Sustainable Landscapes --- Designing with Native Plantings
Swimming Pool Along Pollinator Perennial Garden
Lets build gardens Not Lawns
I think it’s fair to say that pollinator garden design is at the heart of most garden planning these days. Or at least I’m hopeful that it is. I see a greater percentage of homes where the garden is becoming more of the focal point than a traditional lawn. And whether it’s more traditionally planted or bursting with blooms, I can see the intention of planting to attract bees, birds, butterflies, and other beneficial insects.
One of the best things about gardening is bringing beneficial wildlife to your yard, especially pollinators. Bees and butterflies may first come to mind, but many other insects such as moths, wasps, and beetles also help plants make fruits and seeds by transferring pollen from flower to flower. Most of these creatures don't sting, so you don't need to worry about that when welcoming nature into your garden (if you are allergic to stings, then of course you do need to be more careful).
However, not just any plant will attract pollinators to your yard; you need to include species with plenty of nectar-rich flowers. The more of these plants you have in your garden, the more you'll be able to enjoy butterflies and other fascinating insects.
Perennial Garden in North Castle
Rain garden in Pound Ridge
Native Pollinator Garden In Greenwich, CT
Foundation Hydrangea in New Canaan, CT
Garden with Rose and Speedwell with Fountain
Native Garden with Seed Head Gladiator Alliums
A Black Bear Visited us one Day
Pound Ridge, NY
"Peter Atkins and his talented design team completely changed our outdoor living space transforming it from a nearly useless back yard, to a place I can't even describe other than amazing!! Peter Atkins had a vision and it started with an edible garden, to a perennial garden, stone walls, lawn steps and a new entire driveway entrance complete with an ornamental orchard. Peter Atkins and Associates responded quickly and came out to quote right away. From start to finish, 100% awesome".
Budget: $200,000 +
POLLINATOR PATHWAY GARDEN
POLLINATOR PATHWAY GARDEN
Jason
5 Bed System with Vegetable and Herbs Section
"We are so happy with our garden! It is growing so well, we suspect you slipped some super powers into the soil. Seriously, we have tomatoes and cucumbers growing up and over. Yes you have mastered the soil chemistry. We could not be happier, and will probably be having you back to build another bed or two..".
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"We have used Peter Atkins and Associates Landscaping to maintain our home on Long Island Sound in Stamford, CT. ..Every time the experience has been outstanding! Every step is pleasant and easy. The design team takes the time to listen to exactly what we want and provides an excellent plan. When the work gets started, the workers are completely professional, skilled, tidy and efficient. The end result is always beyond our expectations. We will continue to use Peter Atkins to maintain our gardens and offer me fresh new ideas so the gardens are uplifting and enjoyed in all the season. You will not be foolish to contact Peter for your garden needs".
Spring Flowers Capture this large flower bed for Easter Holiday by Peter Atkins
Estate on Long Island Sound Maintained by Peter Atkins and Team
Backyard Lawns meet Stunning Perennial Borders
WHY YOU SHOULD HIRE US
Every team member at Peter Atkins and Associates is dedicated to transforming your property into an oasis of beauty and maintaining its health all four seasons of the year. A team approach means you get the benefit of our expert staff with a combined 40 years of experience. We all have our own gardens and asking us to participate in your garden is a thrill.
Meadow Meets Lawn Edge. Clients favorite color is color.
The Pollinator Project
WHAT IS A POLLINATOR PATHWAY?
- This Pollinator Pathway project is organized by volunteers from town conservation organizations (listed on each town's page) working together to establish pollinator-friendly habitat and food sources for bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and other pollinating insects and wildlife along a series of continuous corridors. Most native bees have a range of about 750 meters, so the goal is to connect properties that are no farther apart than that.
Margret P. Bedford
"We cannot thank you enough for the incredible work and friendliness throughout this whole process. It was such an easy, enjoyable experience and I am forever grateful for my gorgeous new living space! The Pollinator beds are perfect size, organic in nature, the plants are growing and the entire system is rewarding. We will be singing your praises to any and everyone who mentions yards, plants or gardening."
