freshly painted and patiently waiting. we have already been working for a month sneaking in days here and there, but it looks like the elusive spring of the Catskills has given us a few more days of rest. I’ll take it, even though I’m bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and ready to get started for real.

#spring?
#catskillgardens
#catskilllandscapes
#prettypictures ...

Flowers, doing their amazing job of bringing joy. Much needed. #garden #catskillgardens #gardener #flowerpots #annuals #flowersofinstagram #flowergarden #colorcomposition #flowerjoy #forthebees #forthehummingbirds #forthesoul ...

Garden house doing what garden house is to do. #snakethorne #gardenhouse #diygreenhouse #reclaimedwindows #window house #hudsonvalleygardens #hudsonvalleygardener #greatnortherncatskills #catskillgardens ...

Nature, baby. #catskillgardens #springinthecatskills #colors #natureastherapy ...

Late August foggy garden #Donstathamblog #totemfarmgarden #donstathamgarden #catskillgardens #angelicagigas ...

I stopped by this charming cottage where we put in this little garden last year and was delighted to see how great it looked. The clients are great and have been taking care of it so I hadn't seen it in a while. We are going to do more work on this place when the septic is replace but I love the building and setting. If you scroll to the last 2 photos you can see what it looked like before we started. I think it is really fun to see the "befores" viburnumgardens

#cottagegarden
#gardendesign
#catskillgardens
#gardening ...

always a crowd pleaser. we are going to do some more work at this property soon so I was there yesterday doing some evaluation and visited with the client. we are both kind of blown away by how lush this garden is.

#ornamentalgrasses
#lotsofgrasses
#cottagegarden
#catskillgardens
#landscapedesign ...

Garden Conservancy Open Days - 7/6: My garden and 4 other glorious gardens in our remote Delaware County are open to see this coming weekend. You have to go to the Garden Conservancy website and search for the date and location and register but you can do it!!! It will be a great way to spend a Saturday in the Catskills. Peggy (my amazing wife) may even make some goodies to sit and enjoy on the porch (which is our favorite viewing spot).

Don't miss my dear friends' garden on Gunhouse Hill Road as well as all of my other friends' gardens on display.

#gardenconservancy
#gardenconservancyopendays
#gardentour
#exploregardens
#catskillgardens
#julygardens ...

I know is it odd to open a post with a mass of gooseneck loosestrife (Lysimachia clethroides), the dreaded plant that I warn everyone to keep out of their garden. However, in a situation where I want a dense groundcover where there is nothing else that will require little to no weeding, it is great. it will hold a bank, looks good all season and even providing beautiful fall color. My clients call it the soufflé because it often has a fluffy/lumpy top that looks, well, like a soufflé.

My client did this beautiful barn renovation so that the "barn bed" that has daffodils, daylilies and Black-eyed Susans providing a succession of blooms, really sings, especially tiered with the goosies. We just extended the barn trifecta bed to the end of the new wall.

The meadowish treatment, clearly visible in the 5th photo was an experiment with interspersing different grasses and forbs into an existing hay field to see if we could get something nice without having to kill everything first and go through the whole meadow creation drama. It is OK I think.

#scaryplants
#dontputhisinyourgarden
#goosiesandsuzies
#renovatedbarn
#landscapedesign
#catskillgardens ...

My new rainbow butterfly garden 🌈 🦋 🌺
#coneflowers #butterflygarden #pollinatorgarden #catskillgardens ...

Got a SHAGGY HEART? Trim & clean that baby up. There’s only 3 weeks left for that “Summer Romance”. Get with it. #topiary #topiarygarden #heartsabound #showyourlove #catskillgardens #foodforthought True ...

A drawing about optimism. And about gardening in the Catskills. For chronogram magazine a few years back. Thanks to David Perry and Brian Mahoney. #gardenlife #gardening #animalartist #deer #outdoorplants #yardwork #catskillgardens ...

Tomato bounty at Wildcat Gardens, bumper crop! Mary starts these from seeds and grow lights, amended soil, and supplements, and this is the fruit of her labors! She's a master gardener, I just chill in the chaise lounge drinking lemonade and watch her work! Lucky to have married a farm girl!#catskill nature#catskillsmountains #claryvilleny #claryville #catskillmountains #catskillfarms #catskillgardens ...

we were engaged by these lovely folks to help revamp and maintain their terraced garden. over the years we added a lot things, removed some things, pruned and moved stuff around. we added some rocks and gravel here and there. they typically have a lot of deer damage but when we visited the other day, it just looked great and I was inspired to take some photos and share them. we did not design the garden or build the walls but I think the overall affect is really nice.

#catskillgardens
#terracedgarden
#gardening
#mixedplanting
#landscapedesign ...