We put together a plan for a great couple in Pleasant Hill.  This project focused on both the front yard’s curb appeal and privacy in the back yard. Building on what they already had in the landscape, we created a retreat from busy life and shelter from the noisy main road near their home. The […]

When working with clients on a landscape design, I balance so many different things. We want an instant landscape, but we need to watch the budget. We want low maintenance plantings, but we want instant gratification. I often remind my clients that landscapes take time to grow. Just about every picture on Pinterest or Houzz is […]

WHAT EXACTLY IS FINE GARDENING? Fine Gardening is our maintenance service, where we come to your property and make sure your gardens look gorgeous. It’s how you get good-looking planting beds while you’re at work or at home. This service is for our busy clients who don’t have the time to dedicate to their garden […]

This gorgeous farmhouse in rural Adel needed its landscaping finished. While the builder had already poured a back patio, this farmhouse needed more landscaping to feel like it was settled into its surroundings. The homeowners plan to build a lovely barn and needed landscaping around it- plantings and a patio seating area.  They also wanted help […]

This beautiful old home in downtown Des Moines needed a new front yard landscape that could handle many jobs.  First of all, the existing front stoop was added some time ago and was beginning to disconnect from the house. A grander entrance that fit the Arts and Crafts style of this house would make such […]

Plenty of us have garden beds with plants in them, walkways to our front doors, and patios out back. Yep – nothing particularly special or earth-shattering. Maybe your front walkway and the skinny beds around it are weed-free, but not impressive. Maybe the garden bed out your back door has some nice colorful blooms in […]

Out here in the Heartland, the ground is either brown or covered in snow for close to seven months. When we finally have nice weather in central Iowa, we want our yards to look gorgeous! I get asked all the time about how to establish a healthy, lush lawn, especially in the spring. It’s completely […]

I am pretty serious about making your front entry beautiful. This is how we welcome our friends and family, give a preview of our style, and create the vibe for what it’s like at your house. Chances are, you’re into making your front entry lovely too – there are entire TV shows about curb appeal! […]

When good friends moved into a newly built house in Adel, they faced the same problems that thousands of families around Des Moines deal with: a blank slate lot that looks like EVERY. HOUSE. ON. THE. BLOCK. The only way to set your house apart is to add landscaping, and the sooner the better. It […]

So you just invested half a million dollars or more into a new home – a brand new home. You’re in a nice housing development near a school and close to major roads, so you can get downtown super easily. You picked out all the details- the light fixtures, flooring, counters… it all feels like a […]