landscape - Fine Gardening

  • urban garden design for a modern home
    Design

    A Stunning Modern Landscape Design for a Contemporary Home

    This modern Seattle home was built on a bluff overlooking Puget Sound in Zone 8b. When I first took on the project, the steel-and-glass house stood on a dirt-and-gravel work…

  • cottage garden that isnt chaotic
    Design

    A Cottage Garden That’s Not Chaotic

    Typical cottage gardens—the ones we see in English gardening books and magazines—are undeniably beautiful. But often, when gardeners in the States attempt to replicate their charming and iconic look, the…

  • Article

    The Rose Garden That Grew

    We’re going back to Nanci Kerby’s home in Napa, California, to see another garden she created. In our backyard is a border of pine/conifer trees. The winds last year blew…

  • spring container with bulbs
    Design

    A Bright Idea for Spring Containers

    After the long gray of winter when most of us are desperate for color in the landscape, bulbs in containers can add a splash of brilliance anywhere it is needed.…

  • Design

    How to Create a Gravel Garden

    When you conjure up an image of a gravel garden, it probably isn’t very fun or colorful. Many people picture a sea of hot, dry gravel, some harsh, craggy rocks,…

  • balanced garden design
    Design

    How to Create Balance in the Garden

    I love plants, all kinds of plants, crammed in with a long succession of fabulous foliage and blooming combinations in strong, bold colors. I also love strong design stories with…

  • Article

    How to Use Annuals in Your Garden

    Years ago, I created a long, deep perennial border that I could enjoy and critique from my kitchen window. I was happy with the size and shape of the bed,…

  • Article

    15 Ideas to Steal for Your Garden

    Pablo Picasso said something to the effect of, “Bad artists imitate. Great artists steal.” The same quote is often attributed to Igor Stravinsky and T. S. Eliot. Whoever said it,…

  • Design

    Garden Design that Looks Great After Hours

    After a busy day, you need rejuvenation. You want the renewal that comes from putting aside work, to-do lists, and digital devices. You need to pause before rushing into dinner…

  • Article

    How to Make More Space in the Garden

    At the time, buying a house seemed like such a grown-up thing. But the allure of having a garden was too powerful to ignore. So after years of renting places…