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Monday, December 23, 2013

5 Perfect Gifts for the Gardener on your List

Even in Winter a gardener knows there’s work to be done. Now is the time to ease the minds of
your “green thumb’ friends by getting them some useful gifts for around the house.  Check out
five gifts that your gardener gurus will love!

1. Compost Bin
What a great way to promote sustainability and keep those veggie scraps under control! Available in an array of colors and styles and can be kept on the counter or under the kitchen sink. If you keep packing your scraps into these bins and adding them to your compost pile, you will add wonderful nutrients to your soil for your garden next year.


2. Terrarium
Great project whether you build it yourself or buy it pre-made! Terrariums are mini ecosystems that thrive off of cool, moist environments. You can plant mosses or any other low growing, water loving genus for a real in door focal piece!



3. Personalized Floral Dishware
It’s always a nice touch to have some of the outdoors come in!
Personalized mugs, dishes, and even letterheads are a great addition to any home or workspace. These gifts are thoughtful and fun for friends and family.


4. Birdhouse
What better way to brighten the day for your fellow environmentalists! Bird houses can be hand made or bought to focus on housing your local feathered friends. From cardinals and sparrows to finches and more, there is a custom birdhouse for each! They are also a lovely accent piece to any garden. Make sure to look for birdhouses that facilitate native species!



5. Gardening Books
It’s never too late to keep learning! Books about traditional and contemporary gardens, or specialty subjects like moon gates and native stone are great ways to continue your or your friends’ landscape design knowledge.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

3 Local Stones for Landscape Design in New Jersey


Bluestone Everywhe-re! Why do so many people in New Jersey end up using bluestone in their patio areas? Because it’s local, beautiful, and strong! There are several other local options for patio stone. Let’s take a look to see what native natural stone can do for you!

1. Bluestone

Bluestone walkway
Bluestone used for walkway, patio and to cap walls surrounding
Japanese Bloodgood Maple
The most commonly used natural stone in New Jersey. These feldspathic sandstone quarries are located in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. These deposits came to the Catskill area roughly 350 million years ago. There are many style options that bluestone can facilitate:

-  Natural: irregular stone
-  Refined and finished: true blue thermal bluestone
-  Versatile: random rectilinear stone
-  Unique focal point: lilac bluestone 

Pro tip:
Bluestone can be used for patios, pool copings, retaining walls, wall caps, counter and pier tops, and fireplaces. Ask us for samples from our favorite supplier, Wicki Stone!

2. Tennessee Crab Orchard


Well it’s not from New Jersey, but it’s still pretty local! Tennessee Crab Orchard stone has a look all its own! This is a very hard, weather tolerant sandstone with a high quantity of silica. Its fantastic mix of colors come from iron, titanium, and magnesium to create whimsical swirls throughout the stone.

Pro tip: It has a safe and textured non-slip surface and looks brilliant when wet. Tennessee Crab Orchard is wonderful for patios, pool decks, stairs, fireplaces, and any high visibility surface.



3. Karney Stone

Karney Chunk Steps used to get up to pool area
Trademarked as a term from Wicki Stone in Great Meadows, New Jersey, this brown toned stone is also great in many applications. This sandstone comes from Pennsylvania. Its look is similar to bluestone but has many green and rust accents marks that give it a really rustic feel.

Pro tip: Karney Stone can be used as a patio stone, but we often use it in natural staircases and for wall stone. It is also used for waterfalls. These chunky boulders are great for stacking, and water spills beautifully over them.




Contact Sparrow and Brambles for more landscape ideas! Remember, we love to play in the dirt, as well as design it!




