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.

That gorgeous painted lady? She started on a plant most people would’ve sprayed.Swipe to see where she came from — pearl...
06/10/2026

That gorgeous painted lady? She started on a plant most people would’ve sprayed.

Swipe to see where she came from — pearly everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea), webbed up and chewed ragged by American lady and painted lady caterpillars. They tent the silvery leaves together, feed inside, and leave behind that cobwebby, tattered mess. It looks rough for a couple of weeks — and then the plant flushes back out and opens its papery white blooms by late summer.

We don’t reach for the sprayer when we see this. We celebrate it. A host plant doing its job means caterpillars today, butterflies tomorrow. The chewed leaves are proof the garden is alive.

Plant the natives. Tolerate the holes. Watch what flies off.

Got a plant that looks “damaged” but is actually feeding something? Tell us in the comments — we want to see the chaos. 🦋

There’s nothing quite like the June garden in full bloom. The peonies have opened all at once, leaning into the morning ...
06/05/2026

There’s nothing quite like the June garden in full bloom. The peonies have opened all at once, leaning into the morning sun, and it’s a glorious thing to see. A good reminder to stake early, before the buds swell. Once a June rain weighs those heavy blooms down, there’s no propping them back up.

As part of our garden care service, we plant seasonal ornamental containers. So why not make them more than beautiful.Th...
06/03/2026

As part of our garden care service, we plant seasonal ornamental containers. So why not make them more than beautiful.

These are going in for hummingbirds. The Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) is the only species that breeds here in MetroWest. It arrives in early May after crossing the Gulf of Mexico in a single nonstop flight, up to 500 miles over open water.

These birds return to the same gardens season after season. They remember where the nectar was. A container planted this June becomes a coordinate a hummingbird carries south and brings back next spring.

A pot can be beautiful on a patio. It can also be a fixed point on a bird’s map. We see no reason it shouldn’t be both.

The secret to what makes Sweetgum so special? It’s the people.Behind every success and every happy client is a dedicated...
06/02/2026

The secret to what makes Sweetgum so special? It’s the people.

Behind every success and every happy client is a dedicated team member bringing their unique talents and energy to the table.

We’re so proud of the community we’ve built here, and we’re excited to share the faces that help us grow every day.

Our team is the heart of everything we do! Help us celebrate them in the comments below.

Bees, butterflies, or birds—which visitor do you love seeing most in your garden? Let us know in the comments! 👇

There are showy flowers, and then there are plants that stop people in their tracks.This trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera s...
06/02/2026

There are showy flowers, and then there are plants that stop people in their tracks.

This trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) is covered in coral-red blooms just as the giant alliums reach their peak. The combination lasts only a short time, but it’s one of those moments that makes a garden feel alive.

Unlike invasive Japanese honeysuckle, trumpet honeysuckle is a well-behaved native vine that feeds ruby-throated hummingbirds and native bees from late spring into fall.

Good garden design isn’t just about flowers. It’s about creating these seasonal pairings that make each week in the garden feel a little different from the last.

What plant is putting on the best show in your garden right now?

This path didn’t always exist. Four truckloads of 50-year-old construction debris had to come out first. We built it for...
05/26/2026

This path didn’t always exist. Four truckloads of 50-year-old construction debris had to come out first. We built it for Hazel, and now Clover patrols it. Packera obovata (roundleaf ragwort) has lined it beautifully.

We heard from this client recently. She sent pictures. The native flowers are in bloom, the ragwort and Zizia aurea (golden alexanders) have spread exactly as hoped, and now she wants to walk the garden with us, ask questions, see what’s changed.

That’s our favorite kind of follow-up.

If you’re curious about what’s growing in your yard, we’d love to walk it with you. Link in bio.

05/22/2026

The warm season plants are in. Hummingbird containers, tomatoes, peppers, basil, and cucumbers are planted. The pollinator cutting garden is going in row by row — Mexican sunflower, ageratum, snapdragons, violas, dill, fennel, parsley. Nectar sources and host plants, cut-flower ready.

This Sherborn property is becoming something special. We’re watching it happen in real time.

Curious what your own property could become? Reach us through the link in bio. 🌱

Gardening is about more than just curb appeal; it is about creating a legacy of nature in your own backyard. While these...
05/21/2026

Gardening is about more than just curb appeal; it is about creating a legacy of nature in your own backyard. While these caterpillars are common in MetroWest, they are often overlooked or mistaken for pests.

Understanding the bond between a Monarch and its milkweed or a Swallowtail and its sassafras allows you to appreciate the hidden activity in your garden.

Our team is trained to identify these species while caring for your property. This ensures we protect these delicate life cycles during our maintenance visits.

We specialize in sustainable designs that bring this level of discovery to your home.

05/20/2026

Some things take a machine to place and a lifetime to earn.

This custom-carved granite bench was placed this week at a Sherborn garden by Stonecutter Farm — the same property where the log pergola went in last week by Frank Hamm. Two local makers, one client, one garden that’s being built to last.

Eastern Bluestar is having its moment right now. Amsonia tabernaemontana blooms in porcelain blue, and it earns its plac...
05/19/2026

Eastern Bluestar is having its moment right now. Amsonia tabernaemontana blooms in porcelain blue, and it earns its place in the garden long after the flowers fade. Come fall, the foliage turns a clear, bright yellow that stops people in their tracks.

The May bloom timing isn’t just beautiful. It’s useful. When Eastern Bluestar opens, bumblebee queens are still establishing colonies and early nectar sources are scarce. The narrow corolla tube favors long-tongued bees, and they find it. Bees are drawn to blue. The color and the timing are no accident.

Porcelain blue, right when it’s needed.

A native perennial that asks for almost nothing once established. This is what low-maintenance actually looks like.

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Natick, MA

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