All Decked Out NYC

Where to begin?! And a few things to consider...

2011-01-28T13:08:00.000-08:00

Well, first and foremost a very happy belated New Year to everyone! So far we're off to a running start and couldn't be happier.

All Decked Out has been fortunate enough to stay nice and busy up through the holidays! We fertilized, mulched and closed down the gardens for the winter and in November planted over 4,000 bulbs!!

Are you looking forward to spring as much as we are?!

In December Kilian was kind enough to host a fantastic All Decked Out Holiday party at a local Chelsea restaurant where everyone was nothing but smiles...

in case you were looking for proof!

This time of year is bittersweet for us gardeners. We get a chance to take a load off....

...but we miss the dirt beneath our nails. We've had a fortunate year (winter) so far with calls pouring in from people who want to be ready for the spring!! Needless to say we are grateful spring is nearing.

One thing to consider right now before Mama Earth decides its spring again is transplanting your indoor plants (or just giving them some extra TLC!). We are all guilty of neglecting our indoor green friends at times because we get wrapped up in enjoying the beautiful weather and/or caring for our more 'in-season' plants. When you get home take a good look at them and ask yourself a couple of questions. 1. Is their color and appearance strong? 2. Think about how long they've been in the same dirt, could they need food? 3. Did you manage to avoid critters making homes in them this winter? 4. Does the proportion of your plant coincide with its pot size; could it be time to transplant? If you've answered Yes to any of questions 1-4 we'd like to give you a little bit of helpful advice.

1- Whats wrong with the color, is it yellow? Are there strange patterns appearing on the leaves? Are the tips 'crispy' and brown? Plants are great at telling us whats wrong, its just a matter of us understanding what they're trying to say. Paleness/yellowing can be several things: thirst, over watering, critters, lack of nutrients, sunburn etc. Patterns on the leaves tend to be critters and crispy edges tends to be lack of water... Remove brown looking dead leaves and/or leaves that look 'sick' before the problem spreads. Treat yourself to a small indoor plant problem guide to differentiate issues if one of these possibilities doesn't stand out as an obvious answer.

2- Plants get hungry! oooo and on that note DON'T OVER FEED THEM EITHER! How you feed them (whether its every time you water, or every week or month) is your choice and I suggest finding out what particular plants like. Read instructions. One food that is fantastic and I've found my plants LOVE is called Terracycle (I buy it here http://www.gardeners.com/Terracycle-Plant-Foods/Fertilizers_Cat2,36-393RS,default,cp.html along with lots of other great stuff) its 100% organic and is contained in recylced soda bottles... very good stuff. There is always Miracle grow don't get me wrong (as long as I'm not going to eat the plant).

3- Our plants make great homes for bugs, especially in the winter! As much as we appreciate certain critters hard work there are definitely bugs we don't want to live with and neither do our plants. Neem Oil and Rosemary Oil cover most of the bases. There are other more toxic treatments/less organic if you can't get rid of them with the natural stuff (we've all been there. I'd be lying if I didn't admit spider mites and scale are awful creatures who sometimes require an extra shove out the door!). When I really need help treating a plant I treat it systemically. This process involves watering a substance into the soil for the plant to drink up, as opposed to topical treatments. If you take the systemic route please be sure the substance is for indoor plants and not outdoors. Again get a small indoor plant guide they come in VERY handy with identifying whats what!

4- Sometimes its hard to tell if a plant wants to be in a bigger container or if its happy right where it is. You'll need to do your own research to find out what kind of home it prefers. If you know its time for some bigger britches get yourself some extra dirt and make sure you have proper drainage at the bottom of your new pot. Steer away from containers with no holes, plants prefer drainage it keeps their roots healthiest. Put some pebbles, rocks, or say broken terracotta at the bottom of the pot to encourage more drainage (only a couple of inches not much depending on the depth of the pot). Gently scrape the roots after removing it from the old container and make sure to remove the layer of brown pot-bound roots if they're there. After transplanting give your plant a good water (Do not feed it yet!!). Watch for new shoots to begin before giving the plant any fertilizer. Side note: Don't try to save time by putting a small plant in an enormous container, transplanting is a gradual process and plants like having secure homes...

Spring is your indoor plants time to shine! Its when we see the most growth occur and it would be a shame to sell them short! Everyone who owns an indoor plant should have a small indoor plant guide for quick reference. Sometimes we don't know a plants in poor health because we don't know any better. We hope this blog entry was helpful and if the information itself wasn't perhaps the reminder was :)

Please keep an eye on the All Decked Out blog and spread the word! We're going to do our best to keep everyone in the loop with what we've been up to and what we've got up our sleeves.

You can also find us on facebook if you feel like being a very thorough All Decked Out follower!

~ADO

No garden too high- No Fountain too heavy!

2010-11-05T13:49:00.001-07:00

It has been one jam-packed season so far! We feel very grateful here at All Decked Out for having had such an active and busy season overflowing with clients who only make us happier to be designers and gardeners. Since its been so long since our last blog we'd like to skip ahead to our adventure this afternoon and in the blogging to come fill you in on our beautiful spring season...

