A flowering Vine to Fall in Love With

Passionflowers are exotic looking vines that make your heart race. I have grown a number of these beauties, all of which have been in the passiflora species. Most varieties are native to subtropical or tropical regions but there are a few that are cold hardy to Zones 6 and 7. Given that I garden in…

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Stonegate, an Amazing Organic Estate Farm

Garden Design magazine once again hits a home run with their spring, 2018 issue. My friend, Adrian Bloom’s masterwork, Bressingham Gardens, was featured in the last issue. The springmagazine tips a hat to another friend’s horticultural expertise, Matthew Benson. Matthew is not only a fantastic plantsman, author and cook, he is also an award-winning photographer.…

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IN SEARCH OF PERFECT PLANTS!

I have been a long-time fan of Richard Hawke and the plant evaluation trials that he oversees at Chicago Botanic Garden, an extraordinary public garden. The 2.5 acre Bernice E. Lavin Plant Evaluation Garden (Zone 5b) has been the testing ground for over 40 different genera, many of which are perennials. The winter issue of…

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Holllister House Gardens is a MUST Visit

Last week I excitedly opened the winter issue of Garden Design and was once again treated to a collection of stunningly beautiful photographs complemented with valuable design and plant tips. The first feature I dove into was about Hollister House Gardens in Litchfield County, Connecticut. (photo by Ngoc Minh Ngo) This 25-acre public garden has…

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Jazz up your Winter Landscape

It’s time I faced reality and accepted the fact that wi….wint….winte…winter (I said it!) is around the corner. Winters can be very long in Maine. To help combat the winter blues, I like creating attention-grabbing winter vignettes, both in the front landscape, as well as in the sightlines of commonly used rooms, like my home…

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Garden Design is ‘pumpkined’ out!

The Autumn issue of Garden Design is another home run! There are so many incredible features. As I leaf through the 145 page, ad-free magazine, I cannot decide which enticing article to read first. The 38-page head-turner on ‘Great American Trees’ grabs my attention. In addition to featuring breathtaking native specimens for many different hardiness…

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Creating Magic in Small Spaces

I have been reading my way through Garden Design’s summer magazine. Given this issue has 149 AD-FREE pages and the publication’s dimensions (8.5” x 11”) are the largest of any garden magazine I know, I will be engrossed in this gorgeous magazine for months! Sadly, this is causing a dilemma with some of my other…

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Growining Banana plants in the Northeast

Ever since I married my husband, who was born and raised in Havana, Cuba, I’ve had a thing for tropicals. They have such bold, dramatic, eye-catching demeanors. They are the life of the party! Imagine my delight when I read the article ‘Banana-Rama’ in Garden Design’s summer issue. The 8-page feature provides easy-to-follow tips for…

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Nothing Equals Garden Design magazine

Garden Design magazine readers are real garden enthusiasts! They love the full-length stories (some run 10 to 20 pages to include lots of glorious photography) on plants, gardens, and design ideas to put to use in their own garden or containers —all presented without ads! Here is what a subscriber recently had to say about…

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