Landscapes that keep going! ๐๐
As temperatures drop and we spend more time indoors, our landscapes still have important work to do! Fall pollen & seed heads, winter berries, over-wintering habitat, early spring blooms & of course, summer, the perennial powerhouse๐ฆ
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S W I P E for examples of GJL landscapes throughout the seasons โ ecologically-valuable, evolving & beautiful! (Because who wants to look at boring boxwoods every day!)
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1. Native bee on a fall-blooming sedum
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2. Northern Sea Oatsโ fabulous seed heads are a great food source for birds in fall & winter; stems & leaves provide nesting material.
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3. Winterberry produces an explosion of red berries that are a favorite of birds and look striking against a blanket of snow.
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4. River Birch lends an architectural element to a winter landscape with its unique peeling, cinnamon bark.
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5. Alliums attract pollinators in early spring and compliment nearly every plant pallet with their unique spherical shape โ they also look great in the garden post-bloom!
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6. Curbside perennial garden featuring pollinator-faves Coneflower, Blackeyed Susan, Geranium & Feather Reed Grass for long-lasting summer color & texture!
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#greenjaylandscaping
#wheredesignmeetsecology
#landscapesforbetterliving
๐ผ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐? ๐ท๐๐๐โ๐ ๐ท๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ผ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ผ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฝ๐๐ ๐พ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ป๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐
Itโs no secret real estate in suburban Westchester & Fairfield County is in high demand โ a reality of the COVID-era and our desire to have more space at home, indoors and out.
A thoughtful landscape design will meet all your outdoor lifestyle needs in a safe and healthy way, all the while improving the local environment.
Organic โฟ Beautiful Year Round โฟ Outdoor Entertaining Approved โฟ Creates Habitat โฟ Relaxing Atmosphere
Learn more about maximizing your new suburban landscape thru the link below!
https://www.greenjaylandscaping.com/blog/moving-to-the-suburbs-how-to-make-the-most-of-your-outdoor-living-space/
#greenjaylandscaping
#wheredesignmeetsecology
#landscapesforbetterliving
โ๏ธ๐๐ Happy FALL! After a stay-at-home summer, is there anything lacking in your landscape? โจentertainment space
โจfunctional walkways
โจvibrant native gardens
โจplay areas
โจprivacy & serenity
Fall & winter are the *best* times to start the design process, slot your installation dates in spring, and enjoy your new landscape all summer long!
Many hours go into each Landscape Design Master Plan to ensure the property and design are articulated accurately and aesthetically. We love adding color renderings and choosing plant images to best communicate the design to our clients. Technical / construction drawings are often required as well for Architectural Review Boards.
We adore every step of the design process, collaborating with our clients, and especially bringing our visions to fruition during installation & construction. Contact us about your landscape design project - 914 560 6570
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#greenjaylandscaping
#wheredesignmeetsecology
#landscapesforbetterliving
More shots from last weekendโs Wild Garden Tour at Jayโs house. Late summer native blooms; soothing circulation from the constructed waterfall, stream & pond; rain gardens, and an extra special wetland walk!
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Coming home to the respite of this garden every day, observing and guiding its evolution into a thriving habitat, sharing it with our communityโ this is why we do what we do! Thanks again to all the attendees and @healthy_yards for organizing!๐๐ฟ
#greenjaylandscaping
#wheredesignmeetsecology
#landscapesforbetterliving
Thank you to all the attendees that toured Jayโs home garden & wetland walk, we had a blast sharing our passion for ecological design with you!
๐Huge shout out๐ to @bedford_2020 @healthy_yards for organizing the garden tours. Very inspirational! It takes a village!!! ๐ Contact us if you missed out and would like a garden tour!
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#Repost @ryesustainability with @get_repost
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Wonderful Westchester Pollinator Garden Tour yesterday;Jay Archerโs amazing Nature Immersion Garden, Predominantly Native!! @greenjaylandscaping The Westchester Pollinator Tour is sponsored by @bedford_2020 and Healthy Yards. #garden #gardentour #westchester #rye #westchestercounty #nativeplants #pollinators #gardens #biodiversity #savethebees #lawncare #leadonclimate
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#greenjaylandscaping
#wheredesignmeetsecology
#landscapesforbetterliving
๐ป๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐. ๐ด๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ป๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐ฎ๐๐ป๐-
โ most irrigated crop in the US, over 40 million acres!
