If you want to bring more design and better plant choices to your garden and not just impulse buy at the local nursery, you might want to look into ‘Conscious Gardening’, writes Margaret Roach for The New Yok Times.

For 40 years, Charles Cresson has overseen the Swarthmore garden Hedgleigh Spring started by his grandfather.

Cresson is profiled in “Private Gardens of Philadelphia,” by garden historian Nicole Juday and garden photographer Rob Cardillo.

His garden mission is clear., Cardillo said, “To honor his family and honor their horticultural traditions, and at the same time bring it into this century with newer plants and new ways to manage things.”

Landscaping a garden could be done for environmental reasons, like the rain gardens at the home of Caren Lambert in Wayne, as a way to handle storm runoff.

Others may use gardens to grow edibles, provide an inviting environment for guests, or create art.

The best gardens , Cardillo and Juday agree, come from what you care about the most.

Ask yourself, “What is the thing that you’re doing in your garden that brings you the most happiness and satisfaction?” Juday suggested.

Read more about the benefits of conscious gardening in The New York Times.