This was going to be a regular feature-- I didn't mean it to be an biennial feature! Washing birch trees??? How much time do you spend outside? "The science has shown that, although we think we like nature, we undervalue how much it helps us—how good it makes us feel." Soil is a living breathing... Continue Reading →
Hamamelis and Hummers–5 Things
Hummingbirds and Witch-hazel. I don't know how this escaped my notice all these years, but it appears that the hummingbirds LOVE Witch-hazel--Hamamelis. The boys and girls were out there this morning drinking to their hearts' content. I scoured Google images for one of a Hummingbird enjoying the nectar of the Hamamelis, without success. And try... Continue Reading →
There’s More to Shrubs than Just Hedges
The "bones" of a garden are usually provided with two very different features: hardscape and shrubs. I'll leave the hardscape to another post and address shrubs for now. Layers I think the thing I find the most essential in a perennial border or garden space is variety of heights. Even when my garden was very... Continue Reading →
Veggie Tales Day 20
Herb Gardens. Boot Camp is almost done, and growing herbs is definitely the easiest way of getting going with your edible garden. I've written often about herbs, so I won't re-hash everything here. A few quick notes: 1. Most of our popular herbs originate in the Mediterranean, so they like sunny exposures, but most, with the... Continue Reading →
Vegetable Garden Day 7
Getting tired of this yet? Hope not, because today is only day 7 of Garden Tribe's 21-day Vegetable gardening Boot Camp. Today's topic is nice and simple, Container Gardening. I've written quite a few posts on container gardening, so you're probably all experts by now. Growing vegetables in containers is exactly the same process as... Continue Reading →
Veggie Garden – Day 5
Day 5 of Garden Tribe's 21-day Boot Camp is sub-titled "Right Sizing for Success". Which incidentally I've already addressed in Veggie Garden Day 3. But since if you're anything like me you haven't actually started yet, let's just do a quick 3-point lesson: 1. No garden is "no-maintenance", so be realistic about how much time you can... Continue Reading →
5 Things About Water Features
"Delight-full" Water I listened to an inspiring podcast by water-feature designer Bob Dews in North Carolina. These are the notes I made (with a few editorial comments): Senses Water addresses all the senses: --Visually stimulating: our eyes catch movement, such as when we see a bird fly by, we turn to look at it. Cascades... Continue Reading →
Plan Your Spring Garden Now
Here are a few design tips for your early spring garden. TIP #1--It's all about BULBS! There are some things that bloom really early in the year-- Witch hazel (Hamemellis) and some of the Rhodos in January, Sweet Box (Sarcococca) and Edgeworthia in February-- but for simple delight, you can't beat BULBS. Snowdrops (Galanthus) are earliest,... Continue Reading →
Mosquito Prevention–5 Things
Mosquito Prevention--5 Things I don't get a lot of mosquitos where I live, in fact, several of my windows don't even have screens on them. But I hate a mosquito bite as much as the next person, so I was interested in a recent article about mosquito-repellant plants. Preventing an invasion, tho', starts with knowing... Continue Reading →
Child Friendly Garden Design–6 Things
Child friendly Garden Design Yesterday I was out recruiting clients and a homeowner asked me if I could design something that would be suitable for her kids. Bien Sur! I said--easiest thing ever. All you have to do is think of the things that kids love to do, and make sure your yard has that. What... Continue Reading →
Real Life Garden Solutions 