Follow our beginner-friendly gardening landscaping tips to turn your yard into a blooming paradise and get advice for personalizing your outdoor space.
Bring planting to life by paying close attention to the defining features of your garden
This blog post (which is about enhancing the privacy of our tiny shared, multi-use outdoor area around the garden shower,) was sponsored by eBay and ShopStyle. As always, all words, opinions and images are my own. This time of year, we use our compact thoroughfare garden and our shared p
Check out some amazing Small Chill Out Corner Garden Ideas that you can copy to spend leisure time with yourself or your favorite people!
The mid-century modernism movement took hold of Los Angeles like no other place in the United States. Houses were made translucent, the focus shifted from the street to the backyard. Abbye Churchill takes us into a Californian garden that creates seamless transitions between environments. A tranquil, yet wild nature in the heart of a thumping city.
Garden room ideas to help you create an indoor space that's filled with greenery, nature and natural light.
Raised troughs are a great way to grow small drought-tolerant perennials, succulents, and alpine plants. Here are some of the best.
Big ideas for small spaces.
Private Garden in Burlington, ON We are heading into November, which is a bit of a grey and gloomy month. By late fall, winds have stripped the garden of most of its autumn color. Neutrals like tan, brown, grey and black carry the garden through the winter. This seems like a perfect time to be talking about the uses of grey in the garden. A grey church steeple in a garden in Rosedale, ON. Shades of grey and beige are restful colors. They are undemanding and that makes them feel calm and serene. In this pathway, grey and beige work together to great effect. Brain Folmer's garden near Walkerton, ON To break up to endless variety of green in any garden, the natural tendency is to think of foliage variegation. Grey foliage can the same job. Liz Mallcki's garden, Mississauga, ON The Harrison sister's garden in Hamilton, ON Not only does grey sing sweetly in amongst the greens, it also provides a nice foil for brighter colors. Blue Seakale, Crambe maritima in front of blue Salvia at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton, ON Brain Folmer's garden near Walkerton, ON Vivid colors seem even more vibrant against a neutral backdrop. In terms of grey foliage, there are leaves splattered with grey like this Lungwart, Pulmonaria. Lost Horizons Nursery Here is the Pulmonaria in a garden (see lower left corner). (Going forward, I am trying to make a point of photographing plants in the context of a garden and not just doing close-up glamour shots.) And there are also leaves broken with grey like this Brunnera 'Jack Frost' ... or this Coral Bells, Heuchera, 'Berry Marmalade'. Here is another Heuchera to show you an example of how this plant might be used in combination with other perennials. There are also solid greys like Lamb's Ears. (And here is Lamb's Ears in a garden setting.) A lovely bonus of grey foliage is that often it has a soft, downy texture. In the next part of my grey series, I will look at some of the many grey plant options.
Get outdoor ready to have family and friends over for entertaining, or create a personal oasis of relaxation to enjoy the sights and sounds of nature.
Decorating your garden in antiques can provide anything from a relaxing place to sit to an eye-catching piece that draws attention to new blooms.
For Jack Laver Brister of Tinhouse Home and Garden Antiques, a heavily shaded courtyard that came with the Georgian townhouse he’s renovating in Somerset,
Create a bold, dramatic landscape with these tips for designing with colorful flowers and foliage.
There are plenty of ways to reuse old bricks in your garden. Here is a selection of 25 interesting suggestions to help you use reclaimed bricks.
Considered "the most influential garden designer of the past 25 years," Dutch plantsman Piet Oudolf has done for perennial gardening what artist Leonard Ko
Your backyard needs this.
Jacquie's Amazing Spring Garden - Take a tour of this stunning garden in the province of Nova Scotia, on the East coast of Canada and discover some interesting
Hey guys, I’m on this garden kick and have collected a vast volume of exquisite gardens. (link to last post if you missed it). There are so many ways a garden can be classified, but today, I’m focusing on the urban garden. some are on the roof (lucky devils) some are in a courtyard (if […]
I DON’T HAVE a small yard, but I nevertheless sat down with a new book called “The Less Is More Garden” by landscape designer Susan
Explore loweryjes' 5075 photos on Flickr!
