Helleborus Orientalis 'Red Lady' in a winter garden. I don’t know about you, but this fall season has really snuck up on me. I simply cannot believe how fast this year has gone by. I swear, New Year’s Day 2011 seems like yesterday. Okay, so maybe it is. Or maybe it’s because we had such a late start to our good gardening weather. I don’t know, but it sure feels weird. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →

I love my garden. Just sayin’…. I really love my garden. Over the last two years we have been totally remodeling our outside spaces and now that it is completed, I can hardly believe that it is mine! One of my favorite things in my garden, next to my stellar Agave collection, is my olive trees. I have 12 happy trees in four varieties. Yes, Virginia, you can grow olive trees in Oregon. You can, and you most definitely should. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →

WHEW! Sure glad that spring is over! What a horrible, wet, yucky, gloomy (well, you get the picture) season it has been. I’m ready to get outdoors, not just to work in the garden and make it pretty, but to sit in the garden, have a cocktail, and enjoy the company of my husband and our friends. Since our house is teeny-weeny, bringing the party outdoors is necessary and that makes lighting the garden for those wonderful evening parties, essential. We’ve always considered our outdoor spaces an... more

Regardless of the size of your garden, or the lack thereof, you can indeed have a smashing container garden. It requires almost no space, is limited only by your imagination, is ridiculously easy to take care of, easily changes with the seasons, can be as colorful or as monochromatic as you like, is …well, you get the idea. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →

By the time most people decide that they need a shed, it can be a real V-8 moment of “we could have had this years ago!” My wife and I felt this way after having our first child. We saw many of our possessions slowly getting relocated to make way for things such as vibrating swings, basinets, and play kitchens. And when the bike with a child seat became a permanent fixture in our foyer, it was time to do something. Below are a few questions you might ask that could help you plan and build the... more

If you are into gardening like I am into gardening, you know fully well that it is an addiction. Not a dangerous addiction, like one that requires a 12-step program, but an addiction, no less. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →

“Do you have a favorite flower?” a client asked me recently while working on a garden design. I’m not sure I’d thought of it before, you know, having a favorite flower. I mean, there are so many out there, so how would you really pick just one? But when the question was asked, surprisingly enough, I was able to give a sure and quick answer. Of course, dahlias! This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →

I’ve been thinking about scented plants and how to incorporate them into your garden. Maybe you don’t even have a garden and perhaps only room for a pot? You could have a scented garden in a pot. What a great idea! Lavender This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →