Field Notes

Essays from the garden

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

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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 2026·8 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 — and 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 2026·8 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 2026·8 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 2026·7 min read