Designers Eye: using light in the garden

What do a cactus, swimming pool and a smoke bush have in common? Keep reading. I want to encourage you see gardens through a designer's eye: going beyond the 'can I grow that?', or in the case of a swimming pool 'that's nice but  don't have/want/need one'.  I promise that in every garden, large or…

Read More

The Ugly Duckling – 1 Year Later

Do you remember just how bad it was? The 'warehouse with ample parking meets multiple personality disorder'  house we bought last August?? This blog post(opens in new tab) will refresh your memory, and while a year is a mere blink of an eye in garden terms, there has been significant progress in the front garden…

Read More

Your Garden Story – The Final Chapter

Think back to your favorite book. The introduction drew you in, you followed the key characters with interest as the story was woven through a series of events and in the final chapter you were left feeling…..what? Surprise because there was an unexpected plot twist that you didn't see coming? Contentment as you read the…

Read More

Garden Chapters Unified

In this mini-design series of "telling your garden story" we've looked at the introduction (the entry sequence) and ideas for an overall theme. Today I want to explore ways to help you strengthen your narrative by unifying the individual garden chapters using repetition. There's a balance between allowing each distinct garden area have its own…

Read More

Garden Story Themes: A Romance or Mystery?

Do you love a good mystery? Or perhaps you're more of a romantic novel fan? What are the elements of the story that keep you turning the page? Perhaps it's one key character – or the unexpected details which make you reassess your original understanding? We can apply these same storytelling characteristics to our gardens.…

Read More