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This past week I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD) annual conference in Orlando,...

Stippling is an art technique that uses small dots to create a larger image. In this case, I'm using stippling to add extra character and...

I'm a pen and ink artist to heart so love adding textures to the ground plane in my landscape plans. Yes, they take a little time, but add such...

A few weeks ago I wrote a post on my favorite summer blooming alliums; Allium 'summer beauty' and Allium 'millenium'. Now I'd like to share my...

After posting my line weight graphic several of you asked about the types of pens I used, so I made a new graphic below that shows some of my...

Proper line weights give your drawing depth and clarity.  Few line weights will make your drawing feel flat, while a variety, used in the...

Polka dots are sweet and dainty, while being a great companion to other bold patterns. Yes, the polka dots in my garden are sweet, but they are...

Each year when I teach hand lettering in my landscape graphics class ultimately someone says "I can't do this. My printing is too messy."  I...

While visiting Reiman Gardens in Ames, Iowa, I had the pleasure of stumbling across one of their annual displays, the black border. It is a lovely,...

When you walk through a fabulous garden, do you ever wonder why you're so intrigued with it? Maybe its because that garden was...

Every year this question ultimately comes up in my landscape design studio: "How large should I make a patio for a certain number of people?" I...

There are three design elements to consider when creating a planting design: form, texture and color.

Each plant you...

When we create a landscape design it's important that we communicate what's on the plan. The plants are one of the most significant elements...

When I wrote my post on rain gardens, I thought it would be fun to use my theme garden design process to add a little more...

As you approach garden design, it's important to understand two aspects: spatial design and planting design. Spatial design can easily be...

For those that enjoyed my How to Draw a Plant Symbol tutorial, here is the next step...grouping plant symbols.  A general rule of...

A rain garden is a planting area that captures runoff from rain that falls on roofs, driveways or yards. They help create landscapes that are both...