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Narrowing Down Your Plant Choices
You've decided where to place your new planting bed, what size it should be and now you face the ominous task of choosing the plants that go inside...
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Cut and Paste Garden

A fun way to approach planting design is to visualize your garden in elevation (looking at your garden as if you were standing in front of it)....

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Hello Mesic Prairie

Here in the US Midwest (zones 4 & 5) our predominant native plant community is prairie (what's left of it). Rolling hills, open plains,...

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Draw Your Plants Video: Cotoneaster
In my last post I discussed how drawing your plants are a great way to learn them. It's easy for me to encourage you to try it, but I wanted to...
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Draw Your Plants to Learn Them

As gardeners we strive to learn as many plants as possible.  We learn by weeding around them, taking photos and notes, and simply working with...

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Three Ways to Love Your Garden Before Spring Arrives

Once the holidays end in December, it seems that January and February can dwell on as we yearn for spring to arrive. To add a bright light to these...

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An Itty Bitty Allium

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...

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Summer's Surprising Polka Dots: Alliums

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...

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The Black Border

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,...

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Planting Design Tips
Though I officially learned planting design in college, I didn't begin my real education until I began creating my own garden. These are...
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The Wellie Rain Garden

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...

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How to Label Plants

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...

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Spatial vs. Planting Design

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

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A Rain Garden

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...

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Online Plant Databases

People often ask where I search out new plants for my designs. Besides books, I enjoy perusing online plant databases. These are great for...

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Make Your Garden Pop with Texture

Planting design is a science and an art. The science takes into consideration what your plants need to thrive, while the art is about composition....

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