Honest Perennial Co.
Create a Garden you can be in.
Perennial garden design demystified.
Over five years, I planted more than fifteen thousand perennials. Some years, it felt like I moved more than I planted.
What came out of this experience is a way to design a garden in plain language, with an approach to design that anyone can understand.
Immersive Gardening
As I moved plants around until I understood that the garden I wanted was not something I looked at from the edge. It was somewhere I could walk into, wander through and sit inside.
That became the Immersive Garden Framework: begin with the whole space, make room for paths and pauses, then design it one manageable Block at a time.
The Immersive Garden Guide introduces the framework and the thinking behind every Design Block.
Design Blocks
The Immersive Garden Framework helped me understand how the whole garden should work. I still needed a practical way to design it without treating the entire space as one overwhelming project.
I found that roughly thirty square feet was the right unit to work with. Large enough to feel complete on its own, but flexible enough to connect with other Blocks as the garden grows.
That became the Design Block: a ready-made planting plan that applies the framework to one manageable part of the garden.
Start with one Block. Build from there.
A Curated Palette
I have grown hundreds of perennial varieties, and rather than add to my list I decided to reduce it.
Learning about every plant in my garden is a real investment in time. So, at one point I went through an exercise of pruning my collection. I considered what each plant contributes, and why I continue to grow it.
These 90 plants now make up the palette I use in my gardens and designs.
I grow from seed, cuttings, bulbs and crowns, without pesticides, plastic pots or artificial growth chemicals.
Availability changes throughout the season. Check the order calendar to plan your garden.
Seeds, allium bulbs and peony crowns are currently available to pre-order for autumn delivery.
Why Honest?
Because I’ll be clear about the trade-offs.
When I started my gardens, most of what I found about plants came either from a marketing tag or from knowledge passed down through generations. Neither one told me how a plant actually behaves in a garden today.
For example, the coneflower in one of my blocks tends to fade after three years. I plant it anyway, because its bold colour and prolific blooms makes me happy. But, that’s an informed decision - you should know that before you buy the plant and dig the hole.
That's the Honest part.
The Honest Perennial Guide is the journey of my perennial discovery, the plants I kept, why I valued each one, and a glossary of the industry terms for home gardeners.
