The wind was blowing, but we are still working!

Yesterday began as a mild 66 degree morning, but quickly turned into a blustery day. North winds reached gust over 50 miles per hour, but the crew kept on working. The schedule is quickly filling up and we need to stay on schedule.

This customer was so happy with the side yard we completed earlier in the month, they wanted their front yard revamped. They also were able to take advantage of a special January Coupon on both projects that saved the homeowner a total of $1000.00.

A Zero Lot Line

A zero lot line yard has its own set of challenges. Proper drainage is the first thing to consider, because we do not want to push storm water into the customers or neighbors home.

The next item to consider is how a person is to move through the space. A path of some sort needs to be devised. Creating a path that moves right to left or left to right creates deeper individual planting spaces and gives the illusion of a wider and shorter space. The existing trees in this yard were fortunately in a position that allowed some movement of the path.

The remaining spaces are then planted with triangulated groups of dwarf, slow growing shrubs suitable for the growing conditions. Contrasting color and texture is key to the plant selection. I try to keep things simple and not shoehorn shrubs in these small areas, only to have them outgrow the space in a short period of time.

We installed this project this week even though it was a little cool. The greater number of day before summer the better. Generally, the winter poses very few threats to a newly planted landscape, but a landscape is always at risk in the summer if there is a lack of water. So, if you are ready for your landscape project there is no sense in waiting for spring!

The White Garden

This "White" themed garden was one of our landscape projects this week. The construction of this landscape was completed over a year ago, but the owner was unsure about the plant material that was to be installed. The homeowner wanted a white themed garden, and we were able to identify several items that would provide white flowering during Spring, Summer and Fall. Also, because this garden is on rural property, the plant material needed to be drought tolerant and durable.

The roses we selected are an antique China variety named "Ducher". It is an own root 'Earth Kind' rose that will grow to about 3 ft. in height. The ornamental trees are Texas Whitebuds which are a white flowering variant of the Oklahoma redbud. Other shrubs used in the design are Wintergreen Boxwood, 'Desperado' Texas sage, and Sherwood Abelia. In about 6 to 8 weeks we will install the white flowering perennial border.

Direct from the grower

Garrison Gardens receives most of its plants direct from the grower. We source flowers, shrubs, and trees from the highest quality farms. A number of these growers are somewhat local in the North Texas area, but we also buy from nurseries in California, Oregon, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and Michigan. We take pride in our plants and search for the best value available. Deliveries come weekly and sometimes daily during our busiest times of the year. This is a load of trees that arrived today and will be installed tomorrow.

Landscape lighting

Landscape lighting can add a new dimension to your landscape. Using the contrast between light and dark adds depth and interest to your garden. With short days and long nights, the illuminated nighttime landscape becomes more noticeable.

Here is a lighting project Garrison Gardens installed this weekend. The plant installation and stonework was completed earlier during the holiday season. This area is a sideyard that is visible through a large window from the breakfast table. The homeowner wanted to include the sideyard as an extension of their breakfast area.

A proper low voltage landscape lighting installation requires a knowledge of the products, lighting effects, and attention to detail to ensure long bulb life and trouble free operation. We use fixtures and transformers manufactured by Kichler and Hadco.

Finishing a January small garden

We begin the landscape process with a consultation, then create a plan using our design experience teamed with specific wants and needs expressed to us by the client.


On bottom is the design we created on paper and above that is a couple of photos to show the completed project. I will post some photos in about 8 to 10 weeks to show how this garden changes in just a short period of time. Some of the plant material like the perennials, roses and spirea are dormant now and will just explode in Spring.

January small garden

Here is a small early January project. This customer wanted a garden outside their breakfast area for their elderly mother to look at while reading during the day.

I came up with a simple, low maintenance, colorful garden design with a flagstone path that connects the gate from the front yard to the garage. Here you can see the original condition of the area and then the placement of the plant material after the soil preparation but before installation. Irrigation and drainage modifications will be completed prior to the installation of the plant material. I'll have a photo of the completed project on my next post.