Hello Reader,

I’ve fully bought into the ecological power of naturalistic planting and plant communities. It wasn't a hard sell. I understand the benefits of increased biodiversity, resilient plantings, using less water and choosing plants that thrive in the site conditions.

But I’ve also walked through plenty of naturalistic gardens that look messy. Especially outside of the garden's peak season. Books and photos online typically show naturalistic plantings at their peak, but I rarely see photos of the gardens in winter or during the early spring before the plants fill out.

I feel like the whole story isn't getting told. I'm not interested in making a garden that only looks good one month of the year. I want a garden that looks great all season. Even winter.

That is why my approach for Sugar Hill will be a hybrid: the environmental performance of plant communities, combined with the clear structure, proportion, and intention of traditional gardens like Sissinghurst and Hidcote.

I want strong bones with hedges, paths, and framed views. I don't know yet whether this hybrid approach works in Kentucky clay. The only way to find out is to plant it and learn.

I am a firm believer in hands-on experience. That's the purpose of the Sugar Hill trail garden.

I want to learn about plant communities. To know which plants grow well together and thrive in the Kentucky clay without being coddled. Then I want to establish those plant communities inside a structured garden.

My Approach

Until the house is complete, I won't be working on paths, hedges, or structure. I'll be focused on learning about plants. Testing plant combinations, watching how the plant communities behave under real conditions, and documenting the results.

The Trial Plant List

I wanted to share the trail garden plant list. I created a PDF that includes the plant names, images, and short description of each of the plants I am growing. I'll share the planting plan in the next newsletter.

​Sugar Hill Trial Plants_v1.pdf​

Over the coming weeks I'll be watching how these plants establish. Once we move into the next growing season, we can track whether the matrix plants fill in and how the plants grow as a community.

I'll be sharing all my observations here in the newsletter.

Sue