Running a small hands on “boutique” landscape and design company is both satisfying and challenging. We run ours out of our back yard. We have alley access and a fair amount of space.

In spring it is an ever changing sea of perennials, shrubs and trees. This is because I like to have the largest palette possible to use in my designs.

I buy plants from 4 different growers. This means I have to order plants for two or more up coming installs at a time. That takes a bit of logistics on my part.  It drives my husband crazy but he has come to accept that it is necessary.

At first we just used the back part of the yard. Then we bought a large trailer and converted that space to off-street parking using decomposed granite. This is also were we keep the leftover hardscape materials until we can use them or find them a good home. When we have plants or stones we didn’t end up using we offer them to the crew. They love it!

There are other side benefits to this changing sea of plants. I get to see different plants next to each other. This entertains me immensely. I believe play is a big part of the creative process.

I like pouring over the new availability from the growers and wholesale nurseries and see what new friend they have added to my play list!

A couple of Kaleidoscope Abelia on the table and the bright red flowers are the Autumn Ember azaleas that were planted last Friday.

I prefer to install plants that where born in Texas and try to keep my list of growers to within a hundred miles of Houston. This helps the plants be naturally acclimated to our climate and seasons. Here is a list of the growers and farms I work with :

Treesearch Farms – http://www.treesearchfarms.com/

Magnolia Gardens Nursery – http://magnoliagardensnursery.com/

Landmark Nursery – http://landmarknurseries.net/

Glen Flora Farms – http://www.glenflorafarms.com/