Creating Abundance: Lessons from Great Dixter

If there is one word that sums up traditional English gardens it is "abundance". You won't find individual plants separated like little islands by oceans of bare earth. Nor will you see the extensive use of groundcovers that we are so accustomed to in America. I often describe English gardens, especially cottage gardens as "friendly":…

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Color Snapshots from England

I'm just home after hosting a wonderful tour of English gardens for Earthbound Expeditions. So many memories and so many ideas – but I wanted to share just a few images that highlight the use of color restraint and how effective that is as a design tool rather than a wild 'jellybean' approach. Monochromatic Schemes…

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How to prune repeat blooming hydrangea

I have received a lot of questions this month about how and when to prune bigleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla), especially the newer 'repeat blooming' varieties. What are repeat blooming hydrangea? These are the varieties which bloom both on the growth they put on last year (called old wood) as well as the growth that occurs…

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Celebrate Spring with Candelabra Primroses

I’m not a fan of those brash, grocery store primroses, much preferring the English woodland primrose that is both reliably perennial and a much more pleasing buttermilk yellow. Yet I was totally seduced by the displays of bright candelabra primroses I saw in England last spring. Their bright citrus colors reminded me of a packet…

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New Annuals to Try from Seed

I never really saw myself growing annuals from seed. My mum used to grow enough petunias and pansies for the entire neighborhood so call it aversion therapy! Yet nurseries only grow and sell a tiny fraction of the best annuals available; there are so many more great plants in so many different colors. I'm fortunate…

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