Trees are a coveted asset to the landscape. They offer structure, shade, fall color and often lovely bark. When researching a tree for your yard, always consider it’s desired growing conditions and mature size. There are a few trees that you’ll want to avoid because they invade and prevent native plants from thriving, are poisonous, very dirty or have other undesirable characteristics for a home landscape.

Bradford or Callery pear tree: At first glance, these seem like a beneficial tree with three seasons of interest….lovely spring flowers, fruits that are eaten by birds, and a nice fall foliage. The pitfalls, unfortunately, far outweigh the positives. The branching is week and easily breaks in severe weather. Flowers have an unappealing, fishy smell. Most importantly, it is an invasive species, filling all open fields and hillsides, preventing native trees from growing. Consequently, local insects, birds, and mammals have less access to native food sources.

Norway Maple:  Norway maple self-seeds everywhere and, like the Bradford pear, has become an invasive species. The shallow root system makes it impossible for plants to grow beneath the canopy.  To combat invasiveness, varieties have been developed such as Crimson King, which according to a Penn State study, has less than a 1% viable seed than the original species does.  Acer platanoides 'Medzam' (Medallion maple) is a virtually-seedless cultivar of Norway maple.

Sweet Gum: This tree produces seed pods that look like spiky gumballs which fall in autumn. Not only are they difficult to rake, their sharp, round exterior are dangerous to pedestrians.

Silver Maple:  This fast-growing shade trees has a shallow root system that causes turf and concrete issues. Snow and wind easily damage it’s branches, causing them to break and fall.

Female Ginko (maidenhair tree): The male Ginko tree sports lovely, leathery leaves that feel and look pre-historic. The spectacular branching and yellow fall color attract the choicest buyer. It also resists diseases and insects. However, the female Ginko bears small round fruits that are not only slippery and fleshy but emit a foul odor. Be sure you know what sex you are purchasing.

Weeping Willow: This is a beautiful tree to plant along a lake or stream because it's extensive root system searches for water. In fact, this tree’s roots will go anywhere in search of water including sewer lines and septic tanks. It’s branches are also messy and break easily during windy weather.

Walnut Tree: Black Walnut is a lovely shade tree that provides a nutritious food source for native animals. It is a wonderful choice for woodlands and very large spaces. In addition, Black Walnut tolerates drought. Unfortunately, it's roots, leaves and nuts produce a chemical called juglone which is highly toxic to a wide range of desirable plants and vegetables. The husks of the nuts stain clothing, sidewalks, and driveways. Like the Sweet Gum tree, it's fallen fruits are dangerous for pedestrians. In researching this tree I found an article debunking the perceived myths of the Walnut tree.  It is worth a read if you've got Walnut trees near or around your property.  For me the verdict is still undecided.  Plants are too expensive to risk advising clients to install shrubs and flowers that might die from exposure to juglone.

Depending on your experience, you most likely have formed an opinion on the perceived benefits of using landscape fabric in installations.  This fabric is designed to inhibit weeds and keep soil from drying out.  I'll clue you in on the pros versus the cons.

Landscapers and property owners need to weigh the initial benefits against the long-term problems when deciding to use landscaping fabric.  Landscaping fabric is constructed from fibers woven into a solid sheet with perforated holes to allow water to soak through.  Some offer UV protection to reduce deterioration. Once installed with pins, the fabric can be covered with mulch.  Some of the benefits:

• Prevents seeds already in the ground from germinating.
• Retains moisture evaporation.
• Easy way to kill weeds and unwanted ground cover without using chemicals.
• Effective for use around trees and shrubs.