PLANTS INSTEAD OF LAWNS
Mass Planting are Effective in Transforming flowers of Drama
ORGANIC LAWN AND POLLINATOR GARDENS ON THE EDGES
POLLINATOR PERENNIAL GARDEN ON THE FRINGE OF THE ORGANIC LAWN
WHY POLLINATOR GARDEN ARE CRITICAL TO LIFE SUPPORT?
"Without pollinators, we cannot feed ourselves. Pollinators fertilize the plants in our yards and parks but also on our farms and orchards. Imported European honeybees are the ones we think of most often, but there are over 349 species of bees native to Connecticut and 416 species native to New York, and they play a vital role in pollinating the plants we rely on in our communities. Pollinator populations are in sharp decline because of pesticide use and loss of habitat. Bee populations, both native and honeybees, have seen sharp declines. Monarch butterflies have declined by 94.6% in the last 20 years, according to the US Wildlife Federation. A recent German study shows a 75% decline in all flying insects in the last 25 years. The threat to pollinators is a threat to us!"
Tiered Garden with Fountain Grass and Mixed Perennials and Arborvitaes
A LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT VIEW ON POLLINATOR GARDENS
Peter Atkins, Landscape Architect, a good planting palette should always aim for full season color and blooms. While this should provide lots of pollen and nectar resources for your local pollinators, ideal pollinator habitat should provide significant native floral diversity, optimized for your site’s conditions. In general, the more biologically diverse a site is, the more species of pollinators it can support.
Native Pollinator Gardens - This could be your private paradise.
Raised Edible Vegetable Garden Systems
Certified Organic Gardens through Principals of NOFA. Org.
Our Model for being Farmers
With a passion for growing food and deep expertise in the fields of argoecology, sustainable agriculture, horticulture, and the farm to table industry, our edibles gardeners are experts at growing, handling, and harvesting vegetables, fruits, and herbs.
HARVEST TO TABLE VEGETABLE GARDENS
Peter Atkins and Associates provides joy without toil. We offer full-service maintenance & harvesting services and garden coaching – essentially whatever it takes to create a beautiful, edible garden for you. Peter Atkins and Associates Harvest to Home is all about relationships. Our staff meets weekly and collaborates to not only meet your expectations but also to exceed them. We also use cutting-edge software to keep updated on the needs of our clients and their gardens, provide efficient service, and
regular communication. All of this helps to keep our team dynamic and passionate about providing the absolute best garden experiences for you.
JOHN
Old Greenwich, CT
"As newbies to gardening, it’s been so wonderful to have light-hearted but extremely knowledgeable guides to give us (and our kids) a chance to enjoy the experience of growing our own food. We’ve gotten all the benefits of our own garden but you took away the stress, doubt, and sweat of getting started! Thank you Peter, Selvin and Jose "
Joan G.
Vegetarian
"I am so pleased with my veggie garden! It is well done, and the process was professional. It is very rare to feel like you’ve gotten what you paid for in home improvement, but I feel gratified in my decision to trust Peter Atkins and Associates and make the investment.”
Swing Set Replaced to Garden on Right
Raised Vegetable Garden Feeds Family
Adirondack Gardens with all the sticks found on the grounds of this home
OUR CUSTOM VEGETABLE SYSTEMS
Peter Atkins and Associates takes care of every step of the installation process so you don’t have to worry. Our goal is to bring your landscape from preparation to completing edible garden in as little time as possible. For gardens of 100 square feet or less, we typically complete an installation in one day’s time. Our team carefully clears your space, connects to your irrigation system, installs our four key elements and you walk out to a complete edible garden, ready for tending and harvesting.
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"A large amount of work goes into growing organic food, ordering seeds, sowing, potting on, growing to harvest, and
preparing vegetables to be stored over the winter months, along with the day-to-day management of many client vegetable gardens. You never know what Mother Nature will throw at you; every year is completely different”.
