Lauritzen Gardens

Lauritzen Gardens is a living museum of unique four-season plant displays, maintained to the highest standards consistent with environmental stewardship. It provides memorable educational and aesthetic experiences for all.

Escape to an urban oasis of beauty and tranquility to experience the glory of the garden. Discover a hidden sanctuary in the heart of the city. Relax while cultivating your mind in this living plant museum, conveniently located in the beautiful riverfront hills.

Lauritzen Gardens has several educational programs and tours as well as a summer camp and you can have a birthday party of wedding there.  Become a member and get special perks.

Arboretum and Bird Sanctuary

The arboretum and Oberman Bird Sanctuary is a four-acre site with seven regional plant communities: prairie, savannah, oak hickory forest, maple linden forest, farmstead windbreak, marsh and flood plain river margin.

The word arboretum literally means “garden of trees.” In this area, they planted many different species of trees and shrubs appropriate for a Nebraska landscape. They used both native trees and shrubs as well as plants which have the ability to adapt to our harsh environment. It will take many years for this garden area to mature due to the slow growth habit of the plants. The site, however, is a relaxing place to stroll and enjoy the young trees and the beautiful vistas to be seen from this vantage point. This area along the Missouri River corridor is a natural flyway for migratory birds. There are feeders and nest boxes located throughout the sanctuary so the arboretum provides a unique area to observe the birds.

In the spring, keep your eyes and ears peeled for polliwogs, tadpoles and frogs in the marsh area!

“End of Day” Sculpture

The arboretum and bird sanctuary is the perfect setting for this bronze sculpture of sand hill cranes. Artist Dee Clements, a member of the National Sculptors’ Guild, captured the grace of these magnificent native birds. He was commissioned to design this original sculpture for Lauritzen Gardens from his studio in Loveland, Colo.

“Sunflowers, Snowbirds & Lizards” Sculpture

This round bronze sculpture near the arboretum and bird sanctuary entrance beautifully depicts snowbirds as they prepare to dine on the seeds of sunflowers. It was sculpted by Sharles for the city of Palm Desert, Calif. His deep appreciation for birds, fish and reptiles is reflected in his art.

Children's Garden

No other garden better illustrates their educational focus than the children's garden. It is the site of many of the children's activities including school tours, youth organization projects, and garden children’s programs.

Children have the opportunity to engage in hands-on gardening as well as receive a formal tour and presentation by education staff. Children are involved in the planning, planting, maintaining and harvesting of this garden area.

Adults enjoy visiting the garden as well to see bright colors, unique artwork and unusual plants not found elsewhere at Lauritzen Gardens.

“Dina”

Ronald Weise, a welder from Dunlap, Iowa, created this friendly dinosaur, “Dina,” using scrap metal and old farm equipment parts. Dina has an oil-pan head and antique hay rake tine ribs.

English Perennial Border

Opened in 2006, the English perennial border is located between the Victorian garden and Garden in the Glen. The English perennial border is a plantsman’s dream come true. More than 300 different plant species and cultivars are displayed amongst the thousands of individual sun and shade-loving perennials. They all are organized as a traditional English border would be.

English gardens are known for their masses of colorful plants and informal design style. Early English gardeners were plant enthusiasts and collectors. They enjoyed filling their gardens with as many different plants as possible.

For more information on Lauritzen Gardens click here.  For more information about the Priority Group or Sallie Elliott click here.

Old MacDonald Had a…Farmer’s Market?

Oh yes, he did. Especially here in Omaha, Nebraska. We have lots of farms and farmer’s markets. I wanted to share a little bit of information on these wonderful places, and highlight one of my favorites, Nelson Produce & Farm. I really enjoy taking my grandson to this place and boy does he ever enjoy going there. We like to go when they first open in June. You can find a list of all the local farms here and a list of farmers markets here.

Nelson Produce & Farm

For over 12 years Tyler and Pam Nelson along with our 4 girls, has supplied Omaha and surrounding areas with their farm fresh produce. In 2019, they opened their farm to the public to help bridge the gap between rural and urban Nebraska! Guests at the farm have the opportunity to tour the farm, pick fresh produce, and engage with barn yard animals. Families have a chance to jump hay bales, ride pedal trikes, and spend hours getting creative in their natural playground. Not only can you pick and take home their fresh produce you can enjoy a home cooked meal and yummy treats baked in Pam’s Farmhouse Cafe. And don’t miss out on Baby Animal Days from June 3rd to June 6th. Farm season opens on June 3rd. You can also buy season passes. When you buy a season pass there is Private Pizza Night on June 4th. And lastly there is a Farm to Table night on June 11th featuring all their dairy products. Plus there are many other events to check out here.