The pros seem to offer compelling reasons for using landscape fabric. However, a sustainable and healthy landscape or vegetable/flower garden eventually suffers from its use.  Here's why:

• Water holes are not large enough for heavy rain events, so water doesn't have time to soak in. Rushing water washes mulch off of the planting beds.  You'll notice this often, especially on hillsides.
• Prevents the movement of garden-friendly worms and bugs.   Insects and invertebrates naturally aerate and fertilize the soil and help decompose debris, like leaves, pine needles, and grass.  Consequently, the soil nutrition is compromised when plants have their roots covered by landscaping fabric.  The result is poor soil health and, over time,  unhappy plants.
• Weeds still sprout and send their roots through the fabric, making it very difficult to manually remove them.
• Perennials and shrubs can not expand and grow.  Reseeding is also impossible.
• It is time-consuming and irritating to remove later.
• It is expensive.

​Landscaping Fabric Alternatives:

• Use erosion control fabric, often called coir matt (biodegradable erosion control fabric) made out of jute to retain plants and mulch on hillsides. It eventually decomposes once the plants are established.
• Try sheet mulching. Layer cardboard and newspaper under mulch to kill unwanted grass, weeds and ground cover.
• Plant thick native ground covers, like coral bells, wild geranium, sedge, and coreopsis to serve as a natural mulch, conserve moisture and stabilize soil temperature. In the long run you will save time and money by reducing the amount of mulch you need.
• Use an organic seed pre-emergent called corn gluten. This product prevents new weed seeds from germinating in your soil or mulch.

Certainly, landscape fabric has it's fans. If this advice hasn't changed your mind, that's o.k. The intention here is to point out the flaws and offer helpful alternatives for erosion control, stabilization​ and weed prevention.

Related blogs:
Common Mulch Mistakes
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In a previous blog we shared useful tips on how to design a yard that deters ticks.  This year I have met a number of people who have had tick bites and know several that suffer from Lyme's disease. This inspired me to dig into some helpful resources for our readers on Lyme's disease prevention.  The most impactful ways to prevent disease are to prevent tick bites.  If you have been bitten, remove the tick carefully with tweezers and send tick in for testing. Most importantly, seek medical help immediately if you have signs of a bite. Two sites became my 'go to' for reliable information: The Tick Research Lab of PA and DCNR.   If you've been bitten by a tick, you can send it to the PA lab to see if it has the virus that causes Lyme's disease.  The Facebook page has useful tips on prevention and updated stats on tick infestations.  Four of their most useful informational posters are about tick prevention in pets, Tick repellent review, myths, and seasonal pattern of Lyme disease cases. 

Info Graphics below are from the Tick Research Lab of PA facebook page.  

As a landscape designer I work with clients to eliminate invasive plants and incorporate natives into their landscapes. Invasive species change the food web in an ecosystem by destroying or replacing native food sources.  Invasive species provide little to no food value for wildlife. Invasive species can also alter the abundance or diversity of species that are important habitat for native wildlife. Barberry  is not only an invasive species, but also attracts and hosts ticks.  If you have this plant in your landscape, do yourself, your pets and the environment a favor by removing it. And please ask your local landscape suppliers to stop selling Japanese Barberry.

Since deer are often the culprit host of ticks in residential landscapes, planting deer resistant plants in your landscape will reduce the number of ticks in your yard.  For more information on deer resistant plants, read our blogs:

• A Unique Selection of Deer Resistant Shrubs
• Deer Resistant Annuals

• Deer Spray

Along with the height of the growing season, summer is, unfortunately, also the height of reported cases of Lyme disease in humans.  The first step to avoiding ticks is to learn what they look like and where they are commonly found.  Repellents are very helpful.  But they shouldn't replace doing a thorough head-to-toe check when you come indoors.  To create an outdoor environment relatively safe from ticks, read our Tickscaping blog. And if you have Japanese barberry in your yard, you'll want to read the next article as it relates to how ticks gravitate to the shrub.  

The information below is a summary from an informative article published by DCNR in February of 2020 and written by Emily Domoto, Ecological Services Section Chief, Bureau of Forestry.  Please visit DCNR for the full blog. 

