Easy Fall Containers

With my new garden still being firmly in the 'planning and dreaming' stage I decided to plant up a couple of containers to feed my creative spirit and bring some much needed color into the space. Seattle winters are so grey and I knew that would be compounded by the expansive concrete patio, weathered cedar…

Read More

Before & After: front garden makeover

There comes a point when you just need to start again – and that was essentially the verdict after visiting this Seattle garden. A combination of overgrown shrubs, inadequate pathways, and piecemeal 'fixes' just weren't cutting it anymore. The homeowner loves the outdoors and wanted the garden to be naturalistic in design, featuring layers of…

Read More

Best Flowering Groundcovers for Full Sun

The term "groundcover" was new to me when we moved to the USA over 25 years ago. My English gardens never had any bare earth showing, every conceivable space both horizontally and vertically being planted in casual layers of annuals, perennials, edibles, shrubs, and more. There was no additional earth that needed to be covered!…

Read More

Connecting Garden Beds with Color

We all have areas in our garden that pose a significant design challenge. Such is the case with this bijou bed adjacent to our main patio. It is seen from the kitchen windows year-round yet is part of a 5-acre landscape with much larger sweeping borders. Measuring approximately 12 feet square with a central container…

Read More

Easy, Budget-Conscious Containers

When it comes to gardening, I'm nothing if not tenacious (although my husband calls it "stubborn…."), and right now that quality is coming in especially handy. Usually at this time of year I'd be anticipating leisurely visits to my favorite nurseries to carefully select an exciting array of shrubs, perennials, annuals, tropicals, and edibles to…

Read More