Benson Bounty

Fresh, quality produce from a family-run farm right next door. Michelle and Mark Brannen own and operate Benson Bounty LLC, a family farm located on 1.5 acres of land in the Benson neighborhood of Omaha, Nebraska. They utilize sustainable practices to care for their land and pride themselves on producing clean, healthy food for the community. They grow Nebraska’s finest heirloom garlic as well as countless varieties of fruits, vegetables, flowers, and herbs—both culinary and medicinal. Benson Bounty has a Thursday night farm stand, you can shop online, buy flowers either at their stand or get a flower subscription. Their web site has information on their farm, new and events, like their spring plant sale on May 6th and their blog.

Barreras Family Farm

Barreras is a neat family farm because they not only sell premium beef and pork, but they host a variety of events. To start with they have a bundled meat choices that are nice. You choose your bundle; they box it up and ship it to you along with recipes to show you how to cook the items that you’ve ordered. In addition, they have an impressive line up on events that they put on for the public. Some of these are things like a summer farm camp where kids can visit the farm and explore everything there is to know about farm animal, from the cute and cuddle to the strong and massive. If you child is wanting to take things to the next level, they have a Farm STEM Camp that teaches them about tractors, implements, weather, butchery, animal veterinary science and a whole host of other things. The web site includes online learning as well. And they have the cutest rent-a-chick educational program which allows you 1 week and two baby chicks giving you the opportunity to enjoy the simple pleasures of farm life at home. Too cute! They also have group field trips and tours and other special events.

Taking a Peek at the Atlanta Market

Coming this July 13 – 19th is the Atlanta Market, the Premier Gift, Décor, and Lifestyle Market. Housing the nation’s largest gift product mix complemented by a broad selection of home décor. Atlanta Market features more than 8,000 brands across all categories including seasonal, gourmet, tabletop, outdoor and more.  Explore a thoughtfully curated environment where trends are revealed and where product is personal. Experience the irreplaceable feeling of seeing the varied hues of your next bestseller and feeling its weight and texture in your hands. This event is a big one in the design world.  It’s a trend setter and a place to get the most magnificent ideas for future projects as well as buy some design treasures.

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Who Will Be There?

There are three buildings of exhibitors so you will want to plan your day.  Downloading their app is important which you can find at https://www.atlantamarket.com/Attend/App. It will help you find your way around and be strategic about your route.  You can find a list of exhibitors as well by clicking here. You can also join Market’s community of influencers, retail experts, store owners, designers, media and manufacturers for an array of educational seminars, demos, industry networking events, tastemaker parties and more.  These are offered both in person and by webinar.

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Home Décor

My personal favorites are in the home décor area located in building 1 on floors 1-15.  Included is lighting, linens & textiles, wall décor and rugs and let’s not forget all the other wonderful accessories. If you want to find items to complete your design projects, this is the area that I recommend.  There is a lot of fabulous stuff here.  My favorites are the wicker and rattans and some of the new upholsteries I find at this market.  Designers will often take their whole team with them to this market because it’s such an inspirational place.  I’m excited to find out the summer trends for 2021 and incorporate what I learn into my new construction designs.

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

For more information on the Priority Group and to see homes designed by Sallie Elliott visit us at one of our online locations here https://linktr.ee/omahaprioritygroup.

Landscaping Schmandscaping!

We don’t really give too much thought to landscaping until we buy a brand-new home or a one that needs a little TLC. In fact, unless you have a problem with your current landscaping, it’s likely you’re in the majority of people who have never hired a landscaper. Since I’m a designer who works with a lot of new home builds and I’ve recently renovated my home, I know a little something about it. To start with, there’s no real trick to finding a landscaper but if you don’t get on his or her radar before springtime, you can be in for a long wait. You’ll certainly want to use a company you know and one that’s been recommended. The next thing is knowing what a realistic budget is so make sure you get a few quotes. Both big and small, we have a plenty of landscaping companies right here in town and I’m going to feature a few for you this week.

