Rain Garden and Conservation Landscape Maintenance The post Conservation Landscape and Rain Garden Maintenance appeared first on Landscape Design, Installation, Maintenance and Native Plant NurseryLauren's Garden Service ..read more

Click here to see Our recent Earth Day Events Newsletter   The post Freebies and Fun: Come Celebrate Earth Day with Lauren at The Native Plant Nursery and Cultivate Garden & Goods appeared first on Landscape Design, Installation, Maintenance and Native Plant NurseryLauren's Garden Service ..read more

Glorious Grasses Eragrostis spectabilis – Purple Love Grass Eragrostis spectabilis, also called purple love grass, is a warm-season bunchgrass with flat, coarse, basal leaves, followed by soft reddish-purple flowers in a loose, open inflorescence in August. Plants generally perform best in sandy or gravelly soils in hot, dry locations in full sun. Purple love grass tolerate infertile, poor soils, and have good resistance to drought. Plants spread by self-seeding and by stems rooting along the ground at the nodes. Group or mass in borders, or use in a meadow-type planting where it can naturali ..read more

Spring Blooming Trees Cercis canadensis – Eastern Redbud Cercis canadensis, also known as eastern redbud is a deciduous, multi-trunked understory tree that displays brilliant clusters of rose-pink flowers on bare branches in early spring, before the foliage emerges. Flowers are followed by bean-like dry seedpods, which can remain on the tree into winter.  Pale yellow to greenish-yellow fall color. It’s size and multi-season interest make it a great option for a lawn specimen or street tree. Note: while this tree can tolerate full sun, it does appreciate some afternoon shade, and does bes ..read more

Maryland Native Plants for Spring Mertensia virginica – Virginia Bluebells   Mertensia virginica, also called Virginia bluebells, is easily naturalized in moist, shady areas and works well in wildflower gardens. It is a native wildflower found in moist woodlands and river flood plains in eastern North America.  Mertensia virginica is one of about 40 species in this genus of herbaceous perennials with blue, bell-shaped flowers. This ephemeral perennial plant comes up early in the spring. The emerging foliage is deep purple but quickly turns green as the plant grows. Plants have ..read more

Cleanscapes: An eco friendly garden cost share program in Howard County, MD Cleanscapes is a program that will cover 75% cost of certain landscape projects if approved by the program. There are several requirements to be eligible for the program which can all be found on their website! If you are interested in having a rain garden, conservation landscape or tree canopy expansion (planting trees) on your property and getting a 75% reimbursement from the County you MUST START the process with Cleanscapes! They will come to your property and preapprove your projects. At that point you can reach o ..read more

Lauren’s Garden Service at Native Plant Palooza 2024 Sunday, May 5th 12PM-4PM at Robinson Nature Center   LGS @ Native Plant Palooza 2024 Facebook Event Link Lauren’s Garden Service & Native Plant Nursery Website The post Lauren’s Garden Service at Native Plant Palooza 2024 appeared first on Landscape Design, Installation, Maintenance and Native Plant NurseryLauren's Garden Service ..read more

Amazing Summer Blooms Hibiscus laevis – Halberd-Leaved Rose-Mallow Hibiscus laevis, commonly called smooth rose mallow or halberd-leaved rose-mallow, is a Maryland native herbaceous perennial which typically occurs in wet soils along streams, rivers, ponds, sloughs, ditches and swampy areas throughout much of the State. Perhaps most easily distinguished by its three-lobed leaves (to 6″ long) which resemble the shape of the 15th-16th century halberd spear. Large, 5-petaled, hollyhock-like flowers (to 6″ diameter) with white to pink petals and maroon eyes appear from mid-summer into fall on smo ..read more

Thinking About Installing A Rain Garden? Rain gardens are a great way to collect water and keep it from running off of your property, picking up polluntants and silt and negatively affecting local waterways and the Bay. If you keep more of your stormwater runoff on your property (and if we all do this) there would be a remarkable affect on local waterways, their erosion and on the Cheasapeake Bay. Rain gardens are highly techincal gardens that require a long list of important decisions from proper location, proper size, proper plant selection, proper excavation depth and ponding depth. Rain G ..read more

What Is A Conservation Landscape? A conservation landscape is a landscape bed or garden that is designed with almost all native plants. It’s created to support local habitat by providing food AND shelter for insects and animals in our region. In some places a conservation landscape is just a landscape bed with native plants instead of traditional landscaping. In other places a conservation landscape is a bed that intersects water flow to reduce what runs off of the property or is defined as a bed that replaces turf grass or invasive plant species. Conservation Landscape In Howard County, acc ..read more