Kristin Green

Kristin Green fell hard for horticulture while studying art in the Pacific Northwest. After returning to native Northeastern soil, she turned her obsession into a vocation. She spent fifteen years as a professional gardener in private and public gardens in Rhode Island, including twelve years as interpretive horticulturist, garden blogger and photographer at Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum, and two at Mount Hope Farm where she designed and installed a cutting garden. She wrote a regular garden column called Down to Earth for area newspapers from 2010 to 2018, her own blog at trenchmanicure.com, and Plantiful: Start Small, Grow Big with 150 Plants that Spread, Self-Sow, and Overwinter, published by Timber Press in 2014. Nowadays, when she’s not in her home garden testing ideas, combinations, and the limits of laziness, you’ll find her living another dream behind the circulation desk at the Middletown Public Library.

  • Blue Shadow Fothergilla, Color Guard Yucca and Wedding Gown Bigleaf Hydrangea
    Design

    The Best House Foundation Plants for Your Region

    When it comes to choosing foundation plants for your home, it’s important to pick species that not only enhance your landscape but also thrive in your specific climate. That’s why…

  • Ezo Murasaki Japanese Aster
    Northeast Regional Reports

    Plants That Take Sun and Shade for the Northeast

      1. Eastern Red Columbine Name: Aquilegia canadensis Zones: 3–8 Size: 2 feet tall and 12 to 18 inches wide Conditions: Full sun to full shade; average, well-drained soil Native…

  • plants to buy northeast
    Northeast Regional Reports

    Shopping-List Plants for the Northeast

    Little kids have Christmas. Gardeners have spring. To anyone who loves plants, this is the most wonderful time of the year. As warmer weather approaches, gardeners across the country eagerly anticipate…

  • Northeast Regional Reports

    March Garden To-Do List for the Northeast

    When February ends and March begins, we winter-weary Northeasterners suffer from Farch (February–March), which consists of a continuation of inconsistent weather and monochrome colors. But let’s not knock March. The…

  • Virginia Sweetspire
    Northeast Regional Reports

    Your Favorite Plants Improved for the Northeast

    In Paul Westervelt's article on perennial upgrades, he explains the benefit of stepping out of your comfort zone and trying new versions of tried-and-true plants: "After whiffing a few times,…

  • Northeast Regional Reports

    Northeast: February Garden To-Do List

    February brings uncertain weather and tests a gardener’s patience. It can feel like the Longest. Month. Ever. But stay strong. The changes in the length of days will begin to…

  • Northeast Regional Reports

    Northeast: January Garden To-Do List

    January is for hibernation. But just because the winter weather has given us an excellent excuse to cozy up on the couch with a dog on our feet doesn’t mean…

  • Northeast Regional Reports

    Northeast November Garden To-Do List

    In November, the weather might still be a mixed bag, but diminishing daylight is shifting the seasonal cycle into a lower gear for a slow ride through winter. While some…

  • How-To

    This Garden Knife Gets Better With Age

    The first tool I bought as a novice gardener was a carbon-steel hori hori, or Japanese digging knife, just like the one from Hardwick & Sons. Practically indestructible, mine (pictured)…

  • Northeast Regional Reports

    Northeast September Garden To-Do List

    September is a game changer. Don’t believe the propaganda; school might be back in session, but summer isn’t over yet. In fact, it’s better than ever. The humidity abates in…