The JMMDS Blog has come a long way since it went live in 2008. We take a look at how much we’ve grown, revisit favorite posts, and look forward to more readers, comments, and content!
JMMDS Blogazine Buttons.
Of the many creative things we’ve done here at JMMDS over the past few years—books, projects, workshops, lectures, and more—perhaps my favorite endeavor has been working on our blog, The Home Outside. From the start, I wanted to make what I called a “blogazine,” with buttons that let readers know what we offer: Seminars, Design, Books, Video, Events, and Press; as well as what we’ve been thinking about and what inspires us: People, Places, Plants, and Products. Thanks go to JMMDS designer Bethany Gracia and our webmaster Garrett Allen for turning my blogazine idea into reality. And more thanks go to our blog- (and task!) master, Val Khislavsky, for her wonderful writing and editing skills. She’s the person who makes sure that a new blog is posted every Tuesday afternoon, no matter what. She also has embraced the –zine format, keeping our posts visually exciting and brief, but informative.
Blog visit statistics from Google Analytics.
It’s always fun to consult Google Analytics (a link tracking service from Google) to see how far our blog has come in just over a year of posting. With 10,000 unique visitors from 118 countries and territories (Turkmenistan and Suriname, where are you?!) and almost 40,000 page views last year, the blog boasts 55% new visits, with new subscribers almost every day. Of course, we’d love to get the word out even more. So when you read a post you really like, please forward the link on to colleagues, friends, and family.
Photos from our past blogs, old and new: L: Julie’s garden master, Kinsaku Nakane; C: Shore Country Day Shool Inspiration Garden Design; R: A towering Boojum from Anna’s Baja Blog.
Looking back, we’ve covered a vast array of topics, from The Art of the Tryst (one of my faves) to Sensei, about my garden master in Japan. We’ve talked about some of our own projects, from our Bride’s Garden in Columbus, OH to the Inspiration Garden at Shore Country Day School in Beverly, MA, while highlighting others’ work as well. Our “people” blogs have featured landscape designers like Alma Hecht from San Francisco, CA, artists like metal worker Peter Andruchow (Woven Steel), and those who have touched our lives, like my colleague Ed Hartranft who passed away unexpectedly last year. We’ve had fun covering products, from recycled goodies by Terracycle, to Firepits (our first controversial posting), to our favorite Gardening Boots and Amy Brier’s marvelous Roliquery sculptures. Since all of us at JMMDS travel to special places, you’ll find stories about Rwanda, Machu Picchu, and the Baja Peninsula, among others. And don’t forget our Design Tips and inspiring Plant Blogs by JMMDS designers Erica Bowman and Anna Johansen. And there’s lots more to share.
In this second year of blogging, we’d like to hear more from you. Please feel free to comment about anything you read, as many have been doing over the past few months. Also, please comment about topics you’d like us to cover or email us if you’ve got a topic you’d like to write about as guest blogger.
We do it all for the fun of it. As our blog’s first “Welcome” post said, This blog is for all of us who care about landscape design to learn from each other. Keep in touch!
Bravo to you all, Julie, Val, and everyone else at JMMDS. Love your blog, your books, your gardens. A favorite of mine is about Julie’s sensei, but I have also loved the ones on garden mistakes.
Thanks, Carol! Let us know what topics you’d like to see more of!