Have you ever seen the TV show Brain Games? Despite how cheesy its tropes are, I always enjoyed watching it to think about the ways your brain can deceive you. One thing the show did really well was that it always tried to explain WHY … Continue readingPrinciples of Design
When people ask me what landscape architecture is, I usually explain it as “anything designed outside” and “the confluence of design and nature”. I also give examples that range from Central Park to college campuses to residential designs. This definition is far from perfect, but … Continue readingPursuing an Education in Landscape Architecture
I’ve always loved the outdoors, but I never really knew much about identifying plants before college. When we started learning plant ID, we’d do these “nature walks” as part of our ecology class, where our professor would take us outside to identify trees and shrubs … Continue readingMountain Laurel | Kalmia latifolia
Every backyard garden pond is different, but they all require the same parts to function. The exact size of each component varies depending on the size of the pond but a pump is a pump, a skimmer is a skimmer, and so on. Here are … Continue readingWhat do you need to build a pond?
There’s a lot to love about Culpeper. Our downtown has terrific shops and restaurants and a great little museum. Speaking of the museum, every year they organize a day where families can get up close and personal with preserved dinosaur tracks right here in the … Continue readingHidden landscape gems in Culpeper
Some hardscape mistakes are minor. The summer picnic equivalent might be putting too little salt in your potato salad. Others are major. Those are the equivalent of using pureed Spam in your cherry pie. Whatever you do, avoid Spam in your pie and avoid these … Continue readingDon’t make these 3 hardscape mistakes
Hello everyone! My name is Juliette and I’m just starting out here at Revolutionary Gardens. In my first two days I have already been able to learn and do so much, and I’m excited for what the future holds for me here! Allow me to … Continue readingAllow me to introduce myself | Juliette Blew
Happy Fourth of July, folks! This may not be the kind of firework you expected to see today, but rough goldenrod (Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks’) could really light a spark in your garden. You know, the kind that won’t burn it down and ruin it. Since … Continue readingSolidago rugosa ‘Fireworks’ | Rough Goldenrod
What are those plants? Culpeper County has been working hard to plant Virginia native plants around the county, so I made that a focus of this design. Here’s the plant list: Willow Oak, Quercus phellosSt. Johns Wort, Hypericum spp.Virginia Sweetspire, Itea virginica ‘Henry’s Garnet‘Joe Pye … Continue readingPlantings at the Bright Spot Park
The usual common name for Pieris japonica ‘Mountain Fire’ is Japanese Andromeda, which I will not use. I’ve never heard a homeowner call it “Andromeda”. I’ve heard pieris, I’ve heard japonica – that one’s fun, since there are a gazillion plants that are blahblah japonica … Continue readingPieris japonica ‘Mountain Fire’