My hum-dinger of a resolution for 2010 involves being a better planner. As a rule, I loosely manage my time and am mostly efficient at getting things done. For instance, I don’t wear a watch, but am usually (amazingly) on time for appointments.

But this year, my goal is to become positively obsessive about managing my time. I bought a new day-timer, I made lists of to-do lists and set a date for each to be completed. It was in this process that I figured out my real time issue…

It’s you. Well, it’s really the nature of Spring. See, we don’t think about the glory of using our outside space until it’s warm and the air is fragrant. Unfortunately, that happens for all of us pretty much at the same time. And it really messes up the flow chart I have set up for the management of MY TIME!

Don’t put it off. If you want a fabulous, creative design from Shady Grove for this spring, call me now.

2009 was hard work, wasn’t it? Sometimes rewarding, sometimes profitable, sometimes interesting… sometimes not. Once in a while though, some light would shine in through the clouds and make a rainbow. The project pictured above glows with all the colors that Shady Grove can paint. Dutifully cleaned, recycled brick makes up the steps and columns. Permeable flagstone system covers the patio. Four 4×4 flagstone slabs make for easy chair sliding under the table. Mom’s rescued lilac bushes bloom in the planter. Drip irrigation waters the herb garden. And a carpet of Zoysia covers the hillside. It all adds up to landscaping transcendence.

Metro Atlanta Landscape and Turf Association rewarded our hard work and diligence to striving for perfection with a coveted Award of Distinction last Tuesday night at their annual awards ceremony.

Thank you Nancy, for the opportunity to bring our landscape dreams to reality. Thank you to our outstanding crew for your creativity and long hours. Thank you to Walter Reeves, Bruce Holliday and all the judges at M.A.L.T.A. for choosing us.

Now excuse us, while we go stretch our arms wide…to pat ourselves on the back.

Ever heard of this place? Direct Buy is a home renovation mega mart with amazing designers floating around waiting to help you put together the home of your dreams. All at an amazing discount. Shady Grove *happens* to be Direct Buys’ favorite landscaper – Mostly because we built them this beautiful showroom. Check it out at 3097 Premier Parkway in Duluth – if only to see the fabulous, hand-crafted water wall. Just make sure to call first to make an appointment. Plan to spent a HUNK of money to join, but to save a ton of money on your home renovation projects, furniture, appliances and landscape over the next few years. Be sure to tell them that Tina Cook from Shady Grove sent you.

Anytime you build something out of wood you expect it to last a long time. That may be true for desks or tables that are meant to remain inside but not so for those that will spend their days outside in the cold rain and snow. The elements will break down the strongest of woods in just a few short years. Stains and sealants will prolong the life of any wood project as long as it is done properly. I have installed many fences and decks and the one problems that always show up are twisting and warping of the wood. Gates have an additional problem – sagging. The weight of the wood itself will pull nails and screws, which opens cracks in the wood. The twisting and warping adds and compounds the effect on the gate’s structure. This is a common problem with pressure treated pine. As the pine dries out its shape begins to change.

Over the years, I have repaired many gates that had this sagging problem. Some gates were built by others and some built by me. This process was getting very frustrating. My first line of attack was to tear them down and rebuild as they were before, but using longer screws. Some of the gates were fine but signs of sagging would eventually show up.

One day I was at The Home Depot and saw a system where the gate was built using brackets holding the 2 x 4s together. The design was practical and would work but it seemed to be a lot more structure than necessary. While in the shelving department I discovered the new way I would build my gates. No longer would I have to use a 2 x 4 on a 45 degree angle for support. My fix utilized regular shelving brackets. The brackets connect the frame of the gate together and are much stronger because they are designed to hold weight. Ta Da! See if this will work with your next sagging gate. (DC)

A head cold, the incessant rain, a trip to the emergency vet and some punk who decided to slide across my beautiful Zoysia front lawn have left me in a bit of a funk lately. My family and crews will assure you that I can take the fun out of funk.

