textured plants - Fine Gardening
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Design
Textured Plants That Steal the Show
While color and form were important factors in choosing the plants, a mix of bold and fine textures makes the backbone of the design. Here are some of the most…
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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…
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Design
The Best Spiky Container Plants
The formula for creating wonderful containers doesn’t need to be difficult. First, find complementary plants you like that fit your growing conditions. Next, think of each plant's growing habit and…
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Design
Bold-Textured Beauties for Sun and Shade
In horticulture, plants are often described as having fine, medium, or bold (coarse) texture. Bold-textured plants have large leaves and sometimes large blossoms to match, although “bold-textured” really refers to…
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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…
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Design
Surprising Plants for Shade
I recently designed my third shade garden on as many properties. As my fascination with shade plants grows, I continually look for more variety beyond the plants commonly available in…
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Design
A Gentle Approach to Planting on a Slope
When creating a new garden design, I first analyze existing elements to decide what works, what doesn’t, and why. Architectural and hardscaping elements are a good place to begin. When…
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Design
Garden Design Basics: Use Two Colors Plus Green
In a world full of glorious color, why limit oneself to just two when designing containers? Because limitations can be . . . liberating. Color is so seductive that it…
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Design
Conifers Should Come First
When we first bought our house in 2000, I was pregnant. The previous owner had no interest in the garden. Since there was almost nothing planted, I just threw a…