Greensboro Local Gifts-414 State Street

          

Come and stop by……….

You will find locally made gifts and surely one of a kind. During your walk through the garden and boutique, one may think of Asheville, NC or Charleston, South Carolina (what I am told).

We have indoor antique water features, dried and preserved flower arrangements.

Pottery, furniture, paintings which are perfect for holiday gifts.

 

Hand painted bottles, birdhouses, chimes, antique dolls, vintage plates, jewelry and Alzheimer necklaces where all proceeds are delivered directly to the non-profit organization

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the lavish lavender porch you will find wreaths, outdoor containers formal or whimsical.

 

Unusual, earthy, frilly are ideal words to describe our conversation pieces. Nothing ever stays the same at Cornerstone. Thurs-Sat 11-3:30. Starting December 1st State Street will have a coffee shop again at 414 State Street

 

 

Diana Digs Dirt Landscape Design Process

Every landscape designer works a little differently and my process is thoroughly explained below for Piedmont Triad homeowners and small businesses.

A wealth of information is obtained during our one hour consultation. When the scope of your project is somewhat larger where a consultation just isn’t enough, we move onto developing a landscape plan or recipe for your property. At this point a signed contract and retainer is required to commence work on design. It is helpful, but not needed if a survey is provided. Measurements of any structures, walkways, decks, trees, etc will be plotted on vellum. Information from the consultation, existing measurements and my design ideas are combined to create the most ideal outdoor space for you, your family or small business.

On the landscape plan/recipe (drawn to scale) lists plant sizes to be installed, location, hardscapes, woodwork, lighting, etc. My plans take anywhere from 2-3 weeks for completion because inspiration does not happen immediately. The landscape plan/recipe will take at least an hour to present, is very thorough and all homeowners should be present if possible. During the presentation you will receive a finished rendered plan (with color). To help with visualization, color copies of suggested plant material, arbor/pergola/trellis design, paint swatches, wood, stone or brick samples, drains and/or water elements from my library are shown. This plan can be used for my company to install or for those who don’t mind getting a little dirty.

From the time of our initial consultation to the time where we actually break ground could be anywhere from 6-12 weeks depending on if a landscape plan is needed. A shorter time for smaller projects if a consultation will suffice. Phases or steps can also be suggested to span over 2-4 years.

Possible Steps or Phases

• Landscape Plans- June to September
• Drainage, grading, plant removal, outdoor electrical, new beds- Sept to Nov
• Stone, brick, wood (eg. outdoor kitchens, arbors/pergolas/trellises, decks, walks, walls- Dec to Feb
• Irrigation, plant installation, containers, low-level lighting, grass improvement- March to June (plant installation can be divided between spring and fall with trees and shrubs planted first)

There are various services offered for smaller projects, just click here and don’t forget about all the goodies at Cornerstone Garden 414 State St, open Thursday-Saturday from 11-3:30.

 

Diana Digs Dirt Plant Swap

Cornerstone Garden by Diana Digs Dirt

414 State St***Greensboro Plant & Seed Swap***NO LIRIOPE or MONKEY GRASS

Saturday October 19th*** 10am***392.4031

Please bring plants and seeds with an identification label in a container or plastic bag with color of bloom. Register by commenting on this post with your name and plants you may bring or call Diana at 336.392.4031. The plant swap will coincide with the order of registration. There will also be a drawing for a Wine and Roses Weigela shrub. A list of plants being swapped by Diana Digs Dirt is listed below.

  Chocolate sunflower and all participants will receive complementary hyacinth bean vine seeds

3 types of ajuga

Anenome, hardy begonia, pineapple lily

Nana coreopsis, hardy geranium

Eenie weenie daylily, green and gold, pastel yarrow

Hardy geranium, helleborus

Gentle shepard daylily, sweet woodruff

Holly fern, rudbeckia triloba

Mexican petunia, prairie coneflower

Honeybee gold and fairy tale pink daylily

 

Crape myrtle and japanese maple tree

Carolina jessamine vine, red yarrow

Vervain, hyssop

Amazon mist and muhly grass

Red hot poker, daisy, russian sage, blue spruce sedum, stonecrop, maggie dalley astillbe, daisy

Jewels of Opar

Myself, Diana Digs Dirt is looking for purple, white and pink flowered perennials. I hope to see you there 🙂

 

Alzheimer Necklaces at Cornerstone Garden

Cornerstone Garden by Diana Digs Dirt 414 (rear entrance) State Street has received many beautiful handmade necklaces supporting Alzheimer’s Association created by women who had a loved one effected with the disease.

