by Carol | Oct 20, 2026 | Fall Gardening, Garden Pests, Garden Tips, Gardening Green, Native Plants, Plants I Recommend, PNW Garden Maintenance, pollinator plants, Spring Gardening, Winter Gardening
Leave the Leaves—but Not on Every Plant! Oak leaves in early winter cover the grass at local Portland park. Used with permission Photo by Shelly Orndorff How to support birds and beneficial insects without sacrificing your Portland perennial garden I just...
by Carol | Feb 12, 2026 | Before and Afters, Garden Tips, No lawn back yard, Outdoor Living, Sauna
Small Backyard Sauna and Outdoor Living Design in Irvington Neighborhood of Portland Oregon In the 1990s I sat on the steps in teacher Barbara Fealey’s backyard garden while she coached a group of us on proportion. She mentioned her favorite stair riser for...
by Carol | Jan 20, 2026 | Dog and Cat Friendly Gardens, Easy Edibles, Fall Gardening, Garden Tips, Plants I Recommend, PNW Garden Maintenance, Spring Gardening, Summer Garden Tips
A Care & Fertilizing Guide for Growing Blueberries in Portland, Oregon Gardens, from your landscape designer — for clients with backyard blueberries (and maybe a dog or two). 1. Safety First — For Dogs and Plants Before adding any fertilizer or mulch, think about...
by Carol | Nov 20, 2025 | Before and Afters, Drought Tolerant Garden, Garden Tips, Landscape Styles, Low Maintenance Landscape Examples, No lawn back yard
Could we magically transform a small water-hog backyard to low-water plants with modern style and beauty galore? Here’s a story about one of my favorite recent backyard remodels — a small North Portland garden that turned into a low-water landscape design success. My...
by Carol | Nov 6, 2025 | Garden Tips, PNW Garden Maintenance, Shade Garden Tips, Shade Plants
Protecting Your Shade Plants from Root Weevil Damage in Portland Oregon As a landscape designer, one of my jobs is to help clients protect the value of their investment. A beautiful design only holds its value if the plants stay healthy and attractive, and that...
by Carol | Jul 31, 2025 | Garden Tips
Arbor Lodge Neighborhood Trees, Coffee and Bakery, Art… and Goats Wabash Street dogwood flower explosion late May I was so fortunate to have worked for an arborist for several years before I started my landscape design practice over 30 years ago. My training...
