Here we are at the end of May and I’m happy to share with you the final phase of my front garden re-do! As you may recall, in January I finally decided to remove my little-used front lawn and replace it with a low-water garden (you can read about it here and here). After moving around my new […]
A few years ago, I spent a glorious weekend at P. Allen Smith’s Moss Mountain Farm in Little Rock, Arkansas. Most of you know P. Allen Smith – he’s a gardening icon here in America: a TV host with 2 long-running shows (Garden Home & Garden to Table), a sought-after garden designer, artist, etc. But […]
P. Allen Smith’s ‘Downtown Garden’ was the first stop on a 3-day Garden-to-Blog event I participated in a few years ago. Unlike his jaw-dropping country estate just a few miles away (click here if you missed my post) this is the garden where his long running television show, P. Allen Smith’s Garden Home, was originally filmed. Located on […]
Rounding out my Napa weekend, the Tanners treated us to a morning of impromptu garden tours. The first stop, a visit to the incredible culinary garden of the valley’s crown jewel – The French Laundry. Located directly across the street from the deceptively demure looking restaurant is this impressive 3-acre garden. Open to the public, the garden not only supplies a large […]
What do you get when you combine a pile of twigs, sprinklers, and watering cans with the right side of the brain that just won’t quit? It’s not what you get; it’s who you get – Freeland Tanner. You may have read about Freeland and his equally impressive wife Sabrina here and here. Or, you may […]
While walking around my garden the other day my friend excitedly commented ‘I totally get what you’re doing here – you write all about this in your book!’ Curious as to what she meant, I asked her to elaborate. She then began to excitedly tell me how I combined this texture with that, placed this color to […]
Spring has arrived! And along with the sweet scent of jasmine, the bursting blooms of tulips and rosebuds just beginning to open comes a new crop of gardening books. Luckily my mailman remembers that, around this time each year, his load gets a little heavier with all the books I’m sent to review. I thought […]
Welcome to Andrea Testa-Vought’s garden, a textural paradise designed by the amazing Bernard Trainor. As you’ll see, this garden is truly a feast for the eyes. But more importantly, it’s also a lesson in the subtle but powerful effects texture can have in the garden. I first visited this garden in December, on what was […]
Festina Lente. Powerful words used since ancient times by the likes of emperors, military commanders, authors, artists and even Shakespeare himself. Translated, festina lente means ‘hurry slowly’. Personally, I think my neighbor’s bumper sticker says it best – ‘Hurry up and slow down‘. Out of the corner of my eye I discovered this plaque placed […]
Phew – I’ve been busy! As promised a few weeks ago, here’s the next phase of my front lawn-removal project. After deciding on the materials and final shape of the pathways, the next step was to remove the lawn. A physically grueling task to be sure. Enlisting help from those with strong backs, we removed […]
Today began like any other chilly January day, wandering through my garden while appreciating the subtle beauty of the muted winter garden. This was before all sorts of chaos erupted. But I digress – let’s get back to the pyracantha. For the past week, I had been admiring one of my favorite shrubs growing in […]
It’s a new year and with it comes the oh-so-familiar new year’s resolutions. And while I rarely keep the ones I make, this is a resolution that’s long overdue and one that I’m thrilled to undertake: getting rid of my unused front lawn. With California’s lowest recorded rainfall in its history (that’s over 160 years!), the timing is perfect to practice […]
