I don’t think I need to tell you again how much I love autumn, but it is my favorite time of year.  It always has been, even growing up in Louisiana when it meant going back to school (which I did not like!).   This year it was a bit of a tease as it seemed […]

As I start writing this, I intend for it to be the last installment in this woodland garden saga, but then I never planned for it to be a serial in the first place, so who knows.  Originally, it was all about my excitement for the plants in some gardens I was designing.  Then I […]

Planting the perennial layer in the shade garden is the fun part since there are so many great plant choices and they don’t require such an effort to plant.  Also, if you happen to be working on hot day, you’ve got it made in the shade (sorry, I couldn’t help myself). I once took workshops […]

In February I wrote about some aspects of shade gardens and their creation, and promised to follow up with more thoughts and favorite woodland plants.  I got a little sidetracked last month with a trip to Mexico, but now I am back to work and thinking about some new projects with woodland areas. When I […]

I know you were all holding your breath, waiting for the next installation of my pontification on shade gardens, but I happen to be in Mexico and decided to write about something more immediate.  First of all, Mexico is a beautiful country.  Simply put, it is hard to go wrong here; the food is incredible, […]

This winter I am working on designs for the upcoming season and attending seminars and lectures here and there (busy and happy).   A number of my upcoming projects involve shady areas, so I have been thinking about shade gardens a lot.  I also had the pleasure of hearing Ken Druse, one the shade garden gurus, […]

Garden Therapy Column – January 2018 This is the time of year when it is hardest for me to get excited about writing a garden column.   After finally finishing (or not!) all of the tasks associated with the end of the season, I am inclined to wax on again about how much I love winter […]

Garden Therapy Column – September 2018 Balance is one of those “mushy” topics that can be tricky to discuss. It has very different colors in different contexts.  While it is pretty clear when trying to stay on the beam or wire, in other scenarios it can be much more subjective.  Struggling for a little balance […]

Garden Therapy Column – May 2017 Last month I discussed the challenges of the grade changes that make our Catskill properties so beautiful and yet oh so maddening at times.  The steeper and larger the slope, the tougher and more costly the solutions, especially when it comes to larger scale situations like house and driveway […]

Garden Therapy Column – April 2017 It is déjà vu all over again.  Last month when I sat down to write my column, the winds were howling, the snow was blowing and there was about 14 inches of snow on the ground.  Since then the snow subsided, we had some nice weather and I even […]