There are two similar sounding words, commonly used in the garden-making lexicon, that can get confusing. Naturalized and Naturalistic. The former is a term we use to say that bulbs (and other plants) will settle in and reproduce over time. They will establish themselves as if they were native. They will naturalize. Some bulbs, like […]

Do you have childhood memories of May Day? I do. My husband does too – though he had completely forgotten about them until I asked. And all he could remember was that it had to do with flowers. I had to reminded him that it was the May 1st holiday where you did ‘ding-dong-ditch’ but […]

Hey Guys!   As I’ve been planting lots of bulbs this year, many of you have been sending your bulb planting questions in DM’s and emails, and asking in my garden design classes, and I’ve even had a couple text messages (from those near and dear enough to have that #).  I thought I’d round them […]

It’s that time of year when smart garden makers are winding down and turning their efforts towards “cleaning up” and “putting things to bed”. How to take care of a naturalistic design?

I’d like to be able to tell you that the #1 reason I’m excited to switch to battery powered garden tools as much as possible, is because of my concerns over fossil fuels and their contribution to climate change.   But I’d be lying.  That’s my #2 reason.  The number #1 reason is because until now, […]

As I am creating my own spring bulb cutting garden this year, I have written down some tips to help you choose your own bulbs. The goal here is to grow your own materials for beautiful spring floral arrangements for your home while also creating a pretty display in your garden.

Relocating to New England from England about four years ago seemed, at the time, (and often still does) like the landscape equivalent of a chef moving from Paris to Poughkeepsie. More than anything, I get frustrated by the overuse of a relatively small palette of plants. The primary target of my irritation is the rhododendron. […]

The idea of a lawn free front garden isn’t the exclusive domain of water-worried environmentally minded modern gardeners… it was originally the very practical design of slaves in the south.  And as you can imagine, there are some very compelling reasons why these gardens can and should inspire us today.

If I had closer neighbors, I am pretty sure they’d be looking out their bedroom windows into my garden and thinking I’d lost my mind. I’ve been using my snow blower to make paths in the grass.  Is that weird? It is just that if I make a path, I am more likely to walk […]