There are very few slow days at a Blade of Grass – we're busy designing and maintaining Boston's most beautiful properties. Below are some of the recent highlights of our work, design awards, Boston landscaping events, press mentions, and general Blade happenings. For more Blade news, be sure to follow us out on Facebook and Instagram.
Festival of Trees @ Elm Bank | Massachusetts Horticultural Society
Looking for some winter fun? The Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s Festival of Trees and Snow Village is a great day out for both children and adults alike. This event takes place from November 29 – December 15, 2019 at Mass Hort’s The Gardens at Elm Bank in Wellesley, MA. The Festival of Trees, displayed in the Hunnewell Building, offers beautifully decorated holiday trees that are donated and decorated by local businesses (that’s us), garden clubs, and individuals. Visitors “vote” with their raffle tickets, hoping to be the tree winner at the end of the Festival. For the young at heart, there are Santa Visits and other activities. For times and details, visit Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s website.
Deck the Halls Raffle | Wellesley Gardeners Guild
Those beautiful window boxes and platers you see at the Wellesley Post Offices and Free Library? They’re the work of the Wellesley Gardeners’ Guild – a small and very dedicated group of local volunteers. To support these projects, the non-profit is selling tickets to their annual “Deck the Halls” raffle. Each ticket is $20 and only 300 tickets will be sold. Among the prizes are two outdoor planters from a Blade of Grass, and many others from local designers and shops. To purchase your tickets, please email wellesleygardenersguild@gmail.com.
“This Old House” Landscape Designer Is a Girl Boss In A Man’s Field | Exhale Lifestyle
Exhale Lifestyle has published a great article for women looking to break into the predominantly male-dominated landscaping field. With advice and tips from Jenn Nawada Evans of This Old House, Blade’s own Heather Lashbrook Jones also shares her thoughts on what it takes to succeed in the landscape design field. It’s a quick read and a must for anyone considering transforming their passion for gardening into a full-time career.
History in the Making | Boston Design Guide
Our Belmont Carriage House project is getting noticed – a winner of the 2019 APLD Award for Residential Design, and this month a nod from Boston Design Guide. Architect Patrick Ahearn and our own Jim Douthit are featured in the article which includes several great shots of the property and dive into the strategy they employed both inside and out. We really loved designing on this property (and still maintain it) and hope you’ll enjoy reading about the design process behind it. You can find the article in Boston Design Guide’s latest digital edition, pages 28-31.
Flower-free Gardens | Boston Design Guide
Believe it or not, not every garden needs flowers. In fact, we’ve designed and installed many beautiful properties throughout the Boston area that feature only natural grasses, shrubs, and stone. Yes, it requires a thoughtful design to make these elements harmonize without the expected colors and textures of the traditional flower gardens, but our clients love the results. Boston Design Guide has posted a great write-up on this topic featuring some of our “no-flower” work. Enjoy!
Jamaica Plain Garden Tour | The Trustees – Boston Community Gardens
Join The Trustees – Boston Community Gardens this Saturday (July 20th) for a peek into private gardens in lovely Jamaica Plain. After a wonderful launch last year, the Second Annual Jamaica Plain Garden Tour features a new selection of lush, expansive private gardens in the Pondside neighborhood of Jamaica Plain. This year’s sites range from small DIY gardens to spacious professionally-designed landscapes, including a property designed and maintained by a Blade of Grass. Tickets are on sale now and all proceeds from the tour support Trustees’ community gardens citywide.
Sizzling Outdoor Kitchen Designs | Boston Design Guide
Looking for some professional advice regarding outdoor kitchens? Our Heather Lashbrook Jones sat down with the folks at Boston Design Guide to discuss a few of her favorite tips – from stone selection to the use of levels to create interest and a seamless flow. There many other great ideas included in their post, so be sure to check them out if you’re considering expanding your cooking to the outdoors.
50 Backyard Landscaping Ideas | The Spruce
Check out our “Woodland Garden” property and several other design-inspirations featured on the everything home website TheSpruce.com. Their “backyard as a living space” mantra completely aligns with ours, and it’s fun to see so many different paths (pun intended) to achieve that goal. Explore the 50 landscaping examples that show how a backyard can be transformed into everyone’s favorite space.
Wellesley Kitchen and Home Tour | Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club
Join us for the Wellesley Kitchen and Home Tour this Saturday (May 4) presented by the Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club. You’ll get a n up-close look at six of Wellesley’s most stunning homes, highlighting a variety of styles and concepts in design. This year’s tour guests will meet the creative forces behind the houses and enjoy gourmet bites and pop-up boutiques at each home. All proceeds benefit local non-profits and scholarship programs. Get your tickets today.
Belmont Carriage House Wins APLD’s Silver Award for Residential Design | APLD
a Blade of Grass has been awarded APLD’s 2019 Silver Award for Residential Design for the design and installation of our “Belmont Carriage House” property. The APLD International Landscape Design Awards Program honors excellence in landscape design. Projects in eight different categories are judged on the basis of difficulty, craftsmanship, attention to detail and execution. We are, obviously, immensely honored and proud of our amazing designers and our installation and maintenance crews. Check out the entire photo gallery of this beautiful property.
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