Patera

I would guess that Patera is a mid to larger company and they work quite a bit with developers and builders. I’ve also seen them do work for individuals and it’s good. They install softscapes and hardscapes as well as firepits, fireplaces, water features and outdoor lighting. Most of their projects are at least mid-sized and from the look of them they are likely also bigger budget projects, but their work is good and because of that it might be a little harder to get on their schedule. Take a look at some of their work. https://www.pateralandscaping.com/

Lanoha

They are a large garden center as well as a landscaping company for residential and commercial jobs as well as a landscape and turf maintenance company. This is one of my favorite places to go for my projects because I can see what they’ll be planting or installing before it gets done. They have a professional design center ready to assist and I would say the primarily work with bigger budgets. In this case, you get what you pay for. They really do exquisite work. But be prepared to plan ahead. They are one of the more popular places in town and if you’re not the first one in line so-to-speak you may wait a bit. Again, it’s worth it in this case. https://lanohanurseries.com/

Jensen Gardens

Located in Springfield, Nebraska this awesome place also has a nursery where they grow what they use in their projects. They say they can design anything you can imagine, and I believe it. And in the winter, they transform into a snow removal company. Though they wear many hats, they really are focused on the job at hand. From landscapes to hardscapes, outdoor kitchens, poolside patios and more, they really do, do it all. I like their work, including their designs. Check them out for yourself at https://landscapeomaha.com/

Clear Creek Landscapes

This little gem is a smaller landscaping company and I’ve used them for mulch mounds and hardscaping. Their prices are competitive and they’re hard-working and reliable young people. But make no mistake, I think they would be great for any job, big or small including outdoor transformations like a kitchen or a brand-new patio entertainment space with a pergola. They give me competitive, written bids and a concept drawing ahead of time so that I know exactly what to expect. You should expect that from any reputable company. I’m happy to say that all their work has been spot on and creative. And they’re not budget snobs. They’ll help you work within any budget. Also, they warranty their plants which is especially important here in Nebraska. https://clearcreeklandscapes.com/

Springtime Transformations

Spring is near and it’s time to give some consideration to decorating for this time of year. Yes, we like to decorate for the holidays like St. Patrick’s Day and Easter but there’s some all over the house transformations that go on which celebrate the newness of this time of year. This week’s blog is about how to give your home a fresh new look with paint and fabric colors and patterns as well as with a beautiful and not necessarily high maintenance garden for the outdoors which translates into fragrant flowers for the indoors. Come along with me as we delve into all the tips and tricks for decorating to suit the season.

Pillows and Linens

A springtime must is changing out kitchen and bath towels, bedding, curtains, and putting out some new pillows. Pastels and brighter colors represent this time of year. Flowers blooming outside and matching colors inside. Go ahead and brighten it up. Paint that rooms that you’ve been putting off all winter and transform it into something that makes you say ahhhhhh. Use beautiful leafy or flowery patterns in your linens to make the house feel fresh and outdoorsy. And do not forget the curtains. You’ll want to use lighter weight fabrics to let the breezes flow through the open windows like linen along with those lighter colors. Darker colors are warm for winter and heavier fabrics keep you warm for winter. Putting out a new tablecloth that is lighter and brighter is a great and inexpensive way to spruce up the kitchen.

Plates and Dishes and Flatware…oh my!

Not into table linens? Try some chargers underneath plates and bowls to bring a new look to the table. Dinnerware can be something that you use all year long if you get it in a neutral color that matches all the seasons like white. Buy a few colorful bowls to throw in there with a vase of flowers and some colorful cloth napkins and your set for springtime. There are plenty of choice for silverware as well. Various metals like stainless and gold look and the choices in styles vary quite a bit as well. If you want to take the springtime theme to a new level, try some forks with handles that look like sticks. I’ve seen them around a lot and they definitely suit.

Speaking of Flowers

Most of us like a beautiful garden in theory but couldn’t grown one if our lives depended on it. Some of us are blessed with a green thumb as my grandmother used to put it. Whichever you are, there’s a way to get something pleasing to the eye. Now I personally happen to be the not so green thumb type. I hire someone to do some of the planting for me but that’s not friendly for all budgets. The way to get something pretty in the springtime is to plan ahead during the previous fall. I’m talking about bulbs. Tulips, irises, and daffodils are just a few of the types of flowers that can grown from bulbs. If you follow the directions and plant them during the right time of year, you’ll get gorgeous flows the next spring. Voila! And let’s talk ornamental grasses. Too many to name, these are the best way to take up space in your yard, add dimension and color as well as have add some softness to hardscaping. All you must do is cut them back in the spring and they do their own thing the rest of the year. And there are outdoor pots. If you don’t have the necessary creativity for these, buy them in plastic pots, and put the plastic pots into nice decorative pots so it looks as if you arranged them yourself. This one is my favorite hack. I’ve even gone so far as to bury the plastic pot in potting soil to disguise it.

