Yep, it’s time for year end resolutions - I’m much more successful with garden resolutions, and they’re way more fun! As I scroll through my garden photos and reflect on past successes and failures, I see plenty to provide me with the framework I need to make the coming year even better.

There are so many questions about creating a naturalistic landscape - how do you keep it from looking sloppy? What do you to plant to attract pollinators, manage cultivated and uncultivated areas, eliminate invasive plants and so forth? I don’t have all the answers, but here’s a garden checks a lot of the boxes.

While helping a friend move plants around in the most recent iteration of her garden, she turned to me and asked, “do you think the garden will ever be done?” Fat chance! Most of us can’t give up the quest for perfection. As elusive as it is, we don’t (or can’t) stop trying.

Gardening nightmare 101 - what can you plant underneath a maple tree? Choices are limited by harsh fasts - shade, shallow feeder roots and obviously, you don’t want to damage the tree by severing large tap roots when you dig. It’s all about choosing the right plants. Hope you’ll find my latest planting saga useful.

What can you do if you want a garden that’s less work without sacrificing beauty? The answer - fewer flowers and more foliage.

Don't you hate weeding areas that don’t look much better when you're done? I call this 'stupid weeding' and I'm on a mission to reduce it. Learn more about 5 beautiful, useful perennials that will save you work.

A few months ago someone asked me what advice I would give new gardeners. Here's my two cents - cultivate a sense of humor and don't give up when plants die.

Every garden comes with it's own set of challenges, success comes about when you figure out how to make it work in spite of them. Find out how one determined gardener turned an inhospitable site into a shady paradise.

If there was ever a time to grow your own food, this is it. Maybe you have a small garden or no place to put one. How can you get more out of the space you have? Find out how to use every available inch.

Patience and faith are being sorely tried these days, and no one knows when life is going to return to normal. As with gardening, we just have to hang on, wait for the plants to grow and have faith that they'll survive.

I'm grateful for public gardens wherever I go, but my recent trip to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) Vietnam to visit grandchildren left me doubly appreciative of what they provide.  In a city where even crossing the streeet is a hair raising experience, the tree-lined public parks provide shelter from the heat and respite from the daily hubbub. Need a little tropical eye candy? Read on. 

As the another year rolls around to an end, I've been thinking about why I garden. There are a lot of reasons why I keep at it - I like being outside, experimenting with plants and putting them together. But the real truth isn't reasonable. I garden because I have to. Keep reading to learn more about why I'm so driven.

Why are focal points are important? They give your eye a place to land, especially important in a small space. If you've ever floundered around not knowing what to do next, this post is for you.

Shopping for trees and shrubs is tough. It's easy to get sidetracked on beautiful flowers,cool branching habits or flashy foliage. A good way to start? Focus on shapes to narrow down the choices. 

In February, I escaped to the tropics of Vietnam where just about anything grows. I found it fascinating to see how they garden on the other side of the world and wanted to share it. If you're fed up with winter, and want to see bodacious greenery and flowers, read on.

It's easy for things to get out of hand in a garden. Figuring out where to start can feel overwhelming. If you're feeling daunted about how to impose law and order on your gardens, read on.

Tough places to plant? Everyone has them. Don't we all long for rich loam, perfect drainage and just the right amount of sun? Here's an idea to try if you have less than ideal conditions.

Summer overloads the senses, but winter boils a garden down to its essential forms. Walking through a  winter landscape offers many lessons that  can help you to be a better gardener. 

Why keep plants that aren't bringing you joy? Sometimes you just have to put your foot down if you want a better garden.

What can you do when you make planting bloopers like this? Read on to find out how I turned my mistake into a masterpiece.