โ 80 million lbs of pesticides applied every year ๐ณ
โ 600 million gallons of gas consumed for lawn care annually
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๐๐ฐ๐ผ๐น๐ผ๐ด๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ด-
โ Improves ecosystem health holistically
โ Creates habitat for critical pollinators and wildlife
โ Conserves, filters and stores water, a precious resource
โ Builds healthy soil through organic practices and conscious erosion prevention
โ Designs safe and healthy outdoor spaces that improve our physical and mental health
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Unfortunately, most landscaping in the US is really just lawn care. Learn more about the environmental impact of your lawn, and the benefits of switching to ecological landscaping on our latest #blog. Link in bio!
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#greenjaylandscaping
#wheredesignmeetsecology
#landscapesforbetterliving
Fabulous early fall shots of this wet meadow and riparian border. Goldenrod, joe pye weed, NY ironweed, phlox and asters provide a fabulous show of color, and food sources for countless pollinators and birds.
The meadow effectively links the bordering forest ecosystem and large constructed pond area, creating an essential fringe habitat between the two. Much more functional than the manicured lawn it used to be!
The riparian border of native perennials and ornamental grasses intercepts stormwater runoff from the upper lawn, preventing the build up of nutrients (eutrophication) in the pond.
Check out our latest blog to learn more about the ecological benefits of meadows and how weโve managed this one, now in its fourth year.
https://www.greenjaylandscaping.com/blog/organic-meadow-management-westchester-ny/
#greenjaylandscaping
#wheredesignmeetsecology
#landscapesforbetterliving
It was such a pleasure to participate in the Healthy Yards Garden Tour in September. Great turn out of ecologically-interested Westchester folk -- we love to see it! Read our latest blog for the full recap & more photos. Thanks again to Healthy Yards Bedford 2030 for organizing!
https://www.greenjaylandscaping.com/blog/gjl-hosts-healthy-yard-garden-tour-rye-ny/
#healthyyards #healthyyardgardentour #ryeny #LeadOnClimate #gardentour #ecologicallandscaping #naturallandscaping #organic #landscapedesign
GREENJAYLANDSCAPING.COM
GJL Hosts Healthy Yard Garden Tour | Rye, NY - Green Jay Landscaping
Pesticides have no place on public land. Yesterday, Jay testified before the Philadelphia City Council in support of the Healthy Outdoor Public Spaces (HOPS) Bill.
The bill would eliminate the use of synthetic pesticides & herbicides on publicly-owned land in Philly.
Public parks and land are valued for their greenery and the assumed health benefits from spending time outdoors. Most visitors do not realize they are being exposed to toxins from synthetic landscape chemicals that are known carcinogens, endocrine disruptors and catalysts for liver and kidney damage.
Learn more about the bill and read Jayโs expert testimony on our latest blog โ https://www.greenjaylandscaping.com/blog/jay-archer-testifies-in-support-of-phillys-hops-bill-to-ban-pesticides-on-public-land/
#greenjaylandscaping
#wheredesignmeetsecology
#landscapesforbetterliving
Photo by M. Kennedy / Visit Philadelphia.
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๐๐ ๐๐...๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
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๐ฒโจ
This waking bridge is the final touch on a dam project we recently completed at a one-acre pond in South Salem, NY.
The goal was to construct a dam to preserve the pondโs water level and aquatic ecology, while allowing for overflow during rain events into the bordering forested wetland.
This is the same property as the wet meadow in our post a few back. Between the wet meadow, freshwater pond and forested wetland, this site is teeming with ecological diversity and value.
Learn more about the project and the property on our latest blog - link in comments!
#greenjaylandscaping
#wheredesignmeetsecology
#landscapesforbetterliving
summer โ fall, still ๐ฏ๐
We โค๏ธ the evolution of a perennial garden. From the early spring color,
to the summer bloom explosion (and the pollinators that follow), to the beautiful, sculptural dried stalks and seed of fall & winter.
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We chose to leave these perennial gardens up through fall and winter, cutting down in early spring before new growth emerges. Why? Many insects including some native bees rely on hollow-stemmed perennials to overwinter in and as nesting sites.
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Other insects find winter shelter in leaf litter, so applying shredded leaves to your garden beds in fall is both an organic, natural fertilizer and a habitat in itself. Many birds feed on coneflower and Black-eyed Susan seed heads, as pictured here.