I was, that is, until yesterday, when I got a call from the Browns. Doug and Joan Brown are a lively retired couple and are the kind of clients that make me glad to have chosen my profession. They are cheery, realistic and genuinely kind. Doug even made me his FABULOUS tomato sauce during the course of their project AND was kind enough to share the recipe that we call ‘20 Minutes to Heaven.’

As it turns out, they called to ask for help with a wet corner in the basement. I arrived to hugs. Then, I basked in the accolades about the performance of the above drainage project in the recent flooding rains. They even fed my dog treats and water.

In the course of one afternoon, The Browns hired Shady Grove to complete a small project and all the while, they lifted my sprits, and turned my rudder just enough to alter the course of my life.

This Thanksgiving, I’m grateful for Doug and Joan.

20 Minutes to Heaven

Sautee 1 medium onion, chopped, in 2 TBS olive oil until soft. Add two large cans whole Italian Tomatoes – squishing each one in your hand as you dump them in. Add the juice from the cans as well. Add a little salt, pepper, sugar and white wine to taste. Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes and (very important) skim the scum off the top every five minutes. Finish the sauce with 2 TBS real butter. Serve over pasta or just eat with a spoon.

On bike rides, hikes, park outings, camping trips and scenic cruises, I typically bore my children to near death.  The endlessly fascinating subject of PLANTS with all their fancy Latin names, varieties and detailed nuances that take up so much space in my plant-nerd mind do not usually hold their interest for 10 seconds.

However, this morning on the way to school, I gave my boys a horticulture lesson and for once, they hung on my every word.   I was riding along singing a litany of  “See that red, shaggy one?  That’s a Dogwood.  And the bright yellow/green/orange one is a Sugar Maple.  The redbud has the yellow, heart shaped leaves.”

For the first time, all three of them had questions.  Why is it called a Redbud if it’s yellow?  Does a dogwood come from a dog?  Are the trees dieing?  Evidently boring GREEN trees are not interesting.  Even flowers don’t intrigue little boys.  I guess it’s like Emeril’s Essence. Sling some obnoxious, flaming bright colors over the landscape and BAM!

Fascinating.

For some obnoxious fall color of your own plant one or all of the following:

Yellow – Ginkgo, Tulip Poplar, Trident Maple

Red – Dogwood, ‘Bloodgood’ or ‘Crimson Queen’ Japanese Maple, ‘October Glory’ or ‘Autumn Blaze’ Maple, Burning Bush (Euonymus alata),

Orange – Sugar Maple, ‘Coral Bark’ Japanese Maple

Ask any chipmunk or his stash of acorns.  THE place to be in fall is underground.  Contrary to popular belief, plants love to get their roots down into the earth BEFORE the spring.  Did you know that in Atlanta, fall and winter are the best times to give a new tree or shrub a new home?  Whether it is transplanting something in your yard or installing a new specimen from the nursery, FALL and WINTER are the PRIME TIME for PLANTING.  That is because at a 6-inch depth, the ground here never freezes.  Plants appreciate the transition from pot to ground or from place to place while their foliage is dormant.

Think like a plant.  March-April is the time for new growth both above and below ground.  Plants have their biggest push new foliage, branches and roots at the end of winter.  So do them a favor and put them in the ground well in advance of the big spring party.

Get Down.  Go Underground.

Call now for a Shady Grove design and fall planting.

404-441-0000

Crisp pinot blanc with decadent, rich quiche.  Sparkling rose with Scandinavian cured salmon.  Homemade chimichuri beef with Argentinean malbec.  Sounds like the recipe for a GREAT PARTY!  And it was.  Thanks to all of you who participated in the first annual ‘Celebration of Appreciation’.  The food and wine pairings from around the world paled in comparison to the clients, vendors and associates who make our business successful and are so much FUN to be around.  We appreciate you and feel honored to call you our friends.

Cheers to all of you and hope to see you next year~

To add your name to next year’s guest list, email us at info@sglsco.com