Hello Lisa.

Welcome back to another edition of THE PENCIL CASE! As always, each issue focuses on a theme to encourage a fresh look at garden design and graphics. We’re constantly exploring ways to spread the love of design...so once again, we’re celebrating one of our favorite resources: books! Specifically, this week let's focus in on WILD BOOKS…titles that dive deep into the art and science of designed plant communities.

You might also notice a new format taking shape in this newsletter. It’s designed to make learning garden design even more approachable and inspiring. Each issue will still feature a focused design topic (but now with a link to a longer, more detailed blog post on my website...and one that will be easier to find later), a handful of curated resources, and a few almost-design-related thoughts from my personal experiences. Whether you’re a budding designer or just garden-curious, my goal is to offer tools, insights, and a creative spark to help you grow your skills with confidence. Let’s dive in! ♥︎

The image on top is a lovely garden by Joel Berlin in San Diego, California, while the books on the bottom are from my own collection.

.....

WILD BOOKS: Designing with Plant Communities

What does it really mean to design with nature instead of against it? In this week’s blog post, I’m sharing a few of my favorite “wild books”...ones that dig into the idea of planting in communities. It’s a different way of thinking about garden design. Instead of focusing on one plant at a time, this approach looks at how groups of plants can work together...just like they do in nature. The goal? Create beautiful combinations that fill space, share resources, and need less maintenance over time. If you'd like to read more, CLICK HERE for my latest blog post that lists great book ideas to inspire you.

⚘

Do you have a favorite WILD BOOK that focuses on designed plant communities? I’d love to hear how it’s worked for you. Please share by hitting reply to this email and I'll add it to my list for everyone to enjoy.

RESOURCES + RABBIT HOLES

Below is a mix of helpful links, book recommendations, and upcoming classes...just in case you’re ready to tumble a little further down the path.

⚘

Planting in a Post-Wild World. I’ve listed several books in the blog post above, but if you’re just getting started with the idea of designed plant communities, this is the one I recommend. (Please note: this is an affiliate link, as are all my book links.)

⚘

The Garden Design Collective. This is our monthly design membership. We cover a new topic each month and several have related to designed plant communities, including matrix plantings, plant layers, drift planting and…designed plant communities. Click here to join our waiting list. We open enrollment again in September.

⚘

10 x10 Garden Design Tips. This is our daily email series where we share snippets of design inspiration spanning ten overarching topics, each with ten detailed tips. That adds up to 100 days of garden design wisdom, all delivered to your virtual doorstep.

CLIPPINGS + CURIOSITIES

Not everything relates to the topic at hand, so below I'll be adding a couple of random thoughts...from my sketchbook, the garden, or the day...in each newsletter. Let's shake it up.

⚘

Things I Didn’t Expect to Love. I saw a chartreuse garden hose (while visiting someone's lovely home), loosely coiled...partly on the driveway, partly draped through a lush planting bed. That sharp yellow-green against the concrete and deeper greens made everything around it feel more alive. A good reminder: contrast isn’t just about flowers...greens need variety too.

⚘

Currently obsessed with the book, Atomic Habits. It’s got me thinking about the tiny rituals that build momentum in both business and garden life...like clearing my desk at the end of the day so tomorrow starts fresh, or pulling just one handful of weeds while the coffee brews. Small actions, big ripple effects.

Left image above is located on Martha's Vineyard and the lovely landscape on the right was designed by Jack Pizzo in Chicago, Illinois.

.....

Did you get a chance to read about the WILD BOOKS we mentioned above?

.....

If you know someone that needs a bit of garden inspiration, please feel free to share this newsletter. Anyone can subscribe right here. I also keep a VAULT of past issues in this secret location.

.....

It's been a joy spending time with you this week. 

With muddy boots and wild ideas,

Lisa 

.....

PAPER GARDEN WORKSHOP

Thank you to Mandy Orgler for designing the lovely graphics in all these newsletters.