— Peter Atkins
Run Down Gardens get Renovated on Right
Renovated Vegetable Gift for Anniversary Gift
VEGETABLE GARDEN CARE
The edible garden is a dynamic thing, with many plants growing from seed to harvest in less than 60 or 90 days. While the magic is incredible, the task of caring for your changing garden may sometimes feel overwhelming. Peter Atkins and Associates offers weekly, monthly
and quarterly maintenance for our gardens as well as personal Garden Coaching. Our tending team pays attention to the details of the garden and does the heavy lifting of replacing compost and replanting each new quarter. We do the heavy lifting and let you enjoy the harvests.
Vegetable Gardens we have managed from design, Planting and Harvesting
Sara & Jeff, B
"Peter is a great communicator and is excellent to work with. He and his team not only possess excellent plant knowledge, but their recommendations for cutting gardens, vegetable garden and perennial gardens have been spot on. The landscaping is gorgeous, all the plants, trees and shrubs are thriving and perfectly situated. I am now able to entertain and enjoy this space every day.We highly recommend Peter!"
Custom Vegetable Garden with New Dawn Roses that Pollinates Crops
All of These Insect are significant in pollinating vegetable, flowers and feeding the food chain
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FOR WALKWAYS, PATIOS, POOLS, FRONT DOOR AND ANY WERE NEEDING INSTANT VIBRANT COLOR AND SOPHISTICATION.
"We work with your colors, style and timing"
WHITE HYDRANGEA TREES WITH LEMON LANTAN CACADING BRIM OF PLANTERS
EMIRA
Upper Westchester County
We've had the pleasure of working with Peter Atkins and his staff on several occasions over the past 10 years - three patios, an outdoor fireplace and a circular driveway in brown unlock which we must admit is stunning. Peter consistently demonstrated an attention to detail and follow-up throughout the entire project. He is a trusted landscape designer and artisan.
Flower Power of Containers for Every Home, Event and Setting By Peter Atkins
Container gardens are valuable additions to gardens, patios, decks, and entryways. A custom container garden planting can add the right touch of sophistication and allure to your space.
Container garden plantings bring life and movement into your home. They become an expression of your style and create an inviting atmosphere to both indoor and outdoor living areas. The joy of working with containers is their ability to fit into whatever space you have. They can give a perfect splash of texture and contrast many small spaces or they can be the eye-catching focal point of a large, open garden. They can make an outdoor living area feel more enclosed or they can bring a burst of color to a bland space or flat surface.
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Peter Atkins is a talented landscape Designer and container designer. He
has helped to re-design some of our larger properties as well as to select and design our planting containers when we need vibrant pots for open houses, garden staging, parties and special events.
I highly recommend Peter for your future projects."
BARBARA - Bedford Realtor
PETER ATKINS
ABOUT PLANTING POTS
'' We put a lot of thought into the containers we use in our spaces. Outdoor containers are an essential design element, because they serve as both a vessel and a sculptural piece. The vision becomes not so much about the mix of plants that go into the containers, but more about the combination of the plants with the planter".
USING POTS TO OFFER PRIVACY
“We always consider how a space is being used when we choose the types and placement of planters, If it’s a lounge space, we might use different planter to frame out the seating area, but at the same time we consider where we can place them so they can be admired from a number of vantage points within the space. Or, the area might be a courtyard terrace where the next-door neighbor is close so we will use planters that showcases a flowering tree that has cascading flowers to screen the space and make it feel more enclosed.
Team Plants Mandeville in Greenwich, CT
Gardeners checking moisture and detailing
Perennials Gardens
Annual Gardens
Shrub Gardens
Woodland Gardens
Rock Gardens
Woodland Gardens
WHY NATIVE PLANTS
- Native plants are a vital component of the ecosystems of the northeast. These ecosystems include plants, animals, insects, fungi, and microbes. When one component of an ecosystem is in decline, the entire ecosystem is threatened.
- Our native plants provide shelter, food, and breeding sites for our native mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and insects. Once abundant throughout the northeast, many native species are now increasingly hard to find in the wild.
- The best approach is to attempt to establish a diversity of plants which will attract a diversity of wildlife.
Maintaining a Native Pollinator Garden.
