Text Box: This hummingbird picture was recently emailed to me by one of my clients; she was so excited to be able to see wildlife from her home office. This is one of the biggest pay-offs for me when we remove a water-thirsty Bermuda grass lawn and replace it with native and drought tolerant, long lived, low maintenance landscape plants. She now enjoys plants she never would have thought of using such as: Rock Penstemon, May night salvia, Four nerve daisy and Blackfoot daisy. We also installed a small area of Turffalo from plugs, moss boulders and a stone slab walkway. They installed their own drip irrigation and shredded hardwood mulch over several weekends. We have taken a boring almost lifeless lawn and turned it into a wildlife habitat that they will enjoy for many years and also save money on water, gasoline, fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. So, instead of spending many hours watering, mowing, trimming, weeding and blowing, they will have time to enjoy their own piece of paradise and feel they are doing their part to curb global warming and replace lost habitat. ❀ Text Box: Humming Along... Text Box: Volume 1, Issue 4, October 2007 Text Box: I decided to share just a snapshot of my recent trip to the family home in Estes Park, CO. This is my family’s way of escaping life’s daily grind and relaxing in this majestic grandeur. I am always amazed at how the beauty affects me here; every time I come up it seems the landscape changes. It’s always a wonder and a huge breath of fresh air. I hope you enjoy my pictures! ❀ Text Box: My Month in Estes Park, Colorado

Dubberley Landscape Design

Leading the effort to encourage more environmentally sound and sustainable landscaping.

Is that a VIEW or what??

Look really close and you’ll see the double rainbows!

Flowing Waters… ahhhh

Wild River Flowers

Black & White Butterfly

Natural Rocks & Flowers
Text Box: Water until established…. Text Box: People do not understand what "water plants until established" means. I can explain it to them: water, water, water, and then I go back and check to make sure they understood that they need to WATER. You see, they might think the first couple of weeks is enough, and after that the hoses and sprinklers can be put away - not a good idea! The first year, those perennial roots have to work down into the soil. Water them even if they look like they are dead (they may be dormant!). Water them even if it looks like they don't need water. Those who had been watering the plants in this rain garden decided, even though there was a drought this first year, that they didn't need to water the plants any more after a few weeks. This is NOT the case! In order to thoroughly establish the plants, and especially the first year and/or if it does not rain, you MUST water the plants all growing season long, even into the fall. If the watering schedule is abandoned, be sure there is money available for replanting. You may need it!    I have found people don’t understand this and it really can’t be said enough.  If it looks brown, it’s under watering, yellow means overwatering.  But really, it’s hard to over water newly planted plants!!! ❀ Text Box: “People don’t understand what ‘water plants until established’ really means.” Text Box: Get NWT Certified! Text Box: Recently I received my plaque stating my backyard is a ‘Certified Wildlife Habitat’ from the National Wildlife Federation. This is something I’ve wanted to do for about 10 years! I did it to encourage others. The plaque states: “This property provides the four basic habitat elements needed for wildlife to thrive: food, water, cover and places to raise young.” Why did I create a NWF Certified Wildlife Habitat? 1. It's fun! Watching wildlife in action can be fun and relaxing for everyone. Your habitat may attract beautiful songbirds, butterflies, frogs, and other interesting wildlife for viewing from your very own window. 2. Curb appeal! Replacing grass lawns with native wildflowers, shrubs, and trees will increase the beauty of your property and provide a nurturing refuge for wildlife. Bring wildlife home! Restoring habitats where commercial and residential development have degraded natural ecosystems can be your way of giving back to wildlife. Eco-friendly! Gardening practices that help wildlife, like reducing the use of chemicals, conserving energy and water, and composting also help to improve air, water and soil quality. Community! Gardening for wildlife can help you share your love of wildlife with your neighbors and help them get involved in creating a home for wildlife. Check it out for yourself at http://www.nwf.org/backyard/ ❀ Text Box: Creating a “Prosper”ous Rain Garden... Text Box: Claudia Evangelo wanted a low maintenance, drought tolerant, long-lived landscape in her Prosper side yard. The first issue to address was drainage problem in the backyard.  After a rain, she had a stream of water pouring across her back lawn where it stayed wet for long periods of time.  To fix the drainage issue and to harvest the rain, we suggested a rain garden tied into a dry stream bed.  The side yard is larger than most suburban home sideyard because the Claudia had the builder place the house off to the right of the property allowing her to have more gardening space on the left side of her property.  The house faces south receiving full sun from morning to afternoon with the west side yard receiving intense afternoon sun and unblocked winds. To connect the gutters to the rain garden, we dug a trench, and put in flexible tubing with connectors at both ends. The pipe ends 4 feet uphill from the edge of the rain garden in a popup. The large home has 4 downspouts on the west side of the house, 3 are inside the fence and the other ends up in the front-yard. We installed the rain garden, planted the main plants and put in flagstone stepping stones. Now we have several plants in the rain garden which continue to grow, bloom, and provide much visionary delight! More pictures to come as the rain garden progresses! ❀ Text Box: What’s Blooming in the Rain Gardens Now? Text Box: October: Things in the rain garden are going to seed, but mist flower (Eupatorium coelestinum) is blooming merrily away, right next to everything that is busy going to sleep for the long winter. The flower is the exact color of Crayola Crayon’s periwinkle blue. These flowers are so pretty against all the intense fall colors. If you’re not rigid about all your plants being native, these look lovely right next to short reblooming golden yellow daylilies. Another nice trait of the mist flower is the way it spreads into a substational colony. You get big blocks of color in just a couple of years, starting with only a few plants. It also divides happily, and will bloom profusely the first year you replant it somewhere else. It’s just a great rain garden plant! In the spring it is important to remember that mistflower is a slug-a bed, and won’t wake up from dormancy until late June. Some people assue it didn’t survive the winter. It’s just a late sleeper and a late bloomer, like some of us rain gardeners. ❀ Mist Flower Text Box: Do you see that fabulous hummingbird hovering at the top?! Text Box: To remove your name from our mailing list, please click here. Questions or comments? E-mail us at carrie@carriedubberley.com or call (972) 618-6177. Text Box: Dubberley Landscape Design Carrie Dubberley, Owner 7409 Ryan Dr. Plano, TX 75025 Office phone: (972) 618-6177 Cell phone: (214) 770-6252 Email: carrie@carriedubberley.com We’re on the Web! See us at: www.carriedubberley.com Text Box: About Dubberley Landscape Design Text Box: Dubberley Landscape Design is a professional landscape design, build, maintenance and consulting firm that will put your landscape to use by harversting rain to water your trees, shrubs and flower beds. We will show you how to grow herbs, vegetables, natives and flowers instead of traditional and often boring landscapes. We are replacing traditional landscape with innovative rain gardens that capture rain and put it to use for you. Rain is too valuable to let it drain off your property. We will show you how to put it to work to save you money. If and when drought restrictions mean you can no longer water your landscape, you will want a drought tolerant landscape. You need to act before your water is cut off to irrigation; you need to install drought tolerant plants now so they will have time to adjust and become established with little water from the city. Dubberley Landscape Design can bring you innovative landscape solutions in an increasingly drought-stricken environment. Let us use our 20 years of experience in the art and science of growing native plants to bring you the latest in Rainwater Harvesting Techniques. We can provide sustainable landscapes that are beautiful, earth-friendly, and cost effective for a greener tomorrow. ❀ Text Box: Delivering earth friendly landscape solutions while leading the effort to encourage more environmentally sound and sustainable landscaping.