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If you missed the last post, I've added a new service to my landscape design work: kitchen gardens and edible landscapes.
Incorporating edible plants into ornamental gardens has always been a big part of how I design. Citrus, pomegranates, figs, and olives are some of my absolute favorite plants to spec in my plans.
Now I'm taking that a step further, designing kitchen gardens with raised beds, trellises, herbs, flowers, and vegetables.
Too often, vegetable gardens are treated as purely practical spaces, with a few beds tucked away out of sight. I think they deserve the same attention to design as the rest of the landscape.
A kitchen garden can be one of the most beautiful parts of your garden, not something you feel you need to hide.
New free download:
I've put together a guide to the five most important decisions to make when designing a kitchen garden. It covers the choices that affect how your edible garden looks, how well it grows, and how enjoyable and productive it is throughout the four seasons and over years.
Five Decisions Behind a Kitchen Garden That Looks Beautiful Year-Round
A new name (sort of) and a fresh look
You may have noticed the slightly different name at the top of this email. Greenhouse Studio is now Greenhouse Garden Design.
It's a small change, but the new name does a better job of describing what I actually do. "Studio" is a word designers use all the time, but it doesn't mean much to non-designers.
This whole thing actually started out for a purely practical reason: I finally have a .com address instead of a .co, which has caused its share of confusion over the years, especially when it came to my email address.
I've also made quite a few changes to the website, including updated info, services and a fresh look.
If you haven't visited lately, I'd love for you to take a little tour.
Visit the new Greenhouse Garden Design website
October updates:
I traveled to North Carolina this month because my twin sons turned 25. A quarter of a century - I can't believe it! 🥹
One of my sons is in grad school at the University of North Carolina, so I flew his twin bro out, and my sister joined us as well. We had a grand time touring (and eating!) our way through this lovely part of the country.
Standing in front of a pecan tree, Carya illinoinensis with my newly 25 yo twinners. Pecans look a lot like their cousins, California-native walnuts.
The Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area is beautiful, with lots of charming, walkable streets, historic buildings, and, of course, university campuses.
My son gave us tours of UNC and Duke, both of which have stunning architecture and botanic gardens.
Standing in front of a pecan tree, Carya illinoinensis. I discovered that pecans look a lot like their cousins, California-native walnuts.
We had a wonderful time together, and I got some great garden inspo as well.
—Tina