Garden design principles, tips and tricks to create a home landscape oozing with personality - even if you're not a designer.
Use our creative summer decorating ideas and pictures for your front porch, yard, and home to create a curb appealing, relaxing, watch-the-world-go-by-oasis. Decorating for summer means combining beautiful colors and light breezy touches to your porch. You need not spend oodles on your summer decorations - look first at home, then flea markets or thrift shops. Even the dollar store.
Get to know this selection of spilling and draping plants. - by Roger Fox
Berry picking is always one of the highlights of our summer, along with the jam and pie making that follows. We have been blessed with a bounty of yummy fruits from the backyards of friends this season. These Queen Ann cherries were especially wonderful. We snacked on these right out of the bowl. No way to improve upon perfection. They are just as delicious as they are beautiful. Don't you love the summer blush of colors? When last I wrote, we were enjoying some quiet garden time from the pages of old magazine clippings I'd saved in my inspiration notebooks....
Get great garden design tips from renowned Canadian designer Brian Minter.
Tanglewood Conservatories If there’s one room we absolutely covet, it’s the conservatory. Oak Leaf Conservatories Windows on five sides, and nothing but light… Tanglewood Conservatories There’s no better room to celebrate the impending freedom of summer! Tanglewood Conservatories When it opens seamlessly onto a fabulous outdoor living room, all the better. Traditional Home Magazine Talk …
Forget everything you know about climbing roses because Lady Banks is in a league of its own. There are many reasons why Ralph Esposito has dubbed this beauty the “number one climbing rose…
Ward off water woes in your front, back, or side yard with a few improvements to your landscaping.
The following article is paid advertising created in partnership with SupplyHouse. Its facts and opinions are those of BobVila.com.
Flytta ut i det gröna genom att skapa sköna, gröna rum i trädgården. Med olika skydd mot vind och insyn kan du få till rum för både fikastunder, spa-bad och kreativ matlagning. Här är inspiration för…
Get outdoor ready to have family and friends over for entertaining, or create a personal oasis of relaxation to enjoy the sights and sounds of nature.
Buell Steelman and Rebecca Sams are alums of Gardens, the groundbreaking landscape architecture design/build firm in Austin, Texas. A decade ago, they trad
Building a berm or adding landscape mounds to your design can improve the look of your overall garden and become a focal point. [BERM LANDSCAPING TIPS]
I am without a Conservatory for a year, after 'the move'. Built not long before the move, how could I possible have known how deeply woven into my life, and DNA, it had become? . Missed as a friend, beacon, nurturer, metaphor. . Not a woman of means, my conservatory was made from old windows, parts, & furnishings, I had been hunting/gathering for a decade, and storing in the garage. Finally, enough parts rescued, and money saved for labor & materials to build it. Just because I was without great means did not include doing without a fireplace, chandelier, lamps, electricity and sockets everywhere. Poverty of spirit has never been an issue, a real woman has priorities with scarce funds. Talking a good game is lame, living it is life. . A shed at our farm has already been moved and renovated. Alas, it is storing tools, and my boxed up library, until the barn is built. Two roofs, front & back, were built onto the shed, the old Kubota tractor, and golf cart, sometimes Tess, my beloved little ugly van, are parked under the shade of the shed roofs, and a, now, motley collection of chairs from my previous 30 year garden. Those chairs, in the shade, and overlooking woodland, chicken coop, pasture, lake, meadow, are my only spot in the garden to 'be', simply be. Scope for the imagination, as Anne would say. . Creating my new Conservatory, from a shed, has more constraints at our ca. 1900 farmhouse. It must be of its era. Constraints for design, I adore, they push creativity. . It's interesting looking at Conservatory pics, again, but for a different type of Conservatory. Pulling new elements forward, dropping others entirely. Life is rich, a 2nd Conservatory to create. Pic, above, here. Clusters of cloches & terra cotta pots, above, are awaiting their farm debut. At present they are under the house stored on shelves. Pic, above, here. A black iron table base similar to, above, is stored in our