Writing

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

Nashville Pool Landscaping in Zone 7a: Designing the Garden Around the Water

Nashville Pool Landscaping in Zone 7a: Designing the Garden Around the Water

A Nashville garden designer on why your pool deserves more than concrete and boxwood, and how to design a living garden around it in Middle Tennessee clay.

Pool Landscaping TN, Pool Garden DesignClare HorneFebruary 10, 2026Pool Landscaping Ideas Zone 7a, Privacy Plants Around Pool Nashville

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

As Seen in Country Living: Why Outdoor Spaces Are Finally Moving Beyond the Matchy-Matchy Set

As Seen in Country Living: Why Outdoor Spaces Are Finally Moving Beyond the Matchy-Matchy Set

As Seen in Country Living: Why Outdoor Spaces Are Finally Moving Beyond the Matchy-Matchy Set

2025 Trends, Nashville Garden DesignClare HorneJune 16, 2025Garden Style

Memory in Bloom

Memory in Bloom

The Grass Girl Featured in Country Living: Why “Nostalgia Gardening” Isn’t a Trend—It’s the Soul of My Work

Garden Design, PressClare HorneMay 22, 2025Garden Style

The Grass Girl Interview with Lebanon City Lifestyle Magazine

The Grass Girl Interview with Lebanon City Lifestyle Magazine

We were so honored when January, the editor of Lebanon City Lifestyle Magazine, reached out to us for a feature in their March publication. To view the online version of the print magazine, please visit Lebanon City Lifestyle’s website here.

InterviewClare HorneMarch 18, 2025Interview, Lebanon City Lifestyle Magazine

How to Replace Your Nashville Lawn with a Wildflower Meadow (And Why You Might Want To)

How to Replace Your Nashville Lawn with a Wildflower Meadow (And Why You Might Want To)

A designer's guide to meadow gardens in Middle Tennessee — 90 native species, the honest timeline, and everything the seed packet doesn't tell you.

Garden Planning, Nashville Garden DesignClare HorneFebruary 13, 2025Meadow Garden, Pollinator Garden

Choosing the Best Landscape and Garden Designers in Nashville

Choosing the Best Landscape and Garden Designers in Nashville

What to look for, what to ask, and what the right fit actually feels like. A Nashville garden designer's honest guide to hiring someone to design your land.

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

The story of a Nashville property that was written off, and what a considered garden design brought back to it. From Clare Horne of The Grass Girl.

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

Garden Design for Kids: What a Garden Gives Your Kids That Nothing Else Can

Garden Design for Kids: What a Garden Gives Your Kids That Nothing Else Can

You don't need a playground in your backyard. You need a garden. The difference between the two is the difference between entertaining your children and giving them back their childhood.

Garden Design for Kids, Yard Design for ChildrenClare HorneMarch 12, 2023Garden Design for Kids

How to Actually Design a Low-Maintenance Garden in Nashville

How to Actually Design a Low-Maintenance Garden in Nashville

Nashville’s USDA zone 7a is the perfect climate for many low-maintenance plants. We’re often asked what the best low-maintenance shrubs, trees and perennials are to use in new landscaping. So, we created this list and hope it serves as a great resource for you when researching plants for your Nashville landscaping project!

Landscape Design, Plant ListClare HorneMarch 12, 2023Low-Maintenance, Native Garden, Nashville Low-Maintenance Landscaping, Nashville Garden & Landscape Design

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

What to Know Before Your First On-Site Consultation

What to Know Before Your First On-Site Consultation

How to prepare for your first landscape design consultation so you get the most out of the hour. Advice from a Nashville garden designer who does this every week.

Design Process, Garden Design, Landscape DesignClare HorneMarch 9, 2023On-Site Consultation, Design Process, Consultation Guide

Nashville Garden Designer, The Grass Girl, Interview with Stroll Belle Meade

Nashville Garden Designer, The Grass Girl, Interview with Stroll Belle Meade

We are so excited to have our interview published with Stroll Belle Meade!

Interview, Belle MeadeClare HorneMarch 5, 2023Interview, Garden Design Information, The Grass Girl, Clare, Nashville Garden & Landscape Design

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

Native Pollinator Gardens in Nashville: How to Design One That's Beautiful — Not Just Beneficial

Native Pollinator Gardens in Nashville: How to Design One That's Beautiful — Not Just Beneficial

Native Pollinator Gardens in Nashville

Garden Design, Garden Planning, TN Native Garden DesignClare HorneFebruary 24, 2023Native Garden, Pollinator Garden, Nashville Garden, Native Garden Benefits, USDA zone 7a

English Cottage Garden Design in Nashville: What It Actually Takes to Get the Look Right

English Cottage Garden Design in Nashville: What It Actually Takes to Get the Look Right

If you are looking to add charm and character, while creating a luxury outdoor area for your Nashville home, an English cottage garden might be just what you need.

Garden DesignClare HorneFebruary 22, 2023Nashville, English Cottage Garden, Garden Style