August availability

August date for onsite meetings in Dallas/Ft. Worth: Friday, August 22nd. If this date is inconvenient we would like to suggest our online design option. Please contact us for more information at nativedaveinc@gmail.com.

September dates will be announced soon. Most likely our Dallas/Ft. Worth meetings will be held on Friday, September 12th. Also in September we will kick off our first event in a new market: Bayfest in Corpus Christi!

What's Up: Crinum americanum

So many natives are blooming right now! Have you noticed Crinum Lily? It's bloom, white to reddish pink, emits a light, delicate fragrance. The strappy leaves look like those of Amaryllis. Crinum looks a little tropical, but it's actually native to the eastern half of Texas all the way to the Atlantic Coast. Successful in both sun and shade, and dry or moist soil, Crinum adapts well to existing conditions. In sun, it tends to grow more quickly and upright -- almost cylindrical. In shade, however, it stays closer to the ground, more round and squatty. Superb performing summer-blooming perennial.

All lilies are not made equally for our climatic conditions, so be sure you get the right plant when looking for Crinum Lily. Its botanical name is Crinum americanum, and you can find them in 1- or 3-gallon size at Shades of Green Nursery in Frisco. Other nurseries that carry natives are: Rohde's in Garland, North Haven in Dallas, Petal Pusher's in Cedar Hill and Green Mama's in North Richland Hills.

Interview for the Weather Channel's Forecast Earth

Taking the Lawn View article on Weather Channel's website, Forecast Earth section, includes an interview with us about waterwise landscaping:
http://climate.weather.com/articles/lawnwithoutwater2008.html

Good stewards

Have you seen the ongoing project at Prairie Creek Baptist Church in Plano? (Pics will be posted soon, I hope.) We completed several small sketches for The Susans (church volunteers, gardening goddesses.) They have implemented our suggestions admirably. Together with their volunteers, The Susans have transformed the grounds at Prairie Creek to consume less water, save money spent on maintenance, and reflect the natural beauty of the Blackland Prairie. Giant Coneflower and Henry Duelberg Sage ABOUND in the prairie restoration area (facing south along W 15th Street.) There are also several species of grasses, including Sideoats Grama, our state grass. On the north side of the building are Pale Leaf Yucca (endemic to North Central Texas) and Coralberry, and other plants native RIGHT HERE.

The folks at Prairie Creek Baptist have won my heart with their dedication to become better stewards of the planet. Impressive.

New month, new thoughts

Flip the calendar to July. Yes, we have a holiday this week. Happy Fourth of July, y'all. Already our schedule for onsite meetings is nearly full. (See post below.) Lots of interest for August, already. Amazing. Before 2006, these were two of our slowest months. Before 2006, we spent most of July wrapping up spring and preparing for fall, and vacationing in August. Since then, The Drought put our expertise (native plants) in the limelight, generating exponentially greater interest in our knowledge and experience. Now we're busy in July and August. Our vacations repeatedly get postponed. Spring seems to linger...

And this is good. More people wanting our help means a) they are becoming more enlightened about sustainable living (in this case, gardening), b) they have been referred by ecstatic clients, and c) they see the value in the services we offer. We are no longer a niche business. Everyone can benefit from smarter -- and more eco-friendly -- landscape choices.

Because sustainability is becoming more mainstream, more commonly understood, we can begin to raise the level of instruction of our presentations. We can get into more sophisticated, esoteric discussions. New topics, more in-depth analyses. More cross-disciplinary. We can teach a broader audience ways to apply sustainable practices to their everyday routines. Exciting.

Look for various 'green living' presentation topics in '09! Try to stay cool...

July Schedule Updates

We have one, maybe two, available appointments 7/23-7/24 for onsite services in Dallas-Ft. Worth. Our August schedule will be announced soon. If you are unable to coordinate your schedule with ours, however, we invite you to consider our online services. You will receive same product, same level of service as the onsite options, except we "meet" with you by email and phone instead of in-person. Further, you will save 30-50% by choosing the online option.