Laura and Aaron, my husband and I owned a business together for 40 years (just retired this year and hence found this channel!). You two work so well together and are a true example of “the sum is greater than the parts”. We survived by using the simple concept of leveraging each other’s strengths and allowing the expert their domain. You two demonstrate this so well. Thanks for being here for all of us. There’s more to learn here than just gardening. ❤

Shoutout to Felco! Thanks for sponsoring this week’s recap 🥰❤

When you first started Q & A’s, I thought ugh, no actual gardening. Now I think I appreciate them as much as your regular videos…if not more! Who would’ve thought?! Thanks for allowing us to watch you guys live out your passion!

Hello Aaron and Laura, I have a name that is appropriate for the section near the Hartley: Parterre A parterre is a part of a formal garden constructed on a level substrate, consisting of symmetrical patterns, made up by plant beds, low hedges or coloured gravels, which are separated and connected by paths. Typically it was the part of the garden nearest the house, perhaps after a terrace.

Also I agree that the work is the joy - that's what I love about your channel - I see the process and the reality of the time it takes. If I just want the end product then I would look at a magazine but that's not fun for me. I truly love the process of how you take Lauras imagination, Aarons engineering and planning ability and everyones hard work to get a finished project. A true joy!

Felco pruners are the best! So glad they are showing love back to this community. I have been using them for 20 years, and this is a prompt to pick a few up as stocking stuffers for my favorite gardeners. ❤

Thank you Felco! For the sponsoring & for your products! I inherited my parents' Felcos & treasure them along with my own. Have watched Laura's Felco cleaning video numerous times. Your loppers & snips are always the 1st chosen here too! Great stuff! Thanks!

Love Russell’s involvement in almost every video! Cracks me up how he sneaks in-follows-gets up in the middle of your projects!😂❤

It’s nice to see how well you and your family take care of your parents. You seem like a close knit family.

I hope this new year eve you do another incredible video of the recap of the whole 2022 year. It was so peaceful and enjoyable to watch. I think I need to watch it right now. Kinda made me tear up. 😢 The word inspiring gets over used but you all are the definition of garden inspiration.

" the labor , is the fruit " thank you sweet Aron for giving me language to my feelings on my garden projects !

“Our labor IS the fruit”. Very well said!

Regarding the “boxwood squares” behind the Hartley, you could call them the Hartley squares, Hartley boxwood squares, Hartley quads, boxwood quads, Hartley four-squares. Aaron’s vision changing the mulched areas beside the Hartley quads (see how I did that, lol) to gravel leading to the driveway is SPOT ON!!! Visually much more pleasing! 💚 If you have a few squirrels now, I strongly believe you will have many more in the future (the voice of experience) and highly recommend you lay down the chicken wire or hardware cloth before putting down the mulch.

Laura, I overestimate what I can do in a day, too. Let's clean the house, mow the lawn, do laundry, then I'll knit a sweater before I make dinner...🤣

I am just so happy that your father is slowly being shown more in your videos. I've heard some comments from you about your father which seemed normal to me to have coorkey moments. It's a blessing to even have a breathing father. I would have millions of loving moments of my father no matter what others think. He is loved and he is your father.

You both have such great taste! I love the restraint you use and the juxtaposition of formal and quaint. I’m so glad you are keeping the chicken coop area the way it was. 🐓 All your projects turn out perfect and it’s so satisfying to watch. 😍

Glad Felco has stepped forward. Only tools I use. You have been promoting them all along...glad you are being rewarded. I had Felco, but bought 3 Hoselinks because of you. Love what you do.

❤WOW! What a productive week for you guys. I loved watching you rearrange the garden center, your parents are so lucky to have you and Monica pitch in the way you do to help them. It turned out gorgeous, I hope we see another video of it upon completion. Looking forward to seeing the bulbs pop up around the Hartley, hopefully those in the south garden by the flower shed as well. Happy Sunday everyone 😊☕️

Loved this recap. I've never heard Aaron talk this much and it was really nice to get to see more of his personality. He is a wonderful, gentle soul and your perfect match.

I like that you show the reality of the time it can take to do projects, big and small. I always think I can get more done than I do. We moved into our house 3 1/2 years ago, and have learned so much from you. There were a nice mix of perennials, but many were struggling. Adding all the espoma products , especially in Spring, and mulching, has been a gamer changer. The plants have grown, bloomed, and are healthier than they were. Neighbors have remarked at the difference.

Yep 👍 Felcos my favorite garden tool ! I think I have the felco two I have a fairly small hand and it fits perfectly! As far as not being able to find products for interior decor, that’s my story too , but what I miss most is it’s my story when it comes to plants especially Proven winners 😢.Also our son recently moved to Oregon (west coast ) so there’s a slight chance I might get to stop at Andrews someday ❤

Because of your videos, I have started using Felco's (have 3 pairs now) and love them! Went to a high-end estate sale where they had a pair that had never been used and was so excited!!! They came home with me.

