Hello Reader,

It's taken me a while to learn that a garden doesn't begin when the plants go into the ground. It begins much earlier, with decisions about what to grow, which plants are suited for the site, and how they'll work together. I've also discovered that testing ideas in a small trial garden is a great way to learn what works before committing to a larger planting.

That's the thinking behind the Sugar Hill trial garden.

The Sugar Hill Trial Garden

I've been working on the planting plan for the trial garden, where I'll test plants and combinations before making decisions about the permanent Sugar Hill garden.

The goal isn't simply to find plants I like. It's to learn which plants will thrive in Kentucky clay, which work well together, and which combinations look good beyond just a few weeks of peak bloom.

I've put together the planting plan and plant list for you to explore.

Sugar Hill Trial Garden
Planting Plan

You can also download a PDF of the planting plan here.
​Sugar Hill Trial v1.pdf​

I originally tried to create the plan on my computer, but after fumbling around in PowerPoint, I decided to draw it by hand instead. I took inspiration from Piet Oudolf's plans in the book Piet Oudolf at Work. (Obviously!)

It felt great to sharpen my colored pencils and pick up an eraser. Much more satisfying than PowerPoint!

Getting the plan onto paper turned out to be harder than I'd expected. I initially went to Sugar Hill with a clipboard and pencil, intending to record the location of each plant after arranging it. But I struggled to translate what I'd planted into a workable plan on paper.

The breakthrough came when I divided the space into quadrants using hot-pink marking tape. That simple change gave me a way to organize the planting and map it out on paper. Sometimes, the solution is less complicated than you think.

Growing a Garden from Seed

While the trial garden gives me a place to test ideas, I'm also thinking ahead to the permanent Sugar Hill garden.

The house isn't finished yet, but that doesn't mean I have to wait to start preparing the garden. This winter, I'm planning to sow a lot of seeds, particularly perennials and other plants that benefit from cold-moist stratification.

Some seeds need a period of cold, moist conditions to break dormancy before they'll germinate. Winter sowing is a practical way to provide these conditions outdoors while getting a head start on growing plants.

My goal is to start building a small plant nursery of my own, with plants ready to go when the permanent garden is ready for them.

It's also an opportunity to experiment with growing more plants from seed, learn which species germinate reliably, and see how much of a future garden I can grow myself.

I'd love to share the process with you, but first, I'm curious:

Would you be interested in following along?

I could share the seed list, explain why I've chosen particular plants, document the winter sowing process, and report back in spring with germination results and lessons learned.

Hit reply and let me know. Would you be more interested in the seed list, the step-by-step process, the results, or all three?

I'd love to make these field notes useful to your own gardening, whether you're planning an entire garden or just looking for a few new plants to try.

Until next time,
Sue