At Holmes Fine Gardens, the strongest connections we build don’t come from
advertisements—they come from neighbors. A simple recommendation, a shared experience, a
quick “you should call them.” That’s how we have always grown, and it’s something we truly
value.

The Neighborhood Circle is our way of saying thank you.

When you refer a friend or neighbor who moves forward with a service contract, you will receive
a $200 credit toward your services. It’s simple, intentional, and designed to give back to the
clients who help our community grow.

More than anything, this program is about trust. When you refer someone to us, you’re sharing
your experience and confidence in our work—and that’s something we don’t take lightly.

Over time, we’ve seen neighborhoods naturally grow into communities of clients who value
well-maintained, thoughtfully cared-for spaces. When that happens, it elevates the entire
neighborhood. The Neighborhood Circle is simply a way to encourage more of that.

If you know someone who would benefit from our services, we would love to connect. They
can reach out directly at 203-270-3331, or pass along their information, and we’ll take care of the rest.

Thank you for being part of Holmes Fine Gardens—we genuinely appreciate your trust and
support.

Invasive plants in Fairfield County are more than a landscaping nuisance—they are a threat to our watershed, public safety, and infrastructure. From roadsides to riparian corridors, invasive species destabilize banks, increase stormwater runoff, and drive up municipal maintenance costs. Traditional reactive mowing only perpetuates this cycle.

We propose a superior model: treating native restoration as distributed green infrastructure. By replacing invasive monocultures with biodiverse native systems, municipalities and landowners achieve measurable results:

• Enhanced Infrastructure: Improved stormwater performance, stabilized banks, and clearer roadway sight lines.
• Fiscal Efficiency: Reduced long-term maintenance costs and streamlined MS4 regulatory compliance.
• Ecological Impact: 4–6x greater pollinator abundance and critical habitat support for the Atlantic Flyway.
• Climate Resilience: Increased carbon sequestration and long-term environmental stability.

This is infrastructure planning, not just conservation. By prioritizing high-impact corridors and tracking performance metrics, we transform neglected land into resilient ecological assets.

Holmes Fine Gardens partners with towns, land trusts, and property owners to implement professional inventory, treatment, and restoration programs.

Let’s rethink the landscapes that shape our waterways and our future.

Spotted Lanternflies in Newtown: What You Need to Know This Fall

If you’ve spent time outdoors in Newtown lately, you may have noticed a colorful but unwelcome visitor—the spotted lanternfly. This invasive insect, first discovered in Fairfield County in 2020, has now spread across the entire state of Connecticut. Unfortunately, Fairfield and New Haven counties—our home region—are among the hardest hit.

Why It Matters

Spotted lanternflies (SLF) may look harmless, but they pose a serious threat to our environment and economy. These pests target more than 70 species of plants, including:

• Fruit crops such as apples, peaches, and cherries
• Ornamental trees like maples, oaks, and birches
• Vines, including grapes and hops, are threatening local vineyards and breweries

Their feeding drains sap from plants and leaves behind a sticky substance called honeydew, which fosters black sooty mold and attracts stinging insects. Over time, this weakens trees and crops, hurting both homeowners’ yards and Connecticut’s agricultural industry.

Milkweed: An Unexpected Ally

Here’s some good news—milkweed actually kills spotted lanternflies.

Milkweed plants (such as common milkweed and swamp milkweed) produce a milky sap that contains cardiac glycosides—toxic compounds that interfere with an insect’s heart function. When lanternflies, especially young nymphs, feed on milkweed, they ingest these toxins, become sick, and often die.

That means planting milkweed in your yard can not only support monarch butterflies (whose caterpillars depend entirely on milkweed) but also serve as a natural way to help control lanternfly populations. It’s a two‑for‑one: protect pollinators and fight pests at the same time.

What We’re Seeing This Year

Sightings are up across Newtown this season, and females are now laying eggs (September–December). With adults active through November, this is a critical time to destroy pests before they overwinter.