Four squares in front of the Hartley ... I would suggest calling it The Courtyard.

I LOVE the brick patio idea. I love all the brick driveways and patios in England! It would fit perfectly next to the Heartly!!

Always love watching your videos. With each new project done and your enthusiasm I feel like your viewers share the same enthusiasm. Thank you, thank you for your hard work.

Hi Laura, I live in an area with so many squirrels it's unbelievable. Since I don't have a dog, my yard looks like Cinderella's with the squirrels, rabbits and birds. Squirrels will dig up any bulbs immediately after I plant them and just toss them aside no matter how many times I replant them. I believe that they are just wondering what someone buried there and are hoping that it's a walnut or something equally tasty. The only way I have found works for me is to cover the buried bulb area with something until the ground freezes. Sometimes it's wire mesh and sometimes it's just with wooden boards (I don't post pictures of my yard) 😉 Squirrels, especially the small red ones are the bane of my gardening existence. They also chew apart Christmas lights

It's the Hartley Courtyard!

Yes to Felco. A brand you sold me on 4 years ago. Whoop! And I would call you a set designer.

Thanks Laura for introducing me to Felcos! After watching your videos, I bought a pair and LOVE them!!!

Yeah! More land = more videos!! Remembering back years ago when the cut flower garden dream was born.. (In the west side sod removal video @ 14:55) I find it incredibly inspiring to see the progress made on your piece of paradise over the years. Hoping you're still considering the huge zinnia field next spring! Thank you for doing what you do!

Great recap, Laura & Aaron. Watch out for those pesky squirrels 🐿 I bought my Felcos after watching you and they’re my fav! Don’t garden without them!

The arial shots are so wonderful, thank you Aaron! I’m in love with the shape surrounding the Hartley and wouldn’t be able to visualize it without those shots. It’s just so elegant without being stuffy. Perfect.

Good morning all have a safe and blessed day

Hi, Laura. Love the blue top :). Can't wait for the video where you overwinter your dahlias.

Got my first pair of Felco 2's in 1988 and they are still going strong!

Everything looks great guys. Great wrap up. Laura the blue shirt is a great color for you. Very pretty. Have a awesome week everyone. Zone 8A

Birds are very clever REALLY

I agree with the comment about recording a video on how Andrew Seeds works. Thumbs up!

The stone by the back door looks great with the brick! I am a trained designer, You don’t want too much of one surface, at least Too differentiate between zones. I am a Felco user!! My favorite because of Laura!

I bought my first set of Felco pruners this season because of Laura and I haven't looked back. So happy to add them to my garden tools that they made it to a gift for the fall!

I saw an episode by Bunny Guinness where she talked about treating gravel so it is locked in place. She talked about it being used in commercial spaces and said it is an expensive process.

Actually I , too, get great satisfaction and joy frommthe journey. Hope your journey continues for many years. No matter what direction it leads

Happy Sunday Garden Answer family! Got Bless!

What about adding a sundial in the centre of the four squares? Then you can call it the Sundial Garden.

“Our labor is the fruit “, one of the best statements I’ve heard! Thanks Aaron.

I bought my Felco pruners because of you Laura. My favorite pruners.

Good morning, Laura & Aaron ☕️. Got my coffee and, I’m ready!

It is always a quiet joy to watch these highlights. I was sick with covid and just couldn't, and still can't, concentrate on long videos. By long, I mean something over 10 minutes or 20 minutes. With the highlights, though, I can take breaks and still not miss anything. Slowly but surely, I will get back to a cup of tea and longer videos, and eventually even movies!

I love my Felco’s. I asked for a pair last Christmas and my husband surprised me with a leather holster…my favorite pruners!!

Hi Laura and Aaron, in relation to the comment on always haven projects to do, l love the fact you do things slowly because we will always have videos coming out to watch👏 I have been watching you for about 4 or 5 years now and you keep inspiring me to make my small balcony look beautiful and low matance, as I work full time, thank you for all you guys do for us watching❤🇨🇮🌻

I am interested to see how you feel about the existing flagstone patio once your furniture arrives. I love it, but it’s not my space! One of the things I appreciate about how it looks now is that the bricks are a defined pathway separate from that patio area, so that space feels like its own “room,” as you like to say. The way the bricks curve around to connect to your other door also provides a pleasing flow to my eye. Whatever you decide, it will be a beautiful and relaxing place for you and your family to enjoy, as always. Also, I got my first pair of Felcos for Christmas last year and LOVE them (Felco 7, ergonomic style for big hands).

