Have you given much thought to the layout or shape of your garden beds? Do they follow the natural lines and slopes of the landscape? Are they geometric? Long beds with corners? Maybe you’ve tried a circle garden. If you’re just beginning - border beds - beds anchored by a backdrop (like a house or a fence) are the easiest to plan and execute. Often overlooked, one thing to consider in border beds is to add some stepping stones or even a small path along the back to provide access points that make tending your garden easier.  Brevities #OTD In 1783: It’s the birthday of Scottish author, garden designer, and botanist John Claudius Loudon.(Books By This Author)A massively popular and breathtakingly prolific writer on horticulture, John focused on serving the needs of the expanding middle class who wanted to have smaller gardens.  1838, Loudon wrote in his book call The Suburban Gardener and Villa Companion, “A suburban residence with a small portion of land attached will contain all that is essential to happiness." Loudon created and published a magazine called The Gardener’s Magazine. It started out as quarterly. The first issue sold 4,000 copies. It soon became bi-monthly. Loudon used the platform to introduce a new landscape perspective which he called “gardenesque”.     Prior to Loudon, the prevailing landscape style of the was the “picturesque” view.  In contrast with the big picture or natural perspective of the picturesque garden style, Loudon wanted to draw attention to individual specimens - isolating them by removing surrounding plants or by using geometrical beds.  During Loudon’s time, exotic plants were the rage and a controlled garden was the best way to feature specimen plants.   Loudon's "Gardenesque style” or The Plant Collector’s Garden with formal features and botanical variety was very popular with Victorian gardens.  Loudon favored circular beds, of the type  which can still be seen in the flower garden at Greenwich Park,  because they show plants so well and because they are instantly  'recognizable' as the work of man.   John Loudon said,  “Any creation to be recognized as a work of art, must be such as can never be mistaken for a work of nature.”   Loudon invented the term “arboretum” - a garden of trees designed for scientific and educational purposes.  He also  had some thoughts about the value of public green spaces or “breathing zones” in cities.     Loudon married writer Jane Webb.  Jane was indispensable to him.  After an attack of rheumatic fever in 1806, Loudon suffered from reduced mobility in his limbs. In 1825, his right arm had to be amputated at the shoulder without anesthesia.  Around midnight on December 14, 1843, Loudon was dictating a book to his wife when he collapsed into her arms and died. The book was called, Self-instruction to Young Gardeners.   Born #OTD April 8, 1892, America's sweetheart, Hollywood legend, and lover of trees, Mary Pickford born Gladys Marie Smith.   Jump on twitter, search for “Mary Pickford Tree” and you’ll see images of Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford planting a tree at their PickFair estate. #ArborDay   Mary Pickford (Books By This Author)was the first to plant a tree, a Japanese cedar, in the Forest of Fame at the California Botanic Garden.   Trivia/Folklore says that Mary Pickford used to eat Flowers - specifically roses. Thought that they'd make her beautiful and they did,   Katie Melua sang a song called Mary Pickford which starts out,  "Mary Pickford Used to eat roses Thinking they'd make her Beautiful,  and they did-  One supposes." Apparently Pickford did indeed use to eat roses to make herself look more beautiful.     Mary Pickford reveals in her autobiography, Sunshine and Shadow, that as a young girl living in Toronto she would buy a single rose and eat the petals, believing the beauty, color and perfume would somehow get inside her.   Pickford also gifted leading man John Gilberta bench for his garden.   It was Mary Pickford who said, "I do