we’d rather remove a sick plant and install a pest/disease resistant one than spray anything at all. · Pruning - Small trees and woody ornamentals are pruned and trimmed by hand or with manual, electric or gas-powered trimmers. Deadheading perennial and annual plants is done by hand. Larger trees that need cut back or removed are referred to our arborists. Weeding - Weeds are pulled by hand or killed with household vinegar. Environmentally safe corn gluten may be applied to help prevent the emergence of fall or spring weeds. Mulching: - Mulching can help prevent weeds, improve moisture retention of soil and keep plant roots cooler on hot days. Whether it’s shredded hardwood or pine, recycled rubber from tires, recycled tumbled glass or shredded leaves from your own yard – mulch is almost always recommended. Pest Management - We provide the application of organic pesticides and diagnosis of plant disease and infestation, as well as recommendations for continued care or treatment. Our goal is to use integrated pest management strategies, which harm the least number of beneficial insects possible. Copper Trellises and Arbors - We can build your
custom designed copper trellis or arbor on site. These look great
in the vegetable garden for peas, beans or cucumbers to climb! Bulbs - Tulips, daffodils, allium, hyacinth, crocus, fritillaria and Siberian iris are planted in the fall. We order ours from John Scheepers (http://www.johnscheepers.com) and can plant yours for you. We begin bulb planting in October. We really love planting bulbs! Outdoor & Indoor Murals - Local artists are commissioned to create murals on site. Topiary -Topiaries can really make a garden. Consider a living chair growing from trees (http://www.arborsmith.com/index.html). Maintenance Plans - A step-by-step do-it-yourself maintenance plan can be created for any garden. A maintenance plan from Good Earth Gardeners is a month-by-month schedule for the care of every plant in your yard and garden, including tips for fertilization and when and how to prune. Seasonal Decoration -Seasonal items such as spring annuals, potted chrysanthemums, hardy pansies, flowering kale, pumpkins, gourds, corn stalks, and Christmas wreaths can be delivered, installed, and removed at the end of the season. Containers - Want a giant potted arrangement like the ones in downtown Annapolis? Good Earth Gardeners can make one for you. Early spring containers are available in April. Summer container plantings are available starting in early May, depending on weather conditions. Autumn containers that will remain attractive through winter are start becoming available in mid-to-late October. Beds -Livening up flowerbeds with annuals can really make a ho-hum garden into a show garden. Rates: The best time to plant a tree
was 20 years ago. The second best time to plant a tree is now. Contact
Kara Bowne-Crissey at Good Earth Gardeners |
“Enhancing
the environment for the benefit of the entire community.”