Bluestar Landscape Designers

10/07/2026

Heralding the flowers of autumn!

Today marks the second anniversary week of it being autumn officially. It doesn’t feel like it....the weather has been in the upper 80s and low 90s. But still, we are seeing the colors change.
While walking our dog this morning, I noticed how beautiful a pear tree is looking. The signs are out there: we have begun fall! The ground is looking brown and dry. California Buckeyes gave up the ghost long ago. Being “drought deciduous”, they lose their leaves and go relatively dormant in the summer as a coping strategy for avoiding the summer heat. What a smart plant! They have it figured out.
Our little creek is all dried up, and the irises that stand in it are getting crispy on top. Sure, we have a few more hot days to come, but I can’t help but sigh with relief to know that we have made it through summer. Of course, I loved the summer flowers, wearing shorts, smelling the summer grass. The day length is perfect right now. But seasons changing has always been exciting. I’m ready to move along, too.

Flowers are ready to bloom again now that the temperatures are starting to cool down. All of these plants listed are great for pollinators.

Perennial fall flowers have started to bloom. Salvia leucantha (Mexican Bush Sage), pictured, has started to produce beautiful purple flowers that attract hummingbirds. The flower name Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ (stonecrop) speaks for itself. Asters can be seen on nature walks at this time of year, if not necessarily in ornamental gardens.
Our Chrysanthemums started a few weeks ago (I believe they need no introduction). Purple Perovskia (Russian sage) and yellow Rudbeckia (black-eyed Susans) continue their flowering, which started in the summer. They make a great color combination in mixed borders.

Corms (similar to bulbs) like to bloom now, too. The flowers of Crocosmia crocosmiiflora (Montbretia) have an interesting arch to them, atop grass-like foliage. Liatris (Gayfeather or Blazing Star) is a corm which sports grassy tufts of leaves with flowers that look like foxtails on top. Even my Freesias are coming up again in my window boxes.

Short groundcovers are starting to do their thing. I love my Ceratostigma plumbaginoides ( Dwarf Plumbago). Its leaves turn red in the fall and are a great complement to its breathtaking blue flowers. Iberis sempervirens (Candytuft) are bound to start blooming soon. They’re a favorite for clay soils and cottage gardens.

I hope you get outside and enjoy the beautiful flowers of fall. Herald the coming of autumn!

09/11/2026

In Honor of Kentuckian Wendell Berry

The world lost a great man when Wendell Berry died on August 31st. I knew of him as a thoughtful advocate for the earth. His poems and essays showed us what “sense of place” means. I share this outlook with him; it is the driving force behind where I have chosen to live, as well as what I try to encourage my landscape clients to embrace.

I was tickled a couple years ago while at a restaurant in Louisville, KY, where I saw on the menu that its beef came from Berry’s nearby farm. This felt like rubbing elbows with him (okay, with his cow). Born in Louisville, I try to get back to Kentucky in the fall whenever I can to see my extended family. In fact, I’ll be going there in a month. This kindred spirit will be on my mind.

Berry’s joy and positivity were infectious. In an interview with Bill Moyers, he was asked how we can find hope in this troubled world. He answered that as long as one believes he can change himself, then there is hope. That felt empowering.

I end with an excerpt from his poem “A Spiritual Journey” which I keep on my nightstand: "And the world cannot be discovered by a journey of miles, no matter how long, but only by a spiritual journey, a journey of one inch, very arduous and humbling and joyful, by which we arrive at the ground at our feet, and learn to be at home."

Mr. Berry, thank you for the poem. And thank you for all the work you did which I’m sure will pass down to many generations.

09/05/2026

Why do I love the rain?

Maybe I wouldn’t be such a pluviophile if I lived somewhere that it rained often. I grew up in Pennsylvania where it rained regularly. Once as a teenager with my friends, we ran outside in a summer rainstorm in our bathing suits and washed our hair in the rain. It was an exhilarating experience which I have never forgotten. We lay on the street, which was on a hill, letting the water that coursed down the street wash out the shampoo. What fun!

