Ms. Merrix has always taken great pride in her lawn and gardens, finding joy in tending her flowers and maintaining a healthy, welcoming yard. In February 2025, a devastating flood washed nearly 3,000 tons of gravel from a nearby storage site into her property, damaging her home and burying her lawn and garden beds.
With the generous help of friends and neighbors, Ms. Merrix has made meaningful progress restoring her yard, but she has been unable to reestablish a healthy lawn or safely mow what little grass remains. Seeking further help for Ms.Merrix, a coworker nominated her for the Yard Angels program, describing her as dedicated, hardworking, and always friendly to those around her.
Our crews came in to remove as much gravel as they could from her yard, add topsoil and compost, then seed and straw to give her a great start toward reestablishing her lawn.
Bill and Linda Hopkins
Bill and Linda Hopkins have enjoyed their home alongside the New River in Blacksburg for 20 years. When Hurricane Helene swept through the area, the river rose an astonishing 32 feet, sending six to seven feet of water into their single-story ranch home and devastating their landscape.
While insurance and FEMA assistance will eventually help to rebuild the interior of their home—now stripped down to the studs—none of the damage outside is covered. Undeterred, Bill and Linda have worked tirelessly to clear debris from planting beds, remove damaged outbuildings and their contents, and tackle fallen trees. Still, the scope of work remained overwhelming.
Through our Yard Angels efforts, we were able to assist with some of the most challenging tasks, including removing massive logs from a tree that came down in the storm and were stacked. Those trunks were transported to a local mill, so that Bill can use the lumber for future projects. Clearing this material will also allow construction crews safe access to begin rebuilding the home. Additional work included removing brush and damaged shrubs, as well as power washing the patio and walkway.
Riner Fire Department
The Riner Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary envisioned a memory garden at the fire department to honor firefighters who have passed away, as well as the auxiliary members who faithfully supported the department throughout the years. Their goal was to create a meaningful space that recognizes decades of service and dedication to the Riner community.
Central to the design is a patio featuring engraved bricks bearing the names of firefighters who have passed away, offering a lasting tribute to their service and sacrifice. The memorial also incorporates a piece of one of the towers that fell on September 11, along with a bench purchased in honor of a beloved auxiliary member who has passed away. Together, these elements create a place for reflection, remembrance, and gratitude.
The Auxiliary reached out to Back to Nature for assistance in bringing this vision to life. While the project was larger and more complex than those typically completed through our charitable program, our crews were eager to help. We worked closely with the Auxiliary and Fire Department to develop a thoughtful design, finalize the scope of work, and present the plan to our teams for approval. With the budget in place and strong crew support, the project moved forward.
We are especially grateful to Chaney Enterprises for their generous donation of brick, which helped make this memorial possible. Our crews completed excavation and bed preparation on Wednesday, installed the base and monument on Thursday, and laid the pavers on Friday. Throughout the project, members of the Ladies Auxiliary kindly provided lunches and remained on-site to support the crew.
We are honored to have played a role in creating a space that recognizes those who serve and protect their neighbors every day. We hope this memory garden stands as a lasting tribute and a meaningful gathering place for the entire community.
Kathy Grouber
Kathy Grouber was one of James Ulmer’s earliest clients. She still remembers when James worked on her property as a Virginia Tech student, earning money to support his studies. As he began dreaming of starting his own landscape company, he shared his ideas with Kathy—including the name Back to Nature and early thoughts about the logo. Over the years, she has watched James grow from a student to a small business owner and, ultimately, to leading a thriving company.
During that same time, Kathy experienced significant life changes. She lost her husband and later developed health challenges that now require her to use a wheelchair, making it difficult to care for the beautiful country property she loves.
Our crews were honored to help restore her landscape by cutting back ornamental grasses, trimming trees and shrubs, edging and mulching beds, and installing a simple fence to create a safe outdoor space for her sweet dog, Polly. The fenced area allows Polly to go outside when needed while staying close to home.
We are grateful to continue the meaningful relationship James began with Mrs. Grouber many years ago and to play a small part in making her property beautiful and manageable once again.
With our hilly terrain, it can be challenging to fully enjoy and safely access every part of your yard. Thoughtfully designed retaining walls and walkways can transform steep or uneven properties into functional, welcoming outdoor spaces.
Retaining walls help reclaim usable yard space by leveling areas for entertaining, gardening, or play. They can also terrace hillsides, creating ideal conditions for vegetable gardens or ornamental plantings. In addition to improving usability, retaining walls make routine maintenance easier by reducing steep slopes and absorbing changes in grade—often simplifying mowing and upkeep. On some properties, retaining walls are essential for stabilizing hillsides and protecting homes, driveways, and other outdoor features.
Walkways play an equally important role in how you experience your landscape. Well-placed walkways can create safer, more gradual routes through your property, making it easier to move between outdoor spaces. Consider how you and your family naturally use your yard—worn paths in the lawn often reveal where people walk most often. Are there areas you avoid because they’re muddy, uneven, or steep? Thoughtful walkway design can improve access not only for daily use, but also for visitors, especially older friends and family members or those with mobility challenges.
