An Engl(ish) Garden in Greenville, SC
Tour Tessa Pinner's dreamy garden with me.
Tessa Pinner’s garden style is undeniable—but not unattainable. That’s something she’d want you to know.
In her day job at Dabney Collins, she serves as creative director for one of the premier landscape design firms in the area.
She and I share a common perspective that brings garden design down to earth, and I hope makes it feel accessible:
Just start where you are.
It can be easy to look at inspiration pictures and think, “If I had that house or that property I could have such a pretty garden.”
But that’s bad thinking.
The most interesting and beautiful gardens accept the constraints of the site, to borrow a phrase from Planting in a Post-Wild World. They work with what they’ve got. They get inspired by it.
Tessa’s cottage is not far from White Horse Road, but when you walk through the gate, you could easily be in Britain. She calls it her Engl(ish) garden. I love that.
Whether you need to calm down, or to vent, or to move your body, or to gather, gardening is good for everyone, she said.
I agree.
Here’s my interview with Tessa Pinner:
Originally from:
I was born in Greenville! Feels like that’s more of a rarity as our town grows.
How long have you been gardening in Greenville?
I started dabbling with plants in in 2016 and never looked back. In 2017, I took the Clemson University Master Gardener Course. In 2018, I spent a year working at local nursery. In 2019, I decided to go back to school and completely change careers. I guess I really got bitten hard by the gardening bug.
Garden wisdom: What’s something you swear by (a product, a practice, a plant, etc.)?
Take “official” plant spacing guidelines with a big ol’ pinch of salt. Consider the effect you want or need. Two easy examples: 1) trees in the forest: no one told them they needed to be 20’ apart so their fingertips just barely touch. Close tree planting is a great naturalistic tool. 2) You can plant a whole bunch of different perennials “in the same space” if the plants occupy different layers.
What’s something new you’re trying this year?
We got a small fountain this season with a ridged stone on top set at just at the perfect height to stay wet without having standing water. This is exactly what certain insects need to drink! It has been fun to see the bees and wasps discover it.
What else are you growing?
This year I’m pouring most of my energy into growing my two small children, so my most favorite plants at the moment tend to be the tough ones and the ones that seed around in spontaneous ways. I have tomatoes in the middle of the gravel and at the base of my stairs. The Hardy begonia has jumped out of its pot and started a journey across the ground. The meadow is full of wild phlox, coreopsis, and orleya. The rose campion, echinacea, and rudbeckia seed into every corner. It’s all a little wild but I like it that way.
Follow on Instagram:
My professional account is @Tessapinner, and I post there occasionally. But I share more of my garden on my private account, @tessaleo. It is private because of my children, but if you are a garden nerd, send me a message and I will gladly admit you.
