Chelsea Flower Show 2022: Favorite Sanctuary Garden #2

Sometimes ignorance really is bliss. Had I read the background on The Boodles Travel Garden , designed by Tom Hoblyn ahead of time I'd have struggled to comprehend it on that level, trying to determine which plant represented which country for example. Even now, truthfully, the written concept does nothing for me other than indicate…

Read More

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…

Read More

Before & After: Creating an Inviting Entry Garden

Who needs a sign that says "KEEP OUT!" when your front garden requires a machete to reach the door? As I carefully navigated my way past the mature stand of bamboo, keeping a watchful eye out for any lurking pandas, I could understand why I had been called to this lovely home in Redmond, Washington.…

Read More

Early Spring Container Refresh

It's the shoulder season here in Seattle. Sometimes I need a long-sleeved T-shirt + fleece vest+ puffer jacket. Other days I'm too warm in short sleeves. For my container gardens that means things can start to look a little winter-weary, yet it's too soon for my favorite summer annuals and frankly I don't have much…

Read More

Climate Change and the Average Gardener: Reality Check

I took a walk around the garden a few days ago, making a mental list of what needed pruning or moving this weekend and was horrified to see so much winter damage on my broadleaf evergreen shrubs and even some evergreen perennials. Many of these plants have been in the garden for 7 years or…

Read More