There’s something pretty special about visiting a garden in the dead of winter. Why? Because in the winter, a well-designed garden allows one to get a peek behind the curtain, to study the bare-bones of a garden. The curtain, of course, being the attention-grabbing flowers of spring and summer. San Francisco’s Japanese Tea Garden just […]
Planning and planting the roses in my garden has been more therapeutic than I could ever imagine While sitting with my father in the hospital during the last few weeks of his illness, I spent hours quietly reading plant and seed catalogs while he slept. To put it mildly, those catalogs were my emotional life […]
As I wrote about in my last post, time is a critical element in the garden. When planting a new garden, it’s understandable to want your plants to hurry up and GROW. But, you just can’t rush it no matter how big of a plant specimen you buy, or how close you plant them together. Time is needed to let […]
Happy New Year, Everyone! Being the first day of a new year (of a new decade, no less!), I feel it’s the perfect time to acknowledge the importance of time in the garden. As most of you know, gardens need a solid 2 to 3 years before they begin to fill in and come into […]
This post could easily be titled: Why You Don’t Place a Top-Heavy Pot on a Narrow Ledge. In my new garden, I have a narrow ledge above our barbecue area that’s PERFECT for my succulent container collection. Except that it’s a tad narrow (understatement). Which isn’t a good idea with all the raccoons, skunks, foxes, […]
***Every few years I re-post this Hachiya persimmon cookie recipe on my blog for my new readers. I hope you enjoy! Oh, and make sure to read the comments for other ways to cook with these persimmons! Each fall I look forward to a call from one of my former clients, letting me know it’s […]
Fall is taking its sweet time showing up where I live in Granite Bay. As I currently write this, it’s late October and a way-too-hot 87 degrees outside, but my garden is loving it. Insects and hummingbirds are everywhere, buzzing from plant to plant, storing up as much energy as they can before cold weather […]
It’s that time of year again when our homes and gardens are decked out in orange and black, and mine is no exception. And what better occasion than Halloween to talk about one of my favorite colors in the garden and share with you my top 15 favorite orange flowers! Awhile ago, I wrote about […]
Without a doubt, fall is my favorite season of the year. And making succulent pumpkins is one of my favorite ways to celebrate the beginning of the holiday season. Once I spot the first signs of pumpkins and squash adorning grocery stores (which happened this week, btw!) I’m like a kid in a candy shop. And […]
I bet many of you are thinking ‘what the heck is glaucous, anyway?’ Well, according to Webster, glaucous means: 1. of a pale yellow-green color, or of a light bluish-gray or bluish-white color 2. having a powdery or waxy coating that gives a frosted appearance and tends to rub off And […]
Annie Leonard, a proponent of sustainability, says ‘There is no such thing as ‘away.’ When we throw anything away it must go somewhere.’ This quote resonates deeply with me and is something I think about whenever it’s tempting to toss something that no longer has a purpose. I love repurposed items in the garden. Things […]
I’ve spent the past two years working in my new garden. And by working, I mean killing myself trying to fix one awkward space after another. I’ve finally got the upper hand on things (sort of) and just as soon as I can, I’ll share some pics with you. Above is a teaser of the […]