Do Not Forget to Clean and Declutter

Last week’s blog was on the topic of cleaning and decluttering but I can’t say enough about it. There’s no point in decorating for spring in pursuit of a fresh new look when you have all the wintertime dirt and clutter still handing around. If you don’t want to do this bit yourself, most housekeeping companies provide a one time deep clean service and will happily do it for you. In fact, my service is Maid Brigade here in Omaha. I’ve used them for years and they do a great job plus they knock it all out in short order. As far as decluttering, there are professionals for that as well. Hire one and take the headache out of getting rid of the things you don’t need or use anymore. They’ll help make the decisions and they know how to get you organized.

Well…that’s my two cents on springtime design, décor and more. If you’d like to read more of my blogs or find out how we can help you find a home go to www.omahaprioritygroup.com

Spring Cleaning and Decluttering

Well…it’s that time again. Spring is just around the corner and we’ve got to do some work so we can enjoy our homes. Winter brought us a lot of snow this year in Nebraska which means a lot of the mud and sand came with it and got into our garages and entryways. And don’t forget about the home maintenance that needs doing. We tend to nest during the colder months which means we built up some clutter. And lastly, it’s time to put out the spring decorations and think about what plants we want to have in the yard this year.

Cleaning it Up

As I mentioned, a lot of the outdoors has been tracked indoors during the snowy weather we’ve recently had. That means that there is sand in your garage that needs sweeping, blowing, or hosing, dependent on how much you have in there. I drive a SUV with big tires, so I brought in a lot of debri that needed to be swept and then hosed. It was way too much to blow because I’d get it all over the other things also stored in that space. Removing all that nonsense from the garage floor will prevent it from further getting onto the floors in my home which, of course, now need cleaning. This is especially important if you have hardwood floors because the sand will scratch those if you keep walking over it. I personally like to vacuum the floors using a vacuum setting appropriate for floors and then mop. For my hardwoods, I just use a cleaner made for hardwood which is easy to find in any home improvement or grocery store.

Home Maintenance

Super important to the long life of your home is the maintenance that happens in springtime. You’ll want to caulk around windows and doors in case any of that material has disintegrated during winter. And it’s especially important to check your gutters to ensure they are functioning alright that way there are no wayward leaks that will damage your home. Check hose spigots to be sure they are functioning properly and there are no leaks. Wait until the weather is consistently over freezing before you do so and when it is, start up your sprinkler system. We’ve had plenty of water from the snow this season, but your grass will need the water with the upcoming warmer weather and so will blooming plants. Speaking of which it’s also, it’s time to start thinking about spring planting. If you have some spring bulbs that need planting, put those right into the ground. Think about what you want to put in your pots and make sure you get to the garden center when everything comes out in a couple of weeks. That way you get exactly what you want before they run out. And lastly, you may want to freshen your home with a new coast of interior or exterior paint depending on the age and condition of your existing paint. You’d be surprised at how much difference a fresh paint job can make in the appearance of your home.

Declutter

Getting rid of the things you don’t use often by throwing them away, selling, donating, or putting them into storage is a great way to make your home feel clean and fresh as well as a great way to make some extra cash or do a good deed. It also helps you get organized before summer shenanigans begin and makes your home look fantastic. Try starting with those closets like the coast closet, the one in your primary bedroom and the kitchen pantry. Those are the places that tend to get the bulk of the stuff in them during the winter. Once it’s warm enough, try putting winter clothes in a different bedroom closet so the clothes you use daily are easier to see. I find this helps me better utilize all the clothes I have, and I can more easily put together a cute outfit with something I may have forgotten I have. Cleaning out the kitchen pantry helps me be more organized when cooking my favorite meals and it helps to keep track of what I have so I don’t buy multiples at the grocery store because I didn’t see an item in the closet. Lastly, if you have children, it’s time to go through the toys and decide what to keep and what to get ride of. Kids outgrown toys so quickly and there are many organizations that welcome lightly used donations for children in need.

Spring Decorating

This part is my favorite. After I’ve cleaned my house and decluttered, I love to put out the spring decorations. That means flowers in vases, light, and airy curtains, throw pillows and new bed and bathroom linens with light springtime colors. I even like to switch out area rugs that have a fresher feel to them. Plus, it gives me an opportunity to get the ones I’m not using currently cleaned for next winter. Make sure to have your windows professionally cleaned during this time of year so that sunlight shines in on all the beautiful treasures you’re putting out. And if you need some decorating tips, keep an eye on my blog for more information at www.omahaprioritygroup.com/blog We put lots of great seasonal info out twice a week.

Happy springtime ya’ll!