materials yard. Saw this and knew immediately, paint it white, put a small round top on it. Chandeliers are stored under the house, awaiting. Pic, above, here. Tools, I have tools, and baskets. Only the very best old tools/baskets will go into my new Conservatory. Not for show, to use. Literally. Beloved has his own tools, somehow my tools are taken/used/not put back. Harry Potter must have a horrid incantation against the not-put-back. Pic, above, here. What is a Conservatory without a drop leaf table? Drop leaf table from my previous Conservatory is in my office now. Enjoying the anticipation, Which drop leaf table will be chosen for this new Conservatory? . Pic, above, here. Have adored Belgian Pearls, above, Conservatory, small, functional, aesthetic. Harvest table I've bought, hasn't been delivered yet, will be tucked under the shed roof, just like, above. Sensing the problem? I will need another harvest table to put under the great open sky. Stars are too amazing, living rural. Pic, above, mine, conservatory at my 30 year garden. Lamp in my previous Conservatory, above, is now in the front parlor on an antique chest. Cannot wait for the Lamp Layer to arrive, furnishing my new Conservatory. Pic, above, mine, conservatory in my 30 year garden. Pair of blue chairs, above, are flanking the door to my new Conservatory. Now green. Pic, above, here. A client's Conservatory, above. A conservatory must be minimum 12' x 18', and have doors on 2 walls. They did well, yes? More, their conservatory made it to the cover of This Old House magazine. Posted somewhere on my blog. Pic, above, I shot in Susanne Hudson's garden. . Once the old Kubota tractor & golf cart, now at the shed, leave for their new home, a long desk with lamps, above, is their replacement. For expedience Beloved used large gravel at the shed during renovation, it will have to be scraped away, used elsewhere, and replaced with #89 granite gravel. Pic, above, I shot in my 30 year garden. Lamps, and the chandelier on a dimmer, were left on, 24/7 in my previous Conservatory, above. Oddly, it's one of the things I miss most, now, living without a Conservatory. Pic, above, here. There is great metaphor in my Conservatory lit at nite, all nite, every nite. Hope you've watched, Oscar & Lucinda, above. Jenny, my mother-in-law introduced me to bleak chic, and Oscar/Lucinda delivers. Not a movie for a soft soul. Pic, above, I shot in a client's garden. . My client, above, moved away from his Conservatory also. And is slowly building a new one too. Pic, above, I shot of my conservatory with Susanne Hudson for the Penny McHenry Hydrangea Festival. A few salvaged Conservatory parts, above/below. Great example of how little can you have, and still have great decadence. Susanne Hudson & I built this conservatory. Thought you would like to see a comparison of styling. Our styling, above, with my photography. Better Homes & Gardens magazine styling & photography, below, of the same conservatory. Pic, above, same conservatory as 2nd pic, above, shot by & in Better Homes & Gardens magazine, here. . Sink & water trough, above, are under my house, awaiting their new debut. . Noticed how loosely I use the word Conservatory ! Garden & Be Well, XO T . No, you're not seeing the mostly renovated shed. I don't like doing before without after. I have shots of the shed in its original location before renovation, moving it, acting as a work shed now, awaiting that last layer ! Life is good.
It'll make your garden to look and grow better.
Anywhere but here.
Get outdoor ready to have family and friends over for entertaining, or create a personal oasis of relaxation to enjoy the sights and sounds of nature.
Patio is also an important component part of your summer life. Just think how cool and cosy it is that play with your families or entertain guests in a beautiful patio with flowers and trees! So it’s time to upgrade your patio. It’s not difficult. You can plant some flowers with different colors that makes […]
After a long, stressful day, a hot tub spa incorporated into the deck in your backyard is simply the perfect must have luxury for relaxing soaks.
The mid-century modernism movement took hold of Los Angeles like no other place in the United States. Houses were made translucent, the focus shifted from the street to the backyard. Abbye Churchill takes us into a Californian garden that creates seamless transitions between environments. A tranquil, yet wild nature in the heart of a thumping city.
Garden room ideas to help you create an indoor space that's filled with greenery, nature and natural light.