Monday, July 29, 2013

Landscaping Ideas: 3 Perfect Low Maintenance Plants for the Summer

The heat is here! New Jersey weather is nearly unbearable. If you’re tired of watering those hydrangeas every night, Sparrow and Brambles has some hot weather planting suggestions that require no care at all.

sedum1. SEDUM
Sedum is a genus, which has thousands of varieties and many forms—from groundcovers and vines to large shrub-like perennials. These plants are often used in roof top gardens, where little or no water is available. Two varieties that we love in the garden are Sedum x “Autumn Joy”, Autumn Joy Stonecrop and Sedum acre, Goldmoss Sedum. They have two completely different looks, but they are both zone hardy for New Jersey and provide great perennial color.

Pro tip: Sedums are perfect in full sun, in rock gardens, or any dry space. The Goldmoss has a great summer bloom of a yellow flower, while the Autumn Joy comes out in August.


2. HENS AND CHICKS
This is such a fun plant for the garden and has a truly unique form and size. From the genus Semperviren, Hens and Chicks have many varieties including Black, Cobweb, Emerald, and Green Wheel. This plant is great for garden borders, modern gardens, and rock gardens.

Pro tip: Not all varieties are hardy to New Jersey. Be careful when purchasing these, especially from major super stores who often provide plants that are not hardy to the local areas.


3. YUCCA
To add a little more height and a great variety of texture, yucca is the way to go. This deer resistant, drought tolerant, and bird attracting plant is a focal point to any garden design. Even Cottage Gardens can benefit from the yucca’s sharp blades—adding great contrast to the more common ovate leaves of many perennials. Yucca comes in blues, yellows, and greens with margins and stripes.

Pro tip: “Ivory Tower” is a great New Jersey hardy variety that has a fantastic bloom in the beginning of July.

Contact Sparrow and Brambles for more landscape design ideas. Remember, we love to play in the dirt, as well as design it!

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Spring CleanUp


The first job of our 2011 season just passed by this weekend.  We received an email from a frustrated home owner who was having trouble finding a landscape designer/contractor.  She has a smaller property and no one wanted the work, we enjoy all sized projects and were anxious to help.
Her first order of business was a spring cleanup, which will hopefully be followed by several phases of plantings and other yard amenities.
Before - Leaves were all around

Before - Nice raised bed in the front

Please excuse the iPhone photos, this was also a first attempt at tweeting through the entire process.  Its hard to use a phone to do anything when you're covered in dirt and wet mulch.
After - No leaves, nice mulch
After - Side yard, grass still waiting to come in
After - Back yard planting bed
 Drawings are in the works, so look out for updates on this project.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Four Winds Art Show

On February 26th we attended the Four Winds Art Show at Frame to Please in Red Bank.  The exhibit was the work of graduating students from Inspired Minds Fine Art School.

A few weeks prior, Frank was commissioned to fabricate sculptures as awards for the graduating students. 


Cutting down a dead oak tree from deep within the heart of the Pine Barrens
Stain to bring out some color in the wood
Heather and Rose, the instructors of Inspired Minds

The graduating students

All the student work was impressive and we wish them all the best in moving forward in their fine art careers.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Tree Lighting Festivities

The tree lighting was a great success although it was a frigid evening.  Lots of people came out to see the tree, live performances and to eat tasty chili.  The Harvest Moon vegetarian chili was our favorite and probably should have won the cook-off.  Local school bands, choirs, singers and dance troops kept the crowd lively.

The Albus Cavus coloring station was a great success.  We nearly ran out of paper and crayons!  Friends and family have been huge in supporting us in fund raising during the holiday season.  Cards and ornaments are still for sale, get them while their available!








Friday, December 3, 2010

New Brunswick Tree Lighting

Come to the Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony in downtown New Brunswick, NJ on December 3rd from 5pm to 7pm. The 18th Annual Holiday Tree Lighting event features live entertainment performances, the annual Chili Cook-Off competition, the 2nd annual Scavenger Hunt, a visit from Santa Claus & Mrs. Claus, children's activities and much more! Cost of admission is free!

We'll be selling holiday greeting cards and ornaments to benefit the non-profit art organization Albus Cavus http://albuscav.us