If you plan to age in place, it’s especially important to think ahead about accessibility. Incorporating solid walking surfaces, gentle slopes, or ramps can help minimize trip hazards and support long-term use of your outdoor spaces. Making a list of improvements that would enhance movement and safety now—and in the future—is a great place to start.
Walkways can be constructed from a wide range of materials, including stepping stones, pea gravel, pavers, natural stone, or concrete. The right choice depends on your budget, terrain, design preferences, and current or anticipated accessibility needs. With the right planning, retaining walls and walkways can make your landscape easier to navigate, safer to enjoy, and more functional for years to come.
We recently stepped out of the field and into the classroom for a change of scenery! Owner James Ulmer was invited to guest speak to a Virginia Tech Horticulture class focused on estimating, and the conversation was exactly what we hope for when we get to connect with students: practical, curious, and grounded in what happens on real projects.
Because estimating is where planning meets reality, James shared real-world examples of how we think through scope, labor, materials, timelines, and the details that can make or break a job. The goal was simple: help students see what estimating looks like beyond a worksheet, and how those skills translate directly into stronger projects, smoother operations, and better outcomes for clients.
What stood out most was the student engagement. The questions were thoughtful and specific, ranging from day-to-day decision-making to bigger career considerations. James enjoyed sharing:
Industry knowledge and hands-on experience from landscaping and construction work
Different career paths in the green industry, including how people grow from entry-level roles into leadership
The mindset behind building a successful team and delivering consistent quality
James also gave students a look at what we are working toward at Back to Nature, including future plans like business relocation and a new development project here in Blacksburg. It was a great opportunity to talk about how growth shapes the way we estimate, plan, and invest in the systems that support high-quality work.
At Back to Nature, we are always excited to help connect the dots between what students are learning now and what they will be asked to do in the real world. We are proud to stay involved with Virginia Tech, support the Horticulture program, and invest in the next generation of industry leaders.
Thanks again to Virginia Tech for the invitation. We are already looking forward to the next opportunity to get involved.
We recently attended the Virginia Tech Horticulture Career Dinner – an energizing reminder of why we love being part of this industry.
The evening gave us a great opportunity to connect with students who are preparing for careers in landscaping, construction, and related green-industry fields. We enjoyed hearing what students are excited about, sharing a bit about what working in the field looks like, and learning more about the skills and experiences they are building at Virginia Tech. We also had the chance to interview several students for potential internship and full-time roles, and we left impressed by the talent and enthusiasm in the room.
Representing Back to Nature were James Ulmer, Owner, and Mickey, Operations Manager. Both are proud Virginia Tech Horticulture Department graduates (Class of 2014), so the event felt especially meaningful. Being back on campus and supporting the next generation of professionals was a full-circle moment, and a reminder of the strong foundation the VT Horticulture community provides to the industry.
We were also proud to sponsor $500 toward the NCLC trip for 2026, an organization that has been an important part of the Virginia Tech experience for years, including for members of our own team. Supporting opportunities like this is one of the ways we can invest in the future of the profession and help students gain experiences that build confidence, leadership, and career-ready skills.
At its core, the Virginia Tech Horticulture Career Dinner is about strengthening the community and supporting the next generation of landscapers and industry leaders. We were glad to attend, give back, and continue supporting the Hokies who will shape what comes next.
Our client wanted to expand their existing outdoor living space to accommodate a new custom spa, a covered cooking area, and more room for family and entertaining friends. Along the way, the homeowners also took the opportunity to improve the driveway and entry experience and make updates to a guest house on the property.
To transform the backyard, designer Zach Pritt carefully reworked the design to honor the currently layout, while incorporating the new custom spa and covered outdoor cooking area. To create these areas, we needed to add approximately 60% more retaining walls to those that were existing. With the blend of old and new walls, matching stone was selected and the original walls were power washed to help everything blend together seamlessly. New paver and flagstone patios were added throughout both the original and expanded spaces, replacing the old gravel, and creating a cohesive look and durable surfaces for everyday use.
Out front, the arrival experience was refreshed with a new concrete driveway and a paver patio transition that guides visitors from the drive to the front porch and side entrance. New foundation plantings soften the home’s façade and boost curb appeal. To tie the entire property together, about 80 percent of the landscape was sodded, giving the homeowners an immediately usable lawn and a finished, polished look.
At the guest house, stone veneer was added to the foundation and chimney to complement the main home. Two new retaining walls in this area create additional parking, improve water flow, and serve as attractive landscape features.
Taken together, these updates resulted in a landscape that feels cohesive, welcoming, and highly functional. Thoughtful material choices and careful attention to detail allowed the new elements to blend naturally with the existing landscape—creating outdoor spaces the homeowners can enjoy every day and share easily with family and friends.
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