Back in early August I had the great opportunity to speak at the Perennial Plant Association Symposium in Minneapolis. The event aligned with the last full week of summer for our son and made it the perfect time to make the drive into a family road trip. On the drive to Minneapolis, we stopped at the Lurie Garden in downtown Chicago. Our … READ MORE
Category Archives: Garden Tours
Twilight at Moss Mountain Farm
Last week I had the pleasure of attending Garden2Grow at P. Allen Smith’s farm in Arkansas, Moss Mountain Farm, with a group of diverse social media influencers. The event, which was organized by Allen and his team, provided us the with opportunity to discuss how we can grow connections through creative and social content, and Moss Mountain Farm provided the … READ MORE
Garden Tour: Tuinen Mien Ruys
THE GARDEN: Called one of the most influential garden designers of the past century, Mien Ruys paved the for the modern Dutch landscape design. With a background in perennials and architecture Mien, bridged the gap between the two mediums to create her style. She was not afraid to push the envelope of design and experimented with combination of different materials. The gardens … READ MORE
Garden Inspiration: Cheshire, England
Since old man winter has his grip tight on the throat of the Midwest I want to continue with the theme of gardens I have visited that inspired me over the years. This garden is a private residence that I was very fortunate to visit while studying in Northwest, England. Cheshire is really know for its medieval wall and Tudor … READ MORE
Garden Inspiration: Palace Het Loo
Today in Central Ohio the temperatures are in the teens and the landscape it an abyss of white and grey. Since I was feeling uninspired by my surrounding- I am sure that others may be in my shoes. Over the years I have been very fortunate to visit gardens all over North America and Europe, call it a pilgrimage or … READ MORE
Case Study: Retail Embracing Green Space –Starbucks Downtown Disney
In early November, I traveled down to Orlando for the APLD 2014 International Design Conference (working on a recap post). On my last day I killed time walking around Downtown Disney before my flight home. The area is going through a phased redesign to become Disney Springs with completion in 2016. One of the new spaces already opened included Starbucks. The … READ MORE
Yew Dell Botanical Garden Visit
A few weeks back, the family and I had a long weekend trip to Nashville, TN. Along our drive, a much needed pit stop was timed with a visit to Yew Dell Botanical garden, just outside Louisville, KY. It was during a grey and chilly, fall day, so we had the gardens to ourselves other than the few vendors setting up for a wedding … READ MORE
Posh Agritourism
I grew up taking a week “field to table” vacation every summer to my grandparents pig farm in rural Ohio. Our excursions included early morning feedings, trips to the feed mill, swimming in the pond, picking bramble berries, helping in the fields, and sleeping outside listening to the cicadas. When I was younger I assumed everyone grew up with a connection to the … READ MORE
Design 101 – Arboretum & Botanical Garden Plant Sales
Ok, so this is an insider secret for gardeners, but should be known by everyone – Local Arboretum/Botanical Garden plant sales. These are hands down best resource for finding unique, native and difficult to source plants, more importantly, the proceeds support your local arboretum/botanical garden. Over the past two weeks my area has been host to numerous plant sales that allowed me … READ MORE