I’m not as impetuous today, but I am in tune with the rain in a fuller way now. As a Landscape Designer, I notice more the changes that rain affects on the earth and plants.

I love the way rain makes everything smell so good: from lavenders in my garden to native sage (Artemisia tridentata) in the Nevada desert. When good soil bacteria called Streptomyces get rained on, they make the air smell good. The feel of soft rain on your skin is cool, too, literally!

Rain makes everything look more beautiful. Leaves that have been dusty for months are finally clean again, letting the plant breathe more easily. Colors are refracted differently than in the sunshine: normally pale flowers and blueish leaves finally get to stand out. (Just look at Blue Fescue.) The way the rain puddles in the leaves of Lady’s Mantle is downright cute.

I’m relieved that the 300 plants that we planted this week at my job site are going to get watered in naturally. I also think of all the critters that may be feeling rain for the first time, such as the fawn that I saw a couple days ago.

Of course, I also love how the rain slows down my business a little. Even if I’m still sitting at my drafting table working away, I can peek out at the rain while I am fantasizing about what the next plant will be in my design.

08/21/2026

Fall is Just Around the Corner!

This morning when we went for our walk with the dog, my husband pointed out how nice a pear tree was looking—already starting to change colors. Well, the signs are out there: we are on the cusp of fall. The ground is looking brown and dry. Our little creek is all dried up, and the irises that stand in it are getting crispy on top. Sure, we have many hot days to come, but I can’t help but sigh with relief to know that we are making it through the hot summer.

Two plant species on our property starting blooming this week, also telling me that Fall is just around the corner. The first is our Amaryllis belladonna. These are bulbs with stems that come right out of the earth, with no foliage, but sporting pretty pink lily-like flowers. The fact that they need no irrigation, yet can put on a spectacular show in August, make them ideal drought tolerant plants. Our chrysanthemums started to bloom, too, this week! I believe they need no introduction.

Some plants gave up on summer months ago. California Buckeyes are drought deciduous, which means they lose their leaves and go relatively dormant in the summer as a coping strategy for avoiding the summer heat. What a smart plant! They have it figured out.

Of course, I loved the summer flowers, wearing shorts, smelling the summer grass. The day length is perfect right now. But seasons changing has always been exciting. I’m ready to move along, too.

Start thinking about what you want to do in your yard this fall, and give us a call to help you plan it!

08/08/2026

Last week we got to see a yard that we renovated at the end of 2024. It's grown in nicely. Here are some of the ideas that we incorporated when designing the yard:

Removing a wooden fence enables us to increase the functionality of this updated back yard, while multiplying opportunities to create views and focal points. The colorful planting design provides backyard habitat for birds, bees, butterflies, pollinators, and beneficial insects to boot.

In first meetings, we ask homeowners if they have enough seating space that is shaded (otherwise it will not be used). Taking down the fence which divides the yard in two gives us access to an area which is shaded by a large Japanese maple. We introduce a patio here, where one can enjoy a secluded feel. The patio is placed about one foot lower than the pool’s elevation, which takes advantage of the natural slope of the land.

We have room for lawn, vegetable garden boxes, planter beds, and an old shed. This dark brown rusty shed adds character to the yard, and marries the old to the new. Its color gives birth to the idea of using brown throughout the yard: in the shed, in the moss rocks, and even in the seed heads of the coneflowers. Differences in the brown’s solidity, height, and bulk are fun. The solid shed is the perfect backdrop for the lacey silvery Dusty Miller, which is its own foil for the brightly colored coneflowers in front.

Moreover, shiny pots boost the yard. Their flowers help to quickly create height behind the pool’s diving board, all seen from inside the house. Moss rocks are a final touch, accenting plantings which provide food to wildlife.

07/10/2026

One of our clients sent us recent photos of their front yard which we finished renovating in October of 2024. The project was on the Lincoln Del Webb Garden Tour in April 2025; the second to the last photo shows how things looked then. The yard has greatly filled in in the last year, despite a neighbor removing trees which changed the sun situation. The last photo shows how the yard looked originally with steps next to the driveway.

