It's our last week of exploring different garden styles, and I saved the best for last—eco-friendly gardens. Although not necessarily a design "style" (there are always ways to incorporate eco-friendliness in any garden), eco-friendly gardens are designed in ways that prioritize caring for the environment above all else. No matter your garden design style, we hope you're finding ways to give back to nature and share your outdoor spaces graciously. There are many ways to ensure your garden not only looks beautiful but also provides food and shelter for pollinators, birds, and other wildlife. Discover 10 ways you can create a garden that gives back to nature. See how a team of designers created an eco-friendly property in the hills outside Portland. Learn how the homeowners give back to wildlife, their community and the planet—and how you can too. Photo by Susan Seubert. The National Trust (UK) shows how easy it can be to provide shelter for wildlife with reclaimed materials, broken pottery, twigs, branches, and dried seed heads. We're sure you've got some old or broken pots around, so why not give it a try? Beautyberry or coral berry? Rose of Sharon or wintercreeper? Let your favorites be known in the Shrub Madness plant playoffs! You'll pick between two plants for each match-up, and can play until March 1. Who will be the winner?! (Tuff Stuff Ah-Ha Reblooming Mountain Hydrangea was the 2019 champion) Vote, play, and win plants here. The bright yellow flowers of this early bloomer light up late-winter gardens like a burst of sunshine. Find out more about how to grow forsythia, plus how to bring some of its sunshine inside to brighten your day. The Proven Winners Garden Book Spring garden plans are starting to take shape—even if only on paper. If you're still looking for ideas, container recipes, or helpful lessons on how to buy plants, prep a planting area, and have color year round, it's all here in this book! Check it out in our bookstore under the Garden Design tab. Want to win a copy? Share this newsletter with your friends and it could be your lucky day! 20 Great U.S. Gardens to Visit If you're looking for garden inspiration—or just a day out of the house—why not visit a local public or botanical garden? We came up with a list of 20 of our favorites, but boy, was it hard to narrow the list to only 20 (we know we left off some exceptional ones!). Pictured: Bellevue Botanical Garden in Seattle, WA. What's your favorite garden to visit? Also see our Self-Guided Day Trips to local gardens. Encourage others to be kind to nature. Put a bee house, butterfly bath, or bird feeder in your front yard to give your neighbors ideas of what they can do too. Share this newsletter to spread the word even further and you just might win a copy of The Proven Winners Garden Book! Happy Gardening! In Case You Missed It: Not currently receiving this weekly newsletter? Subscribe here! No images? Click here for a web version of this email. |