Sweetgum Horticulture

Sweetgum Horticulture Sustainable garden design, natural outdoor play spaces for children, organic vegetable gardens, coaching in fine gardening skills. Sustainable design . . .

Serving clients in the Metro West communities of Boston, MA, including Wellesley, Weston and Newton. Why I started Sweetgum Horticulture

Playful gardens . . . I love playing outside with my children; looking at our flowers and all the little winged creatures that visit them; hanging sheets on the clothesline surrounded by fragrant vines; carrying our kitchen scraps through the dappled sunlight on

the little path in the woods to the compost bin; and snuggling in our hammock under the trees. I would like to help you arrange your landscape and gardens to get as much joy from them as we do from ours. In the spring of 2011, I was sitting in a talk by Doug Tallamy, the author of Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants. He was explaining how homeowners can plant their yards with a diverse mix of native trees, shrubs and perennials to provide habitat that helps compensate for the rapidly dwindling food and shelter sources of our native songbirds. Suddenly, it dawned on me that I could use my yard as a means of creating biodiversity. With a little more research, I also discovered that my gardening choices could result in reduced home heating and cooling needs, slowing and filtering rainwater, and capturing carbon. Together, all the home landscapes designed with these goals in mind can have a significant positive effect on the environment. With my thoughtful design suggestions, you too can join the sustainable landscaping movement.

09/08/2026

Why stop at mums?

Perennials add texture, movement and late-season color.

Fall containers can be planted more densely than summer pots. Cooler temperatures and shorter days slow growth, allowing plants to sit a little closer together for a full, layered look.

When the season ends, move the hardy plants into the garden:

• ‘Lady in Black’ calico aster: Full sun to part shade with moist, well-drained soil. Place in the middle or back of a perennial or woodland-edge border.
• Little bluestem: Full sun with lean, dry, well-drained soil. Use in a sunny border, meadow planting or gravel garden.
• Bearberry: Full sun to part shade with acidic, well-drained soil. Use as an evergreen groundcover along a slope or garden edge.
• ‘Blue Zinger’ sedge: Sun to part shade with average to moist, well-drained soil. Use beneath shrubs, along a border or as a spreading groundcover.
• Black coleus: Tender in Massachusetts. Overwinter it indoors or treat it as an annual.
• Sweet autumn clematis: Enjoy it in the container and treat it as an annual. It seeds itself aggressively here in MetroWest, so do not move it into the garden.

The late-blooming ‘Lady in Black’ aster provides valuable nectar for pollinators, while little bluestem, evergreen bearberry and ‘Blue Zinger’ sedge extend the container’s interest.

Save this plant list.

09/05/2026

Mums aren’t the only container plants to use in fall.

Perennials bring texture, movement and late-season color to fall containers.

Fall containers can hold more plants than summer pots. Cooler temperatures and shorter days slow growth, so plants can be placed a little closer together for a full, layered look.

When the season ends, many hardy selections can move into the garden and return year after year. Here is where each plant will be happiest:
• Little Joe Pye w**d: Full to part sun with moist soil. Plant near a downspout or in a low spot that holds water after rain.
• ‘Blonde Ambition’ blue grama: Full sun with lean, dry soil. Use along a hot driveway or in a gravel garden.
• ‘Piglet’ fountain grass: Full sun with average, well-drained soil. Its shorter height works well at the front of a border.
• ‘Hot Lips’ turtlehead: Part shade with consistently moist soil. Plant along a woodland edge or beside a rain garden.
• ‘Iron Butterfly’ ironw**d: Full sun with average to dry soil once established.
• Bigleaf ajuga: Part shade to shade with moist, well-drained soil. Use as groundcover beneath shrubs, but keep it away from lawn edges because it spreads by runners.
• Sweet autumn clematis: Enjoy it in the container and treat it as an annual. It seeds itself aggressively here in MetroWest, so this one should not move into the garden.

Joe Pye w**d, ironw**d and turtlehead also provide valuable late-season nectar for bees, butterflies and other pollinators.
Save this list.

Fall is for planting, and not everything needs to start over.We saved the established sedum, divided it and worked it ba...
09/03/2026

Fall is for planting, and not everything needs to start over.

We saved the established sedum, divided it and worked it back into the new design. Penstemon, Geranium ‘Rozanne,’ little bluestem and dwarf inkberry holly were added to bring more structure, movement and seasonal interest to the bed.

By building around healthy plants already thriving here, we preserved what was working while giving the garden a fresh direction.

Newly planted gardens still need consistent, deep watering as their roots become established, especially during a dry fall.

09/02/2026

How many different native bee species can you spot? 🐝

At first glance, this looks like a garden full of flowers.

But look a little closer.

In this short clip, there are at least five different species of native bees visiting the same stand of anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum). Carpenter bees, bumble bees, long-horned bees, and smaller native bees all stop by for nectar.

Every bee has a different size, flight pattern, and role in the ecosystem, but they’re all drawn to the same simple thing—a garden filled with the right plants.

How many different bees can you find? Let us know in the comments.

08/31/2026

Fall is for planting, and our new plug-planting auger is helping us work efficiently in drought-compacted soil.

Native plant plugs are small, young plants with established roots. We use low-growing, spreading varieties to fill bare areas of mulch and gradually create a living ground layer. The auger loosens the soil and creates an aerated pocket where water can soak in more easily. We planted 50 plugs in just a few minutes.

The auger can only be used where irrigation and utility lines have been carefully located.

Would you replace an area of bare mulch with native plants?

North Creek Nurseries

A special milestone calls for flowers from the garden.This year, our client is hosting a neighborhood gathering for the ...
08/29/2026

A special milestone calls for flowers from the garden.

This year, our client is hosting a neighborhood gathering for the very first time, so we harvested fresh blooms from their smooth hydrangeas (Hydrangea arborescens) to help welcome friends and neighbors.

There’s something special about stepping outside, gathering flowers you’ve watched grow all season, and bringing them indoors to share. Gardens have a way of becoming part of the memories we make. Not just beautiful to look at, but beautiful to live in.

Wishing them a wonderful first gathering!

They downsized from nearly two acres in Weston to a Wellesley condo, but they still wanted a real connection to the outd...
08/28/2026

They downsized from nearly two acres in Weston to a Wellesley condo, but they still wanted a real connection to the outdoors.

Their two small courtyards had very different conditions. The back stayed shaded most of the day, while the front got enough sun for vegetables, herbs and pollinator-friendly planting. Careful design let each courtyard work with what it had, and ongoing garden care keeps the spaces thriving.

See the full project on our website — link in bio, under Portfolio.

08/27/2026

A heartfelt thank you to our summer crew, Andrei, Allison, Arianna, Sean, and Hannah! We are grateful for all the hard work and care you brought to the gardens this season. We loved having you as part of the Sweetgum team and wish you the very best as you head back to school. You will be missed!

Rhododendrons are already preparing for next spring.By late August, the plump buds at the tips of the branches are next ...
08/26/2026

Rhododendrons are already preparing for next spring.

By late August, the plump buds at the tips of the branches are next year's flowers. Pruning now can remove those blooms before they ever open.

The best time to shape or reduce a rhododendron is just after it finishes flowering, usually in June. Dead, damaged or diseased branches can still be removed when necessary.

Follow for more timely garden-care tips.

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