Stoneleigh native-plant estate garden and Flingers

Stoneleigh native-plant estate garden and Flingers

November 02, 2023 Our banquet dinner at the Philadelphia Area Fling was held in the grand old Tudor Revival mansion at Stoneleigh: A Natural Garden, located in Villanova, Pennsylvania. Before dinner, we were set loose in the garden to explore for an hour. Let’s start with the house garden, where ...
Homey fall garden at Brandywine Cottage

Homey fall garden at Brandywine Cottage

October 19, 2023 Tropical Storm Ophelia swept across the Philadelphia region during late September’s Philly Area Fling. But Flingers shall not be deterred! On we Flung in raincoats, ponchos, umbrellas, and waterproof shoes — or in sopping wet pants and socks. Our group arrived at plantsman and designer David L ...
Plants and pots at Shades of Green nursery in San Antonio

Plants and pots at Shades of Green nursery in San Antonio

June 22, 2023 Friends in San Antonio told me they like to shop at Shades of Green nursery, so when I was in town a few weeks ago I decided it was time for a visit. The place looks small from the outside, but as soon as I walked in, ...
A friend's new garden takes shape in San Antonio

A friend’s new garden takes shape in San Antonio

June 09, 2023 My friend Jean McWeeney, an enthusiastic gardener, birder, and naturalist, relocated to San Antonio last year from Houston, and before that from Louisiana. She left behind an established garden in Louisiana and a temporary one in Houston, and now she’s making a new garden in the drier ...
Bewitching bonsai, art, and autumn gardens at North Carolina Arboretum

Bewitching bonsai, art, and autumn gardens at North Carolina Arboretum

November 30, 2022 Located in Asheville on the doorstep of the Blue Ridge Parkway, with views of the Southern Appalachian Mountains, the North Carolina Arboretum draws hikers, mountain bikers, and trail walkers thanks to 10 miles of wooded, hilly, dog-friendly trails. But garden lovers like myself find plenty to enjoy ...
Gardens galore at Paxson Hill Farm, part 1

Gardens galore at Paxson Hill Farm, part 1

February 09, 2022 Paxson Hill Farm’s crossroads, where inviting paths branch in every direction A friend asked me how I find gardens to see when traveling. Aside from online research a lot comes down to asking gardeners who live in the area. And it pays to build in time for ...
Trolls, grasses, and a storybook children's garden at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

Trolls, grasses, and a storybook children’s garden at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

November 03, 2021 We traveled north in early October to enjoy fall foliage in New Hampshire, stopping first in Maine for a couple of days. A garden on my must-see list: Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, a 300-acre public garden in Boothbay. Here’s part 2 of my visit; click here for ...
Gardens and botanicals - and wallpaper! - on Tribeza Interiors Tour

Gardens and botanicals – and wallpaper! – on Tribeza Interiors Tour

February 01, 2019 Years of attending interior design and architecture tours have taught me not to expect much in the way of landscape design. Making a beautifully designed home, for many, doesn’t extend beyond the front stoop, or maybe the money runs out before a landscape architect or designer gets ...
Shopping and English breakfast at Burford Garden Company

Shopping and English breakfast at Burford Garden Company

July 25, 2018 Before we visited Victoria Summerley’s garden in Bibury, England, last month, we stopped along the way at Burford Garden Company, a nursery, home decor, clothing, furniture, kitchenware, and gift shop. Oh, and did I mention they have a restaurant too? The place is huge, with a diversity ...
In the Thicket of things: An urban boutique nursery in Portland

In the Thicket of things: An urban boutique nursery in Portland

September 24, 2017 Sopping up a plateful of sausage gravy with fluffy, fist-sized biscuits at a picnic table outside of Pine State Biscuits, I glimpsed an open gate and profusion of plants just a dozen yards away, tucked behind a nearby building. We were in Portland, Oregon, on a mid-August ...
Strolling into danger -- Danger Garden, that is

Strolling into danger — Danger Garden, that is

September 22, 2017 Every three years I manage a trip to Portland, and each time ( and ) I’ve been fortunate to visit the garden of my friend Loree Bohl — fellow spiky plant lover, the prolific blogger of Danger Garden, and a collector-gardener with an incredibly artistic and meticulous ...
Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens: Colorful perennial and heather gardens

Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens: Colorful perennial and heather gardens

August 28, 2017 I was not expecting this. None of us were. As we made our way up Highway 1 along the coast of Northern California in early August, naturally I’d planned a few garden stops, including a visit to Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens in Fort Bragg, expecting little more ...
Chanticleer's Flower and Vegetable Garden and magical Bell's Woodland

Chanticleer’s Flower and Vegetable Garden and magical Bell’s Woodland

July 12, 2016 During our full day at Chanticleer Garden in the Philadelphia area last month, Diana and I left for lunch around 1:30 pm and returned two hours later with full bellies plus a picnic dinner stashed in our bags. On Friday nights in the summer, the garden stays ...
Those who play in glass houses: Conservatory and Indoor Children's Garden at Longwood Gardens

Those who play in glass houses: Conservatory and Indoor Children's Garden at Longwood Gardens

June 26, 2016 Maybe Southerners don’t need conservatories because our winters are pretty green. Growing up in the South, I don’t recall ever visiting a conservatory until I started garden traveling to northern states. (We don’t have a culture of spring garden shows either, perhaps for the same reason.) Call ...
Autumn amble at New York Botanical Garden

Autumn amble at New York Botanical Garden

October 24, 2014 After touring Wave Hill on October 11, my daughter and I took the train to the New York Botanical Garden. Although both NYBG and Wave Hill are located in the Bronx, mass transit between the two ate up some time, and we had tickets to a Broadway ...
Visit to Wave Hill in New York City, Part 2

Visit to Wave Hill in New York City, Part 2

October 22, 2014 Wave Hill, an estate garden in the Bronx in New York City, which I visited on October 11, was romantically blowsy in the Pergola, Elliptical, and Flower Gardens near the entry. But it got a bit bolder, even Hollywood, in the Aquatic and Monocot Gardens. These two ...