Ambiance Garden Design

10/27/2026

🌿💧 Drought May Be Unfashionable, but Water Conservation Is Always in Style! 💧🌿

Even the most exquisite gardens are feeling a little parched this year! Charlotte’s drought conditions have reminded us that Mother Nature occasionally has her own landscaping agenda—and she doesn’t always consult the designer! 🌸

At Ambiance Garden Design, we believe beautiful gardens should be as sustainable as they are sophisticated.

One of our favorite solutions? Our 80-gallon rain barrels! 💦

These clever garden companions capture rainwater when Mother Nature is feeling generous, allowing you to save it for those inevitable dry spells. Whether you’re watering by bucket or using a hand pump, it’s a wonderfully practical way to give your treasured plants a little extra TLC.

Paired with efficient drip irrigation, thoughtful water conservation helps protect your landscape investment while making every precious drop count.

Because a truly luxurious garden isn’t just beautiful—it’s brilliantly sustainable! 🌿✨

Let’s keep Charlotte green, one rain barrel at a time!

🌸 Ambiance Garden Design, LLC
Creating beautiful outdoor spaces with purpose and elegance.

10/16/2026

Suzanne shares a little about her garden and one of its standout features, an espalier pear tree. A closer look at how thoughtful design and the right plants can make a garden feel special.

This is just a preview of a longer conversation. Stay tuned for the full interview!

10/15/2026

Fall is the perfect time to plant garlic! Suzanne is showing us how to get garlic started in the garden now so it has time to establish roots before winter and grow into a summer harvest.
With just a few simple steps, you can add homegrown garlic to your garden and enjoy the rewards next year. Have you ever tried growing your own garlic?

09/25/2026

A rain barrel does more than collect water. It puts a free, natural resource to work in your garden.
Rainwater is ideal for many plants, and having it stored on site makes it easy to water containers, raised beds, and ornamental plantings during dry periods. It’s a simple way to reduce water use while keeping your garden healthy and thriving.
This hand-painted rain barrel adds a little personality to the garden, but the real benefit is having fresh rainwater ready when the plants need it most.
Do you collect rainwater in your garden?

09/16/2026

"Outstanding work from start to finish. Very detailed, thorough, talented and personable. A remarkable garden transformation." says Lindsay on Google

★★★★★ Outstanding work from start to finish. Very detailed, thorough, talented and personable. A remarkable garden transformation.

08/26/2026

Have you ever wondered why some azaleas are covered in blooms while others seem to put on a much quieter show?

The answer often starts with how they're pruned.

In this video, Joel demonstrates selective hand pruning, a technique that removes long stems while preserving the plant's natural shape. Unlike shearing, this approach encourages healthier growth, better structure, and stronger flowering potential.

One interesting fact about azaleas: some varieties naturally produce single blooms, while others produce double blooms, creating very different displays in the landscape.

Timing matters too. Most azaleas should be pruned shortly after they finish flowering so next year's flower buds aren't removed.

Healthy plants also need proper nutrition. We fertilize our azaleas with HollyTone, an organic fertilizer in both spring and fall to support vigorous growth and beautiful blooms.

Do you prefer a naturally shaped azalea or a tightly sheared hedge?

08/20/2026

These are leaf-footed bug nymphs, very likely a Leptoglossus species. Their bright orange and red bodies, long black legs and antennae, and tendency to gather on developing fruit are characteristic of immature leaf-footed bugs.
And in this case, they are detrimental, not beneficial. Leaf-footed bugs have piercing-sucking mouthparts and feed by puncturing developing fruits and seeds. When you see this many nymphs gathered on one fruit, it’s a good idea to intervene.
For a home vegetable garden, Suzanne recommends starting with a simple approach rather than reaching for a broad-spectrum insecticide. Put on gloves and knock or brush the bugs into a container of soapy water. Then inspect the fruit, vines, stems, and especially the undersides of nearby leaves for additional nymphs and egg clusters.
The pale scarring and white spots on the fruit can also be a sign of injury, and a good thing to watch for in your garden!
Have you spotted leaf-footed bug nymphs on your cucumbers or other garden plants this season?

08/18/2026

Still waiting for your tomatoes to take off?
The secret isn't what you do later. It's how you plant them.
In this tutorial, Suzanne shares a few simple techniques for planting cherry tomatoes in grow bags that help support strong roots, healthier plants, and better production.
Grow bags are one of the easiest ways to grow food in small spaces, whether you have a patio, deck, balcony, or backyard.
How are your tomatoes doing this season?
Tell us in the comments: thriving, struggling, or already harvested?
Save this for next season and share it with someone who loves growing their own food.

08/17/2026

Mulch gets messy. Grass creeps in. Weeds follow.

That’s why we install steel edging with a portion buried below grade and a clean reveal above ground. It creates a crisp separation between turf and planting beds while reducing ongoing maintenance.

The difference is subtle from the street, but it completely changes how a landscape looks and performs.

Would you add this to your landscape?

Save this for your next project and share it with someone who is tired of fighting grass in their beds.

08/13/2026

The difference is in the details.
Here's the finished cobblestone edge from Part 1. Beyond giving the landscape a clean, timeless look, this edge serves an important purpose by helping prevent grass from creeping into the planting beds over time. A well-defined border means less maintenance, cleaner bed lines, and a landscape that stays looking sharp season after season.
What do you think of the finished result?