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US-31 Torch Lake Transformation

7/15/2018

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Our "High Contrast/Low Maintenance" landscape designs are catching people's attention. How do we know? Well, for starters, our phones are ringing off the hook this season and most of the conversations start out like this...
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Yes, we know exactly what you mean! Our latest project located along US-31 fits that description to a tee. ​Our task, install a new front lawn with additional landscaping to help block the noise & dust from the road that's relatively maintenance free, visually stunning with year-round interest. Topsoil was trucked in and the Pillywiggins went to work contouring a berm & seeding the lawn by hand.
Uh-oh! Somebody drove through our newly seeded lawn - 2 days in a row! Bad driver or bad manners? It's hard to say. There are plenty of both in this world. Either way, it was only a minor inconvenience. ​​Jason is persnickety about his grass seed. He was onsite every morning before heading off to work tending to the new lawn until it was well established. He was able to make repairs before any real damage was done. The new lawn filled in nicely without any trace of the tire tracks.
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​We ran the main irrigation line throughout the berm but we were still working with the homeowners to select the perfect plants for their project. So, we applied mulch before planting to prohibit weed growth & add visual appeal until our plants arrived. Let's face it. Without plants or mulch, a berm is nothing more than a big ol' pile of dirt. There's not much appealing about that.
Nursery stock began arriving by the truckload late Friday afternoon. The largest load (perennials, shrubs & trees) arrived bright & early Saturday morning. We were so excited to see our purchases we had the truck unloaded in record time, by 8:00 a.m. It was all beautiful nursery stock. What a great way to start a Pillywiggin's day!
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These plants will be split between (4) new landscape installs but seeing them all together filling my sideyard... WOW! I'm sure Jason saw the gleam in my eye & realized my little gears were turning. I barely had time to admire the plants before he began carting them away. 
I wasn't the only one excited. Jason was so anxious to get started on the berm he had all the plants sorted, his trailer loaded & ready to roll by 9 a.m. Install #1 would be completed TODAY! Here's a look at how we laid out our design that's sure to inspire our DIY & weekend gardener readers. Jason had this project in the books by 4:00 pm Saturday afternoon.
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​To create successful "High Contrast-Low Maintenance" landscape designs it's important to select plants suitable to your site conditions in contrasting colors, sizes, shapes and textures.
​We chose drought tolerant plants hardy enough to withstand their close proximity to the road. (Many perennials are unable to tolerate the salt & snow from the plow trucks.) We also looked for deer & rabbit resistant plants. We wouldn't want to attract our furry friends to the roadside.
​Shrubbery
  • Center Glow Nine Bark: Emerging foliage is rosy red with a yellow center maturing to deep burgundy. Summer bloomer with light pink buds that open into clusters of white flowers which turn to bright red fruit. Red defoliating bark adds wintertime interest. Attracts birds & butterflies.
  • Gold Thread False Cypress: Soft, weeping, thread-like needles in brilliant chartreuse provide year-round color. Easy to maintain with minimal pruning. Deer resistant & urban tolerant.
Perennials
  • Karl Foerster Grass: Bronzy-red flower spikes early to mid-summer turn to feathery plumes that last throughout the winter. Attracts birds. Deer & rabbit resistant.
  • Big Bluestem Grass: Gray to blue/green foliage transforms to green with alternating deep red foliage in the summer & matures to a coppery-red in the fall. Attracts birds. Deer resistant & drought tolerant.
  • Walker's Low Catmint: Gray/green foliage with fragrant, prolific violet blue flower spikes. A showy, water-wise ground cover.
  • Autumn Fire Sedum: Late season bloomer with rosy blossoms that age to a coppery red.  Attracts butterflies.
  • Stella D'Oro Daylily: Fragrant bright yellow blooms early in the summer with more following later in the season. Attracts butterflies. Great for erosion control. Rabbit resistant.

Transformation Complete!
This berm is going to be a show-stopper once it fills in.

Look for our signs on your daily commute.
And watch Pillywiggins Garden grow along US-31 in
​Eastport, Torch Lake & Elk Rapids!
Pillywiggins often go unnoticed, but their gardens never do!
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Hosta La Vista Baby!

7/3/2018

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Hosta blossoms, do you love them or lop them? Personally, I love them. I'm always surprised when customers choose to have their hosta blossoms removed, but a large number do. So, I asked my girlfriend (the one with a ton of hosta and incredibly good taste) why she lopped hers. In her opinion, hosta blossoms made her (immaculate) landscaping "look messy." She wanted perfect mounds of foliage. That made sense to me as she's also one of the neatest, most organized & orderly people I know.
It has taken many years to build our hosta collection mostly because hostas are expensive & I'm a bargain shopper. I always look for new varieties in the bargain bins of garden centers but truth be told, I've purchased very few at stores. I bought a wheelbarrow full at a local garden club's annual plant sale. We have salvaged clumps from the spoils of our projects. I have purchased them at garage sales & happily accepted tiny starts from gardening friends. All have been split numerous times. 
I love the contrast provided by variegated hosta. I have several in green/white and green/yellow. I'm also partial to those with a large, heart-shaped leaf. My absolute favorites are the jumbo variety. The bigger the better. They're so impressive. But, I find the hosta's flower equally impressive. Their flowers are just as varied in size, shape & color. Each as interesting & beautiful as their foliage. Funny enough, as much as I love my giant hosta, my favorite hosta flowers are the tiny dark purple blooms that belong to the smallest, most compact, thin-leafed hosta we own. Go figure.
I let all of my hostas bloom & only trim them when the blossoms are spent.
​FYI - Hosta blooms are excellent "filler flowers" for bouquets.
We have three different hosta in bloom with more on the way. But that's not all. Here's a look at everything else in bloom today.
We want to hear from you! Love them or lop them? Will hosta blossoms get 2 green thumbs up or is it "Hosta  la vista baby?" Leave your comments below or visit our Facebook page to share your thoughts & garden photos.
We hope you have a safe & happy 4th of July holiday.
Enjoy Your Freedom!
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