​Not only are invasives bad for native species, they often attract something else that can make a situation worse. For example, the tree of heaven is the preferred host plant for the spotted lanternfly -- meaning the spotted lanternfly prefers to reproduce on this tree. The invasive Japanese barberry isn’t attracting another invasive pest, but a pest that many Pennsylvanians try to avoid all year -- ticks.

About the Japanese Barberry

Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii) has been a popular landscaping plant for many years. This Asian native was introduced to the U.S. as an ornamental in 1875 when seeds were shipped from St. Petersburg, Russia to Boston’s Arnold Arboretum. Barberry is drought tolerant, grows in sun, shade, and wet areas. It also offers protection from people entering your yard with it's prickly thorns. But this ornamental plant also has some nasty characteristics. It produces many seeds and has a high germination rate. The seeds are not nutritious for birds, but they will eat them anyway and deposit them, everywhere. Barberry has been taking over landscapes and forests from Northern Quebec to Georgia and moved as far west as Wyoming.

Japanese Barberry Attracts Ticks and Serves as a Tick Nursery

A multi-year study in Connecticut printed in the NIH National Library of Medicine (copy right by Entomological Society of America) looked at the relationship between barberry, white-tailed deer, white-footed mice, and blacklegged ticks. The results are a bit alarming. The study found that the larger the number of barberry in an area, the higher the incidence of Lyme disease-carrying ticks.

According to the study, barberry has denser foliage than most native species. As a result, the plants retain higher humidity levels which ticks love. Ticks die from dehydration when humidity levels drop below 80 percent and do not rise back up. Lucky for ticks, relative humidity under a barberry at night is about 100 percent. If that weren’t bad enough, the shrubs also provide nesting areas for white-footed mice and other rodents, which are primary sources for larval ticks’ first blood meal, and reservoirs for Lyme disease.

If you live in an urban garden, your space is protected from winds and you can often experiment with plants that grow in a higher hardiness zone. The benefit is that you can enjoy greater plant diversity than your suburban neighbors.  However, be cautious and observant of the impact radiant heat has on shade-loving plants.  Keep shrubs away from dryer vents.  The heat from various home vent systems prevents dormancy or wakes a plant up too early in the spring. This damages and sometimes kills shrubs.  Perennials are often o.k. in soil planted beneath a vent.

We got into lots of detail with this blog on creating a sanctuary in the shade.  Our hope is that you will understand that the challenges of designing and maintaining a pretty shade garden are fairly minimal.  And just think of the payoff!  A cool spot to drink iced tea with a friend.  Enjoy!

Learn more about designing your garden or landscape visit our blog menu and read about bones of the garden, creating garden rooms,  and color inspiration for your containers.

What makes a garden unique, special, and stunning?  Selectively choosing a statement piece. Adding a distinct feature to your outdoor space shares a piece of the gardener's personality and offers visual pleasure.  Statement pieces are special and make an impact. Create a statement by introducing into your garden: fire and light, sculpture, a unique garden gate, wall art, bold umbrellas and rugs, or a mass planting of uniquely paired annuals.  Take note that too many features make the landscape appear busy and messy.  Choose wisely and place in strategic locations.  Use them like a period or exclamation point at the end of a sentence.  A sculpture at the end of a garden bed or near a door draws the eye and offers a hint of what to expect within the garden space.  Statement pieces attract attention and allow the eye to pause and rest, so never place focal points near an eyesore like a gas meter, trash can, or A/C unit.  Instead, place them for a strategic view from the house --like a kitchen window, near an outdoor seating area, close to a front door, or framed by an arbor.  Have fun and experiment.

Fire dances in the shadows of evening and warms the view as well as the space on a cool night. Fire pits don't have to look like a camp site.  Unique lights and fire balls extend their function by not only serving as a daytime sculpture but accenting a dark space at night.

Sculpture placed on an empty wall or in a garden bed can be whimsical or artistic.  This is an opportunity to put your personal stamp on your outdoor space. It can be a small surprise only discovered while walking on a garden path or something more bold like a decorative metal screen.

