New regional series · 10 field plans
Start where you live.
Each guide solves a different site problem and links to state, university, or government sources for local verification.
A native planting plan for Maryland clay
A condition-first Maryland native plant guide for compacted clay, with palettes for dry upper beds and moisture-holding lower beds.
A small full-sun garden for the Virginia Piedmont
A repeatable six-plant native palette for a small sunny Virginia Piedmont garden, with bloom sequence and first-year care.
Native plants for Pennsylvania dry shade
A Pennsylvania dry-shade native plant palette for tree canopies and east-facing beds, plus guidance on roots, leaf litter, and realistic establishment.
A small native garden for New Jersey’s sandy Coastal Plain
How to plan a small native garden on sandy, acidic New Jersey Coastal Plain soil without automatically adding fertilizer or lime.
Plants for a Delaware rain-garden edge
A Delaware rain-garden edge plan that separates the wetter basin, sloped edge, and drier rim instead of treating the whole depression alike.
A pollinator garden for a DC rowhouse
A narrow Washington, DC rowhouse pollinator garden plan with a compact plant palette, bloom sequence, and practical street-edge constraints.
Native planting on a West Virginia slope
A low-disturbance West Virginia slope planting strategy for slowing sheet flow, covering soil, and matching dry upper and moist lower zones.
A tough native mailbox garden
A compact Mid-Atlantic native mailbox garden for heat, reflected sun, road splash, visibility, and low-maintenance curb appeal.
Fall-blooming plants for Mid-Atlantic pollinators
A Mid-Atlantic fall pollinator plant palette using asters, goldenrods, ironweed, and grasses, with options for small sunny and shady gardens.
A tidy 12 × 8-foot native front-yard plan
A tidy Mid-Atlantic 12-by-8-foot native front-yard garden layout with repeated groups, layered heights, four-season structure, and HOA-conscious maintenance cues.
Core skills · 3 primers
Read the site before the label.
Site reading · 6 min
Measure sunlight before you shop
A one-day observation method that is more useful than guessing from the direction your yard faces.
Design · 8 min
Make a native garden look intentional
Use edges, repeated groups, seasonal structure, and an editing rule without stripping out ecological value.
Soil · 7 min
Plant in clay without creating a bathtub
Why blanket amendment can backfire—and how to test drainage before selecting moisture preferences.