I spent a few weeks in New York City this summer, and am thrilled to have finally visited the High Line public garden. Ever since its grand opening in 2009, I’ve been dying to see the transformation of this abandoned, defunct elevated railway into one of the city’s most inspiring and innovative public gardens. I’d like […]
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 […]
I’m thrilled to announce that one of the gardens I designed for a client is featured in this month’s Sunset magazine. In today’s post, I thought I’d talk about another aspect of this garden – using the very-gray colored dymondia margaretae as a lawn substitute. And not just the ground cover itself, but the tricks […]
I’m over-the-moon with excitement to announce that my new book, Refresh Your Garden Design with Color, Texture and Form is officially finished and will be available in bookstores next month – Oct. 20th, to be exact! After seeing a review copy for the first time last week, I can honestly say that I’m immensely proud of this […]
There’s something magical about a winter garden, and I never pass up an opportunity to visit one. Especially one that’s known for looking it’s best during the bleakest months of the year. While in Seattle this past weekend, I had the pleasure of visiting the J. Witt Winter Garden in the Washington Park Arboretum. I […]
Sonoma’s Cornerstone Gardens is one of my very favorite public gardens to visit any time of year. In my opinion, though, the fall is the best time of all. Not only are the summer crowds long gone but the colors of fall are just beginning to explode. No longer filled with grapes, the surrounding vineyards […]
While driving around Pasadena early the other morning, I had a few hours to spare before the Huntington Gardens opened.
Imagine my surprise when, while looking for a coffee shop, I accidentally stumbled upon the Arlington Garden.
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 […]
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 […]
No, this isn’t a scene from Teletubbies. Last night I attended an APLD meeting in San Francisco to listen to Alan Good, the Academy’s Landscape Exhibit Supervisor, give a fascinating presentation about the building’s green-roof infrastructure and its plant life. While I found the specific construction of the roof interesting, it was the […]
Halloween is near making it the perfect time to introduce you to one of my favorite places to visit – Virginia City, Nevada. I’m not entirely sure why it’s a favorite of mine, but for the past 40 years or so I’ve been in love with this place. For those of you who aren’t familiar with […]
