Unexpected Color Echoes

Repetition of color in a garden is an easy way to bring a sense of cohesion to a design and is often called a 'color echo'. When designing 'foliage first' this color echo may be between a leaf and a flower or even between two or more different leaves, yet there are many more adventurous…

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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…

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Before & After: Evolution Of A Transformation

Do you enjoy those instant makeover TV shows where a crew shows up and magically transforms an uninspiring garden into a magazine -worthy showcase in seven days? Well guess what – that is NOT the reality for most homeowners, and neither is it always the best solution. Not every garden renovation is quick but allowing…

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Chelsea Flower Show 2022: Favorite Sanctuary Garden #1

I had to stop and pinch myself more than once. I was actually here – at the one and only Chelsea Flower Show, with a coveted Press Pass no less, enabling me to photograph all the gardens with fewer crowds (although dodging the BBC cameras mounted on enormous booms was a challenge at times!) Although…

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Garden Renovation; a Phased Approach

Some projects take on a life of their own, and what began as a simple request for a consultation to brainstorm privacy ideas for a back garden quickly evolved into a discussion about much bigger problems: crumbling retaining walls, lack of a sitting area, waterlogged grass better suited to ducks than children and the most…

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