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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Today I wanted to share how I repurposed a fireplace mantle in the garden. While driving around in the rain a few months ago, I spotted this mantle leaning next to a dumpster with a ton of junk piled on top of it. The dumpster was located behind a furniture staging company, but this […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
If you’re a gardener who loves succulents, contemporary design, chickens, canning, birds, living walls and books, then this Northern California garden shop is the place for YOU. Just over a year old, DIG a much needed refuge from the more ordinary and commonplace garden shops which dot the coast. Cara and Will Meyers (who also […]
. . Famous Last Words: . “Yes Rebecca, we’ll definitely have the site ready for you to place 900+ plants. We’re totally on schedule!”…
I know, I know – a ‘Wordless Wednesday’ post isn’t supposed to have words. Since I can’t help myself, I’ll be brief. This past weekend I had the pleasure of spending a Saturday afternoon in San Francisco with Baylor Chapman of Lila B. Design and friends and fellow garden designers Debra Prinzing and Susan Morrison. […]
