PUZZLE LINKS: PDF | RG file | Online Solver
We’re very happy to bring you, for the first time ever on this site, a Rows Garden puzzle! This was a puzzle type invented by (who else) Patrick Berry, and it’s a fun one. Kelsey test-solved this one (thanks Kels!) and she agrees! Here’s how it works:
Answers fit into this puzzle in two ways. Row answers read horizontally from the lettered markers; each Row contains two consecutive answers reading left to right (except Rows A and L, which contain one answer reading across the nine protruding spaces). Blooms are six-letter answers that fill the shaded and unshaded spaces, reading either clockwise or counterclockwise. Bloom clues are divided into three lists: Light, Medium and Dark.
The solving experience for this puzzled is built on Multiflora, which will not only result in a much more aesthetically pleasing experience, but it will also allow you to solve the puzzle in one of five (!!) difficulty settings. We have also provided a PDF if you prefer to solve the old-fashioned way. If you decide you like this puzzle type, we highly recommend Joon Pahk’s Outside The Box and Andrew Ries’s Aries Puzzles subscription services. Andrew in particular is currently running a summer special which is a pretty great deal!
Bonus news! Continuing our trend of democratizing the variety-puzzle making process, we’ve released a new, fully online, Rows Garden Creator! Simply enter a nine-letter entry in the “rows” box, click “begin” and let it start making suggestions for you. Hopefully the whole process is self-explanatory, but if not, let me know and I’ll make changes. Many thanks to Joon for providing the algorithms that power the whole process, and for letting us share it with the world.
If you like this and other tools that Crossword Nexus provides, the best way to say thanks is by joining our Patreon. For as little as $1.50 per month you can not only support the work we do, but also get two or three monthly puzzles for your trouble.
Enjoy the solve!