Margaret Roach is one of those heroes in horticulture and gardening media who I really admire. She excels at communicating her fundamental understanding of the natural world and reminds her readers and listeners to keep on digging, in more ways than one. She has been a guest on this podcast many times, and this week I am revisiting her first appearance, from back in 2017, where Margaret joined me to share simple yet timeless garden design lessons.
Margaret created the website A Way to Garden and hosts a podcast of the same name. She also writes a popular gardening column for The New York Times, In the Garden. Her books include “The Backyard Parables: Lessons on Gardening, and Life,” “And I Shall Have Some Peace There: Trading in the Fast Lane for My Own Dirt Road” and “A Way to Garden: A Hands-On Primer For Every Season.” In 2021, she started The Virtual Garden Club with natural gardening guru Ken Druse. And this year, Margaret was presented with the prestigious Scott Medal from the Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania.
Margaret Roach has been gardening at her home in upstate New York for over 30 years — and handles most of the responsibilities of these 2.3 acres on her own.
Before becoming a garden writer, Margaret worked in the news industry. She began her career as a copy editor at The New York Times and later became the New York Newsday garden editor and then the first garden editor of Martha Stewart Living. Margaret was a senior publishing executive in 2007 when she decided to leave the corporate world to become an organic gardening advocate and dedicate more time to gardening on her 2-acre property in upstate New York.
This is a conversation where you can just settle in and absorb Margeret’s wisdom — like a fireside listen in your favorite chair.
For a comprehensive recap of my conversation with Margaret Roach, see the show notes from the original airing. Or read on for a condensed version and updated Links & Resources.
Designing Your Garden from the Inside Out
As busy gardeners, we rarely sit still long enough outside to take it all in. Yet from the inside, when we’re not gardening, we are given a quieter, more contemplative perspective. From the inside looking out, those perspectives can provide the starting place from which to create those initial garden designs.
Margaret planned many of her gardens based on the views from her home’s windows. That’s where we look upon our gardens most and the perfect starting point for our designs.
Margaret Roach’s garden at her upstate New York home.
Draw the Eye With Bold Colors
A well-known garden design technique is to use repeating patterns of bold colors to draw the eye across the landscape. Also, design with similar color palettes in multiple layers to pull focus from front to back.
Use Complementary Colors
Your house and outbuildings may stand out or may blend seamlessly into the landscape.
When Margaret bought her house, it was stark white and appeared to float in a sea of open fields. Her goal was to give roots to her house, by painting it a dark olive green, and trimmed in a complementary orange-red. And she did the same with her outbuildings.
Now, her house and sheds appear more to be a part of the garden and overall design rather than a glaring monument that screams for attention.
One of Margaret’s first orders of business was painting her house from white to a dark olive, grounding it to the landscape. (Photo courtesy Margaret Roach)
I hope you enjoyed my conversation with Margaret Roach on garden design lessons. If you haven’t listened yet, you can do so now by scrolling to the top of the page and clicking the Play icon in the green bar under the page title.
What garden design lessons do you adhere to? Let us know in the comments below.
Links & Resources
Some product links in this guide are affiliate links. See full disclosure below.
Episode 015: Life Lessons on Gardening and Design, with Margaret Roach
Episode 020: Gardening for the Birds with Margaret Roach
Episode 065: Tips For Reducing Garden Overwhelm, with Margaret Roach
Episode 080: Putting the Garden to Bed: End-of-Season Advice from Margaret Roach
Episode 101: A Way to Garden: Observations and Lessons, with Margaret Roach
Episode 243: Always More to Learn in the Garden, with Margaret Roach
Episode 360: Reflections on Gardening, with Scott Medal Recipient Margaret Roach
joegardener Online Gardening Academy™: Popular courses on gardening fundamentals; managing pests, diseases & weeds; seed starting and more.
joegardener Online Gardening Academy Organic Vegetable Gardening: My new premium online course. The course is designed to be a comprehensive guide to starting, growing, nurturing and harvesting your favorite vegetables, no matter what you love to eat, no matter where you live, no matter your level of gardening experience.
joegardener Online Gardening Academy Master Seed Starting: Everything you need to know to start your own plants from seed — indoors and out.
joegardener Online Gardening Academy Beginning Gardener Fundamentals: Essential principles to know to create a thriving garden.
joegardener Online Gardening Academy Growing Epic Tomatoes: Learn how to grow epic tomatoes with Joe Lamp’l and Craig LeHoullier.
joegardener Online Gardening Academy Master Pests, Diseases & Weeds: Learn the proactive steps to take to manage pests, diseases and weeds for a more successful garden with a lot less frustration. Just $47 for lifetime access!
joegardener Online Gardening Academy Perfect Soil Recipe Master Class: Learn how to create the perfect soil environment for thriving plants.
Earthbound Expeditions: Discover South Africa with Joe Lamp’l
GGW Episode 418: Garden with Margaret Roach. This is our first of two “Growing a Greener World” episodes with Margaret. This is a wonderful, must-see episode to visually connect what you heard to today and more.
GGW Episode 526: Blooms and Birds with Margaret Roach. This is our second episode with Margaret in her beautiful garden. This time the focus in on her passion for backyard birding. Tips for attracting, protecting and welcoming them to your garden. We also partner with Cornell Ornithology lab for a deeper dive into online resources available lately for those interested in learning more about birding.
Margaret Roach – A Way to Garden
A Way to Garden Podcast with Joe Lamp’l
The New York Times: In The Garden
“The Backyard Parables: Lessons on Gardening, and Life” by Margaret Roach
“And I Shall Have Some Peace There: Trading in the Fast Lane for My Own Dirt Road” by Margaret Roach
“A Way to Garden: A Hands-On Primer for Every Season” by Margaret Roach
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Disclosure: Some product links in this guide are affiliate links, which means we get a commission if you purchase. However, none of the prices of these resources have been increased to compensate us, and compensation is not an influencing factor on their inclusion here. The selection of all items featured in this post and podcast was based solely on merit and in no way influenced by any affiliate or financial incentive, or contractual relationship. At the time of this writing, Joe Lamp’l has professional relationships with the following companies who may have products included in this post and podcast: Corona Tools, Milorganite, Soil3, Greenhouse Megastore, Territorial Seed Company, Earth’s Ally, Proven Winners ColorChoice, Farmer’s Defense, Heirloom Roses and Dramm. These companies are either Brand Partners of joegardener.com and/or advertise on our website. However, we receive no additional compensation from the sales or promotion of their product through this guide. The inclusion of any products mentioned within this post is entirely independent and exclusive of any relationship.
