A few weeks ago I was a lucky, lucky girl and was given a tour of Debra Lee Baldwin’s garden. And what a garden it was! Debra is known by many as the ‘Succulent Queen‘, thanks to her wildly successful books, Succulent Container Gardens and Designing with Succulents. So, while I assumed her garden would […]
It’s that time of year again, when our gardens are aflutter with leaves falling (and falling and falling), blanketing our beds with brilliant shades of yellow, orange and red. Ever wonder why leaves fall?
I don’t think I’ve ever been as rude to another designer as I was when I saw this garden. A few weeks ago I visited my good friend Debra Lee Baldwin who graciously introduced me to a wonderful landscape designer, Frank Mitzel of Aesthetic Design. Frank kindly took us to see a garden that he […]
A few weeks ago I spent an afternoon at Flora Grubb Gardens as I needed a little inspiration for some upcoming container projects. Flora never lets me down! It was a beautiful fall day when the sun’s gentle rays allow everything to glow just a little bit brighter. For those of you not familiar with this […]
Do you know how easy it is to get several plants for the price of one? Some of my favorite 2-for-1 plants (actually it’s more like 10-for-1) are coleus. Just snap off a stem, stick it in a glass of water for about 10 days, and when you have lots of little roots you just […]
Phew – it’s a warm one this weekend! We haven’t had very many hot days this summer so the warmth is welcome around here. My green tomatoes are crying out for a little heat so they can ripen (okay, they don’t really care – it’s me who’s crying out for it!!) The herbs in […]
Today is the last day of summer for my daughter and one that’s always a little sad for me. While part of me relishes the fact that she’ll be going back to school leaving me plenty of time to write and design, part of me will really miss her company. The older Emily gets, the […]
One of my favorite chapters in my first book Garden Up!, tackles a common problem many gardeners face – what to do with those narrow side yards? These awkward spaces are often neglected, turning into dumping grounds for junky items collected over the years. While it’s true we all need a place to store some of this […]
I think the official number of tourists who visit Lake Tahoe every summer is something like a zillion, give or take a few. Getting from one place to another on the lake means you’ll be driving along beautiful highway 89, most likely looking at (you guessed it) the lake. However, sometimes if you turn your head […]
As usual, this is ‘almost’ a Wordless Wednesday post. A few weeks ago, while vacationing in Connecticut, we drove past this giant snapping turtle bravely crossing the road. Being from California, and never seeing one in person, we pulled over so I could play tourist and take a photo.
My friends, Michelle and Rob, have the cutest tool shed ever! Just this year, Rob built this for Michelle out of materials he salvaged either on their property or elsewhere around town – truly a labor of love. I love how it tucks in so nicely within the beautiful perennial bed instead of relegated to […]
