The end of the landscape season marks the beginning of continuing education season at Winona Nursery. In December, 4 of our employees (Dana Coulter, Ed Becker, Dan Filla, and Becky Benson) attended a 12-hour AutoCAD Civil training course through Minnesota State College–Southeast Tech in Winona. Brushing up on our design software capabilities makes us even more efficient and ready to work with you on YOUR project!
Japanese Garden, Bloomington, MN. photo by jpellgen
Right on cue, the beginning of the month ushered in winter, and snow blanketed the Southeastern Minnesota landscape.
Yay for all the plants! The layer of sparkly whiteness does more than ensure Christmas shoppers feel more festive and, therefore, feel more like opening their wallets. It insulates plants and “tucks them in” for winter, so to speak. That’s good news as far as we’re concerned!
The holidays being here is more good news, and we wish everyone a beautiful Christmastime.
Finally someone has put together a comprehensive yet entirely readable tree care manual! We have had various attempts over the years, as have others, but this is clearly superior… thanks, USDA Forest Service!
Get smarter. Download and read about all this and more! Or contact us, and we’ll be happy to mail you a copy.
Cheerful, Simple Daylily Combinations Coordinate with House
Always looking to pick up a new idea or two, Bonnie again headed up to the Cities in July to scout out the MNLA Landscape Tour. Although not quite on par with last year’s, she still thought it was worthwhile. Some of her observations are as follows:
Native and oldie-but-goodie plants (read: dependable!) seem to keep gaining momentum, and the landscapes on the tours reflected this trend. For instance, so easy to do but an often-overlooked option: a simple collection of bright, long-blooming daylilies next to a front door entrance helped pull the color off the railings and trim of the house. They complemented and contrasted so nicely you can’t help but smile at how great it looks.
And not something we do, but Bonnie was intrigued by this stamped concrete that had a little extra touch (click right image for a closer look)…..
Stamped Concrete with Shell Pattern
Compass-Inset Driveway
Everyone liked this driveway (left) with the compass inset–again, a relatively simple idea with big impact. The designer hit upon something unique and completely in keeping with the style of the house.
One of the metro Watershed District offices also set a great example of native plantings working as parking buffers, swale softeners, and rainwater sponges.
So while no earth-shattering, ground-breaking design ideas were uncovered during this year’s tour, some interesting combinations and tips were gleaned from the day… all things we can use to make our own designs better!
