27 Ideabooks by Le jardinet

For those of us looking for lower-maintenance gardens, it is easy to dismiss this hardy geranium as just another perennial that will need fussing with. To discount it so readily would be to deny yourself one of the best summer performers I have ever grown. Not...

Exuberance is key for a romantic garden style; it calls for a happy mingling of flowers and foliage rather than regimented spacing. Yet for this design to be considered easy care, the plant selection must also be well behaved — no flopping allowed,...

Driveways are often the most overlooked part of garden design, considered more utilitarian than something worthy of our attention; yet we usually travel along them at least twice a day, and they are often both the first and last thing visitors see....

Planting for shade can be challenging enough; combine shade with soil that remains moist or even wet year-round, and it's enough to make even an experienced gardener shudder. Yet there are some stunning perennials, shrubs and even trees that...

When designing a garden, we are encouraged to think of the foliage first. A strong backbone of interesting leaves in the garden will hold a design together, even when flowering plants are not at their peak. However, we can quickly find ourselves in a...

Some landscape design dilemmas can't be solved by adding more plants. Towering trees can cast dense shade, creating an inhospitable environment where even weeds can't grow. Narrow gardens are often cursed with poor soil as well as imposing restrictions...

A pathway is more than just a means of getting from point A to point B; it is a journey. Whether just a few steps to the front door or a meandering trail through a sweeping garden, a journey can be made memorable with one simple design trick: repetition. Repeating...

Even the savviest home gardener can struggle to see the potential in a narrow planting strip, and when that pocket garden is on the outside of the fence, is it even worth bothering about? The challenges are many: difficult to water, reflected heat...

A cottage garden favorite, this easy-care perennial has it all. Whether you need an attractive alternative to hostas for your shade garden, a unique foliage...

Gardeners face many challenges. The need to screen neighboring houses is a common one in smaller urban lots and is typically addressed with a 6-foot-tall fence or a row of arborvitae or similar columnar trees. But this situation can be an opportunity...

March is an exciting time in the garden. The birds sing, the borders become more colorful every day as trees and shrubs break bud, spring bulbs open up in the gentle sunshine and the greenhouse goes into full production. Finally we feel we can start...

There is something magical about taking a woodland walk, especially in spring. It's the time to rediscover the native treasures of our landscape. Late March sees Western bleeding heart pushing up through the leaf litter in my own woodland, increasing...

February is an exciting time in our region's gardens. This is the month when we go from planning to doing. Dust off those gardening gloves and enjoy a few leisurely hours doing what gardeners do best — puttering. Does your garden need a little...

Whether you are looking for a well-behaved, smaller-size ornamental tree, wish to add some height to a native planting area, want to inject some great fall color and winter interest into your garden or just love something different, the Pacific Northwest...

You need tough plants for tough gardens, and one of the hardest areas to plant is one with rapidly draining sandy soil, full sun and little water. Many plant candidates simply melt away under such dire conditions, but the trio described here will continue...