Lauri Johnson Landscape Design

02/12/2026

03/11/2024

08/24/2022

1. Go to the woods. Get a pinecone.🌲🌲🌲
2. Put the pinecone in a pot - so that most of it stands out.
3. Pour it every day with a small amount of water, as excess water will make the pinecone rot.
4. After some time, a tiny tree will appear.
5. Congratulations - they just started oxygen production and you have a piece of forest in your own home.🍁🍂🍃.
You're doing something for nature, and you'll see what nature does for you..... ❤💚❤

12/28/2021

12/24/2021

By Molly Schafer Did you know there are around 4,000 species of native bees in North America? Surprisingly, this number does not include the honeybee, a non-native which arrived via European colonists around 1620. Most Americans are familiar with honeybees. From breakfast foods to children’s liter...

11/07/2021

Did you know that native bunch grasses can provide overwintering habitat for bumblebees? 😮 Avoid cutting them back so you don't disturb any hibernating pollinators nestled in at the base! 🐝❄️🌾

Bonus: Native grasses left standing add visual interest and texture to your landscaping. 👍

10/30/2021

With Halloween only a couple days away, here is another Pollinator Poster with a beautiful and atmospheric collage featuring a spooky Jack-O'-Lantern! Squash bees play a crucial role in the pollination equation when it comes to pumpkin pollination, and we have a special blog feature that explains this pollinator/crop relationship!
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Learn about how squash bees build their nests and the important role they play in pumpkin pollination at https://pollinatorpartnership.ca/en/blogs/squash-bees. Here’s to squash bees and farmers! You can thank them for your spooky Jack-O'-Lanterns brightly lit on Halloween night, and the delicious squash soup you've been enjoying this fall season.
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Download the poster and learn more about the species at https://www.pollinator.org/the-pollination-equation.
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Artwork from our 2009 "The Pollination Equation" Poster, by Steve Buchanan
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10/27/2021

Most people are familiar with the flowering annuals and perennials in their flower beds that attract pollinators, but did you know that pollinators forage for pollen and nectar up in the tree canopy too? With their profusion of flowers, trees are a convenient food source for bees and other pollinators as they are densely covered with thousands of flowers with an abundance of nectar and pollen all in one place.
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Trees also provide nesting opportunities for bees that make their nests in holes, hollows, or crevices in tree branches and trunks. Dead trees, trunks, or branches that contain old beetle borings serve as nesting substrates for cavity-nesting bees as well. The Eastern Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa virginica), is an example of a bee that relies on trees for nesting. Native flowering trees are also beneficial to the larvae of many native butterflies and moths that feed upon tree foliage, much like the Painted Lady (Vanessa sp.) featured on this poster.
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Artwork by Natalya Zahn from our 2016 “Trees For Bees” Poster. See full poster and read more at https://www.pollinator.org/shop/poster-2016.
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10/26/2021

Proper tree pruning is vital for tree health and vitality. Always prune to the branch bark collar to ensure fast healing post pruning. When pruning it is important to use the 3-cut method. The first cut is the undercut. This prevents the bark from ripping down the trunk when cutting the second cut. The second cut takes the bulk of the branch weight away. If you did not do the first cut, the branch will likely rip from the weight, damaging the bark of the main trunk. The third and final cut removed the remaining nub at the branch bark collar.
When working on pruning in trees there are a few terms you may here:
Cleaning- this involves the removal of dead or diseased branches from the tree canopy. Weak branch attachments can also be addressed.
Raising- the removal of lower branched to create clearance
Reduction- reduces the overall size of the tree. This is specific pruning to secondary branches. This is not topping. Topping is indiscriminate pruning of the top of the tree that leads to stress and poor branch attachments. Topping is never recommended.
Read more about pruning here: https://www.treesaregood.org/treeowner/pruningyourtrees

10/23/2021

An autumn arrangement with seed grown chrysanthemums, viburnum berries, Dahlia 'David Howard' and Dahlia 'Penhill Autumn Shade', graces the Visitor Services Pavilion.
Photo by Lisa Roper

03/14/2021

Sunday is 🦋 If you need some reasons to appreciate butterflies (besides their eye catching beauty) learn why butterflies matter :
https://butterfly-conservation.org/butterflies/why-butterflies-matter