We kicked off the first week of summer by spending a few days at my favorite place in the whole world – Lake Tahoe. Due to our unusually cool spring and summer, it was waaay too cold to spend any time on the beach, so one day we took a hike at D.L. Bliss state […]
This year my ‘Sea Jade’ phormium surprised me by sending up several towering stalks of flowers. ‘Sea Jade’ has gorgeous olive green foliage with a subtle pink stripe down the middle. This variety also appreciates a bit of shade if planted in really hot, sunny areas. This is a mid-sized flax, topping out at 4’x4′ […]
I try and visit Sonoma’s Cornerstone Gardens as often as I can, with their ever-changing garden installations. I’ve written about them in the past, but on this trip I was particularly captivated by a few of the fences that surround some of the gardens. This one, for example, is a simple wire fence with eucalyptus […]
On the side of my office hangs a collection of old tools, pots, sprinklers, etc. that I’ve gathered over the years. Most were given to me by my grandparents or parents, some were found at garage sales, and others given as gifts. All, however, are precious to me as each one represents a piece of […]
After designing gardens for over 20 years, I’ve noticed more and more people want to replace their little-used front lawn with an environmentally friendly garden. The main stumbling block, however, is they aren’t quite sure what to do once the lawn is gone. I hear variations of the same concerns: it’ll look too much like […]
We all try our best to recycle and repurpose whenever we can, right? When this robin’s nest blew down last year my mother couldn’t stand to throw it away so she gave it to me to keep it in a protected spot and re-use it in my garden. Imagine my joy when I discovered this treasured […]
I love all gardens. I don’t think there’s a single style that I don’t appreciate. And that’s part of the charm of gardeners – we’re all so different yet we all appreciate one another’s passion. Sometimes the differences are subtle, sometimes they’re as opposite as night and day. But either way, part of the […]
While spending the day in San Francisco I stumbled upon this statue of a massive, towering woman titled Ecstasy, by Karen Cusolito and Dan Das Mann. Her body is so graceful, lithe and perfectly proportioned while being constructed of repurposed pieces of chunky, rusty metal. I know it’s a little atypical of my posts, but I […]
If you love clematis, edibles, succulents and everything in between then Cottage Gardens of Petaluma is nursery you MUST visit! Many already know this nursery as one of the best sources around for unusual varieties of clematis. But Bruce Shanks, the owner, has clearly been bitten by Succulent Fever. Everywhere I look there’s unbelievable specimens […]
Due to the unusual amount of heavy rainfall this year, we have an abundance of weeds here in Northern California – here’s some of the most beautiful ones I’ve seen! Really? They’re weeds?
While in San Francisco recently, I stumbled upon this community garden sandwiched in between a really busy road and an apartment building. It’s a community garden built and maintained by a homeless shelter and surrounding neighbors (which is cool enough!) but I loved all the repurposed living wall elements along the chain-link fence. The colorful […]
Compliments of Ami Saunders, with Saunders Designs….
