Garden Photography Pattern Language
In 1977 Christopher Alexander published an architectural tome about how towns and buildings were typically constructed so that beautiful, functional and meaningful places can be created. These thoughts were abstracted in 2007 into “A Pattern Garden” by Valerie Easton to help you develop satisfying garden spaces by recognizing common elements in a garden, and to […]
Photography Tips for Landscape Designers
When container designer Cindy Funes of Garden Revelry is running her crew of installers, she has too much on her mind to think of stopping to set up a photo shoot just to grab content for her social media. And at the end of the day, with everything neatly planted, watered, and fluffed, she’s often […]
Re Treat – A Gardener’s Getaway
Real gardeners rarely get away for vacations, always needing to weed this or prune that. The fear of missing out on the brief bloom of our favorite flower keeps us rooted at home. At Colette’s Bed and Breakfast, nestled between Sequim and Port Angeles on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington, however, you can finally take […]
One image three ways
In the early days of on-demand television, my husband and I watched a lot of cooking shows, and the chefs would produce elaborate plated variations of ‘the potato‘, or whatever challenge vegetable presented to them. With one simple ingredient they could produce multiple flavors from humble fish-and-chips to sophisticated au gratin recipes. I argue that […]
10 beliefs holding you back from taking great garden pictures with your phone
As a garden photographer, who has visited public and private gardens throughout the USA, I hear a lot of complaints about smartphone photography limitations. Here are the most common concerns and why I believe they shouldn’t hold you back from taking great photos. 1. A phone camera isn’t a real camera, Not like those […]
Circles and Spheres – Visualizing Garden Design
A friend of mine asked me recently about the best ways to talk to people about plants. I spend all day talking about plants, muffled through a mask, waving my arms to show people how tall something gets, or whether it is columnar or the branches are wild whips. Somehow it is easier in person […]
Panic Planting, and why you should Plan Ahead
A woman came into the nursery the other day, frantically waiving a piece of paper with a list of plant names. (Well, actually, it was an email on her phone; these are modern times after all.) She was heading down to California this weekend and wanted to buy a bunch of plants on her shopping […]
Orange you glad you have different options for fall containers?
I get bored easily. The endless scroll of orange tones for fall container displays on Pin-stagram. The tawny cornstalks, the russet mums, the orange pumpkins casually cascading down perfectly styled front porches never quite work for me. Like the shoemakers’ children, my own porch never seems to be properly styled. Maybe it’s my dusty […]
Using Social Media Effectively in Uncertain Times
With our suddenly enforced social isolation due to COVID-19, social media has become our window to the larger world. Beyond endlessly refreshing the news, or sharing photos of elaborate meals, it’s also how we communicate and connect with our customers about the rapidly changing adjustments we make in our businesses. Right now, our customers are […]
