It’s a new year and with it comes the oh-so-familiar new year’s resolutions. And while I rarely keep the ones I make, this is a resolution that’s long overdue and one that I’m thrilled to undertake: getting rid of my unused front lawn. With California’s lowest recorded rainfall in its history (that’s over 160 years!), the timing is perfect to practice […]
There’s something magical about fall colors in the garden, isn’t there? My favorite time of year is the moment I open my front door and see my Japanese maples and Crepe Myrtle trees have turned their fiery shades of yellow, red and orange. These colors signal the calm before the storm (the storms from both […]
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 […]
There’s no doubt about it, Debra Lee Baldwin certainly knows her succulents. But while visiting her Escondido, CA garden again a few months ago, I was struck by something else – the flowers! Not succulent flowers, but perennials, annuals, and native flowers that are planted throughout the garden. Sure, she’s known as an expert and […]
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 […]
I’m thrilled to introduce one of the best books to hit the stands this year – Why Grow That, When You Can Grow This, by my good friend Andrew Keys (Timberpress, 2012). Now you may be thinking “Oh – she’s clearly biased, no doubt, since she just said they’re good friends.” Fair enough. But if […]
While visiting Arizona last month I couldn’t wait to tour a few private gardens to see first-hand how these determined and creative gardeners deal with All. That. Heat. Driving through Tucson’s wide suburban streets, where the homes and landscaping tend to blend together, my heart skipped a beat when I noticed this garden’s ‘fence’. Not your […]
There’s something alluring about beautiful plants that have a bite to them. While I don’t go out of my way to design gardens that will intentionally impale or poison people, I also don’t go out of my way to avoid plants that might have potential for pain. Just like lots of people I know, sometimes […]
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 have been dying to get my hands on the latest edition of the New Western Garden Book: The Ultimate Gardening Guide (Oxmoor House, 2012. List Price $34.95) Well, it’s finally here and I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve been given a copy to review. And as if that weren’t enough – Sunset is letting […]
Have you ever toured a garden, when the moment you stepped through the front gate you were instantly transported to another time and place? That was the case with Lecia Davis’s magnificent garden in Laguna Beach, California. I had the opportunity to visit this exquisite garden a few weeks ago and was completely caught off […]
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 […]
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