Any of my regular readers will know that I am an avid gardener and and especially excited about having a Certified Wildlife Habitat garden which attracts so many of Lake Norman’s wonderful array of wildlife and birds.

This winter we decided to add a more significant water feature to our garden and went about researching and interviewing local landscape designers and hard-scape companies.  We settled upon Peaceful Ponds owned and operated by Brian Kuchinski, a dynamic and creative landscape designer who clearly has a passion and talent not matched by his competitors!

When we originally met Brian he told us he made his first pond when he was only 8 years old.  He truly loves creating beautiful water features for gardens in the Charlotte and Lake Norman area.  The first thing he did when he arrived was to stand in our screened porch and determined the location for our waterfall that would offer the most dramatic views both from our house and from our screened porch.  Then he just started spay painting the entire layout with an artist’s vision that resulted in a transformation of our garden:

Before

After!

We have a pondless waterfall with circulating water that sounds awesome.  Brian also created a stone wall and walkway from one side of our deck to the other.  You can’t see them but there are many creeping plants that will cascade over the wall and small “steppable” plants that will grow around the stone walkway:

Finally, he redesigned and enlarges portions of our existing wildlife garden with great perennials, specimen trees and a great variety of colors and heights.  I can’t wait for spring when the plants come to life!:

Want to learn more?  Brian/Peaceful Ponds of Charlotte has an exhibit at the upcoming Southern Spring Home and Garden Show in Charlotte on February 29-March 4th.  Stop by and say hi!

*****I have 4 Free tickets to give away to the Southern Spring Home and Garden Show!  First come first serve!*****

Peaceful Ponds

Custom Water Features

Landscape Transformations

Brian M Kuchinski

704.643.6456

brian@peacefulponds.net

~~~~~~~~~~

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 ”IMAGINE      CREATE       INSPIRE       SAVE       LEARN”

Here is a little secret: some of us living on Lake Norman enjoy gardening  just as much as boating!  I confess that I am one of those crazy folks.  So, news about our annual Southern Spring Home & Garden Show on March 2 – March 6, 2011  might be even more exciting than the boat shows to some of us.

Held in Charlotte every spring, this wonderful event with over 400 exhibitors promises to inspire and tempt attendees with 24 stunning Showcase Gardens, Kitchen and Bath vendors’ latest and greatest products, a Green Living and Market and plenty of experts on hand to answer even your most esoteric questions about everything from orchids to home remodeling.

JUST THE FACTS

The Southeast’s Largest Home and Garden Show

Belgard Gardens/Outdoor Living/Green Market/Decorative Arts & Crafts/Interiors/Kitchen & Bath/Building & Home Improvement/

Green Living/Taste and Travel/Marketplace Shopping

March 2-6, 2011

The Park Expo and Conference Center located at 2500 East Independence Blvd in Charlotte

704.376.6594

Website: Southern Spring Home and Garden Show

Facebook: Southern Spring Home and Garden Show

Additonal Articles of Interest

Lake Norman Relocation and Resource Guide

Lake Norman Real Estate: Early Signs of Spring

 Relocating to Lake Norman

Lake Norman, Our Inland Sea

Lake Norman Gardens

If  you drive  north along Perth Rd. on a regular basis you may have noticed the quiet evolution of a garden center and nursery on the right just before you get to Fern Hill.  Unless you have taken the time to stop inside and talk with local owner Robbi Grayson, what you won’t know is just how special Lake Norman Gardens  is now and how very exciting it is going to be very soon!

What started as a lawn and garden center focused on “bulk products”, according to Robbi, has evolved into  “Perth Road Community’s one stop shop for all things one needs to create inspiring outdoor rooms”.  Their recently approved rezoning plans will include:

• A park-like arboretum
• A new, protective greenhouse
• A safer mulch yard
• A tree nursery
• Expand their ability to carry retail plants

If you are a garden enthusiast like I am  you will love their variety of perennials and their creative displays of plants with garden art.  Plus, their friendly staff is happy to special order to fill your unique requests.

Inside their large shop is an incredible array of  indoor plants, decorative art and accessories and even some fun, upscale Vietri Italian pottery.  Lake Norman Gardens is truly a mecca for house warming gifts!

From outdoor furniture to chimes to statuarys of all kinds,  I always come away inspired with a new list of ideas for my garden and patios.

It you get on their mailing list (Lake Norman Gardens) you will receive Robbi’s weekly emails which announce all of the new plants that have arrived, weekly specials, news, as well as upcoming events like their Vietri event on July 21st from 5-7pm during which they will be serving Bella Cucina gourmet foods and a Vietri ambassador there to sign their pottery. 

Robbi recently hired landscape designer Keith Stallings who will be starting full-time on July 1st, just in time to plan your fall landscape projects.

We are all very fortunate that Robby Grayson and her parents had the vision and enthusiasm to take this 4-acre site that was once an unsightly tavern and dump site into what is evolving into an exceptional garden center that will inspire even those of you who don’t have a green thumb.

Lake Norman Gardens

1453 Perth Rd.

Mooresville, NC 28117

704.528.1919

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Almost like magic, every  year in about the middle of March, spring comes to life in and around Lake Norman North Carolina.  I love each stage for each one has its own star and cast of players as if we watch mother nature writing her annual play.

The very first to brave the coming of spring are our bulbs, particularly daffodils.  Almost overnight you can see them sprouting up around mailboxes, nestled under trees and in gardens.  Our March 1st snow caught my daffodils off guard but didn’t deter them for very long.

 Forsythia is the next flowering plant to make their entrance.  It is said that when Forsythia bloom it is time to put the pre-emergent on our fescue lawns to fight off the summer weeds.

At just about the same time, the first of the blossoming trees seem to come out over night. From cherry to pear to peach and apples, they don’t last very long but as one variety turns to green another variety blossoms so it is beautiful and yet different every day.

After last week’s weather in the 70′s the roses are beginning to leaf out and buds are growing  on our Dogwoods, Maples,and most other large trees.

Another early character on the scene are the prolific daylilies.  They start to pop up about the same time as the daffodils but take longer to grow and bloom

Today, just two days after I took most of these photos the first of the dogwoods are beginning to bloom.  Wild dogwood trees are often scattered underneath large pines and hardwood trees so when they bloom the contrast is spectacular! 

This photo of the flowering Dogwoods was taken last April. 

 As you can see, on Monday the trees were just beginnng to come out and the fescue lawn is back to being a brilliant green!  In less than a month all of the trees around Lake Norman will be out.  The shorelines will once again be a lush green.  Then it is time for the magnificant azaleas to bloom which is an extraordinary site in the South!  I love all of our mild but well defined seasons but I have to admit spring in our Lake Norman area of North Carolina is, well, awesome!

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