Creating Abundance: Lessons from Great Dixter

If there is one word that sums up traditional English gardens it is "abundance". You won't find individual plants separated like little islands by oceans of bare earth. Nor will you see the extensive use of groundcovers that we are so accustomed to in America. I often describe English gardens, especially cottage gardens as "friendly":…

Read More

Garden Design: Mimicking Nature

I'm a firm believer that gardens should be experienced – not just observed. They should invite exploration and contemplation, pique our curiosity in some way. On my recent trip to the Hudson River Valley, I visited three public gardens that really spoke to me because they achieved this so well and did so, not by…

Read More

Heligan: History, Romance & Adventure

Forget Hallmark movies for the Holiday feel-good factor. I've got a better story for you: The Lost Gardens of Heligan. Once upon a time, there was a vibrant estate in Cornwall, England called Heligan. The original Heligan Manor had been built in the 1200s, with Heligan House built in the Jacobean style in 1603, then…

Read More

Snapshots from Hampton Court Festival

I now understand why many visitors say they prefer the Hampton Court Flower Festival over the Chelsea Flower Show: it seems more familiar, more attainable, more like a community event than a Grand Show. Yet it still offers an abundance of gardening ideas, shopping opportunities, and unlike Chelsea includes a number of educational workshops and…

Read More

Glorious Abundance in a Pint-Sized Garden

I'm sure our giant green coach caused a few raised eyebrows as it pulled into the narrow residential street in Chelmsford, England. But homeowner Sheila Chapman took it all in her stride as she warmly welcomed our tour group to her pint-sized garden with a smile. Sheila is a well-known Royal Horticultural Society gold medal-winning…

Read More