For so many of us, we have been long conditioned to cleaning up the gardens in the fall to within an inch of life, quite literally. No leaves left behind, cut back all of the drying perennials. Check. Chop down dying trees and grind the stumps into dust. Check. While this method of landscape hygiene is desirable to some (not all of us!), it is absolutely devastating to our local and migrating wildlife. All of this cleanup and cleanout removes valuable habitat for nesting be

Check out the recent Redfin article we were featured in: Whether you own a house in Knoxville, TN, or are renting an apartment in Charlotte, NC, adding a trellis to your garden can support plant growth, spruce up your garden decor, and can be used to create more private outdoor spaces by acting as a fence. So what exactly is a trellis, and how can it add style and support to your outdoor oasis? Keep reading to find out. Read the full article here: What is a Trellis? How You C

We have been trained to believe that the cooler temperatures mean a heavy dose of garden clean-up, but this doesn’t have to be the case! We talk all the time about leaving the leaves and dried perennials for the wildlife, but that doesn’t mean your landscape has to rival the Munster’s! Here is our Top 10 list of garden chores that will keep your neighbors and local wildlife happy. We say save your back and leave the leaves, but there are plenty of reasons why you might not wa

You have a garden full of plants purchased from Blue Stem (Thank you, thank you) and you were diligent about planting them all right away, as a good gardener would. It would be really nice if the hard part was done, but with the hot summer weather upon us, the real challenge begins...how to keep newly installed plants alive during the inevitable drought. No need to panic! There are plenty of things you can do to help your young plants make it through. Here are our top tips fo

You may have noticed a particular line in our bio that says we grow only straight species, no ‘cultivars’. This is one of the fundamental tenets on which we are building this business, and we’d like to explain why! Let’s begin by gaining an understanding of what a cultivar is and what it means ecologically. A cultivar is, true to its name, a cultivated variety. A human takes a plant that has a desirable characteristic and propagates that plant, creating multiple copies. These

Kristen... What I'm Reading: The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison What I'm Listening to: The Native Plant Podcast Hamilton Mix Tape What I'm Thinking About: The future...both immediate and long term. Also, my toes are cold. Britt... What I'm Reading: Anything peaceful right now...I have a large stack of books on native plants that I'm always browsing through. Generally reading non-fiction. Although have a soft spot for "cozy mysteries" especially the Bunburry series. What I'm