Last weekend marked two musical firsts for my younger kids. My 16-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son attended their first concerts. Both experienced an energetic performance by Judah and the Lion, then my daughter was able to experience a theatrical Katy Perry the next day. It made me think abo...

I remember being a little scared as a student when I had to render a plan with those bright, non-forgiving, permanent markers. Over the years I've developed a simple way to use markers...more as a wash to my ink drawings, rather than layering color upon color of marker (as those amazing marker ar...

Though some of us may have an empty yard when we start our garden design, most do not.  I receive many questions about how to work with existing trees, shrubs, sheds or other odds and ends in our yard that need to be unified into a cohesive design.  Though there are several ways to unify a desig...

l love hand-drawing my landscape plans when time allows, but using pen with a dash of color pencil or marker adds a slight bit of nervousness. If your marker slips or your pen smudges, all that tedious work can quickly come to a depressing halt. Or does it?   Many years ago I decided it was time...

I love color in the garden, but often feel overwhelmed when trying to make choices.  One way to narrow down your color focus is to choose a theme. Picking an object, food or even an emotion can help you select one fabulous color or an unexpected combination. Selecting a color palette this way pro...

Each year I provide a suggested list of supplies to my students for our fall landscape graphics course. This list is often accompanied by questions of what some of these items look like, so they can find them in the store. I’ve been wanting to create a graphic to accompany this list for years, so...

As we approach the fourth of July here in the US with all the patriotic colors and symbols that accompany it I began thinking about how these are translated into gardens. Stars, stripes, plus the colors of red, white and blue can fill a garden with tons of celebration. As I researched these items...

Having good contrast on a landscape plan makes it easier to read. One way to add contrast is to include shadows on plants (and objects). Shadows not only make your drawing easier to read, but they also add depth. There are two types of shadows: PLANT SHADOWS: Those on the plant itself GROUND S...

In the last few weeks I've received several questions about how to choose colors when rendering a landscape plan in marker. In response to your excellent inquiries I've shared my own guidelines and steps below, plus created three marker color combinations that I've seen my students use or I've tr...

A few years ago I had the opportunity to present at the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival in Orlando, Florida. An amazing experience that allowed me to not only meet wonderful Disney staff and enthusiastic gardeners, but also the fortune of taking in all the beautiful horticulture di...