Winter 2025: Planning Mode ❄️🌿
I’m so happy that this year… we truly have winter! It’s cold and snowy, and it feels so good knowing my plants are safely tucked beneath layers of leaves and snow. On warmer weeks, when the snow melts, I catch glimpses of the green leaves on my small native strawberries. I can’t help but smile, thinking about all the good things happening on my property. 😊
Meadow-Style Foundation Planting – Witch hazel, Indian grass, red-twig dogwood, black-eyed Susan, lavender, Verbena bonariensis… and whatever else the wind brings that gets my approval. Last year, that meant a surprise cherry tomato plant that thrived all season long!
Winter is a time for both reflection and learning. I split my time between my bookbinding studio and behind-the-scenes work of NSBG. This season I took two online seminars — one with Kelly Norris and the other through the annual New Directions in the American Landscape symposium. From both, I gathered pages of notes filled with ideas, research and inspiration. These classes help me, as a sole proprietor, feel connected to a larger community of people across the country working in the ever-evolving field of ecological gardening and horticulture. They also reassure me that my approach aligns with experts in the field while validating my belief that there’s no single “right” way to do this work.
Winter Reading List 📚❄️
🌿 The Serviceberry – Robin Wall Kimmerer
🌿 The American Meadow Garden – John Greenlee & Saxon Holt
🌿 Shrouded in Light – Kevin Philip Williams & Michael Guidi
🌿 Your Natural Garden – Kelly D. Norris
🌿 The 5-Minute Gardener – Nicole Johnsey Burke
🌿 Our Native Bees – Paige Embry
Inspiration for What a Lawn Can Be 🌿✨
Edinburgh Public School, Northville, NY – a beautiful example of rethinking traditional lawns for a more sustainable, functional landscape.
Lately, I’ve been reflecting on how we can (and arguably should) use our properties more intentionally in 2025. What is the highest and best use of our spaces—considering the land, climate change, wildlife, local water supply, and our own needs and goals.
In 2024, I made some exciting changes on my own property: I converted more lawn into garden, experimented with different ways to break up traditional lawn, added a new planting bed in the backyard, and (drumroll, please)… I built a kitchen garden! These two raised beds with arch trellises completely transformed my backyard and brought me so much joy. I had fresh greens, herbs and edible flowers every day, all year long.
My backyard Kitchen Garden.
Looking ahead to 2025, I plan to add a rain barrel, continue planting for butterflies, and install a water feature/bird bath to support the songbirds that visit in search of seeds and caterpillars.
A 21st-Century Yard:
✅ Kitchen Garden – Fresh herbs and veggies at your fingertips
✅ Pollinator & Butterfly Garden – Prioritizing native plants to support wildlife
✅ Rain Barrel – Harvesting water for a sustainable garden
✅ Less Lawn – Replacing turf with more functional, eco-friendly spaces
✅ Bird Bath/Water Feature – Providing essential water for birds and pollinators
What are your gardening goals for the year? And how can NSBG help you achieve them?
2025 Services
🌿 Garden Design & Planting Lists – Custom plans tailored to your space
🌿 Ecological Gardening Services – Including tree and shrub pruning
🌿 Garden Coaching – Learn hands-on techniques for your garden
🌿 Ecological Gardening Consultation – Expert advice for a thriving landscape
🌿 Garden Sitting – Care for your garden while you're away
🌿 Vegetable Garden Planting & Consultation – Grow your own fresh produce
Example of a mood board for a customized planting plan.
I have space for seven more clients in 2025 who need routine gardening services. If you’re interested, click the button above. And if you know someone who might be, I’d be so grateful if you spread the word!
As I wrap up, I want to extend my deepest thanks to my 2024 clients. Together, we planted over 800 plants that support butterflies and other pollinators! Your trust in me and your commitment to ecological gardening allow me to do the work I love, and for that, I’m incredibly grateful.
Here’s to another season of growing, learning, and making a difference—one garden at a time. 🌿🦋
