This issue greets the month with a nod to gardening and landscaping, which is top of mind for so many of us as we plan and plant our garden beds and containers and create welcoming outdoor living spaces.
With shade the predominate fixture in my own backyard, hostas and other shade-loving perennials revisit our garden beds each year. My favorites include Jack-in-the-pulpits, which win for best floral architecture. My ever-expanding crop of lilies of the valley also tops the list, and I treasure them for their brief springtime appearance and bouquets of gentle scents that fill a room with fresh sweetness. Both varieties arrived way of transplants from my childhood backyard, so there’s an element of nostalgia with each springtime growth.
Turn to page 20 for our Noteworthy section, where contributor Laurel Famigletti highlights the physical benefits of gardening and eating homegrown harvests. “When you feel a connection to the food that you grow, you will consume it more frequently and in higher quantities than if you just bought it at the store,” she says.
On page 17, Kira Vanderlan writes, “My success, albeit limited, when it comes to gardening is being organized.” This comes as no surprise, and the organizing expert gives us tips to keep our gardening tools and elements in perfect order.
Writer Staci Perry Mergenthal offers a look at a landscaping trend that is taking hold—peace or zen gardens are finding their ways into local landscapes as a way for homeowners to find a new type of respite right in their own backyards. That sounds lovely to me! Read more on page 24.
What are your gardening and landscaping plans this year? Tag us on Instagram with photos of your outdoor spaces—I know we’ll be inspired!
-Renée Stewart-Hester