Regardless of how much effort goes into planning your pollinator habitat, everything can all fall apart during maintenance. Best to Call Peter Atkins to arrange for a landscape talk at the house to learn how and why maintenance can be rewarding to your natural ecosystems.
Perennial Woodland
Pollinator Gardens
Woodland Gardens
Perennials Gardens
Mixed Gardens
Ground Cover Gardens
Native Grass & Wildflower Meadows
The popularity of native grass and wildflower meadows is growing. PETER ATKINS has spent the last ten years developing strategies for creating these drought-tolerant natural areas which offer habitat for wildlife, attract insects and pollinators and increase overall biodiversity, while building something that is both unique and aesthetically pleasing.
NATIVE MEADOW GARDEN SERVICES
Design of Meadows
Our meadow installations are derived from hand-selected seed mixes with a mixture of native warm season grasses. Our clients mostly list aesthetics as the primary reason for having a meadow installed, though all of them express interest in habitat restoration, biodiversity, and ecology. All of our clients love butterflies and hummingbirds. We take this into consideration when choosing our seed mixes.
Native Gardens That Pollinate
Our ultimate goal is to establish truly sustainable plantings composed of native perennials; beautiful plant communities that can be maintained with once-a-year mowing. One goal of many clients is to plant a native wildflower meadow, and each is infinitely more interesting than mowing a lawn or bush hogging a field. And beyond being beautiful, wildflowers have the power to nourish the land.
Meadow Installation
After designing your meadow, we plan for its installation. The key ingredient in this step is preparation. We identify the correct method of installation as it may vary from site to site in an effort to enhance the overall health of the meadow. Then, we use a unique process with specialized equipment to install hand-selected seed mixtures to maximize germination.
Benefits to Wildlife
The environmental benefits of meadow installation are enormous. The most popular environmental benefit is that of the wildlife. There could easily be more pollinators per acre in one of these meadows than any other place in central Virginia. We have seen endless butterflies, bees and birds including goldfinches in our meadows. We also see turkeys, fledglings, quail and the list goes on and on.
Horticultural Maintenance
Our meadow maintenance plan manages the growth of the meadow toward the goal of the client. In some instances, we nurture perennials to help encourage good root growth and plant development. Perennial meadows take an average of three years to reach full maturity. In other instances, we work with annuals to provide flashes of amazing seasonal color.
Weed Management
A potential problem in some meadows, even after eradicating most of the existing vegetation, is the presence of weed seed of a few aggressive weeds like euonymus, mustard, thistle, barberry, mug wort and others. We advocate a monitoring and treatment program which targets aggressive weeds early on when they can be economically and efficiently managed for long term success within the client's objectives and goals.
JOHN
Pound Ridge, NY
"We have worked with the Peter Atkins and Associates teams for 8 yrs. Their attention to detail quality is matched to no other. They spare no expense to make sure their customer is absolutely satisfied. The team did the job as estimated, worked hard to execute the job. Peter was on the job site daily and the entire crew is is top notch!!!"
Maintenance Includes Removal of Invasive Mugwort, Barberry, Mile Weed and Mustard Weed
Wetland Restoration with Native Grasses, Perennials and Shrubs
Greg and Megan
Armonk, NY
"Very friendly and helpful to work with. I had a vision of what I was looking for and Peter Atkins came up with a plan to make that happen. The follow up to check on the work was great too. They stand behind their work. I like that and would recommend the company to others".
AWARDS
Mary Ann Henry and Peter Atkins Client Coordinators
Let's talk about your dream yard
Initial consultations are completely free of charge—no strings attached (but cups of coffee graciously accepted). We'll come to your property, listen to your ideas and talk about how we can work together to create your dream landscape.
Tell us about your landscape goals! Are you interested in stonework, a new planting installation, habitat restoration, or maintenance services for a natural-looking landscape? Or maybe all of the above?
Book a FREE Discovery Call (914) 234 -0161 to learn more about how we can create a functional and Beautifully designed space that's uniquely you.
PLEASE SEND ME US AN EMAIL - PeterAtkinsandAssociates@gmail.com
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