Garden Articles
Here are some articles about gardening and design that you may enjoy. You may also enjoy visiting my newsletter, The North Country Gardener. I publish my newsletter as time and inspiration allow. It is filled with ideas and images for anyone who loves to garden north of the 42nd parallel.
I hope you find my articles useful. However, please contact me if you want to use my material for anything other than your personal use.
The Garden in Winter
Some might think of a northern winter as a sad time, no flowers, no color. But for me this time of year also has its own specialness, which is magnified purely by its contrast to the other seasons. Let’s look at the special charms of a snow covered winter landscape and how to make a garden that is beautiful even though our plants are resting. (Click here for the complete article)
Your Garden by Design
We all want a garden that is pleasing yet practical, one that reflects our dreams and lifestyle, responds to our site and environment ---a garden that is truly a part of our life and our home. I will show you how to design your garden in a series of manageable steps, while allowing plenty of room for creativity along the way. (Click here for an article summary) (Click here for the complete article)
New Beginnings
For many gardeners early winter is the bridge between the garden past and the garden yet to come. This precious time, after a killing frost sends plants into dormancy but before the ground freezes so that no fork can penetrate, is borrowed time for the gardener. As I contemplate the underlying design of my uncluttered outdoor space, I can analyze what has worked and how things could be improved. This is the time to plan the garden of the future. It is also a wonderful opportunity to for more mundane activities like creating a new bed or renovating one that needs help, spreading compost, dividing and moving perennials, and pruning the shrubs for architectural form. (Click here for the complete article)
The Designed Landscape
While there are no hard and fast rules of right or wrong, good or bad, when it comes to garden making, it often helps to look again at your outdoor world through new eyes, to assess and evaluate, to fantasize and dream. Let’s look at how the three basic design principles of function, form, and flow can help you examine the structure of your garden and to chart new directions. (Click here for the complete article)
Making a Base Plan
Here is the way to measure and draw up a base plan of your garden. This plan, which shows just the things that currently exist, is the foundation of any new design work you may undertake. (Click here for the complete article)
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