I am the first to admit I know nothing -- and I mean absolutely nothing -- about garden design. I try to be a good plant steward, and put my plants that like the same conditions together, and hopefully I don't make a mistake about what those conditions are, and where those conditions can be found in my garden. So I cherish any tips about new plants and where they thrive, or how to put combinations together, or how to use certain colors, of either foliage or flowers. A good blog I've found that offers all of that and more is Garden Adventures -- For Thumbs of All Colors, written by Karen Chapman. Here's what the tag line on her blog says: "Take a stroll through the garden with me as I share insights, tips and “I wish I had known better” thoughts. As a designer, container gardener and plantaholic I have learned by simply getting my hands dirty that thumbs really can go from brown to green. Join me on a fun adventure."
And here's a little something about her from the bio page on her blog.
"I have had a trowel in my hand and soil under my fingernails for as long as I can remember, but that is just the way it is in England where I grew up. Gardening is simply a part of everyday life where plants and produce are exchanged over a cup of tea and neighbors regularly stop to admire one another’s gardens. And so it was inevitable that when we moved to the Pacific Northwest in 1996 it wasn’t long before I was working at one of the leading nurseries where I could continue to feed my plant fix and share my enthusiasm and knowledge with others."
Her posts about plants and design are interspersed with posts about the progress she is making on her own new garden. Yes, she lives and gardens in the same area of the country where I live, and like me, started over with a completely new garden after moving. But any gardener anywhere in the country, or in fact, in the world, can benefit from her knowledge and insight.
Here are links to some recent interesting and informative posts:
