Schedule Snapshot

Thanks to everyone who made it out this morning to our last-minute, makeshift Plant Stand at Faith Lutheran Church. We especially appreciate Ben & Amy, and all the fine people of FLC in East Plano, for allowing us to use their parking lot. Everything was sold -- great way to officially end residential installations for spring.

This will be my last post for a short while. Our office will be closed starting now (actually, as soon as I 'publish post') until Monday, June 5th. We will not be checking messages or emails, but will respond ASAP after the 5th. Speaking of the 5th...we start another project for Sandlin Homes that week, and will complete 2-3 more in following weeks. As those conclude, so will our commercial installations for spring.

What about summer?

June is booked solid with these final installations, as well as several designs and consultations. The only new clients we could take on in June are consultation only meetings, and they would need to be scheduled for late June.

July is full, as well. No appointments available for any services.

In August we could take on 5 new client designs, 10-12 new client consultation only appointments. September marks the return of installation season, and we're making changes to our availability for those projects. Actually, we will be making a lot of changes around the Nativedave camp and will make announcements regarding those changes sometime in July. Believe me, there are a lot of exciting things going on in the background.

So, as the Germans say, 'Bis bald.' En Mexico se dice, 'Hasta luego.' But around here, it's just 'see ya soon.' Have a safe and happy Memorial Day, everybody. We'll be back in a jiffy.

On our way...

We're leaving in a few moments for Faith Lutheran Church in East Plano. We'll be set up and ready for you by 8:30 -- hope to see you there. Prices are as follows:

1in plant = $1
4in = $3
1g = $5 (except Yellow Bells ($3) and Dwarf Palmetto ($10))
3/5g = $15

Please pay with cash only -- thanks!

PLANT SALE THIS SATURDAY 8:30am

Come adopt our little orphaned plants this Saturday, May 27th, 8:30am until we sell out. First come, first served. We will set up in the parking lot at:

Faith Lutheran Church
1701 E. Park Blvd
Plano, 75074

Several sizes will be available, from 1" plants to 3g. Some species include Texas Betony, Rock Rose, Nearly Wild Rose, Orange Zexmenia, Blackfoot Daisy, and several others. We have a variety of plants, some need full sun, some part shade; we can help you choose the best plant for your garden. Remember, these are leftovers from installation projects so we might only have 1 of a particular species. Then again, we might have 15 or more! Consider it more of a swap meet than a nursery...Hope to see you there. Folsom the puppy will be there, too.

UPDATE: We have Texas Sundrops (Calylophus)!

Keeping One's Cool in the Heat

The horticulture industry operates on a feast-or-famine schedule. During certain months life speeds past at lightning speed, and we wake up one day to the realization that three months have morphed into one long day. Other times, our industry is in its down-time. In this part of the country our down-time -- our 'famine' -- doesn't last very long, our 'feast' seems to last an eternity. In times of feasting, it's not uncommon for even the nicest person in our industry to become a bit cranky. Come on, spring and fall especially, we don't sleep much, we definitely don't eat regularly, and sleep? What's that? So this spring I have been on a mission to discover a way to survive the unending days and the heat, to inspire others to raise the bar and imbue our industry with respect and integrity.

As hard as I've tried, I haven't mastered the art of maintaining a personal life while operating a small business. I don't make time, I don't get the privilege of spending time with loved ones, or exercising, or reading something just for pleasure. Certain times of the year all of our energy is focused on project after project. We are thrilled to get to do what we love, but even the most enthusiastic person needs to wind down now and then...

So as we strive to learn to 'balance' our personal with our professional life, I found that specific music helps tremendously. Don't laugh (Dusty, I'm talking to you) but Jimmy Buffett music is the key to reducing stress in one's life. Whether online at radiomargaritaville.com or on Sirius Ch. 31, one can never feel sad or stressed or angry when listening to Buffett and other island-style music. In fact, I'm listening online as I write this...Regardless of your musical preferences, Buffett's ability to tap into your inner dreamer will bring a smile to your face.

The other discovery I've made is...pets bring us back to Earth. Since Folsom has become part of our family I've found I don't worry about things as much. I seem to be much less, I don't know, anal retentive? I'm more interested in getting home to see my dog than going out to dinner. Problem? Not in my opinion...

Lastly, allow yourself at least one day (more if you can stomach it) per week to deviate from any 'routine' you might follow (e.g. diet, etc.) Allow yourself to splurge once in a while on comfort foods. The past week, for some oddball reason, I've been addicted to french fries. And next week, I'll get the chance to dine on my all-time favorite Sweet Potato Fries dipped in Blue Cheese dressing. Sinful. But very very necessary to keeping one's cool in the heat.

'Plant stand' might be a reality

I'm working on having a place to sell off our excess native plants at a fraction of retail -- your gain! As soon as I have the info confirmed I'll post it here, so please keep checking back. Meanwhile, we still have loads of Mexican Hat available on eBay, as well as Zexmenia and Turk's Cap (both red and white blooms.) For our local customers I'll do something special...

Lots of plants, and a question

We have several plants that were unused in recent projects. Some Texas Betony, a Texas Star Hibiscus, Frogfruit, Turk's Cap, several others. They need a good home. I would upload them to eBay but I already have enough inventory to manage there for the moment. So...if you're interested in adopting any of these plants, we're interested in making you a deal. Currently we don't have a physical storefront, which leads me to my question: anybody have a suggestion about setting up a temporary plant stand on short notice? I need to set up someplace and allow people to come to me to buy these plants...and I need to do this by Saturday! If your garden club is meeting this week and would like to pick up some beautiful native plants for a fraction of retail prices, or if you're having a garden party or have other ideas, please contact me ASAP. I'm not opposed to parking our truck and trailer on a street corner...

Get Your Blackfoot Daisy!

Looking for a low-growing perennial that prefers heat, drought, and a lot of neglect? Blackfoot Daisy fits the bill. Its bright white blooms emit a honey fragrance. This is a do-nothing-to-me plant, and is perfect for planting beds, especially in light of impending water restrictions. A great performer year after year, Blackfoot Daisy is native to midwestern prairies of the US, including Texas' Blackland Prairie. Not sure you want to spend the usual $6-9 per plant? Try a $1.75 seedling! We have 20 available on ebay and the auction is ending early this morning. Seller ID is nativedave2001!

Welcome to our new blog!

The other blog has limited capabilities. We want to share pics and other cool stuff here, so we're launching this 'new blog.' Would love your feedback...enjoy!