As the call to action to help slow climate change grows increasingly urgent, average citizens are responding. Many are eager to join the movement to reduce our collective carbon footprint in an effort to curb carbon emissions and the greenhouse effect they help to create, which is responsible in large part for raising global temperatures. 

At times, this battle can seem overwhelming and many individuals feel helpless, not knowing where to start. Fortunately, there are a number of meaningful actions we can all take and many start with the things we choose to do and use every day. The key is to understand the consequences of how we go about living our daily lives and to change those that can lessen our impact upon our fragile planet. As more of us choose to do the environmentally correct thing, the positive effect will grow, creating an impetus that can significantly change our ecological impact for the better.

There is no question that the climate is changing. The real question is, what can we all do about it? For me and The Garden Continuum, the answer was to go hyper-local with our business to help reduce carbon emissions while improving the health and beauty of our communities. 

Every homeowner attempting a landscape project starts out with the best intentions. Regardless of size, every project usually begins with a desire to make improvements – perhaps a redesigned garden space, or the installation of a patio, firepit, or some other hardscape feature to add versatility and opportunities for relaxation or recreation. 

This year, the normally quiet streets and neighborhoods became a bustling sight of people outside, puttering and cleaning and building in their landscapes. Nurseries and garden center shelves were stripped clean of blooming perennials, seasonal annuals, and bulbs soon after being stocked. Even Christmas trees and holiday decor sold out early this year. We saw record traffic to our landscape blog library, even when I stopped posting (it was a weird year to juggle being an employer and a blogger). To say that people felt empowered to get out into their yards feels like an understatement! So what takeaway tips will 2020 give us?

As the current battle against the coronavirus rages and images of wartime are invoked, memories of the famous “victory gardens” of World War I and II come to mind. During both wars, over 20 million victory gardens, large and small, were planted and produced almost 40 percent of the nation’s fresh vegetables. People grew their own produce in planters, on fire escapes, in empty lots and backyards. 

Today, as the pandemic takes hold around the world, panicky shoppers are cleaning out stores, and basic foods like dried beans and potatoes are becoming increasingly difficult to find. As a result, even individuals with no gardening experience are searching YouTube for DIY videos on building raised beds and planting gardens.

We're proud to announce the launch of The Garden Continuum's new web platform called TGC Academy. This new service offers information to help landscape professionals and garden enthusiasts become better gardeners and to support business owners to grow their business. 

At the time of this launch, many people find themselves at home because of state and local travel restrictions caused by the spread of COVID-19. To take your mind off of these world events, this may be the perfect time to explore this new resource, to learn something new, and to inspire your next actions in your garden or business.

The current coronavirus pandemic is affecting virtually everyone in different ways and degrees. One thing is for sure, though, anxiety and fear have increased across the board. Fortunately, there is a proven treatment that is as close as the nearest door to the outside.

I am excited to release my new book out into the world with its official launch on this special day. March 23rd is my mother’s birthday and it’s been two years since her passing. She was an instrumental guide and teacher throughout my writing journey, editing my very first printed newsletters and encouraging me to find and own my unique voice. 

Here’s a simple but crucial piece of information that anyone interested in their landscape needs to remember: landscapes are living entities. They are complex, integrated ecosystems comprised of plants that sprout, grow and eventually die; of creatures large and small that live on, in, and around those plants; of rocks, soil, and minerals that retain moisture, dry out, erode, and transform. That’s why I refer to landscapes by the more realistic term, “Life-Scapes”, to remind us of this fact. In short, they are highly dynamic and should not – cannot – be thought of as static set-pieces.

The landscape conversation is pretty common nowadays. Certainly, every homeowner will consider their landscape at one point or another. Mainstream media and the popular DIY movement has worked hard to keep things simple. Mostly, that dialogue seems to take its cues from the construction industry, integrating design with labor and materials to complete a project – a project with a beginning, a middle, and an end.