The age old question! Every gardener finds their own balance here, but there are a few general rules that can help you strike the perfect balance for you: What if my garden is a few containers on my patio or balcony? Buy your plants from your local nursery. If you garden on a small scale, […]
What Seeds to Start, What to Direct Sow, and What to Buy From a Nursery Read More »
January is the season of the glossy, gorgeous seed catalogues! Every gardener loves receiving them in the mail. It’s hard not to love looking at a preview of our abundant summer harvests when it’s such a stark contrast to the snow and frigid temperatures of the weather outside. Though I have a blog post about
Read This Before You Buy Seeds Read More »
Sometimes, I get to add gardens to landscapes that have been lovingly tended for years. It’s such a fun challenge to design a garden that looks like it’s been there for years with the rest of the garden. And it’s an honor to add my signature to part of a landscape that will be so
A Fresh Midcentury Modern Twist with Native Landscaping Read More »
My favorite days in the garden are the ones when I get to garden with other gardeners! This installation was so much fun and even more rewarding. The Arlington Heights Garden Club reached out to me to consult on the kitchen garden for Northwest Compass Inc’s new community garden. I was so honored to be
A New Kitchen Garden Paradise for Non-Profit Northwest Compass Read More »
Fall gardens are one of the most rewarding gardens that you can plant. I love the time of the year where the weather shifts from unpleasantly hot to downright beautiful for a few weeks (and those beautiful few weeks are why we live in the Midwest, right?!) I would love if this year, you celebrated
How to Plant a Fall Garden Read More »
Can we all agree that life is ridiculously busy? Sometimes it feels like we’re always multitasking, on the go, trying to fit more into our 24 hour day, and hoping that somehow we’ll come across a mythical 30 hour day where we’ll “catch up.” Figuring out how to slow down and actually doing it are
Creating Space For Yourself in a Kitchen Garden Read More »
Sometimes necessary parts of our landscapes, like sheds, can look a bit out of place. How do you fix that? Add a garden! Your shed will look like it was always meant to be there, gently placed in the landscape. I designed and installed this garden for a gardener who has been trying for many
A Kitchen Garden Pairs Perfectly With a She Shed Read More »
How often have you walked out to your garden for the first time all year on Mother’s Day weekend and been absolutely overwhelmed by all the planting you need to do? I get it – life gets in the way of the glorious, beautiful gardens we want to have. But the important part is that
3 Tips to Make Planting Your Garden Easy Read More »
It’s here! Seed starting time! Every Chicago winter feels a bit endless. But for us gardeners, there are a few early glimpses of warmer days to come. One moment is in January when the seed catalogs flood your mailbox. Another early sign that the season of ice and snow is drawing to a close is
Seed Starting Mistakes to Avoid Read More »
I love looking through seed catalogues. I can’t think of a gardener who doesn’t! Each January, beautiful, glossy seed catalogues start appearing in your mailbox promising abundant harvests and, most importantly, a hope that spring and summer will be here soon. But sometimes seed catalogues can be overwhelming. There’s just too many beautiful possibilities! I
Making Seed Ordering Simple Read More »