My Dutch town plants over 200,000 bulbs each year. They have a tractor for planting but do the trench method. It turns out a mass of beauty.

Good morning Laura & Aaron ☕🍳🥚🥞🥯

Laura and Aaron, from experience, those darn squirrels WILL dig up bulbs, rhizomes, and young plants grown from seed. I had some young plants sitting outside hardening off, and those squirrels pulled all those stems out of the pots and it was a mess. Definitely put down down chicken wire and then mulch to deter them from digging. I love the recaps with you and Aaron sharing your views about gardening. Keep up the good work!😊😊😊❤🌻🌲👍

I love ❤️ what you did around the Hartley. It’s a mini formal🥰 I can’t wait until the spring to see all the pretty 😍 pink tulips 🌷. I’m getting ready to plant 🌱 my globemaster alliums 💜

good afternoon from Ireland.xx

Bought my first Felco pruners this year. Love them! Have misplaced ( and found) a number of other pruners. Guarding these like they are gold. Very sharp ! The snippers are on my Christmas 🎄wish list😁

I've been to Andrew's 2 years in a row now. My son lives on the Washington peninsula and I'm in Northern Utah, so I've driven (hate that) twice and HAVE to stop! Last year I met your mom. What a privilege it would have been to run into you. I was just there a few weeks ago. Mid October.

I'm fine with the fact you finally added a sponsor. Laura sharing her passion for a product is just fine. I hope there are not comments to the contrary! This is a perfect time to think about getting someone Felcos for a gift. Love all the content; can't go a day without seeing what you are doing around your garden!

You’re so right Aaron, the journey is the fun part and accomplishing goals feels so good. Thanks for sharing it with us.

So glad that your Mother is on the mend!

I love, love, love, “trees talk to each other!”

Got my Colorblends order, 21 amaryllis bulbs, shipped some as gifts, 9 potted up sitting on my coffee table. Christmas should be glorious!

When we were first married, my husband bought me a pair of Felcos for Christmas. I was thrilled. Sadly, after 46 years, I no longer have the original pair. I do have new ones, which I love. Wonderful videos all week. Love the Q and A. Such a great start for my morning and my week!

Some say that you should always be making improvements to your house/yard/space. When you're done - it's time to move and find another space to start working on. So, keep on going. It's the journey. And ya'll are so entertaining to watch. Such great attitudes of graditudes. Big fan. :D

Yes, totally agree with moving the mulch back away from the four quadrants and lining with brick. Looks much cleaner and more defined. Great idea! 👍

Congratulations on the Felco sponsorship! Great products!

Thank you, to Felco! Garden Answer makes for a great team! On naming the 4 spaces next to the Hartley: The Hartley Garden.

Smart move Felco. I have been using your products for years. Now tons more people will find out what a great product you have.

LOVE LOVE LOVE my Felco 2 pruner!!! How about calling the 4 squares... the QUARTET! :) 🎶

Take it from a New Englander who has seen squirrels eat ANYTHING. Put that wire cloth on top of those tulips. They will find them.

I don’t notice any issues with the video. I just enjoy watching the process and take inspiration from it

Thanks once again for the cheerful discussion with you both...you guys truly bless us all with your insight, knowledge, and projects!

Quick comment about the squirrels. Having lived in Eagle Idaho for about 30 years and now living in North Carolina, I can see what a huge difference the squirrel population can be in different areas. We had little to none in Idaho, much like you in eastern Oregon. If I could give my little piece of advice about them, that would be to catch and release them now! They grow in population so quickly and can do so much damage and be so frustrating. We have done that here in North Carolina and significantly reduced our population. We’re not hurting them at all. We use one of those cages that catches them safely. We drive out into the country making sure there’s trees where we take them and we release them. Our grandsons love it and get so excited whenever we catch one.

I was excited to hear Felco has left handed pruners. I often have to use other pruners upside down. Love that you and Aron share your lives with us.

The Hartley courtyard maybe? It does look really nice with the larger area on the sides. You guys are doing an awesome job designing everything!

Been packing around my beloved Felco's for some 50+ years. Same ones. I just sharpen them once in awhile with a small wet stone that belonged to my late husband. I also like old fashioned sheep shears for lots of quick small hedge jobs. The same stone sharpens them.

I have been gardening most of my life. I started helping my mother and father in their garden as a child and I just love working outside and planting flowers, small shrubs and other plants. With that being said, I've used many hand pruners and big lopping shears through the years. After watching Garden Answer for awhile I finally decided to purchase the Felco #2. Best money I've EVER spent. Truly! No hand fatigue. No blisters. The Felco 2 cuts through just about anything that needs cutting. I have 24 shrub roses so I use them A LOT! A great product and I'm so happy Laura kept mentioning them in her videos. Great product and Garden Answer brings me joy every morning. Happy Gardening!

