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Gardening is a metaphor for life. I’ve come across this saying in books and magazine articles over the years, and I can tell you it is true. Gardening is a lot like life – full of ups and downs. There are many days when things sail along smoothly. There are rare moments of bliss, whenContinue reading “Embracing Failure: Making Peace with Your Imperfect Garden”

When the 90 degree heat and humidity of August arrive in Georgia, I take a month-long break from gardening. Honestly, it’s just too hot here in zone 8 to get much accomplished, so for me it is a month to reflect on the highs and lows of my spring and summer garden so that IContinue reading “August Garden Critique: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly”

I began gardening in my twenties, and for me it was all about flowers, lots and lots of flowers. Foliage? If a plant or shrub I chose for my garden had interesting, attractive foliage, well that was a nice bonus. Many years later, as I started to visit other gardens, I noticed the stunning plantContinue reading “Glorious Greens: Using Foliage Plants to Create Beautiful Garden Spaces”

Now that spring is in full swing here in the South, I wanted to give visitors to my website a peak inside my gardening book. It is chock full of ideas, gorgeous photos, and easy to follow design illustrations for you to try in your garden this year. I’ve written this book for those newContinue reading “Sneak Peak Inside My New Book”

I can’t remember a time in my life that I did not glance at a field or patch of woodland without looking for something in bloom. It’s easy to fall into this habit when you are quite young, not very tall, and curious about anything that is growing at your feet. Now that I’m aContinue reading “Weeds I’ve Grown to Love”

I first noticed euphorbias when I lived in England, and they struck me then as both handsome and quirky, but I never considered them again until I was working as a designer years later. One summer our wholesale grower listed a few different euphorbias as accent plants for the upcoming fall season. Those of usContinue reading “Handsome Euphorbias for the Southern Garden”

It’s February, and by the end of this month Southerners will be anxiously awaiting the arrival of spring. If you’re thinking about doing any type of gardening this year, now is a great time to pin down what you’d like to try. On these rainy, cold days we’re all daydreaming about doing something-anything-outdoors. If youContinue reading “Getting Started: Tips for New Gardeners Living in the South”

I’ve always liked the idea of a meadow filled with swaying grasses, sweetly-scented wildflowers, and humming insects. I’m drawn to the meadow-style plantings that remind me of the grasslands of the mid-west, where I once lived. I wonder if now that I live in the land of pine forests, I simply want what I can’tContinue reading “The Meadow Project”

The dark month of January is not a happy one for me, even in a normal year, and 2020 has left me feeling adrift, along with the rest of the world. This month we are passengers on our own tiny life rafts, clinging to the hope that 2021 represents, when life will perhaps begin toContinue reading “Good Things to Come”

So many homes in the South have back yards that are framed by woodland. When lots are cleared for housing, builders tend to leave existing trees in side yards and back yards, while carving out a space for that much sought-after lawn for children and pets. While most homeowners are focused on greening up theirContinue reading “Creating a Simple Woodland Garden”