Want to solve the world’s problems? Yeah, me too…but today I’ll settle for a few specifics in the garden. The movement toward using less water in the landscape, along with the human urge to seek novelty and beauty, has created a huge interest in succulent plants for years. Succulents are generally described as plants […]
“If I re-landscape because of the drought, what happens when it starts to rain again?” This is a question I have been asked a lot lately. The re-education of the California gardener is really having an effect. More and more clients are wanting to put in low-water landscaping, even though I’ve been designing those kinds […]
Lose the lawn? No problem. More and more people are getting on board with lawn-less gardens in California. Of course, historically low rainfall and state mandated water conservation are the reason for the change of heart for many people. But losing the lawn can make room for re-thinking what you want in your landscape to begin […]
Armeria, also known as Sea Pink or Sea Thrift, is a lovely plant for adding texture to small scale plant combinations. It has neat-looking foliage, can take occasional foot-traffic and is deer resistant as well. Sea Thrifts have flowers that form a globe-shaped inflorescence at the top of a leaf-less stem, looking a bit like pink lollipops. […]
Early September can be a confusing time. Football has started but Baseball will last for another month, or more. For many, summer is over. Kids have gone back to school and the stores are filling with Halloween items. But technically, the autumn equinox, signaling the official start of fall, is still weeks away. There’s less […]
I don’t think she was planning to use a designer. She already had an excellent sense of color and she pretty much knew what she wanted; a new retaining wall and a vine on the fence. But she agreed to meet with me, at the suggestion of her contractor, because she did think she could […]
Succulents are justifiably stylish at the moment. In recent years people have come to appreciate what this varied group of plants can bring to a landscape. I still encounter people who think of low—water gardening, with succulents, as only about pokey, spined “cactus” in a barren rockscape. While it’s true that cactus are succulents….not all […]
My client was kind of particular, and if I didn’t get it right I would never hear the end of it. In this case….I was also married to him. Problem solving through design is a kind of puzzle made more challenging the longer the list of needs or restrictions. The backyard once consisted of a […]
I have a client who wants a cutting garden and loves pink. I’m happy to say that this classic request can be accommodated with relatively low water and low maintenance. This is what is blooming now, in the February garden, that I brought samples of, to our meeting; Camellia, Narcissus, Manzanita and Australian Fuchsia ‘Sister […]
Been there, done that. That’s how she was feeling about the front lawn. The kids are grown and so are the grand kids, but my client, Marie, is as busy as ever with her many interests and lots of entertaining. She has maintained the classic front yard swath of green grass for many years, but […]
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