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This holistic management approach is key to our success with organic & native gardens like this one. What do you think about leaving perennials up until spring? Leave us a comment!
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#greenjaylandscaping
#wheredesignmeetsecology
#landscapesforbetterliving
MESSENGER
Green Jay Landscaping updated their info in the about section.
Soil ๐ needs๐ saving ๐
Especially in such vulnerable landscapes as this one โ a steep slope of erodible soil leading to a lake. Loss of topsoil is troubling enough (one inch of soil can take up to 500 years to form !!!) and the resulting sediment loading can transform water bodies, with vast ecological impacts on aquatic life.
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GJL was hired to improve this slope in Holmes, NY with a mostly-native ornamental grasses, shrub, perennial and ground cover plantings for hillside stabilization & habitat creation. It also needed to be elevated aesthetically, given the prominence of the slope from the lake (boatside curb appeal!) swipe for installation photos & a before shot from the lake.
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We take a deep dive into the rates of #erosion nationwide and the far-reaching impacts of sediment loading in our waterways in our latest #blog, plus more details of the design and erosion control devices used.
https://www.greenjaylandscaping.com/blog/hillside-stabilization-planting-with-lakefront-views-holmes-ny/
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#greenjaylandscaping
#wheredesignmeetsecology
#landscapesforbetterliving
With the water level restored, this freshwater pond ecosystem can thrive. Across the water on the opposite bank, our native New England Wetland Mix from @ernstseeds acts as a riparian buffer between the upper lawn and the pond. The native perennials, grasses and sedges also create habitat for countless pollinators and birds. It acts as an extension of the adjacent wet meadow habitat, and links the border surrounding forest habitats.
It has been such a joy to work on this ecological restoration project and oversee the estate management for over ten years. This property has been organic for over a decade (!) and continues to provide multiple ecosystem services.
This is our calling.
#6 Shangri-La | South Salem, NY
GJLโs Top Landscape Design Projects of 2020
Link in bio to learn more about the project!
#greenjaylandscaping
#wheredesignmeetsecology
#landscapesforbetterliving
Dams get a bad rap, but this one actually contributes to a valuable freshwater ecosystem. Before constructing the dam, this freshwater pond was draining water approaching a bog environment and mosquito habitat.
The water level fell low enough to kill the native riparian plantings along the pond banks, and as a result the water quality suffered. Native wetland plants are remarkable adapted to cleaning and filtering water.
#6 Shangri-La | South Salem, NY
GJLโs Top Landscape Design Projects of 2020
Link in bio to learn more about the project!
#greenjaylandscaping
#wheredesignmeetsecology
#landscapesforbetterliving
This project was over FIVE years in the making!
#6 Shangri-La | South Salem, NY
GJLโs Top Landscape Design Projects of 2020
The intent was to construct a concrete dam to maintain a consistent water level in this freshwater pond.
The land behind the pond is a forested wetland, part of the watershed that feeds NYCโs drinking water, so permitting was elevated to NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.
We partnered with JMC for the engineering of the dam, and J-R-One Contractors helped with the dam construction.
After obtaining the necessary permits, erecting site protection, and passing all inspections, we experienced extremely high precipitation years that kept the water level too high to begin construction. Upstream, a private lakeโs not-so-timely draw down further delayed the project.
Safe to say, we are thrilled to finally see the completion of this dam and footbridge.
Link in bio to learn more about the project!
#greenjaylandscaping
#wheredesignmeetsecology
#landscapesforbetterliving
3/3] Underplant your trees! Rarely in nature do we find trees by themselves. Establishing a garden bed beneath your trees is an extension of the habitat they provide.
Did you know birches support 413 species of Lepidoptera? (If you havenโt read Doug Tallamyโs Bringing Nature Home yet, 2021 is your year.)
We underplanted this river birch with native perennials such as Coreopsis as well as sedges and ground cover that will spread & fill in over time creating what we like to call โgreen mulch.โ This is much preferred over having your trees planted directly into the lawn, where they absorb all the fertilizers and lawn products applied.
Our Top Landscape Designs of 2020| #7 - ๐๐ฐ๐บ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฆ ๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ด ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ณ๐ข๐ฅ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ต | Irvington, NY | Irvington, NY
Link in bio to learn more about the project.
#greenjaylandscaping
#wheredesignmeetsecology
#landscapesforbetterliving
