2015 was a good year for Ross NW Watergardens. Winter was beautiful, spring was nice too, summer was toooo dry and hot, fall has been a constant downpour.... But through it all we completed 4-5 projects a month. The landscapes have been nice, our clients even nicer.

And here are some pictures to prove it:

I was in New York last week with a packed schedule that left little time for sight seeing. However, I did get to visit two very different parks- The High Line and The Brooklyn Botanical Garden. Let's talk about High Line today.

Will it be too cold to plant? I get this question all the time as I fill up our winter schedule. And it's understandable.

If you are going to invest in a bunch of new plants you want to be sure they are getting off to a good start. If that means waiting for spring, so be it. Right?

The good news- for you, your plants, and for me- is that our Portland winters pose little danger to your new Fastiagate Mugo Pine or Manzanita. Here's why:

I use Twitter, like a lot of people, as my personal news feed. For me, that means following other landscapers, designers, manufacturers, gardeners, and industry news media. I follow a bunch of great accounts, but here are 10 that I highly recommend (in no particular order):

If you are a fellow landscaper check the bonus 3 at the end!

This is not a post where I tell you personal details about the guy who designs your garden or installs your water feature. You probably don't need (or want) that. But, if you are going to have someone at your house for 40 hours a week, for a week or two or more- you might want to know a little about them.

Our "About" page gives you a brief overview of Ross NW Watergardens. If that doesn't satisfy your curiosity, read on...

And why it isn't a bad thing.

Rejection hurts. I totally get that. And when someone says "It's not you, it's me" it doesn't feel any better.

Knowing this makes it difficult for me to do what I sometimes have to do: decline a potential client's landscaping project.

So why would we turn down the opportunity to work with you?

Rain hits your roof, driveway, and patios. All that rain that should be nourishing plants and replenishing groundwater supplies. But since it has picked up oil, chemicals, and debris so it has to be treated like waste. What a shame, right?

Happily, there is a way to mitigate the damaging effects of all those impervious surfaces. Rain gardens to the rescue!

 I get this question all the time.  In the summer people are worried about the heat. In the winter they are afraid of the cold. And while it's true, heat and cold can be dangerous to plants, we usually have pretty mild weather here in Portland. 

Does that mean you can plant at any time?

You did your research (or paid a designer to). You went to the nursery (or paid your landscaper to). You carefully chose a location for your new plant, dug a hole, and planted it (or...you get the picture). Then you watered the plant and waited for it to grow. 

Now, less than a year later, it is dead or dying. What happened? I have 3 good answers for you:

Everyone wants a deal. I get it. So you have three bids, from three landscape companies. Why is one bid higher than the others? Should you just go with the low bid?

There is often a good reason one bid is higher. And sometimes that means you would be wise to pay it. But there are projects where the low bidder probably makes sense. I will explain it all here: