Garden Gate Landscaping, Inc.

Garden Gate is proud to annouce a new service - Organic 100% Natural Lawn and Garden Care Solutions

Garden Gate is proud to annouce a new service - Organic 100% Natural Lawn and Garden Care Solutions

Click here or on the image to visit the Garden Gate organics site

Benefits of our healthy, alternative solution for the care of your lawn and garden.

• A beautiful landscape that is safe for children and pets.
• Eliminate the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.
• Build a diverse, robust ecological system that holds nutrients and water.
• Reduce pollution due to leaching and runoff helping to protect the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
• Recharges groundwater and streams with fresh, clean water.

 

Cathy Carr Receives Houzz’s 2012 ‘Best Of Remodeling’ Award

 

 

Cathy Carr, APLD, of Garden Gate Landscaping, Inc.

Receives

Houzz’s 2012 ‘Best Of Remodeling’ Award

 

 

Silver Spring, MD - March 25, 2012 – CATHY CARR of Garden Gate Landscaping, Inc. has been awarded  “Best Of Remodeling” 2012 by Houzz, the leading online platform for residential remodeling and design.  Her projects were chosen by the more than 1.2 million registered members of the Houzz community.

 

The Houzz “Best Of Remodeling” award for 2012 is given in two categories: Customer Satisfaction and Design. Customer Satisfaction award winners are based on homeowner members who rated their experience working with remodeling professionals in 12 categories ranging from architects, and interior designers to contractors and other residential remodeling professionals.  Design award winners’ work was the most popular among the 1.2 million members, also known as “Houzzers,” who saved more than 16.5 million professional images to their personal ideabooks via the Houzz site and iPad/iPhone app.

 

Garden Gate Landscaping, Inc., is a Design/Build firm that designs and then constructs the projects it designed.  Cathy is the firm’s senior designer.  She has received a dozen regional and national awards for her residential garden designs in the last ten years.  Images of some of her award-winning projects can be found on the Garden Gate Website, www.gardengate.net, or on the Houzz site by filtering for LANDSCAPE and the DC METRO area.

Colors of Spring

The Colors of Spring

  by Cathy Carr, APLD

Landscape Design Consultant

 

Yellow, pink, and green are the essential colors of spring.

 

YELLOW is an emblem of hope and happiness.

The color of our sun, it illuminates and brightens.

 

I’m sure you’ve noticed: there are lots of yellow flowers in the spring. Most years in my garden, winter aconites (Eranthis) are emerging and even blooming by February. Oregon grapeholly, Mahonia spps., blooms fragrantly nearby. These harbingers of spring precede the softer yellow blossoms of winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum), which punctuate bright green stems. Forsythia bloom later than the jasmine, in sunnier shades. Of course, daffodils (Narcissus) are also usually some shade of yellow, as are many crocuses.

Permeable pavers – site water collection and storage – use collected water to irrigate your garden

Sustainable Landscape Practices

Permeable pavers 

Permeable paving allows rainwater to rapidly infiltrate into the soil where it is naturally filtered, and not running off the land into storm sewers. Replacing impervious surfaces such as driveways and walkways with permeable paving reduces overall storm water runoff. When permeable pavers are combined with water retention systems the water can be used to irrigate your garden.

On site water retention 

Through the use of aqua boxes, rain barrels and cisterns capture and re-use water for your landscape irrigation. Systems of all sizes for above ground or below ground to allow water directed from roof and surface water for the a benefit to your landscape.

Irrigation retrofits

Evaluate your existing irrigation system and decide how to make it as water smart as possible. We can use drip systems and more efficient time clocks to monitor soil moisture and apply the correct amount of water. Advanced systems are monitored system via the Internet.

