Gardens: Before and After
This garden above, which was installed on a tight budget, is a great example of how you can carve out a piece of your turf lawn for pollinators and create something beautiful and beneficial. The after picture is the same day it was installed. Each season it will become more lush and beautiful.
This front lawn conversion was planted with plugs in 2020 and fully blooming and buzzing with life by spring 2021.
See below for closeups!
Here is one in the "before" stage in summer 2021, and again in early summer 2022.
Plant it and they will come!
This North Branford garden was done late summer 2021. 1,200 square feet of turf lawn was smothered, compost was spread and 500 native plugs were planted. A mulch path was added as well.
Before
A beautiful blue-stone pathway will be a great part of this new Guilford pollinator yard.
Below is a picture from June 2022!
Spring/Summer Year One!
This is the before picture of a Madison front lawn conversion done late summer 2021.
This is the process of smothering the lawn.
This is the same yard the day planting was finished. Check back spring 2023 to see the changes!
This Hamden garden below was installed in April 2022. We used about 300 native plug plants to cover about 400 square feet of lawn. The third picture is from early May 2023. It is really stunning, and it's not even at its height yet. The plants include milkweed, coreopsis, rose poppy mallow and many more. The homeowners could not be happier! Here are the owner's comments: "I'm thrilled with the garden Heather built for us. I wanted to get rid of my turf lawn and put in plants that would be beneficial for pollinators, but I had no idea where to start. Heather replaced our whole front lawn with a variety of native pollinator plants. It's halfway through our first summer, and our yard is already full of bees and butterflies! When we had trouble with a pest eating some of the plants, Heather came right away to replace them with another species. I love how she wants to find the right plants that will thrive in our garden, rather than fighting against nature with pesticides and fences. I recommend her services to anyone looking to make this kind of change, at any scale!"
Below, this Guilford homeowner, motivated by a need to improve the beauty and the ecology, wanted to update her large yard that was filled with nonnative daffodils, tulips, boxwood and English ivy. After removing the ivy and smothering the yard with cardboard and compost, Quercus Works installed a large pollinator garden on the side of the house. The front was also converted from useless boxwoods to native plants that are now teeming with life and beauty. In the back a small but beautiful garden was installed as well. The homeowner is thrilled and in her own words regarding native pollinator gardens, has "been evangelized"!
Above: Before
Above: After, first season
Above: Before, February 2022
Above: Early July 2022
Above: Before front yard
Above: a few months after planting!
Above, this family in Hamden wanted to support the ecology and decided to convert part of their front lawn.
Above, here is the garden the day it was planted
(September 2022). Stay tuned!
The client in Hamden is an artist and created this pastel drawing while QW was hard at work! Her work can be found at www.elainebenevides.com.
Above, this client has over 3,000 square feet of lawn. Realizing he could do more for the ecology, he hired Quercus Works to convert 600 square feet.
Above is the day it was planted. This is a great example of how one can carve out a piece of lawn for pollinators, but still keep some lawn. There will soon be life in this backyard!
Above and Above Right: May Before planting
Above and Above Left: First season!
Above: Day of Planting, May 2023
This Guilford homeowner wanted to convert their entire front lawn. A great sunny spot!
After the smother, July 2022
After the planting, July 2022
Above, first full season!
These Madison homeowners realized they could use their sunny front lawn for something beautiful and beneficial.
Far left: Before
Near left: Ready to be planted.
Above Spring 2023: These homeowners on Madison's shore wanted something more beneficial than a turf lawn. They also love wanted to be able to cut flowers for displays.
Above is the same area in its early first season. Plants include Coreopsis, Hibiscus, Agastache, Rosa carolina, Monarda didyma, Monarda fistulosa, Sporobolis heterolopsis etc.