Besides updating the hardscape, this yard was designed to provide wildlife habitat for pollinators. The different shapes, colors, and forms of the flowers attract a wide variety of bees, hummingbirds, butterflies, and birds. Abundance and quantity are important in providing food for these beneficial species. When planting, one must install at least 5 plants per species in order for the pollinator to find (see) them. Variety is also important. Different pollinators are attracted to different colors and flower forms; they all have their own niche. For more info, read our article on how to make your yard a wildlife habitat on our website.

07/03/2026

Periodically out of the blue, my clients will send me photos of their yards. My Carmichael clients recently sent me a photo of their paver pathway, taken from standing in their driveway. I am also showing you how the paver pathway and the front looked right after we did the project in April of 2024. See the before picture, too. The difference is quite striking. The plants have grown in nicely. I hope to get out to their place in the next couple weeks and get a new picture of the front entry and pots view. It warmed my heart to see everything filling in and thriving!

06/06/2026

This week I celebrate my 20th anniversary in business! I'm guessing that we have done 500-600 jobs in this time period. Every single one was unique and custom. We built the business one job at a time, giving each homeowner our undivided attention, focus, concentration, and what we hope has been an enthusiastic attitude. Every homeowner had their own personalities, budgets, land. It was a big learning curve; I was scared many times. And I still learn something new every single day, definitely not just about landscaping. We had our share of the school of hard knocks, started the business during a recession. But we made it! It's been one long ride, but it's all been worth it. I would like to say a big thank you to all of our clients who believed in us enough to give us their work. And just as importantly, I would like to thank all of the outstanding, energetic, hardworking, faithful contractors who built our jobs. Without them, my clients' dreams would not have come to life. And my dream of having this career was made possible because of them. So thank you to everyone who has helped make it happen. Thank you! Thank you! –Cathie p.s. Here's an old photo of me designing when I was young. LOL

02/18/2026

Now that it’s late winter and almost spring, this is the time to prune!

Plants don’t have brains; they “think” through their hormones. These hormones tell the plant what they are supposed to be doing right now. The hormones respond to environmental stimuli. At this time of year, longer day length and warming soil temperatures are natural signals from the Universe to get growing.

Obviously plants know how and when to do their own thing, so why do we want to get involved? The exciting answer is that, through pruning, we can kick the plant’s butt into action and get it to start growing sooner than later. Even just nicking a plant’s stem above a bud is enough environmental stimulus to achieve this. I like to think that it gets the plants excited that they are getting attention.

At any time of year, I ask myself (and the plant!) what it wants to be doing right now. The answer is multiple choice: It either wants to grow roots, grow foliage, or grow flowers.

During the winter, plants and trees appear to be sleeping (dormant), but as long as the temperature is above freezing, they actually may be working on growing their roots, albeit slowly. Winter rains help plants to establish their root systems.

Now, as spring approaches, we want the plant to move to its next stage: growing foliage. Here are both principles and activities to help make this happen:

Remember physics. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Translation: if you prune something on top, it will shoot out on the sides. If you prune the sides, it will shoot out on top.

Prune above a bud that is facing outward.

Remove dead wood at any time of year.

Prune trees and shrubs for structure and shape. Prune Japanese maples before their sap starts to run (which can attract insects). Prune fruit trees before they flower (which leads to developing fruit).

Grab ground covers and grasses “by the hair” and give ‘em a Mo and Curly haircut. This makes them burst out in all directions and reduces gangliness.

Stimulate plants that bloom on new wood (crape myrtles, certain hydrangeas, Rose-of-Sharon).

Roses love to be cut now. Try for a big V shape to improve air flow and shapeliness.

Just don’t prune spring flowering shrubs in late winter. Their flower buds are already set.

If you’re feeling sluggish about getting started, see our previous blog on our website on how to get motivated! Most of all, have fun with it!

Send a message to learn more

11/26/2025