It’s almost spring and there’s lots happening in the garden right now, but I have to say the flowering quince and pipevine swallowtails are stealing the show! There’s nothing subtle about these flowers, ushering in spring loud and clear, shouting to the world that spring is here! Bright orangey-red blooms cover the bare, gray tangle […]
A designer once told me she never plants rosemary in her garden because it’s too common. Huh?
Of course, everyone has a right to their own opinion, but not planting something just because it’s common?
Personally, I happen to LOVE rosemary in the garden and incorporate it into as many designs as I can.
Whether it’s the upright ‘Tuscan Blue,’ mid-size ‘Mozart’ (in the photo, left) or the groundcover ‘Prostratus’ (and everything in between,) I can’t get enough of this plant.
It’s an especially treasured plant for those of us who share our gardens with marauding deer, rabbits, and gophers, as the highly aromatic leaves tend to repel them.
At the same time, because of its long bloom time, it’s a bee magnet (mason bees, honey bees, and bumblebees) as well as hummingbirds, and butterflies.
Late winter is the perfect time to talk about adding four-season structure with trellises, tuteurs, and obelisks. Take a look outside, and you’re likely to see bare branches beginning to swell and bulbs pushing their way through the soil. So before your garden wakes up in full force, take a look to see if there’s […]
While waiting for my sleeping garden to wake, there’s still plenty of flowers that shine this time of year, thanks to some of my favorite late-winter flowers. Little mountains of soil are popping up everywhere as bulbs push their way towards the light, and when I peer down into the crowns of my perennials, I […]
Welcome to Part 2 of Creating Winter Interest in the Garden (if you missed Part 1, click here.) I recently walked through a new client’s garden, where she kept apologizing for its appearance. She was afraid it was too early in the year for me to really get a clear picture of what it usually […]
Creating winter interest in the garden is so important, and is one of the things I consider first when designing a new garden. Especially since most of my designs are located in our temperate zone 9 climate, (which means our gardens are on display every single day of the year.) There’s no hiding our winter […]
I think I speak for most of us when I say ‘good riddance to 2020!’ However, it’s hard to escape the reality that waking up to a new year doesn’t mean the seemingly never-ending worries and concerns about Covid are over. But thank heavens we have our love of gardening to give us hope for […]
It’s mid-December, and most of my garden is now fast asleep. This week’s rain has knocked off the remaining fall leaves, perennials are silently slumbering underground, and there’s no longer the buzz of busy insects feasting on pollen. But my garden still has loads of visual beauty, thanks to all the evergreen plants that are […]
I don’t usually write about holiday gift ideas, but I figure this year (being the unending grind that it’s been) calls for an exception. We can all use as much joy as we can get right now, so I thought I’d share with you some of my favorite ‘finds’ this year, in hopes they make […]
This is my favorite time of year, with fall colors at their peak. The towering maples, liquid ambers, and black oak trees are on fire right now, clearly the stars of the show. But there’s plenty of drama happening lower to the ground, too, thanks to some surprising sources of fall color. And it’s not […]
When designing the front entrance of a client’s new garden, I know I’ve succeeded in creating something special when: 1. I spy someone walking down the street and they begin to slow their pace, 2. They then lean in to take a closer look, and… 3. They whip out their cell phone to snap a […]
Yes, you read that right – I have FOUR seasons of salvias in my garden. Now keep in mind, I live in a temperate zone-9 climate, so my winter isn’t going to be like a Midwest winter. But even if you live in colder areas, there are salvias for spring, summer, AND fall. I went […]
