Now is that sweet spot between Halloween and Thanksgiving where I like to get all our fall bulb planting done. The soil temperature has dropped into the 50s and my perennials are still full to see my bare spots for adding more perennials and where I want to tuck in the bulbs. Earlier shared my plan for selected and designing … READ MORE
Category Archives: GARDEN DESIGN
Traveling Gardener – Cooper Molera Abode Gardens in Monterey
When we travel to new cities it is a balance of planned destinations and wondering to uncover the unexpected. Once while driving through Connecticut to White Flower Farm we drove past Guy Wolff’s pottery studio. We turned around and spent an hour watching Guy throw a pot, asked him questions about his process and toured his studio. Then we bought … READ MORE
Planning for Fall Bulb Planting
Gardeners split time between taking care of the now, and planning for weeks, days and months in the future. October is one of the times we are busy working in the now with seasonal cut backs and clean ups while working for the garden 6 months from now with bulbs. I have two bulb planting strategies: collected/accidental and methodical/designed. … READ MORE
The Maine Entrance
Last fall, the family made our first trip to Maine and of course we fell in love. We drove the whole way (and made so many garden stops), and got to spend a magical week exploring Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor with our dearest friends. Exploring cities, garden, parks, farms and just about anywhere can be a huge source … READ MORE
Winter Work is just as busy as Summer Work
Happy New Year! January 1 is the official calendar transition into our winter work. We are un-decking the halls, watching for snow and in a general rhythm of completing the winter maintenance tasks. Despite dormant gardens, our offices are anything but slow during this time. We are building out a new design studio, estimating projects for spring, completing a few … READ MORE
Wandering for Inspiration – Chargin Falls, OH
This weekend we visited Cleveland for a family graduation party and stayed an extra day mainly so James could do some fly fishing in Chagrin Falls. The water conditions were not conducive for fly fishing, but we had a wonderful time exploring the area. My plan was to share some great container designs, but we really did not see any good … READ MORE
BOOK REVIEW: Scott Shrader’s The Art of Outdoor Living
Back in late March I ordered a copy of the Art of Outdoor Living, Gardens for Entertaining Family and Friends by Scott Shrader. Even though I have been frequently referring back to the book for inspiration since then, it was not until this past weekend I got a chance to read the book cover to cover. First the photography in … READ MORE
Video of Building the Philadelphia Flower Show Garden
As promised, here is a video with building my Philadelphia Flower Show garden. We had a great team from Philly Made Creative visit during the build and then return to film the finished garden when the convention center was quiet. They also took photos of the build and finished garden that we will include on the website at our next … READ MORE
Cutting Gardens verses Veggie Gardens
Since my profession and hobby all live in horticulture, from when I start seeing a trend to when a client makes a request can take a few years. Cutting gardens have long been increasing in popularity, but this year I have seen the flip of clients looking to replace veggie garden space with purely cutting gardens or a large portion … READ MORE