Focal Point Plants - Fine Gardening
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Design
Episode 172: Focal Points with Susan Morrison
Susan Morrison, owner and principal designer at Creative Exteriors Landscape Design, has created hundreds of gardens in California’s East Bay area. Her designs incorporate comfortable outdoor rooms into landscapes of all…
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Design
8 Great Columnar Trees for the Midwest
Vertical elements in the landscape become “visual beacons” and act not only as focal points but as elements of accent and contributors of scale. Narrow and columnar deciduous trees can…
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Design
Great Plants for Focal Point Pots
There are times in life when you just don’t have the patience to wait. You need a focal point, and you need it now. Maybe you’re throwing a party tomorrow…
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Design
Columnar Conifers for Focal Points, Screening, and Tight Spaces
In elementary school I was told that it was poor form to use more than one exclamation point at the end of a sentence. However, when I design gardens, I’m…
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Design
6 Great Ornamental Grasses for Northern California
The term "ornamental grass" is a handy way for us to identify an array of plants that have narrow, strappy, or bladelike leaves. This group includes not only the true…
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Design
‘Mojito’ Elephant’s Ear Has Fabulous Foliage
While this elephant’s ear is by no means new, when you see it you can’t help but want to shout its praises from the rooftops. At least that’s how we…
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Design
Focal-Point Palms for Southern California
We are fortunate in Southern California to be able to feature a variety of striking palms in our gardens. Often used as solitary specimens, these grasslike plants are worth investigating…
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Design
Designing With Hydrangeas
With so many different forms and habits, hydrangeas are one of the most versatile shrubs to work into a landscape. They can be used in various circumstances either as the…
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Design
Top 10 Large-Leaved Perennials
Whether you set out to design a garden with large-leaved perennials or you happen upon one or more in the nursery that you just cannot resist, adding an architectural giant…
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Design
4 Ways to Design With Coleus
If you're having trouble finding the right plant for the right place, this versatile performer offers a multitude of options