Menu
Driven by a mix of passion and a desire to add meaningful services, we are launching our Garden Design Service. We now offer design and installation for perennial and edible garden landscaping. We want to help our clients discover beautiful and sustainable ways to enjoy your garden for years to come. Led by our Founder, Victoria Mininger, who is certified in Permaculture Design, we are thrilled to begin helping families get back to their roots.
Last week, we wrapped up a fun install for a wonderful client in Crozet – We were able to add a combination of gardens and landscaping to this compact space. We planted Crepe Myrtle, Hydrangea and Ornamental grasses around the back wall. Just around the bottom curve, we created a five foot bed, built with a soil & compost mix topped with leaf mulch – allowing an easy and accessible area for a simple vegetable garden right off the patio. Trailing up the outside of the stairs, we put in a bed of perennial herbs giving quick access to flavor a favorite dish or sauce. We finished the top half of the sidewalk and along the house with easy to care for perennial flowers and shrubs.
This garden is both aesthetic and sustainable. The best of both worlds. It will take some time to naturally fill in, but I expect this garden to grow in full and beautifully over the next year or two. Nature can take some time, but it sure is worth waiting for!
Do you need help designing and installing perennial and edible garden landscaping? Visit our website to learn more and get started today!
Cooler evenings and beautiful sunsets beckon us to dining al fresco. When it comes to having an outdoor dining space that you will enjoy long after the meal is over, here are a few essential elements from Leslie, our Furnishing designer.
Start by creating a comfortable space with an outdoor rug that is fun and inviting. Invest in the right size dining set that will fit your family and guests while standing up to the outdoor elements. Some of our clients rave about Polywood Furniture and we love how tough Telescope Casual furniture is against the sun and weather.
If you love to also cook outside, find a good grill and a sturdy set of tools. You will also want dinner and drink wear designed to last outside. Melamine or acrylic glassware are lightweight and great options to add pops of colors and styles to your meal. Rolling carts are fantastic for bringing out refreshments, creating an outdoor mini bar or housing flatware and condiments.
Plants can add to the ambiance of an outdoor space. You can even use plants to maximize style while minimizing pesky bugs. Consider placing potted plants that are natural bug repellants around your dining space. The aromas of Citronella grass or Lemon balm smell lovely and repel mosquitoes. In addition to being a repellent for bugs, Lavender, Rosemary and Basil can also provide for your kitchen herb garden.
Cover your outdoor dining with a pergola or sunshade to add a bit of shade but still allow you to feel fully outdoors. You can even grow climbing vines or add faux greenery to your pergola or a trellis. Adding shrubs or tall potted bushes around your dining area can create some intimacy to the space. Hang outdoor lighting to illuminate your space in a fun way for dining in all seasons and occasions. These are easy additions with a big impact. They help to define your dining space to create a warm and cozy setting.
We hope you find some time this season to sit outside in the company of good friends over a fresh meal with lots of relaxation and meaningful conversation.
Til next time,
Leslie
Not sure where to start when it comes to styling your backyard space? Leslie is here to help, reach out anytime and she can assist you in transforming your outdoor dining space.
Ingredients (For 10 servings)
Cooking Instructions
The salad can be served immediately, but the flavors will marry nicely if refrigerated overnight.
Check out Primo Grills for more delicious grilling recipes and shop the Bear Creek Outdoor Living Store for all your grill needs.
In cooperation with the City of Waynesboro, the Wayne Theatre hosts outdoor concerts each summer from April through September, bringing live music from a variety of bands to Main Street. Concerts are held the last Wednesday of the month from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm.
Wayne Theatre’s free concert series has two months left in their 2022 season. Mark your calendar to check out the last two outdoor concerts. These are “pay what you will” events, so no ticket is necessary. Bring your lawn chairs and come enjoy live music right in Downtown Waynesboro. On Main Street right in front of the Wayne Theatre, public parking is available in various lots near by.
Line up for the last two events:
Aug 31: Prime
Sept 28: Sundried Opossum
For more information, or to see all of the events at the Wayne Theatre visit www.waynetheatre.org or follow them on Facebook.
As Summer comes to a close, many of us find ourselves longing to return to routine that comes with Fall schedules. Establishing habits is a wonderful way to get back into old rhythms or try new things. It has been said that it takes 21 days to start a habit, so picking a month to track your habits is a great way to kick start you to your goal. When choosing habits, here are some ideas to help set you up for success.
Often with habits, we feel like they have to be rigid, but rather focusing on specific habits allows you freedom of choice. Saying you want to get to the gym more can feel like an all or nothing proposal. When you set a specific goal, it defines what “more” means and gives you flexibility. If you say “I want to get to the gym 4 days a week,” then you can plan your gym days each week and skip days that are too busy and check off the goal once you’ve hit 4 days. Perhaps you want to drink more water on a daily basis. Choosing a goal of 64 ounces per day and finding a water bottle to keep with you, helps you stay on track in a measurable way.
Saying you want to start reading at night before bed, helps to give a time framework around when a new habit will happen. Or if you want to drink more water, drinking 8oz of water while your coffee is brewing will tie the new habit to something that you do each day. You can even go so far as to schedule habits into your day or week, putting something on your calendar demonstrates that it is important to you.
Habits don’t have to be productivity focused. They can be things you want to create space for that rejuvenate you. Think of things that are live-giving and rooted in self-care. Maybe reading for pleasure helps you feel rested and refreshed, visit the library for a good book and create a habit of reading for 20minutes a few days a week. Maybe you want to learn a new language, create a habit of doing 10 minutes of a language app each day.
“Progress over perfection” has become a popular phrase, and for good reason. Perfection is illusive. When we try to strive for habits or goals that are unattainable, we set ourselves up for discouragement. Choose habits that while challenging at first are something you can accomplish. Establishing a habit or reaching a goal will help give you the internal self-esteem to try for other new worthwhile endeavors.
Sharing your new habit goals with family or friends can create a support system to help keep you accountable and leads to greater success. Perhaps a goal is to start exercising 5 days a week, so asking a co-working to walk with you at lunchtime twice a week helps you get closer to your goal. Or maybe you want to go on a date with your spouse once a week, asking a family member or friend to babysit weekly will help you keep the commitment.