I Love Gardens

Since my last post even more big changes have happened in my professional life. One can look at them as negative or positive. I choose the latter.

Photo courtesy of Simply Bloom Photography

With all the changes, what has really solidified is my love of gardens. I love designing them, standing in them, learning about them, writing about them, teaching about them, eating from them and crafting from them. Gardens are so special and I'm about to burst just trying to figure out how to appropriately communicate my adoration for them.

Photo courtesy of Simply Bloom Photography

What are my big changes? If you don't mind I'll share that at a later date. Right now I'm sifting a lot in my head and trying to figure out how to focus. Ah, to focus...

The Thanksgiving Garden

I think we sometimes forget how many of our foods come from the garden.

Our thanksgiving dinner was filled with some of my favorites...pumpkin, sweet potatoes, spinach, corn and cabbage...all made to perfection.

I am thankful for family and friends...but also for all the lovely fruits and vegetables that we're able to grow and enjoy each year.

Photo courtesy of The Jonathon Galleries

Garden Candy

I recently found out that raspberries are in the top ten for most nutrient rich foods. An even better reason to eat them every day.

Have I said that I love raspberries? This is the candy of a garden.

Photo courtesy of Deliciously Organized

Photo courtesy of Canelle et Vanille


Photo courtesy of Frolic

Photo courtesy of Straight from the Farm

Learn how to throw a special raspberry garden party at The Lunch Box Project.

The Dichotomy of Formal and Informal

In high school I became enamored with farms and prairie.


Photo courtesy of Maleah Matthews Photography

As we ran long distances in cross country we would pass one perfect farm after the other. I became intrigued with the big barns, two-story houses and rows of corn. The geometry was mesmerizing and held a secret world unknown to me (I lived in town and when much younger in the big city of Chicago).

Photo courtesy of Matthew Morgan Photography

We also ran in a beautiful county park filled with prairie, woodlands and streams. I was equally mesmerized by this informal landscape. Today I still enjoy the dichotomy of formal and informal.

Photo courtesy of Jonas Peterson

Why do you need to favor one over the other? Quite honestly, it's the combination that creates edginess in the landscape.

The Topiary Part

How did I arrive at the title of this blog? I wanted words that described my garden ideal. The "topiary" part refers to my passion for garden history and formal design.


Photo courtesy of Obsession with Jello

A co-worker recently said to me...why do people always want to see a formal garden with clipped hedges, topiary and perfectly groomed paths? Frankly, it's because they never get to see that. How many of you have a knot garden in your backyard? Think about the energy that goes into a garden like this. Yes, it's time consuming, but think of the personal connection you develop with that type of landscape (you either hate it or love it), but in the end we're all intrigued with it.



Just so you know, this blog is not just about formal gardens...it's really about how we manipulate our outdoor environment to make it our own. What's up with the "tiramisu" part? That's in the next post.