In This Issue:

1. Olbrich Home Garden Tour - July 9 & 10
2. Relax in the Garden
3. Summer Color
4. Just Add Water
5. Meet the Staff: Carrie Portz - Nursery/Office Manager
6. Let's Eat

Olbrich Home Garden Tour - July 9 & 10

Join us for the Olbrich Home Garden Tour, which will feature edible and ornamental gardens. See first-hand how gardening can be a community effort and be inspired by creative solutions! Avant Gardening is a Wisconsin Landscape Contractors Association member (WLCA), which is a major sponsor of the Olbrich Home Garden Tour. This Spring, Avant completed a project at Troy Gardens, which will be featured on the Olbrich Garden Tour this year.  Learn more about Troy Gardens!

Relax in the Garden

Gardening continues to be one of America’s favorite pastimes, and it can be both creative and relaxing. Whether it's a personal space for relaxation or a patio for entertaining friends and family, outdoor rooms and pleasing gardens provide a place to get away from it all. No matter the size, shape, or location, these natural retreats integrate the house and garden. Intimate landscape settings compliment any existing architecture. Enjoy additional privacy, attract wildlife, or simply sit back and relax in the best room of the house, the outdoors.

You can create a natural haven with foundation plantings, specialty gardens, large trees, specimen or accent plants, and natural screening. Whether you prefer a formal garden or a naturalized landscape, plantings add beauty and value.

Remember that gardening it not simply hard work, it can be restorative and pleasurable. Create your own personal retreat and you will reap the rewards year-round.

Summer Color

Plants and trees that provide color in the summer months include Spireas, Hydrangeas, Summersweet and Butterfly Bush. Consider planting perennial flowers like Daylilies, Rudbeckia, Phlox, Veronica, and Ligularia to brighten up your gardens during the hot summer months. If you are limited on space, you can still spruce up your summer landscape with beautiful color in containers and hanging baskets. Just be sure to check all plants, especially newly planted ones, for water on a regular basis. Water deeply and thoroughly as needed.

Just Add Water

Water is another key element to consider including in your garden. Water features provide a tranquil escape. The sound of water cascading over rocks will relax the pace and soothe the soul. If adding a new pond is out of reach, try simply adding a small bubbling vase for visual interest to complete your outdoor sanctuary. Your landscape will come to life!

Meet the Staff: Carrie Portz - Nursery/Office Manager

Carrie graduated from University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire with a B.S. in Biology and a minor in German. She interned at Olbrich Gardens and gained excellent hands on experience with plants of all kinds.  She has been growing Avant's plants since 2000 and also manages our office.  Carrie and her husband just opened Aster Hill Nursery, specializing in hardy plants, at their home on Hwy ID, just west of Blue Mounds. Click here to see pictures of their nursery and gardens.

Let's Eat

Don’t forget to include edible plants into the design and you will surely enjoy the fruits of your labor. These plants are not only great in the kitchen, they will look beautiful in the garden as well. Try incorporating of few of these: Asparagus, Chives, Lavender, Rhubarb, Rue, Parsley, Thyme,  Strawberries,Thyme, Purple Curley Kale, Artichokes, Calendula, Nasturtium, Borage, and Decorative Peppers.

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