What You Can Do

While there’s no statewide spraying program, homeowners can make a real difference:

1. Squash them – Step on or kill adults and nymphs when you see them.
2. Destroy egg masses – Look for gray, waxy patches on trees, fences, or outdoor items. Scrape them off, bag them with rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer, and dispose.
3. Plant milkweed – Choose native species like common or swamp milkweed. They’ll attract monarchs and poison lanternflies.
4. Report sightings – Use the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) reporting tool with photos and your location.
5. Check your gear – Inspect cars, trailers, and outdoor items before traveling, since SLF are skilled hitchhikers.

The Bottom Line

The spotted lanternfly is a fast‑spreading invader in Newtown, but we’re not powerless. With simple actions—squashing bugs, destroying egg masses, and planting native milkweed—we can slow their spread while supporting local wildlife like monarch butterflies.

🍂 This fall, turn your yard into part of the solution: be on the lookout for lanternflies, take action if you see them, and consider adding milkweed to your garden for both pest control and pollinator support.

As a landscape designer, I’m always looking for ways landscapes can do more  — they should teach, nourish, support sustainable practices, and invite reflection. At Newtown Middle School, we set out to create exactly that: a living classroom that supports wellness, sparks curiosity, and connects daily school life to the natural world.

On Tuesday, September 2, the school community cut the ribbon on the new garden and welcomed families for an open house. For me, it was a moment to step back and see a once-blank lawn transformed into a purposeful, evolving space.

What we designed — and why

Starting with intent is everything. Here, the goal was to extend the school’s wellness programming and provide hands-on learning across subjects. That drove every design choice:

Pollinator meadow and native plant structure: butterfly weed, winterberry holly, red twig dogwood, irises in the bioswale, and other natives to support wildlife, manage stormwater, and offer year-round interest.

Productive plantings: a squash patch; fruit trees and shrubs (including apples, Asian pears, and blueberries); and raised beds growing vegetables and herbs like radishes and beans for culinary and nutrition lessons.

A connected layout: a generous gravel pathway wraps and links each zone, with freshly cut grass bands, decorative stones, and wooden benches forming small congregation areas for reading, sketching, or quiet observation.

Thoughtful infrastructure: automatic irrigation on timers and micro-emitters in raised beds to keep plants healthy; shrubs sited to screen utilities over time; a cold frame planned for seedlings; a future tool shed to support ongoing classroom use.

As with any good landscape, we focused on the structure, circulation, and views first. Every classroom around the garden now looks onto something alive and changing, season to season.

For students first

NMS Garden Club students will plant and maintain the space, building practical skills in health, wellness, and stewardship. Teachers will integrate it into the curriculum across disciplines, and student engagement will continue to grow over time. That ongoing evolution is, to me, the mark of a successful garden.

As a Newtown Middle School alum, it’s been especially meaningful to help shape a place that I hope will inspire the next generation — a garden that reveals structure in winter, color and life in spring, and lessons in every season.

If you’re interested in creating a learning-focused garden or a landscape that works as beautifully as it looks, I’d be glad to talk.

Reach out at:
203-270-3331

dan@holmesfinegardens.com

Our meadow in full view

We love hearing from our clients and showcasing their stories! Enjoy this post from our clients, Charles and Wendy, sharing their garden journey in their own words. Enjoy!

Our front yard pollinator garden has been a labor of love for years, always buzzing with birds, bees, and butterflies. It features Cranberry Viburnums, Garden Phlox, Eastern bluestar, cornflowers, black-eyed Susans, Shasta daisy, goldenrod, sneezeweed, sedum, alliums, lamb’s ears, meadow sage, and beard tongue.

Over the past three years, we have drawn inspiration from Doug Tallamy’s Homegrown National Park movement to transform our backyard—primarily septic fields—and sloping side yard into a pollinator haven.

We encourage you to explore Homegrown National Park for resources on native plantings. This spring, a Newtown chapter was launched, led by Mary Wilson. If you’re interested in contacting her, her email is: homegrownparknewtown@gmail.com.

In May 2023, with help from Holmes Fine Gardens, we removed the grass, seeded a meadow, and planted native trees and shrubs—hemlocks, laurels, and dogwoods—around the perimeter. We also added seven fruit trees (apples, plums, pears, and a peach) to the terraced areas, and have already harvested apples and pears!

