Blog – Classic Blog

For the Birds

February 13, 2013 Gardening, Landscape Design

[caption id="attachment_1506" align="alignleft" width="300"] Snowfall - photo by Christopher O'Donnell[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1507" align="alignleft" width="300"] Robin in my crabapple[/caption] Watching the snow come down, I started thinking about Spring and remembering that we used to say the first sign of Spring…

What’s New in the Trade

January 23, 2013 Gardening, Landscape Design

[caption id="attachment_1439" align="alignleft" width="267"] Book cover of The Layered Garden[/caption]   I spent last week in Columbus. On Sunday, I spoke on xeriscaping at the Perennial Plant Association regional symposium and had the opportunity to hear other speakers like David…

The Bonus of Colorful Bark

January 31, 2013 Gardening, Landscape Design

[caption id="attachment_1472" align="alignleft" width="300"] Snow covered branches as sculpture[/caption]   The tracery of bare branches and the texture of bark become art during the winter. They are much easier to see without foliage which tends to hide them. If the…

The Non-Stop Garden

February 7, 2013 Gardening, Landscape Design

[caption id="attachment_1496" align="alignleft" width="300"] Helleborus orientalis, the tradition species with down-facing flowers[/caption]   My husband loves to brag that I have something blooming in my gardens eleven months of the year. This year he had to change the time period…

Dry Shade

February 20, 2013 Gardening, Landscape Design

[caption id="attachment_1520" align="alignleft" width="300"] Large shade tree[/caption] I hear more complaints about dry shade than other situation. “Nothing will grow there, whine, whine.” Wrong! Dry/ shade situations are usually created by the root systems of the trees that are creating…

Sustainability – How Much Lawn Do We Really Need?

[caption id="attachment_1533" align="alignleft" width="300"] Too much lawn[/caption]   In the United States, suburban homes are invariably surrounded by lawn.  The amount depends on the size of the property but few people question whether the lawn is really needed; it just…

Holiday Gifts

November 28, 2012 Gardening, Landscape Design

[caption id="attachment_1342" align="alignleft" width="300"] Chanukah Dreidels[/caption]   A few weeks ago, one of my customers emailed to say that she needed a hori to give as a holiday gift to her sister. Instead, she gave it to her sister-in-law. Now,…