Click here to see video of the building of these sustainable systems (this video will be updated as the project progresses)

 

More blogging can be seen at

http://gardengate.wordpress.com/

Garden Gate Helps Build Outdoor Classroom

Garden Gate Helps Build Outdoor Classroom 

Support for Atholton Elementary School and their

2011 Green Team theme: No Child Left Inside 

There was magic in the air as many volunteers and donors came together on June 3rd to construct Atholton's beautiful outdoor classroom. Garden Gate provided plants and labor led by our motivated contract administrator Rod Young and an expert Garden Gate crew. Together, they helped with the project that included an amphitheater-style classroom, tables for working in small groups, a bird blind for observing birds in their habitat, and a nature path down to the babbling stream. Click here to view video. 

New research is showing that spending time outdoors improves student behavior, attendance and attitudes . Being outdoors reduces student stress and fosters a deeper connection with the environment while allowing an alternative way for students to learn. This completed project now serves as a model in Howard County and will benefit their students, staff and community for years to come. 

If you have a worthy project for 2012, let us know!

 

Brookmont Community Church Goes Native

JUNE 2011—FOCUS ON COMMUNITY SERVICE: 

Lending a helping hand to Washington, DC/Metro Area communities since 1964

Garden Gate Donates Day of Service, Expertise 

Brookmont Community Church 'Goes Native' 

This spring Garden Gate helped the Brookmont Community Church in Bethesda by donating a day of service. Brookmont needed assistance solving some drainage problems—water was seeping into the basement and a solution was needed. Brandon Sackett, one of our talented Landscape Design Consultants recommended a viable grading solution. However, Brandon immediately saw an opportunity to contribute more. Click here to view video.

Over the past few years the Brookmont has been working on 'going native' by both incorporating more native plantings into their landscape and using their landscape to help educate people on how native plants can be beautiful and beneficial for wildlife and plant communities. Brandon offered ideas on how to rearrange existing plantings and add others that would support birds and butterflies. To promote learning and enjoyment of the garden by even the youngest community members, Brandon placed cut walnut logs throughout the plantings so the Brookmont day care children would have a place to sit and watch the garden and its inhabitants.

Garden Gate was pleased to support this wonderful project and the people of Brookmont Community Church through the donation of time, design and materials. 

 

 

Stink Bugs Be Gone - Simple DIY Solution

Got stink bugs. Hate them. Check out this simple, cheap, environmental friendly solution.

American ingenuity at work. Stink Bugs Be Gone!

Pond Garden and Waterfalls gets make-over.

Waterfalls and pond receive a make-over for Spring 2011.

In anticipation of the Sandy Spring Museum Spring 2011 Garden Tour we are giving our demonstration waterfalls and pond garden a complete make-over. The size will be more than double our previous pond garden. A new stone path will allow viewer to "walk on water" right through the center of the pond garden. Twin waterfalls and a floating "table" garden will provide sound and visual excitement. New fish and plants will top off the garden with a flourish of color and interest.

Link to full res HD video: http://gallery.me.com/cwbowers#100314

 

2011 Sandy Spring Museum Garden Tour to Tour Garden Gate on Saturday, May 21st.

2011 Sandy Spring Museum Garden Tour to Tour Garden Gate on Saturday, May 21st.

Treasured gardens await your visit on Saturday, May 21 when the Sandy Spring Museum holds their biennial Garden Tour from 10 am to 4 pm.  Enjoy remarkable, private gardens in the Layhill/Ashton area, as well as the garden of Garden Gate Landscaping, a national award-winning company--all will be awash with color, unusual plantings, and brimming with design ideas both traditional and contemporary. Owners will be on site for first-hand tips and to answer questions, and local artists painting en plein air will further enhance the lovely settings.

Tickets are $12 in advance or $15 the day of the tour. Box lunches for $7 must be purchased by May 18. Both may be purchased at the Sandy Spring Museum or with a credit card by calling the museum at 301-774-0022. Tickets will also be available the day of the tour at the museum and at individual gardens.

More info.....click here

 

 

Video of new pond garden and waterfalls.