 

The necklaces come in a wide variety of colors and are adjustable.

Little girls have even worn them as headbands.

They even look great paired with your favorite necklaces.

 All jewelry featured here is available at Cornerstone Garden.

Ladies have used them as bracelets or to tie back sheer curtains

The necklaces can even be used for small purse strings or placed around decorative pillows.

 

Purchase a few necklaces to identify your wine glasses. The minimum donation is only $5 per necklace. 

 The Alzheimer Association was formed in 1980 and is the world’s leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Each year, the Association reaches millions of people affected by Alzheimer’s across the globe through our national office and more than 75 local chapters.

They provide services to those affected by Alzheimer’s and other dementias, including a professionally staffed 24/7 Helpline, thousands of local support groups and education programs, and a rich variety of online programs.

They are the largest, private non-profit funder of Alzheimer’s research. Through partnerships and funded projects, they have been part of every major research advancement over the past 30 years. Each year, the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) brings together thousands of researchers to share information and research.

They are the leading voice for Alzheimer’s disease advocacy, fighting for critical Alzheimer’s research, prevention and care initiatives at the state and federal level. Advocates engage elected officials at all levels of government and participate in the annual Alzheimer’s Association Advocacy Forum, a march on Capitol Hill to meet with elected representatives.

Cornerstone Garden is open Thursday through Saturday from 11-3:30 accepting cash or checks. Closed for vacation July 25-27.

 

Retail Rental Space on State Street

Rental space 414 is located on Historic State Street in Greensboro. This beautiful property neighbors The Secret Tea Room, Eclectic by Nature, Lilo Bella Shoes, Linnea’s, LaBamba, and Cafe Pasta.

There is also a private entrance and parking spot in the rear of the cottage.

   

The covered porch, just under 200 square feet is the perfect spot to people watch, displaying merchandise or just to enjoy the flowers. Another area is the secret brick patio adjacent to the mural of State Street from years ago.

 

The interior of 414 State Street is quite charming, open and freshly painted.

The antique distressed bar could serve as a check out or beverage area.

State Street is a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood with pocket parking.

 

The space even comes with a storage shed.

 

 

State Street Shoppes also host group holiday events, live music, animal fairs, and also a community garden

 

 

Please contact Diana at diana@justacloudaway.com or call 392.4031for more details and we’ll see you on State Street

 

Landscape Designs, Plans or Recipes Save Money

Many homeowners enjoy outdoor living areas and take pride in doing the work themselves. Within time, it is realized that incorrect plants are used, drainage issues were not addressed or high maintenance plants were installed. Planting your landscapes correctly the first time would save money and hard work.

 

Professional landscape designers are well-educated with a great knowledge of plants, drainage and hardscapes. Just like interior design, landscape designers apply design elements and principles in order to create an aesthetic and cohesive landscape. Some of the elements and principal include; unity, focal point, repetition, color, texture, balance and proportion.

The best part of a landscape design or recipe is the suggested phases. Usually homeowners cannot afford to implement the entire plan, so the design would offer affordable phases to be completed within one to two years.

 Landscape Plans include; plant key, phases (the sequence of implementation), lighting, materials and other notes specific to the project.

Some suggestions from a landscape designer could be installing deciduous trees with height that is proportionate to the home and within the southeast area providing shade during the hot summer days. Tall evergreen plant material could be installed on the northwest side of the home to act as a wind break from cold winter wind. If you plan to sell your home in the near future it is a good idea to install 75% evergreen plant material in the front foundation bed. This ensures your residence will have curb appeal during any month the home goes on the market.

