Category Archives: Blog

A beautifully designed walkway does more than connect two points on your property. It creates a welcoming entrance, complements your landscape, and adds lasting value to your home. But what makes a walkway look great for years rather than just the day it’s installed? For homeowners along Massachusetts’ South Shore, the answer comes down to […]

Love the look of a clean fall yard but not the hassle of hauling away all those leaves? Landscaping by J. Michael offers a convenient curbside leaf pickup service for homeowners looking for an easier way to handle autumn cleanup. Fall in Massachusetts brings beautiful foliage, cooler temperatures, and plenty of leaves. For homeowners throughout […]

Thoughtful improvements can transform the look, feel, and function of your property without requiring a complete landscape renovation. When homeowners think about improving their landscapes, they often imagine major projects involving extensive construction, new patios, or complete redesigns. But sometimes, the most noticeable transformations come from making a few well-planned changes to what’s already there. […]

Spring may feel a long way off, but fall is one of the best times to begin planning larger landscape projects. By this point in the season, you have had months to see how your property functions. You know which areas feel underused, where privacy is lacking, which walkways or patios no longer work well, […]

Privacy is one of the most common goals homeowners have for their landscape, but the best solutions rarely come from planting a single row of identical evergreens. A well-designed privacy planting should feel like part of the landscape, not a barrier added to it. The goal is to create screening while also adding beauty, structure, […]

Landscaping by J. Michael will be joining the community at Lobsterfest on Saturday, September 19 at the Marshfield Fairgrounds, and we hope you’ll stop by and say hello. Lobsterfest is a family-friendly celebration of everything coastal and local, featuring local food and seafood, drinks, live entertainment, artisans, local vendors, children’s activities, coastal education, nonprofits, art […]

For many homeowners, the best part of the landscape is not simply how it looks — it is how the space is used. A thoughtfully designed outdoor living area can make the yard feel like a natural extension of the home, creating places to relax, entertain, gather with family or simply spend more time outside. […]

As summer begins to wind down, September is one of the best times to take a fresh look at your landscape. You have had an entire season to see what works, what doesn’t, and what you would like to change. Perhaps you need more privacy, better outdoor living space, improved drainage, refreshed plantings or an […]

Some landscape projects are measured in square feet, materials, and finished details. Others are measured in something far more meaningful: the life that will happen there. Recently, Landscaping by J. Michael received a note from a client, Jackie Sullivan, about a project designed by Keith and brought to life by the J. Michael team. Her […]

Foundation plantings do more than fill the space around a home. They help frame the architecture, soften hard edges, create seasonal interest, and make the property feel finished. But over time, even a well-designed planting can outgrow its original purpose. One of the most common signs is scale. Shrubs that once fit neatly beneath windows […]