Garden gates mark the entrance to a garden space. They create a curiosity to explore what is beyond.  Some gates are more transparent than others offering a brief glimpse into a garden.  Others are opaque and give off the vibe of 'privacy only'.  Most gates viewed from the front of the house compliment the architecture of the home, while gates within a back yard garden are more informal and whimsical.

Whether living or not, wall art visually anchors an outdoor entertainment area, fills a drab wall or fence, and can serve as a focal point.

Umbrellas and statement rugs add color to an urban space that doesn't have much green space for plants.  Umbrellas give visual privacy from onlookers who live uphill from your home or from apartment dwellers viewing down on your space. Umbrellas, of course, provide shade for your outdoor space and your planters and pots.  If you have an old deck or plain concrete patio, add personality and define a space...especially for sprawling decks.  Rugs can help carve out the dining space from a seating area.

Moving water serves many purposes in a garden. Splashing and bubbling adds white noise and buffers traffic and neighborhood sounds.  The movement is relaxing and offers a place for the eye to rest.  In the evening light dances on it's surface, adding interest to an evening landscape.  Finally, sweet little birds might stop by for a refreshing drink or a cooling dip.

Choosing unique colors and mass planting in pots or garden beds will draw attention.  It is a fun way to add a statement and to experiment seasonally with a variety of plants and colors.  If you are the type of person who likes to spice up a space, this might be an inexpensive way to add fun and visual impact.  Even if you don't have a lot of planting beds, unique pots and plants serve the same purpose.

Remember that incorporating one of these elements in your garden is enough to make a statement.  Though it may be tempting, adding too many bold elements overwhelms the senses.  A garden should offer respite.  
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To welcome summer guests, adding a touch of the garden to what you serve will really elevate your style.  In addition to a garnish, flower petals look lovely on a green salad, frozen in ice cubes, and topping your favorite cocktail.  Other ideas are decorating cupcakes with violets, steeping fresh chamomile flowers for tea,  and stir-frying a daylily bud.  By adding color and flavor to your dishes, edible flowers are a perfect way to add a gourmet touch to entertaining. 

Most edible flowers are best eaten raw and taste best right after they have opened.  Critical facts to remember: 
1. Not every flower is edible.
2. Avoid flowers sprayed with insecticide, fungicide or herbicide. This is especially important for roses and dandelions.
3. Never harvest roadside flowers or eat florist flowers.
4. Use sparingly.
5. Identify the part of the flower that is edible.  For example honeysuckle flowers are edible but the berries are poisonous.

Flowers can be sweet, floral, citrusy, bitter, tangy or even "pea like."  If you're interested in using flowers in your summertime fare, check out these resources:

• Recipes from the blog:  The View from Great Island
• Edible Flower Seed Mix
• Fresh Edible flowers delivered to your door by Olive Tips
• Cleaning and storing edible flowers: What's cooking America
• Cocktail's guide to Edible Flowers

Have you ever watched a dog explore?  Dogs follow their noses, and pick up and often chew and swallow the objects that pique their curiosity.  Regardless if those objects are even edible!  Therefore, as dog owners or dog admirers, we should know which plants contain toxins that can harm pets.  Even though your dog may not commonly dig or eat plants, he or she might get enticed to follow a chipmunk or mole.  Pets may come across any number of plants while outside, especially if they pick up the scent of other animals.  Below is a list of outdoor plants that you may find in your yard that are poisonous to dogs.

These plants are from the be.chewy website which includes a list of 50 indoor and outdoor plants.  I chose plants commonly found in the backyards of the North Eastern U.S., including common vegetable garden plants.  For the complete plant list, visit the be.chewy website.

Size Matters ​

"I realized when you look at your mother, you are looking at the purest love you will ever know."
Mitch Albom

Spring will be in full swing by Mother's Day.  What better way to honor the sweet woman who raised you than by choosing a unique gift which celebrates her devotion to her garden?  Mothers of all ages would be grateful to receive any of these charming presents.  Hoping you get to spend quality time with your mother this Mother's Day!