Garden Inspiration

Ivy covered walls decorate this Birmingham, Michigan Law firm

Clever Uses for Ivy in the Garden

Boston ivy is used to cover the side of this building and adds the perfect back drop for a sidewalk garden. This garden literally “stopped me in my tracks” when I first saw it. An ivy covered arbor leads to a secluded, private patio along the side of this house. This law firm in Birmingham, [...]

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Saihouji (Kyoto) Moss Garden

10 Elements of the Japanese Garden

Saihouji (Kyoto) Moss Garden photograph courtesy Wiki Commons (Author: Ivanoff) The first World’s Fair in the United States was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1876 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This is where the first “Japanese garden” was constructed in North America 1/and soon began to influence [...]

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Shade garden of coleus and hosta

Old Rosedale Gardens in Livonia Michigan

I have lived in Michigan my entire life and just learned about a tiny historic neighborhood a few minutes from my house. Old Rosedale Gardens is a National Historic district encompassing eight streets.  The first home in the neighborhood was built in 1925.  During the Great Depression, construction of homes stopped.  Luckily, once things started [...]

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Beautiful Neighborhood Garden

I Spy a Beautiful Garden

I was driving through a neighborhood in Plymouth to meet a friend and stumbled upon a beautiful garden.  This garden demonstrates the kind of garden you can make with an average sized yard and lots of creativity. The garden sits on a lot no bigger than a typical Detroit area home. Look how creative the [...]

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Historical Courtyards and Gardens' former Berkley location

This Garden Turns Ordinary into Extraordinary

Some time ago, I was driving in Berkley, Michigan and drove past a street that caught my eye.  What I noticed was a beautiful garden.  Turns out a garden design firm had set up shop in the corner building. Historical Courtyards and Gardens has since moved from their Berkley location into Grosse Point Park, but [...]

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Bantry House and Garden in Co Cork, Ireland

Bantry House and Garden in Cork Ireland

Bantry House and Garden is home to the Earls of Bantry.  The estate is still owned and lived in by Egelton Shelswell-White, a direct decendant of Richard White (1, Earl of Bantry). Richard White purchased Bantry House in 1765.  At that time, it was called “Blackrock House”.  Bantry House and Garden opened to the public [...]

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Barnsley House Potager

Potager (Fancy Schmancy Kitchen Garden)

A potager is a decorative kitchen garden.  It’s generally kept separate from the main flower garden.   The emphasis is on form and beauty.  The potager produces great food, but the garden is beautiful in its own right. One famous potager is the kitchen garden at Barnsley House created by the late Rosemary Verey.  The garden [...]

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Ellen Biddle Shipman garden at Wildwood Preserve Metro Park in Toledo, Ohio

An Extraordinary Garden Renovation at Wildwood Preserve

Wildwood Preserve is a metro park in Toldeo, Ohio.  Before it became a metro park, Wildwood was the family estate of R. A. and Page Stranahan.  R. A. Stranahan made his fortune as one of the founders of the Champion Spark Plug company. The 30,000 square foot Georgian colonial was built in the 1930s at [...]

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Cranbrook House and Gardens

Cranbrook Historic Gardens

The Cranbrook House and gardens are located in Bloomfield, Michigan just outside of Detroit.  Cranbrook house is a 1908 English Arts and Crafts-style home designed by Albert Kahn for the founders of Cranbrook, George Gough Booth and Ellen Scripps Booth. It is the oldest manor home in Southeast Michigan. The 40-acre gardens were originally designed [...]

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