This winter I finalized a 10,000 square foot design for clients who reside in a rural setting in central Illinois. Their recently renovated Prairie Style home has lovely views of nearby timber and a vast meadow. The site and home lend themselves to a more naturalistic garden. Coneflowers (Echinacea spp.) are in abundance in the[...]
Now being empty nesters, my wife Mary and I took off on Easter Sunday with our dog Sandy for a day trip to Bear Valley in Colusa County, California, about 2 hours north of San Francisco.
I became aware of the allure of wildflowers several years ago when driving at 65 m.p.h. on the expressway in Philadelphia and suddenly seeing a grove of red poppies in the median strips. I quickly pulled the car over to the side of the road where I gazed at them in disbelief, longing to bring[...]
Yikes, it’s time for Bloom Day already, and I’ve hardly begun tidying up for spring. There are plenty of areas that probably would look stunning, if only I’d had the time to spruce them up a bit. Unlike the shoemaker’s children with their dearth of footwear, the gardener’s own garden has plenty of plants, but[...]
Twenty-five years ago, as an adolescent, I developed an unexpected friendship with an elderly woman who lived down the street. Mabel Hart Crooks had an elaborate yard, filled with beautiful blooming plants. She was in her mid 90’s and needed some help with maintenance- mowing, weeding, pruning and occasionally planting. I was 13 and wanted[...]