For the area with the Boxwood squares, you could call it the “parterre”. A French parterre consists of plant beds, low hedges and coloured gravels, separated and connected by paths.

Laura that ring looks good on you!!! I know you don’t wear the stone very often I love it!

I like the look of the second photo for around the 4 boxes. It looks more proportioned for the area.

Zone 5b here. I tried to put crocus and anemone bulbs all in my lawn. Over 100. And every last one were dug up by critters. I live under black walnut trees.... So I waited until it got colder and I didn't see any.walnuts around. Used repels all and replanted. So far so good. Nothing dug up this time.

Last Christmas, I put the bug in my boyfriends ear about the Felco pruners. I ended up with a set of Fiskars. I wore them out in a weekend. They got so dull. I hand sharpen them just about everytime I use them. While they are sturdy, they don't keep an edge. I will have a pair of Felcos by the time Spring comes. I love their website. It's so easy to use. It's informative and useful. I found a retailer in my area that sells Felco products so I can get the feel of them and pick the one that fits me the best. I was so happy to learn that Felco sponsored this video. Life is good.

Gotta love Aaron! "Our labor is the fruit." And so pleasantly disagreeing that birds would eat plastic. My lesson in diplomacy! Loved this video. Will shop for my new Felcos immediately, ha.

Bought my felco at your parents shop when I was traveling to Walla Walla, Wa. A store assistant helped find the right size for me and I bought a few accessories for it . I hide it in the from my husband , so it stays looking and working nice. I luv it!

I have had luck with sprinkling cayenne pepper over the bulbs to keep the squirrels away.

Great recap. I love picture #2 with the mulch around the 4 squares it looks great. But really anything you guy’s do turns out so amazing anyway. I agree about the flagstone. Everything is coming along fantastic. WOW. Buttoned up before winter and over winter having time to enjoy and get ideas. Spring is going to be amazing also. Aron and Laura give yourself a big pat on the back for all you have accomplish this season. WOW. Oh and also Paul and Bethany. Thank you so very much for sharing this with us.💯💯💯🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦

I love this Q&A session especially having Aaron too.

I would put curved cement benches one at each quadrant and a fountain in the center and in the quadrant planting beds I would plant roses. But it's your space. I sure you'll love whatever you do.

I LOVE the stone near your back kitchen entrance! I vote for keeping it because that area is not straight and the bricks would need to be cut or curved oddly to fill that area. The stone gives it a little bit of an interesting touch and they are already shaped irregular to fill that irregular shaped area.

Felco is my fave! I agree! The problems of sourcing, delivery and having crews show up for work are the bane of my home and garden. Man, how long can they blame Covid for delays in delivery? Love the "not black" : color lights you up. I would have hugged Paul and given him a cookie for his truthfulness ;-D

Does Mother Nature think she places tree to close to one another? Sometimes it’s best to repeat what she does. It makes for a more natural look. Always the best way to go. Oh also I really like the more open walk way around the 4 beds next to the Hartley. The potato vine petunia combo this year was awesome you should try that in those beds next to the Hartley. The bright green and the purple were amazing

Love my Felcos and the fact it is so easy to get spare parts for it. Thank you Laura for showing us great tools!

THANK YOU FELCO COMPANY... Laura...Has been praising And Loving your Felcro cutters for as Long as I ve been watching her channel...Several years Now..👍🤗💗💙

Makes perfect sense, Aaron! The fruits are the labor. I find people find it hard to understand how much fun I have playing with my property as well. The views are always beautiful and the work is rewarding as it each new bit ties together.

Hi Laura and Aaron! Aaron, I love how you've been more involved in the recap videos for quite a while now. You're a great addition to all of the videos. Laura is more of a merchandiser than an interior decorator, IMO. I like the 2nd picture you showed for the area around the four Hartley beds. It looks much cleaner. I do like the contrast of the bricks and stone where you want to add a table and chairs. Using the same brick for the patio area will look really nice. You never did show the removal of, or say, what was under the brick circle that was removed. Please share what you found there. This has been asked a lot. Thank you so much for sharing!

You guys are enjoying the journey, a lot of time we miss out on a lot looking forward to a finished project. In the future you can tweak things as all the trees get big.

Oh cool you’ll have your horse barn premade when you buy the pasture 😍

I think you both are more landscape designers that also have a talent for interior design! 😁

Regarding Felco pruners, my local nursery started carrying them this year. I bought one(don't remember the #) and I really like it, will be buying another for larger pruning jobs next year. They do leave a cleaner cut.