Lori's yard around her 1922 wooden bungalow provides an example of how one can create different garden vignettes in a relatively small space. All of the gardens are under six years old. They all have foundation plantings with bulbs , perennials, and woody shrubs. Each garden is supplements with annuals to fill in spaces, some of which  Lori starts from seed in February. She has several plants which self-sow and provide a bigger display each year. These include Larkspur in the back garden, and the Cleome and lettuce leaf poppy in the south west corner. Some annuals volunteer plants form seeds dropped the previous season - sunflowers, sweet annie, milkweed, some tomato plants, and pumpkins.

Lori employs strictly organic practices and encourages benieficial insects by providing an inviting environment. She likes to see ladybugs munching on aphids. She does a lot of weeding; she composts garden waste and vegetable peelings which produces a rich, nourishing mixture.