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12 Months Later
A tapestry of colors and textures - August 2012 Is it really only that long? I suspect like many gardeners I’m better at writing a To Do list than celebrating the Ta Da moments. I’m so busy worrying...
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Gaura – a whirl of tiny butterflies
A soft haze of whirling butterflies dances around a whitebarked Himalayan birch. Movement is important in a garden. It lends an informal atmosphere and softens otherwise stiff plantings. Grasses are...
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Stark Silhouettes – a lesson from the desert
I had the opportunity recently to visit Tucson, Arizona and was fascinated to see a landscape so different from the lush Pacific Northwest. Instead of ferns and mossy glades beneath towering...
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Denver Botanic Gardens – a winter surprise
I had the opportunity to visit the Denver Botanic Gardens last week. As I pulled on thermals, several layers of fleece and my thickest socks I began to doubt my sanity! Temperatures were well below...
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Savor the Sunlight
A weathered teak bench placed thoughtfully beneath a golden locust tree tempts even the busiest of gardeners. I’m busy – always busy – and yes, too busy. When I hesitate to slow down long enough to...
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Exciting New Plants for 2014!
Yes you read that correctly – these are new introductions to watch out for next year. As a garden writer I have the opportunity to test plants in my own garden and containers before they are released...
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Join Me For An Autumn Stroll
Rich autumnal tones play off this hand made rustic urn If you had told me four years ago that I would have my garden would be published in national magazines (or at last discreet parts of it), that...
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Deer-Free Garden Dreams for 2014
It always amazes me that after just a few months respite from gardening I suddenly find myself dreaming of next seasons adventures. Moving the shrub that got too big for the front garden over to the...
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My 3 Favorite Patio Ideas from the NWFGS
Design by Todd Holloway, Pot Incorporated The Northwest Flower and Garden Show is a highlight in the Seattle gardening calendar with an exciting blend of the ‘out of this world’ (and budget),...
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Container Creations – inspiration for Spring!
The nurseries are filling with the colors and scents of spring, the birds are singing and I find every excuse to be outside working in my garden rather than sitting at a computer. It’s a time of...
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New Easy Care Shrubs for 2015
Gardening in deer-prone country is so frustrating. As a designer I envision grand plant and color combinations in my mind – only to struggle to then find deer resistant plants that fulfill those...
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Deer Resistant, Easy Care Annuals
Sapphire Blue sea holly (Eryngium) pierces a carpet of snowy white allysum You know the scenario; there’s a space in the border. Which of course being a conscientious gardener means you have a duty...
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Succulent Safari
Sunrise on Succulents; design by Debra Lee Baldwin From Seattle to San Diego; three hours and a world of plants away. My husband Andy and I were working in southern California last week, basking in...
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Top Perennials for Summer Pots
A shade loving Tiarella offers pretty evergreen foliage as well as white flowers When I design container gardens nothing is safe! I explore everything from dwarf trees and slow growing shrubs to...
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Garden Emergencies
I used fast growing white alyssum as a groundcover last year when most of the creeping thyme died over the winter. I liked it so much I planted it again this year! Help! As a designer there is one...
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Designing with Water
In my last post A Change in Perspective, I showed you how I had taken advantage of the diagonal line across a rectangular lot to improve the function and make a small garden feel larger. Understanding...
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Plant Whimsy
I always want the gardens I design to reflect the homeowners taste and personality. There are many ways to do this such as carrying through a key color from the interior decorating scheme or including...
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Taming the Front Garden
The existing landscaping suggested a neglected home; a far cry from the truth! Eek! Where would you start? Pruning the overgrown rhododendrons and camellias? Removing towering, diseased conifers?...
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Party Time for Hummingbirds!
King Edward VII flowering currant Zzzzzzzzzzip. Zzzzzzzzzzzzip. Yes it’s that time of year when hummingbirds can be seen, heard and enjoyed daily as they flit from one flower to the next. Like most...
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Beyond Geraniums….
Mix it up a little! Here a golden elderberry (shrub) mingles with a colorful annual Coprosma and a vibrant perennial ‘Celebration’ blanket flower Are you struggling to do something different with...
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