Garden Designer vs AI – part 1 – Successful Garden & Lifestyle Design
Rachel Mathews
Professional international garden designer for over 3...
Garden Design
Growing Father Farges Filbert – Corylus fargesii
Yes, you read that correctly—Father Farges’ filbert. And no, this isn’t just another obscure plant name to tuck away in ...
Not Your Grandmother’s Quince: Meet the Double Take Chaenomeles speciosa
You might be thinking, “Wait, are we really talking about quince?” And maybe even, “Aren’t those the thorny shrubs my gr...
Rhapidophyllum hystrix – A Needle Palm Grows in New England?
Of all the plants in the world, I really do love palms. There’s something about them—their bold silhouettes, the way the...
Dahlia ‘Mystic Illusion’: The Golden Retriever of the Garden
If there is a golden retriever puppy of the plant world, it has to be a dahlia. I mean, everybody loves golden retriever...
Designing Through the Midseason Garden Lull
By mid-July, many gardens lose their momentum.
Spring’s exuberance has faded. Late-summer perennials are still gather...
When the Garden Says No: Intention vs. Reality
When I built the cobblestone path leading to the patio, I had a very specific idea in mind.
The stones themselves wer...
Prunus mume: The Japanese Flowering Apricot That Brightens Winter
This is the first year of school for our kids in New England. My wife grew up in Pennsylvania, and I grew up in North Ca...
Cat’s Whiskers Plant (Orthosiphon stamineus): A Stunning Bloomer with a Medicinal Past
During 2015 at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, we are preparing to focus our educational programming around the theme o...
Aralia Cordata ‘Sun King’: A Bright and Bold Shade Garden Superstar
A few years ago, I planted an Aralia cordata ‘Sun King’ in our shade garden, and ever since, I’ve been wondering why I d...