A good landscape design should incorporate family wants and needs, provide year round interest, address existing site conditions and apply design elements and principals for an aesthetic and livable landscape.

Come meet Landscape Designer Diana Digs Dirt at 414-B State Street in Greensboro Thursday-Saturday from 11-3:30 or she can be reached at 392.4031.

 

Favorite Flowering Shrubs for Greensboro

I have several favorites and Limelight Hydrangea and Wine and Roses Weigela are two of them. In order to make the list of favorites I look at overall form, length of bloom, pest problems,water requirements and general maintenance.

For larger properties, Limelight Hydrangea is a must have in the landscape.

 

Limelight Hydrangeas grow to 8 feet around in part sun and prefer some shade from afternoon sun. Chartreuse cone-shaped blooms fill the plant in mid-summer and remain on the shrub until autumn when the color changes to a pinkish rose. If planted in good composted soil, once established, requires minimal water during dry periods. It makes a great specimen plant or hedge. This shrub is mostly pest free,  but if insects are noticed, just spray them with a powerful dose of water.

Wine and Roses Weigela is a smaller shrub growing 4-5 feet around with great impact. It blooms from April to June with deep fuchsia pink flowers that hummingbirds love. When planted in full sun the foliage retains its deep purple coloration and is a pest free plant. The stunning foliage combines well when planted adjacent to light green colored plants like Emerald n Gold Euonymous or Golden Barberry.

 

This shrub has a round upright growing habit and works well towards the rear of a perennial bed or in a mixed shrub border.

 For more favorite landscape plants, check here

 Visit Cornerstone Garden by Diana Digs Dirt 414-B State St from Thursday through Saturday 11-3:30. Diana is a certified landscape designer providing landscape plans, installations and consultations.

 

Longest Blooming Landscape Plants

Who doesn’t like plants to bloom for weeks on end. Here are some of my favorites.

Best Blooms for Your Buck-Top 10 Plants  

All plant material have their place within our landscapes, but some yield more than just long flowering periods including winter interest, fall color and other ornamental value. Below is a list of plants recommended with more value for Triad gardens of zone 7.

Perennials are those plants coming back year after year being planted only once. Clara Curtis Mums are a delight for informal landscapes with soft pink blooms from spring until late summer. They are drought tolerate, deer resistant, attract butterflies and a great cutting flower. Walker’s Low Catnip has violet spiked flowers with a mounding habit ideal for rock walls. They do well cascading over planters, are drought tolerate and rabbit resistant. Gaura or the common name, Whirling Butterflies is extremely drought tolerate with its delicate flowers resembling small butterflies. This plant does not like to be transplanted and will be happy in full sun in the back of perennial borders with pink or white blooms swaying in the breeze. Heuchera, or the common name Coral Bells are for shady gardens and planted mainly for its undulating foliage with various colors of purple, green, chartreuse and variegated. Because of their coarse texture, blend well with ferns, sweet woodruff or creeping jenny. Angelina Sedum does not have a bloom but is worth planting because of its chartreuse color. It is drought tolerate, deer and rabbit resistant, great groundcover is sunny areas with poor soil and turns burgundy in the winter.

 

Oakleaf hydrangea is a large shrub for the partial shade garden where their extremely large white blooms illuminate darker portions of the garden. They make great cutting flowers, have wonderful red fall color and the exfoliating bark is very ornamental for winter interest. Encore Azaleas are relatively new in the landscape world and offer two blooming periods in spring and fall and only grow to four feet in diameter. Knockout Roses will bloom from spring until frost and only require six hours of sunlight. Kleim’s Hardy Gardenia is perfect for part shade gardens and covered in highly fragrant white blooms for about a month in spring. This shrub is small in size and the foliage is glossy dark green all year long. It will bloom again if prune immediately after its flowers have faded.

