GardenDesignOnline

Books: Sustainable Design

2010-02-08T11:56:07-05:00

Sustainability is now all the rage, and a lot of people think it means some very simple things: planting more natives, taking care of water runoff, eliminating lawns and avoiding all use of chemicals in the garden. In their just-out book Sustainable Site Design: Criteria, Process, and Case Studies for...

Winter to Spring

2010-02-06T09:34:17-05:00

There's more than a foot of snow on the ground at my house ... still falling ... and 20 to 30 inches predicted before it's over. And although spring is still six official weeks away, it IS on the way. This winter blooming jasmine has already started emerging (just barely)...

Veg Gardens: My Rant Against Them

2010-02-03T10:45:06-05:00

Like so many other gardeners, I got into the design field many years ago by way of my own real veg garden. Returning to DC from four years in London and two in NYC, we bought a house with a yard big enough to grow vegetables. I double dug the...

Garden Books 2010: Veggies Only

2010-02-01T11:16:27-05:00

Blame the economy or blame a new generation of gardeners who are into the "green" movement, but publishers of garden books are going whole hog in one direction: books on vegetable gardening. Books on design and books on blooms are simply not in fashion this year. The latest survey from...

Happenings Feb 2010

2010-01-29T07:12:00-05:00

SELECTED GARDEN EVENTS AROUND THE COUNTRY Thru March 28, Orchid Show, St. Louis, MO Missouri Botanical Garden, 314-577-5100 Thru March 31, Orchid Extravaganza, Kennett Square, PA Longwood Gardens, Show, Sale, Lectures & More 610-388-1000 Feb 3-7 Northwest Flower & Garden Show, Seattle, WA WA Convention Center, 253-756-2121 Feb 4-6, Southeastern...

Books: Color Choices - Flowers

2010-01-27T08:27:40-05:00

The easiest way to get color in the garden is with flowers ... and this new book,The Gardeners Color Palette: Paint Your Garden with 100 Extraordinary Flower Choices (Timber Press, 2010) makes it even easier. By Timber Press editor-in-chief Tom Fischer, the book profiles 100 different flowers in an array...

Design: Distinctive Lighting

2010-01-23T10:47:35-05:00

I'm really sold on the design of this "Solid Bronze Entry Lamp" from Coe Studios in Berkeley, CA. A lot of info, believe me, comes into my email "in" box, and a lot of it can be ignored. But not these lovely garden lights. This lamp can be mounted on...

Stonecrop & The Garden Conservancy

2010-01-20T07:12:00-05:00

I didn't really know what to expect when I decided last summer to visit the garden in Cold Spring, NY, that's associated with the the Garden Conservancy. I love to go on their annual "Open Days" garden tours, held around the country, mostly on weekends, from April to October. And...

In the Magazines Jan-Feb 10

2010-01-17T00:12:00-05:00

Garden Design Jan-Feb An urban garden in Birmingham, AL goes totally "green." Hotel gardens in the US worth seeing: San Ysidro Ranch, Santa Barbara CA by LA designers Laurie Lewis and Sally Paul; Hotel Modera in Portland, OR by Lango Hansen landscape architects; Casa Morada in the Florida Keys by...

Outdoor Kitchen Webinar

2010-01-15T07:12:00-05:00

Everyone seems to want an outdoor kitchen these days ... complete with fridge, BBQ, ovens, sinks, and plenty of counter space. If you haven't yet encountered a client who wants one, you likely will one of these days soon. I signed up for a design seminar run by Kalamazoo Gourmet...

Design - Trade Show Tips

2010-01-13T07:12:00-05:00

There's nothing like a garden trade show to get you in the mood for spring, and this year's MANTS (Mid-Atlantic Nurserymen's Trade Assn) show was its usual over-the-top self: big, brawny, bold, and one of the best and biggest in the country. Now, a lot of the things you see...

Garden Trends 2010

2010-01-11T12:29:43-05:00

This picture of a modern vegetable garden pretty much says it all: Homeowners are heading back to the basics. The latest report on garden trends for 2010 from the Garden Media Group of Kennett Square, PA, says there's a significant shift in garden trends ... away from lavish outdoor lifestyles...

New 2010 Plants

2010-01-08T11:41:58-05:00

Bloomerang® Lilac (Syringa x 'Penda') How long have gardeners been pining for a re-blooming lilac? This new one, from Spring Meadow Nursery in Grand Haven, Michigan, is of the short, shrubby variety, about four to five feet tall and four feet wide. Tim Wood, the nursery's product development manager, travels...

Design Inspiration

2010-01-06T07:12:00-05:00

I have some new clients who recently returned from Japan, and although they don't want a classic "Japanese" garden, they would like something that is inspired by Japanese style. So, aside from my books, none of which are exactly what I'm looking for, where to turn? Last summer, I was...

New Design Blogs

2010-01-03T07:12:00-05:00

A couple of new design blogs may be just what you're looking for to get inspired for the upcoming garden season. Designers on Design -- for which I'm a contributor -- is written by various members of APLD ... the Association of Professional Landscape Designers. One of the latest posts...