While deer enjoyed most of our vegetable garden this past year, they left us some habanero peppers, cucumbers, and a few squash flowers.

We’re excited for the next phase: planting the terraces with native perennials and blueberries.

Stay tuned for more updates!

Holmes Fine Gardens clients – Wendy and Charles

Your garden has the potential to be more than just a beautiful space. According to Douglas W. Tallamy, an ecologist and professor at the University of Delaware, it can be vital in addressing the biodiversity crisis and supporting the environment. Tallamy, co-founder of the educational nonprofit Homegrown National Park, has spent years advocating for ecological gardening practices. His message is clear: your yard can help manage the watershed, support pollinators, bolster a viable food web, and sequester carbon. Here’s how you can make a difference.

1. Manage the Watershed

Every landscape has a responsibility to manage the watershed it lies within. Lawns, which dominate many gardens, are particularly harmful in this regard. A well-maintained lawn degrades the watershed by promoting runoff and preventing water infiltration. Instead, consider replacing portions of your lawn with native plants that can absorb and filter water. Adding trees, shrubs, and groundcovers not only helps manage water but also reduces the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides, which often pollute waterways.

Tallamy emphasizes that you don’t need to overhaul your entire garden at once. Start small by planting a tree or creating a patch of native wildflowers. Over time, these incremental changes will improve your garden’s ability to manage water sustainably.

2. Support Pollinators

Pollinators like bees, butterflies, and moths are essential for the reproduction of many plants, including those that produce food. However, their populations are declining due to habitat loss, pesticide use, and invasive species. To support pollinators, Tallamy recommends planting native species that provide nectar and pollen. Keystone plants, which play an outsized role in supporting ecosystems, are particularly important. For example, goldenrod and milkweed are excellent choices for attracting pollinators.

Avoid practices that harm beneficial insects, such as mosquito fogging treatments. Even natural solutions like pyrethrin can indiscriminately kill pollinators, fireflies, and other vital species. Instead, focus on creating a safe and welcoming environment for these creatures.

3. Bolster the Food Web

A healthy food web starts with plants that support caterpillars, which are a primary food source for birds and other wildlife. Tallamy’s research shows that just 14% of native plants support 90% of caterpillars, making these keystone plants critical for restoring ecosystem function. Oaks, for instance, are a powerhouse for supporting caterpillars and other wildlife.

If your garden is already established, you don’t need to remove all your non-native plants. Instead, aim for a balance. Research suggests that having 70% native plants in your garden is enough to support local bird populations. Use resources like Homegrown National Park’s regional guides to identify the best keystone plants for your area and incorporate them into your landscape.

4. Sequester Carbon

Climate change is one of the most pressing environmental challenges, and your garden can help mitigate its effects by sequestering carbon. Trees and shrubs are particularly effective at capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it in their biomass and the soil. However, not all plants are equally beneficial. Tallamy cautions against large-scale planting of nonnative species like eucalyptus, which may sequester carbon but fail to support biodiversity.

Instead, focus on planting native trees and shrubs that provide dual benefits: carbon sequestration and habitat for wildlife. By choosing the right plants, you can maximize your garden’s ecological impact.

Rethinking the Role of Lawns

While lawns have ornamental value and serve practical purposes, such as providing pathways and reducing tick exposure, they contribute little to ecological health. Tallamy suggests reducing the size of your lawn and replacing it with native plants. Even small changes, like adding a patch of wildflowers or a single oak tree, can make a significant difference.

The Bigger Picture

Tallamy’s work underscores the importance of making informed plant choices. His lab has ranked plants in every U.S. county based on their ability to support the food web, and similar efforts are underway globally. This information is crucial for reforestation and gardening efforts, ensuring that we prioritize plants that support both biodiversity and climate goals.

By managing the watershed, supporting pollinators, bolstering the food web, and sequestering carbon, your garden can become a powerful tool for ecological restoration. Start small, make thoughtful choices, and watch as your landscape transforms into a haven for wildlife and a force for environmental good.