Posts by Karen Chapman
Blanket Flower Beauty
Do you buy perennials or grow them from seed? My Mum was a remarkably thrifty – and patient gardener and grew many perennials such as delphiniums from seed. The first year they would get to be respectable sized plants but if they flowered it wasn't a spectacular show. They would typically take three years to…
Read MoreMore New Plants: More New Favorites!
Between testing plants for growers and having the opportunity to grow new introductions in my landscape or containers for photo shoots I consider myself incredibly fortunate. The sense of anticipation never gets old; I am always excited to see what might work well in my deer resistant, drought tolerant garden or what may be the…
Read MoreRe-thinking the Patio
When we purchased our 1960's era home in 2009 it had the original concrete aggregate patio outside the back door – right outside. Now that wouldn't seem to be a problem until I point out that this patio left us pressed up against the house and unable to see any of our 5 acre garden.…
Read MoreFront Garden Re-Imagined
How do you know when it's time to re-think the front garden? Certainly overgrown trees and a fractured driveway are clues but spray painting the lawn green last summer was the final 'Aha!' moment for my Greater Seattle area clients. Yet funnily enough when I initially suggested a complete renovation they innocently asked "Which tree…
Read MoreHydrangea Companion Planting
On a recent trip to the Bellevue Botanical Gardens I was blinded by a dazzling display of a golden barberry paired with a kaleidoscopic Pistachio hydrangea – which got me thinking. What other plants make good companions for hydrangeas? So in the interest of helping your create artistic plant combinations and have another excuse to…
Read More