Writing

Essays on land, design, and the discipline of paying attention, for gardens that outlast the people who plant them.

Posts in Nashville Landscape

Best Plants for Nashville’s Clay Soil: A Designer’s Honest List for Zone 7a | The Grass Girl

Best Plants for Nashville’s Clay Soil: A Designer’s Honest List for Zone 7a | The Grass Girl

A Nashville garden designer's cultivar-level guide to what actually thrives in Middle Tennessee clay. Trees, shrubs, perennials, and screening plants chosen from real properties, not national databases.

Garden Planning, Nashville LandscapeClare HorneApril 4, 2026Garden planning, Nashville Gardening, Zone 7a Gardening, Nashville Plant Choices

A Middle Tennessee Garden Designer's Week-by-Week Maintenance Guide from March Through May

A Middle Tennessee Garden Designer's Week-by-Week Maintenance Guide from March Through May

A Middle Tennessee Garden Designer's Week-by-Week Landscape and Garden Maintenance Guide from March Through May

Garden Planning, Nashville LandscapeClare HorneMarch 4, 2026Seasonal Garden Tasks

Privacy Is a Garden, Not a Wall: A Designer's Guide to Screening in Nashville

Privacy Is a Garden, Not a Wall: A Designer's Guide to Screening in Nashville

Everyone wants privacy. Almost nobody thinks about it correctly. Here's how to stop blocking views and start creating rooms.

Landscape Design, Nashville Landscape, Privacy Features, Privacy ScreenClare HorneNovember 28, 2025Privacy Screen, Privacy, Nashville Landscape Design, Nashville Garden & Landscape Design

Choosing the Best Landscape and Garden Designers in Nashville

Choosing the Best Landscape and Garden Designers in Nashville

A Nashville garden designer on what separates real design from a plant list — and what to look for before you hire anyone to touch your landscape.

Landscape Design, Nashville Garden Design, Nashville Landscape, Garden Planning, Garden DesignClare HorneFebruary 10, 2025nashville garden designer, Nashville Landscaping

How Much Does Landscaping Cost in Nashville?

How Much Does Landscaping Cost in Nashville?

A designer’s honest breakdown of what projects actually cost — and what’s really driving the price.

Nashville Landscape, Nashville Garden Design, Landscape DesignClare HorneApril 8, 2024Nashville Landscape Design, Nashville Landscaping Costs

What a Garden Can Become: The Story of a Nashville Property That Got a Second Life

What a Garden Can Become: The Story of a Nashville Property That Got a Second Life

A high-end brick home with everything going for it — except a landscape that matched. Here's how it changed, and why every decision mattered.

Nashville LandscapeClare HorneJuly 28, 2023Nashville Garden & Landscape Design, Before and After Project Transformation

Designing a Nashville Garden That Survives Everything: Drought, Deluge, and the Climate in Between

Designing a Nashville Garden That Survives Everything: Drought, Deluge, and the Climate in Between

Garden Design, Nashville Landscape, Zone 7aClare HorneMarch 9, 2023Xeriscapes, Native Garden Benefits, Native Garden, Extreme Weather Garden Design, Zone 7a Gardening

Japanese-Inspired Garden Design in Nashville: The Art of Making a Space Feel Like a Breath

Japanese-Inspired Garden Design in Nashville: The Art of Making a Space Feel Like a Breath

Japanese-inspired gardens aren't about lanterns and raked gravel — they're about stillness, intention, and making a space feel like a breath. Here's what this style takes in Middle Tennessee and why it transforms a property like nothing else.

Garden Design, Nashville Landscape, Nashville Garden Design, Japanese Garden Design, Garden StylesClare HorneFebruary 27, 2023Japanese Garden Design, Contemporary Garden Styles, Nashville Gardening, Nashville Garden Design, Nashville Property Design, Nashville Landscape Design