Thinking in public—about gardens, landscapes, and the decisions that shape them.
Some pieces are essays, others are observations or case studies, but all of them are grounded in practice and shaped by experience. I’m interested in how choices are made, how ideas travel, and how landscapes reflect culture, power, and responsibility over time.
This writing is for people who care not just about what things look like, but how they come to be—and what they make possible.
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For years, I used the planting bed near my front door as a holding area for new plants that didn’t yet have a permanent home. It was a mishmash mess that became exhausting to look at. I wanted a more cohesive design that highlighted the house — especially now that it is freshly painted. The […]
By late summer, many perennial borders start to feel tired. The rush of spring has faded, temperatures are high, and even good gardens can start to flatten visually. That’s exactly when Hibiscus ‘Midnight Marvel’ comes alive. This hardy hibiscus stopped us in our tracks the first season we grew it in our coastal Maine garden. […]
A more natural approach to spring planters using forced bulbs, clipped branches, moss, and garden materials. Spring containers are fleeting things. Tulips bloom, temperatures shift, and within a few weeks the whole arrangement is ready to come apart again. That short lifespan is exactly why I like them. Unlike summer containers — which often need […]
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By mid-July, many gardens lose their momentum. Spring’s exuberance has faded. Late-summer perennials are still gathering themselves. Foliage is doing the heavy lifting, but the overall picture can feel muted, even tired. This isn’t a failure of planting. It’s a predictable moment in the garden’s annual arc. Good design doesn’t panic (or give up!) here. […]
Stop thinking of mulch as just bark or wood chips, and strike from your brain any suggestion of mulching with rubber crumbles other synthetic trash. Restore your soil by mulching your plants with compost or cut grass and learn how to grow your soil so that in turn, it will grow your plants.
Some of the vegetables that deliver the greatest return in a home garden are also the easiest to grow. That may feel counterintuitive, but it makes a certain kind of sense once you start paying attention to space, speed, and repeat harvests. Years ago, The Cheap Vegetable Gardener crunched the numbers by comparing two things: […]
Food, Seasonality + Ritual
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