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SHaque Designs SHaque Designs is a garden design company with a focus on eco-friendly and native design styles in the Greater Boston area.

Design tip: If your garden is lacking some oomph and color by this time of the year, take a look around your neighborhoo...
10/14/2026

Design tip: If your garden is lacking some oomph and color by this time of the year, take a look around your neighborhood and see what's still blooming. You might get some ideas for your own garden. Here's what's still putting on a show in mid-October in my garden - huge pink blooms of panicle hydrangea, 'Fireworks' goldenrod putting out yellow bursts of color, long-lasting purple Geranium 'Rozanne', the always dependable 'Autumn Joy' sedum, little purple pompoms of New York ironw**d, snakeroot's pops of white in the shade, and the bee's favorite calamint 'White Cloud.' The first frost of the season is coming this weekend, so let's see who is still here next week!


Part 2 of my UK garden tour was Sissinghurst, Hever Castle & Gardens and Gravetye Manor. Sissinghurst's beautiful garden...
10/01/2026

Part 2 of my UK garden tour was Sissinghurst, Hever Castle & Gardens and Gravetye Manor. Sissinghurst's beautiful garden rooms made the garden feel expansive and mysterious. Hever was an unexpected bonus with the formal Italian gardens and the biggest dahlia garden I've ever seen. Gravetye was gorgeous and I could see the influence it has had on the garden design aesthetic of today (informal borders with layers of shrubs and perennials). I'm so thankful to the knowledgeable and skilled gardeners at these world-class sites who work incredibly hard to maintain these inspiring spaces for us all to enjoy. And now I cannot wait to go back!

I had the amazing privilege recently to go visit some of the most incredible gardens in the UK. Needless to say, I was b...
09/29/2026

I had the amazing privilege recently to go visit some of the most incredible gardens in the UK. Needless to say, I was both awed and inspired by the creativity, design, and world-class horticulture. I've been reading about and seeing videos about these gardens (and gardeners) for years, so I can't tell you how exciting it was to see them in person. Part 1 is a few highlights from the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and Great Dixter. Kew was breathtaking and grand while Great Dixter was a riotous mix of flowers and shrubs. Very different design styles but both are gloriously beautiful. I could talk forever about these gardens, so please let know if you have any questions!

The fiery yellows, deep purples, and reds of September's arrangement were inspired by the colors of this bright red dahl...
09/24/2026

The fiery yellows, deep purples, and reds of September's arrangement were inspired by the colors of this bright red dahlia with the yellow center. I've never grown dahlias before, so it was a fun exercise to make them the center of attention. The supporting cast is made up of ninebark branches, goldenrod 'Fireworks', geranium 'Rozanne', pokew**d, switchgrass, trumpet honeysuckle 'Manifich', and seedheads of penstemon 'Husker's Red'. There's nothing subtle about this one - I love its bold, bright energy!

Native plant of the Week: Blue mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum) shows off its bright, bluish-purple blooms in late s...
09/22/2026

Native plant of the Week: Blue mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum) shows off its bright, bluish-purple blooms in late summer and fall. It's only 1-2 feet tall and spreads if it's happy, which is usually in sun to part-sun and moist to average soils . Goldenrods and asters seems to get all the love this time of year, but blue mistflower is an unsung beautiful little plant, in my opinion.


Native plant of the Week: American pokew**d (Phytolacca americana) is a perennial that mostly shows up unwanted in our g...
09/10/2026

Native plant of the Week: American pokew**d (Phytolacca americana) is a perennial that mostly shows up unwanted in our gardens. But I've left a couple standing and have grown to love how beautiful it can be. I've seen them in ornamental pots in Europe, so sometimes you need to see them in a different setting to appreciate them. There's nothing else that looks quite like them, with their branching form and multi-colored stems and berries. It can grow 4-10 feet tall and 3-5 wide and usually shows up in woodland edges. Local birds love the fruit (humans should stay away, as they're poisonous).They self-seed easily, but as long as you pull them out quickly, you can keep them from taking over. If you have some space at the outskirts of your garden, keep one for the birds.


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When I notice something new in my garden, it's usually a w**d and I go "ugh." But every now and then, when it's a nativ...
09/01/2026

When I notice something new in my garden, it's usually a w**d and I go "ugh." But every now and then, when it's a native plant that I didn't plant, and then when they combine with another and create something beautiful on their own, I go "squeeee!". White vervain showed up this year (Verbena urticifolia) and I noticed their cute white flowers like little stars in a part-shade corner. And then a few weeks later, these soft pink heart-shaped blooms climbed over the verbena and made this wondrous arch of beauty. Allegheny vine (Adlumia fungosa) is apparently a threatened species in MA, so I'm incredibly grateful that it decided to show up in my garden! These litlte moments make native plant gardening truly fascinating and joyful.

Design tip: Here's a simple and gorgeous plant combination that works. Ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris), sweetfe...
08/27/2026

Design tip: Here's a simple and gorgeous plant combination that works. Ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris), sweetfern (Comptonia peregrina), and great blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica) intermingle and complement each other through their striking foliage, vertical blue accents, and lovely scent. They all prefer part-sun and are great for woodland edges. All of them spread if they're happy and they're each hosts for different butterflies, bees, and/or moths. And these plants are incredibly low-maintenance. If you plant these, they will fill your garden with beauty.


Native plant of the Week: Hoary skullcap (Scutellaria incana). Yes, the name is awful but the flower is perfection. This...
08/25/2026

Native plant of the Week: Hoary skullcap (Scutellaria incana). Yes, the name is awful but the flower is perfection. This lovely little perennial prefers part-sun conditions and can tolerate different types of soil. Blooming for weeks in late summer, it can lighten up a woodland edge beautifully. I think if the plant got a rebrand, it would be much more popular!


August's flowers - mostly native, all sun-lovers, all beautiful. Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), smooth hydrangea (H...
08/18/2026

August's flowers - mostly native, all sun-lovers, all beautiful. Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), smooth hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens), slender mountain mint (Pycnanthemum tenuifolium), broad-leaved mountain-mint (Pycnanthemum muticum), Russian sage (Salvia yangii), northern sea oats (Chasmanthium latifolium), and rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium). These soft purples, whites, and greens complement the old silver pitcher perfectly. The best part is the gorgeous fragrance and tinkly movement of the grasses makes this an all-senses arrangement.

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