 

The annual called Potato Vine, even though doesn’t bloom, the foliage comes in several colors and is a quick groundcover for the partial shady spots within landscapes. It does well in vases and will root within days for you to plant elsewhere in the garden. They can also be trained to climb other plants or structures. The foliage is dramatic and this one may come back the following year. Chartreuse colored potato vine planted with dark purple Heuchera is a fabulous combination.

Diana Digs Dirt is a landscape designer located at 414-B State Street in Greensboro Thursday-Saturday 11-3:30 and can be reached at 392.4031.

 

Greensboro Curb Appeal Ideas

4 Fundamental Factors for Fantastic First Impression Curb Appeal

1. Mailbox Area
2. The House Exterior
3. The Front Door
4. The Landscape

 Mailbox Area– This is how we are finding the address.

• clear and visible numbers
• use same material/paint on house and mailbox-creates cohesion
• remove bee attracting flowers
• remove shrubs higher than 3 feet-hinders car views
• add colorful annuals-use 1 variety of the same color

House Exterior– should be pressure washed, shutters hung straight, cracks in mortar are fixed. Debris like leaves or small trees removed from gutters. If there are trees overhanging the house, suggest removing.

• leaves in gutters
• creates mildew on roof-holds in moisture
• easy access for ants and other unwanted creatures
• ice on branches-damage home

The Front Door– view from a visitor’s perspective

• fresh coat of paint
• shrubs cut back-no higher than 2-3 feet
• add color-pots, annuals, wreath (use same annuals as front door plantings)
• make sure it is visible from the street (inviting and safe) 

The Landscape– does the overall look of the front landscape appeal to buyers?

• grass areas- turn slopes and patchy grass areas into plant beds
• foundation plants- 75% should be evergreen plants
• driveway and walkway to front door- cut back any overhanging trees and shrubs and remove those with thorns
• condition of trees and shrubs- remove any dead or dying plant material. Do not shear broad-leafed evergreens
• plant beds- create a manicured edge with a spade. 1 bale of pine needles will cover 5 x 5 square foot area

Problem Issues

• remove runway lighting-purchase a lighting kit for under $100 including a few path lights and uplights
• erosion problems- hide the soil with mulch if downspouts are eroding soil
• remove personal garden art-pink flamingoes, gazing balls, flag poles, fences without purpose, etc.

Landscape Designer Diana Digs Dirt is open Thursday-Saturday from 11-3:30 414-b State Street in Greensboro

 

Do You Mow for Hours?

Are You Mowing 3 or More Hours Every Week?

Properties in the Triad’s Southeast region are rather expansive and may tie up several hours per week to mow. With yearly drought threats, hot sun, and heavy clay soil, homeowners may feel captive by their lawn areas each weekend. These large green or brown areas have potential to burst with color, help with erosion and attract butterflies and hummingbirds, while freeing up valuable weekends for rest and relaxation. Now is the perfect time to start your drought tolerate garden.

Some deciduous perennials for the hassle-free gardens are; ratibida, vervain, black eyed susan, gaura, daylily, aster, wine cups, blanket flower, ice plant, bee balm, russian sage, artemesia, baptisia, agastache, hyssop, catnip, red hot poker, grasses, penstemon, mint, coneflower, jewel of opar, daisy, yarrow, coreopsis, caryopteris, joe-pye weed, butterfly weed, plumbago, spotted dead nettle, and globe thistle.

   

These are perfect evergreen perennials including; prostrate sedums, lavender, rosemary, creeping or upright thyme, santolina, creeping phlox, creeping raspberry and wintercreeper

    

With this palate of drought tolerant plants, make sure to incorporate some evergreen perennials for winter interest and place taller plants towards the middle or back of the new beds. Before the planting begins, take time to till the soil or dig the hole twice the size of the plant’s container to ensure a good root system and topdress with mulch. Next year you can divide your plants and increase the maintenance free and drought tolerate gardens.

Come visit Diana Digs Dirt-Landscape Designer at Cornerstone Garden 414-B State Street from Thursday-Saturday 11-3:30 if not raining or snowing and lets talk low maintenance. Or reach me at 392.4031