Today at ADO five of our strongest came together to accept a 500lb fountain delivery! Ben, Coire, Scott, Nathan and Kilian certainly had their work cut out for them. With four men holding the crate, while one navigated, one would think it would be a piece of cake. Right? Well, as it turns out there were some minor complications....

getting it to fit.

But as the saying goes what doesn't kill us makes us stronger and as it turns out everyone survived and with brute strength...

and a few adjustments...we we're in!!

Well, we're excited to have shared this with you and are very proud of our strong team and their hard work! If at first you don't succeed, try, try again and sometimes another time if you have to...

Summer already!

2010-08-04T07:45:00.000-07:00

August!? How did that happen? Well, after a long hiatus from the blog (sorry!) we thought we'd show you one project we've been busy working on this season.
Check out this amazing before and after.....

This is the roofdeck of a client of ours who undertook a full roof deck renovation. We installed a mix of flooring to cover steeply sloped roof including ipe decking, a green roof (!!), bluestone pavers and a lightweight stone called expanded Shale.
The project turned out beautifully- it feels so much more spacious and the clients are up there daily.
Here are some detail shots of the various aspects of the project.

This shows Ipe decking, a bit of the expanded shale bed, a custom fountain wall the clients picked up in Asia, and some blooming echincaea to pull it all together.....
The Green roof- It's a modular system made of locking trays, pre-grown for instant gratification....
Bluestone pavers guide you into the garden from the new bulkhead entrance....

St Patricks Day Means Spring Cleaning

2010-03-18T07:29:00.000-07:00

We spent this St. Patrick's Day enjoying the beautiful weather up on some of the roof gardens we maintain.

Now is time to wake the garden up and get plants ready for spring- Trees and shrubs are pruned, perennials are cleaned up, heavy mulch is cleared away to allow the bulbs to emerge.

Here's a video of some of our staff working on a downtown roof with an amazing view of the city.

Winter wonderland at All Decked Out

2009-12-21T08:05:00.000-08:00

In honor of the the winter solstice, here are some photos of a garden buried under the blizzard of this past weekend to get you in the spirit.
All Decked Out braved the snow and was up there early this morning dismantling the garden- check back this spring to see photos of the garden's upcoming face lift!

All Decked Out decks out a backyard

2009-10-30T11:58:00.000-07:00

This backyard of west village townhouse had great bones but was overgrown and the stone flooring in desperate need of repair. We salvaged much of the existing stone and re-fashioned it into a step to separate a lounging area and a kids play area (basketball net not shown).

By leaving some of the features that gave this space character- see the aged wood fence, awesome wisteria vines, and a mature bamboo grove; and adding some new character in plantings and sculpture, this backyard allows the client to show off his eclectic style while maintaining a functional space.

Before
The broken stones

New bluestone work almost finished

.... and finished!!!

See more at www.alldeckedoutnyc.com

All Decked Out goes to Long Island

2009-10-22T08:35:00.001-07:00

This week we made out first foray into Long Island

This cute house front was being hidden by some overgrown rhodendrons and a disorganized hedge, while the brick foundation was far too exposed. The clients also complained about a lack of color, but wanted to keep the area as low maintenance as possible.

All Decked Out came in and revamped their planting by adding lots of colorful evergreen foliage and a planting that gives the house a little breathing room for better views through their front window.

In addition, we got our first video review..
.

And here are some pics
Before...At work....

After....

See more at www.alldeckedoutnyc.com

Fall is upon us @ All Decked Out

2009-10-16T13:39:00.000-07:00

With the weather quickly cooling it was time to take out the heat loving annuals and replace them with those more akin to soup & sweaters!

Check out some of our folks planting a plethora of mums, cabbages, and pansies- plus a some lovely early fall color so you remeber there are things to love about todays cold, rainy weather!....

See more at www.alldeckedoutnyc.com

Spot light on.....

2009-09-24T14:00:00.000-07:00

Our stone impressario....COIRE!
This whippersnapper of an employee is always on the go, ready to solve a problem whether it be how to build a pergola or where to go eat. So in honor of his girlfriends return, here are a few highlights of Coire's summer "working" with us.
To you sir, we tip our hats.
meoww

See more at www.alldeckedoutnyc.com

All Decked Out-Welcome to our blog!

2009-09-18T13:51:00.000-07:00

Welcome to All Decked Out's new blog!

This company was started 10 years ago and we haven't looked back since since! We've grown a lot since then (no pun intended), so now our latest endeavor is to use this blog to show you how we started and all the amazing beautiful things that we are doing now.

Blending a harmony between your architecture and the nature surrounding your home or business is what All Decked Out is about. Designing and installing urban gardens and landscapes are our focus and we delight in transforming space from the mundane to the profound.

Enjoy! And if your lucky enough to have some outdoor space give us a call to see what we can do for you.

Meet our crews at work over the years......

See more at www.alldeckedoutnyc.com