Succulents, wooly thyme, and treasures from the beach in a fantastic vintage container.

My container display for the 2011 Northwest Flower & Garden Show. Winner of Best Re-Characterization of Reclaimed Materials.

Hardy succulents in contrasting colors, decked out with String of Pearls.

I whipped this one up at DIG Nursery, in their wonderful greenhouse. Sylvia Matlock has a real eye for great containers.

I planted 12 succulent bunt pans for a wedding. The dessert goblets in the center held candles.

Old gears made this one a little steam-punky. The front of the crate was emblazoned with "Underwood: The Machine You Will Eventually Buy." Can't argue with that.

This old drill box begged for new life, and I was happy to oblige.

A barren parking area lushed up with a barrel of golden bamboo, black mondo grass, and tetrapanax, along with a dwarf conifer, oxalis, and ferns.

Lush winter color and texture. A few months in, it's looking more natural.

A hanging stock pot overflows with jade, sedums, and fish hook senecio.

Golden bamboo, Japanese forest grass, fuchsia, begonia, and wire vine in a soft orange pot.

Sempervivum strewn with String of Pearls, in a swirly copper vintage pan.

Because who wouldn't want to wear flowers instead of bracelets?

I created this for the 2015 Northwest Flower & Garden Show, and it won the People's Choice Award and 2nd Place in the Floral Competition. I'd love to make another one--slightly less tall, with an edible cake top--for a real wedding! [Photo by David Perry]

A delightful birthday gift that lasts for weeks--or a fun centerpiece for weddings.

Mostly live plants, with dramatic cut flowers--protea, gravellia, pieris, snake's head fritillary, and a whole lot of texture. If I were a fairy queen, this is what I'd want at my wedding.

My version of a woodland arrangement, inspired by Francoise Weeks. I love and emulate her use of texture, bold foliage, and use of beautiful edibles, like persimmons and Asian cucumbers! I created this one at her Wedding Design workshop in her studio, and it's still one of my favorites.

True, I've never been in a woodland that looks quite like this--but a girl can dream.

Elegant elements and joyful texture.

Adorable adornments for flower girls and bridesmaids.

For Thanksgiving, I filled an old silver gravy boat with preserved treasures. Months later, it's looking just as perky.

This anchor hooked me at a garage sale, and I mixed it with driftwood and bottles to create a low succulent wall.

An antique store owner friend was throwing these out. They got back on the green at the garden's entrance. (Old golf clubs also make excellent plant supports.)

In the '50s, they sometimes made slides out of rusty metal with sharp edges. This elephant was the side panel from one such slide, and he looked amazing in a narrow bed flanking a pathway.

This used to be a strip of dead grass. I lushed it up like crazy, in a drought-tolerant way.

You can pack a lot of splashy foliage in a bed that's less than 3 feet deep.

I love doing this, horizontally or vertically.

Wherever I can plant living hummingbird feeders, I will do it. Having them visit your garden is a perpetually magical experience, and they need the nectar.