Field Notes

Essays from the garden

Writing on naturalistic planting design, plant communities, Sheffield-school research, and the craft of garden-making, for working designers.

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soil-assessmentsite-analysisdrainage

Soil Matters More Than Sun

Most planting failures I get called out to fix are drainage problems wearing a sunlight costume.

Clients ask about aspect. They should be asking about their subsoil. A field guide to reading soil on site, without a lab report, before you specify a single plant.

Twigged Editorial·14 July 2026·AI-drafted, editor-reviewed·7 min read

small-garden-treestree-selectionurban-planting

The Tree You Choose Will Outlast Your Enthusiasm

A working shortlist for small gardens, and the honest reasons most popular choices fail within a decade.

Most small-garden tree lists are aspirational fiction. This one is built from mistakes, client callbacks, and hard-won species loyalty. The pitfalls are named plainly.

Twigged Editorial·1 July 2026·AI-drafted, editor-reviewed·8 min read

pollinator-plantingfloral-successionnative-plants

The Bee-Friendly Label Is Lying to You

Pollinator-conscious design demands floral succession, nesting habitat, and a more honest relationship with the science of what insects actually need.

Wildflower seed mixes and "bee-friendly" plant labels are not a pollinator strategy. Here's what a serious one actually looks like: from March bloom to October nesting habitat.

Twigged Editorial·11 June 2026·AI-drafted, editor-reviewed·8 min read

soil-assessmentplanting-designsite-analysis

The Ground Beneath Your Planting Plan

Soil texture, drainage, and biology decide plant success before a single bulb goes in. Most site visits treat them as an afterthought.

We obsess over aspect and light levels, then wonder why the planting fails. The case for putting soil first, and how to read it without sending a single sample to a lab.

Twigged Editorial·11 June 2026·AI-drafted, editor-reviewed·8 min read

plant-communitiessuccession-plantingcanopy-layering

Stop Planting Individuals. Start Planting Communities.

Why treating plants as social organisms, not decorative objects, is the most consequential shift a designer can make.

Most planting plans are really just collections of individuals arranged for effect. That's not a community, and the difference shows up in your maintenance bill within two seasons.

Twigged Editorial·11 June 2026·AI-drafted, editor-reviewed·8 min read

matrix-plantingsheffield-schoolnaturalistic-planting

The Matrix Is Not a Meadow

Sheffield School's most useful idea is also its most abused. Here's what matrix planting actually demands of a designer.

Matrix planting is misunderstood more than almost any idea in contemporary design. The confusion is expensive. Here's what the Sheffield School actually means, and why it matters which layer your plants belong to.

Twigged Editorial·18 April 2026·AI-drafted, editor-reviewed·7 min read