Create a Scape NC

05/24/2026

Last week: A French drain to save the sauna. Doug Lassiter keeps knocking them out.

05/20/2026

Doug Lassiter finished another retaining wall so that some well deserving kids could have a trampoline. How amazing!

05/09/2026

A new back yard with retaining wall is finally complete. While building the retaining wall to save the house foundation. Doug noticed the playground was in the sunny spot and the kids were getting hot. Then the shady spot wouldn't grow grass. It made sense to move the playground to the shade with playground mulch underneath and have the lawn in the sunny spots. What a beautiful transformation that also leveled the unuseable eroding slope, and reclaimed the back yard with fun and functional spaces!

05/07/2026

Had to pause on the retaining wall to finish another job and wait for sod. Finally the backyard is reclaimed and the house foundation saved. The wall is done and backfill in. Stay tuned for sod...and a playground with playground mulch.

05/06/2026

Remember. Depending on your choice you may have to compensate, i.e. fertilizer in the gravel and extra water depending on the plant needs.

04/26/2026

Good tips...

The single watering habit that fixes the most garden problems: water deeply and less often instead of lightly every day. 🌿

Shallow, frequent watering keeps roots near the surface where they're vulnerable to heat and drought stress. A deep soak — slow enough that water reaches 6 inches down — pushes roots to follow moisture deeper into the soil, where temperatures are more stable and water lasts longer.

The other six tips on this graphic are worth saving too, but they mostly come down to three principles:

- Timing: Morning is best — foliage dries before evening, which cuts fungal disease risk significantly
- Delivery: Aim at the soil, not the leaves; wet foliage is where powdery mildew and blight get their start
- Match the tool to the plant: seedlings and delicate herbs need a soft mist or a gentle rose head, not a blast from a hose nozzle; containers need a good soak but need to fully drain before the next one

The most common overwatering mistake happens in containers — pots hold moisture longer than in-ground beds, and roots sitting in saturated soil lose oxygen fast. Check the top inch of soil before reaching for the watering can. ☀️

Get the watering right and almost everything else in the garden gets easier. 🪴

04/26/2026

This week Doug started a retaining wall to correct some major soil erosion and reclaim the back yard to make it more functional for the family and save the house foundation. Stay tuned for the completion backfill and fresh sod to come...

04/26/2026

We haven't posted in a while because Doug has been working hard to get the Saving Grace NC gardens tidied up and Spring plantings in for a colorful and inviting Summer of adoptions and events like the upcoming Cinco de Fido open house. Make sure you check it out! This raised bed was rotting so it was replaced with cement block among other fun things.

03/06/2026

The last phase of this project is now complete. A few weeks ago we finished around the house and the back. Now the whole project is complete with the driveway and mailbox area finished to tie everything together. Before it was just grass and looked unfinished. Customer asked for a low maintenance design with river rock.

02/28/2026

Check out the rain garden in action!