Creating Sanctuary

What does the word 'sanctuary' mean to you? A place of peace, protection, an oasis? Somewhere you you feel at ease? Cocoon-like?  How would you go about creating such a space in your own garden? I had the honor of co-judging the City Living displays at the Northwest Flower & Garden Show last week. These…

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Design Inspiration from Chihuly in Atlanta

I had the opportunity to visit the Atlanta Botanical Gardens last month while speaking at a symposium for the Garden Writer's Association and was thrilled to discover that my visit coincided with an exhibit of Chihuly's work. While  enthralled by the sheer scale and extravagance of his masterpieces I was also intrigued to seek out…

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Serenity in Seattle; my favorite display

While most visitors to the 2016 Northwest Flower and Garden Show were jostling for position to photograph the large display gardens, I found myself drawn to the smaller City Living  exhibits. Each designer worked with a 6 x 12 space defined by pavers to represent a high rise apartment balcony. The criteria was that all materials…

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Naked in the Garden with Jamie Durie

As I pushed open the door to the nail salon the phone rang. "Hi Karen? Jamie here. Jamie Durie." Realizing my much needed manicure was going to have to wait I hastily ducked back out and rushed to my car where I had a notepad and pen handy just in case this happened! I had been trying to…

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Favorite Flowering Annuals for Containers

I need to be a mind reader. I'm excited to host three spring container workshops in the next ten days but I need to second-guess everyone's tastes as I select plants for my guests to purchase and play with! What colors might they be excited about this year? Are they tired of the tropical looking Canna or will…

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