Genius Loci, Sustainable Landscape Design

03/08/2026

01/20/2026

01/16/2026

Constructed from woven hydrangea cutbacks, a dead hedge offers an aesthetic way to recycle seasonal trimmings while creating wildlife habitat.

Photo by Lisa Roper

12/21/2025

💚💚💚

Imagine this.

In every neighborhood, every yard leaves just one corner untouched.
A small patch of stems and seedheads.
Clover. Goldenrod. Milkweed.

Within a single season, those small spaces begin to matter.
They provide food and shelter where pollinators live, rest, and reproduce.
And when enough of them exist, close enough together,
they start to function as a network—
stepping stones that help pollinators move through human landscapes.

No laws.
No committees.
No waiting for permission.

Just people making a simple choice:
to leave a little room,
and let nature breathe again.

12/14/2025

Well worth the time and money🌿

12/08/2025

Owls don’t come for bird feeders..
they come for healthy ecosystems filled with small mammals, insects, and cover.

Planting these natives now builds the spring habitat owls rely on for hunting, nesting, and shelter.
These plants attract the prey… which brings the predators back.

1) Eastern Red Cedar
• Dense evergreen cover for roosting
• Supports mice + small birds = owl food

2) White Oak
• Acorns feed rodents → key owl prey
• Major insect host tree

3) Serviceberry (Amelanchier)
• Early berries attract songbirds
• Owls hunt around these shrubs

4) Pine Trees (Native species)
• Classic nesting + roost spots
• Wind protection for night hunters

5) Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum)
• Winter cover for rodents
• Ideal owl hunting grounds

6) Goldenrod
• Hosts tons of insects → supports prey
• Mice hide in dried stems

7) Blackberry / Bramble Thickets
• Rodent shelter + nesting cover
• Owls hunt edges of bramble habitat

8) Dogwood (Red Osier or Pagoda)
• Berry source for small birds
• Dense branching = roost cover

9) Juniper
• Blue berries feed prey species
• Shelter for voles, mice & small birds

Plant cover → attract prey →
owls return.
It’s one of the most powerful ecological chains you can build.

12/07/2025

December is tough for wildlife. With insects gone and food scarce, certain plants become crucial lifelines. 🌿
Here are six winter food sources for birds and small mammals:

1️⃣ Winterberry: Bright red berries for robins, bluebirds & waxwings.
2️⃣ American Holly: Evergreen shelter + berries for cardinals and thrushes.
3️⃣ Sumac: Seed clusters provide emergency calories during cold snaps.
4️⃣ Crabapple: Fruit stays on branches into December, loved by waxwings & finches.
5️⃣ Viburnum: High-fat berries fuel migrating birds when snow covers the ground.
6️⃣ Juniper: Blue “berries” are essential for birds and foxes’ winter survival.

Let's support our wildlife this season! 🦜❄️

12/02/2025

Who knew about the hummingbird “follow-up” ???