While most gardeners focus on the plants in their garden, it’s the non-living, man-made hardscape elements that are most important in a well-thought-out adapted garden—mainly because they are the most expensive aspect to change. Uneven paths can be a tripping hazard, and gaps between flagstones or other surfaces can catch heels or canes, causing falls. …
Garden & Space Design
One of the many light bulbs that went off in my head when I became a Master Gardener was the concept of right plant, right place. When I began to speak and write about adaptive gardening, I knew I needed to include it. After all, we strive to save time, money, and energy, right? Using …
Have you noticed one of the not so great joys of aging is how susceptible we become to temperatures? It’s because our bodies become less efficient at regulating body heat. When external temperatures rise, like when we’re exposed to direct sunlight or extremely hot environments, so does our internal body temperature. This is why seniors …
It broke my heart to see my beloved fig tree being carried out of my garden. I had made the ultimate gardening mistake: I did not pay attention to the concept of right plant, right place when I purchased my Black Mission fig tree. It was the right plant. My husband and I fell in …
There’s nothing I relish more than saving time and energy. My friend Heidi feels exactly the same way. She loves to have blooming flowers year-round (we’re lucky that our mild climate allows this) in certain places and especially in front of the fountain she sculpted years ago. She came up with an idea I think …
A few weeks ago, I attended the Garden Writers Association conference in my hometown of Chicago. I joined their organization in 2015 when I discovered it was open to all garden communicators, including speakers, writers, and photographers. Three years ago, I was a garden speaker and I was anxious to hone my craft. Since then, …
No space? No problem. Grow your flowers and veggies up by finding inventive vertical gardening opportunities. It’s nice to know you can garden without having to bend down at all. Vertical gardening is a technique of growing plants in hanging baskets, window boxes and trellises so most of the maintenance is at waist-to-eye-level, enabling you …
We’ve all made this gardening mistake, at least once … It broke my heart to see my beloved fig tree being carried out of my garden. I made the ultimate mistake many gardeners will not admit to — I did NOT pay attention to the concept of “Right Plant, Right Place” when I purchased my …