G A R D E N S, Garden Tours, Gardens, Landscape Design, Piet Oudolf

The Lurie Garden – Our Great Midwest Road Trip

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

Advice

How to add Dahlias to Your Garden

As peony madness fades with the summer heat, it’s time to hail the beauty of dahlias. Dahlias are an easy addition to any existing garden and offer a large range of colors, petal shapes and sizes to fit your desires.  Also, planting a tuber around the frost free date will provide you with beautiful blooms in July and August, a quick, … READ MORE

My Work, Perennials

Plant ID: Amsonia

While talking plant options for our garden at home, I looked at the three varieties of Amsonia growing around our offices. I use this plant in my designs predominately for the texture of the foliage, however the flower is a strong attraction in the garden in late spring. Amsonia is the perfect plant to showcase the subtle variation between the … READ MORE

G A R D E N S, 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

Arrangement of the Week

In Bloom – May 4, 2016

I start each spring watching and anticipating each new bloom, watching the succession of daffodils and hellebore blooming to the burst of the foliage on trees. Now that I am surrounded by blooms and fresh greens, taking the time to walk the gardens each week and cutting blooms allows me to pause and appreciate the ever evolving selection.   Right … READ MORE

Landscape Design, My Work

How to Train an Espalier

Over the pas few years, we have planted our share of espaliers trees. For our projects, I prefer to use established trees, with about 18-24 inch root balls. This gives us a tree that is already established in its form, still allows us to plant close to a wall and provides the client with instant gratification of an established tree at a good value. … READ MORE