Well, friends, I did it. I proofed and polished my manuscript Garden Envy: Creating a Beautiful Southern Garden, and now I am working with a potential publisher. Stay tuned for updates!

What better place to entertain than in your home garden? Those who spent their time in coronavirus seclusion developed home landscapes and are now ready to show them off to friends and family. Garden Envy is a how-to manual for making your garden look its best. I have drawn on my personal involvement as a host (I opened New Hope Farm & Gardens more than eighty times) as well as interviews with other hosts, extensive gardening experience, past employment in a garden nursery, and involvement with fundraising events at a botanical garden/woodland preserve to assemble Garden Envy: Creating a Beautiful Southern Garden, a text that combines horticultural advice with practical logistics for garden-centered events. My comprehensive guide includes entertaining theme ideas, design guidelines, recipes, and even an organizer’s checklist. For components like edging, mulch, and plant labeling, I provide recommendations at several price points so that readers can pick the option that best fits their budgets.