Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the J. Peterson Garden Design Gardener O’ the Month! I am so excited about this month’s pick because this dude’s different. And his site is different. Come on, you didn’t think any run-of-the-mill gardener would make the cut around here, did you? Rest assured, I will always take better care of you all than that! So it is with great pleasure to present to you:
Andrew Keys at Garden Smackdown! (Woooo, and the crowd went wild!) I have to admit, what first drew me to this site, aside from the fact that I’m familiar with Andrew on Twitter, was the name. I’m superficial that way. But you understand, right? “Garden Smackdown” just makes you wonder if there’s a fight going on over there, like hair-pulling and such. No fights (Andrew is a peaceable sort) but it’s lively and fun to look at and read, so it definitely lives up to its name. But behind every great site is a super fab person and gardener, and that is Andrew.
Andrew is a landscape designer & gardener from Massachusetts, and comes from a long line of gardeners and outdoorsy-types, so working with plants and the land is pretty much in his blood. He has a background in journalism and PR, is trained as a web and graphic designer, and all of this comes through on his site. I love it when people have a really varied background and then find themselves in the landscaping/gardening business–it only adds to their authenticity and depth of knowledge, don’t you agree?
Another cool thing about Andrew is that he is accredited as an organic landcare practitioner, and he focuses on sustainability in both his garden and those of his clients. That means he is really into soil health as well as proper plant selection that will allow the garden to thrive with lower amounts of water and maintenance. To me, this is a guy that puts his money where his mouth is.
So what can you expect when you visit Garden Smackdown? For starters, this is a site that focuses on plants, for the Plant Geek in each of us! (Today’s feature is Cephalotaxus harringtonii ‘Prostrata’. Woo. Try saying that three times really fast.). Andrew gives in-depth information about the featured plant, but you’re also treated to some stories and memories about growing up around plants and gardening. Andrew told me that when he was developing Garden Smackdown, he wanted to create a site that meant something to him and held his own interest, so he also adds things like playlists (still waiting for him to add some Streetlight Manifesto, though), bits of literature and pop culture. There might be another site like that somewhere, but I don’t know of it! It’s really a simple stroke of genius–we so often try to create things that other people will like that we sometimes forget to be true to what we like. It’s not egocentric; it’s reality: people are kind of the same on a basic level, so I know if I like something, other people will, too.
Anyhoo (don’t you hate it when people say that? I did it on purpose), I hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know Andrew this month! Check out his other site for his company, Oakleaf Green Landscape Design; his other site for plants, Plants That Suck; a designer’s blog where both Andrew & I write, Garden Designers Roundtable; or follow him on Twitter @oakleafgreen. He’s the real deal. So Andrew, have you added Streetlight Manifesto to your playlist yet? Waiting. Waiting.
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I was lucky to meet Andrew at my first tweetup a few ago at New England Grows, the annual trade show here in Boston for the landscape trade. It was a lot of fun and he gave me a few Twitter tips! By the way, I enjoy your blog!
Thanks, Risa! I haven’t met Andrew yet in person, but hope to in the future. He comes highly recommended by various gardenistas!
Another excellent choice Jenny! Great to see an organic landscaper, we need a lot more of those. Thanks for the introduction to both Andrew and Garden Designers Roundtable ;o)
Thanks, Rachel–it seems I have made back-to-back good choices with my Gardeners O’ the Month!