Beautiful Spring

I love to look around me and see even the oldest most twisted tree awash in blossoms! With the dark skies the colors stand out even brighter. The flowering quince is just about done, the daffodils are still standing tall, the tulips are still pushing through, but the fruit (and ornamental fruit) trees are in bloom...big time!

I love to cut branches and put them in a large vase. Shown here are branches from my ornamental plum tree. The Forsythia just started blooming and they make a beautiful arrangement as well.

We are getting close to spring, and now is the time to start your vegetable seeds indoors...actually you could have started last month (I’m a little late!). I am also preparing my garden beds. Each year I order a load of composted manure that is mixed with wood shavings from Carol Jones. I call her “Carol the Compost Lady.” For $50.00 she’ll deliver a pickup truck full - towering full, and fork it onto your driveway or street. I mulch my existing beds with this also. Years ago my hairdresser Bob worked in a small salon that was in an old Victorian in downtown Sacramento. The garden was absolutely beautiful. I asked him how did he get everything to look so lush? Bob and the other stylists all chorused, “Carol the compost lady!” If you would like to order compost from her you can call her at: (916) 397-2854 (She prefers payment in cash).

What a great idea!

One of my clients, dear and beloved Linda Haakenson, took photos of her garden and then had notecards made up from them! She went to shutterfly.com and for a box of 12 notecards including envelopes, it costs $9.99. Again, what a great idea. You can share your garden along with a handwritten note.

Habitat for Humanity Award

I am very proud to announce that I have been given an Award from Habitat for Humanity. I have been designing the landscapes for their latest homes in Sacramento. We have just completed four homes on Forrest Street in Sacramento, and we made “Gold” level in the LEED Certification (to find out more about LEED and the U.S. Green Building Council, click here). The landscapes are all drought tolerant, have no lawn and include an area for roof run-off to permeate the soil. Our next home will be planted this week, on Mahogany Street, not too far from the other four. The work I do for Habit is pro bono (I do it for free). Believe me, it’s not because I have so much free time and excess income that I do this, it’s because it feels so good to contribute.

Many things bring me joy in life, but there are two that take precedence: Creating beauty and being able to give to people. The work I do fulfills both of these. The landscapes I create are all focused on beauty, and the joy it brings to my clients make me feel so good! Sometimes clients will tell me how their new landscape or garden has changed the way they do things - from not going out to their yard to spending all of their time in their yard! When I hear this I get a tremendous sense of well being. I feel that I’ve been able to give in a way that will keep on giving and changing. To be among the team at Habitat for Humanity is a great honor.

Habitat for Humanity was started by Millard & Linda Fuller back in 1976. It so happened that Jimmy Carter was a volunteer, and continues to be a volunteer in the building of houses. Habitat for Humanity is now a global organization, and besides working locally in building homes for low income families, it also works toward providing relief in disaster areas such as Haiti and now Chile.

A wonderful thing to do for yourself or your whole office would be to attend one of the Habitat Tours that are given on Thursdays. It only takes an hour, and they give you a history of Habitat for Humanity, a tour of their Restore and a profile of the families that are working to get a home.

The office and Restore are located in the Old Army Depot - 8351 Umbria Ave., Bldg. 5

The phone number at the office is: (916) 440-1215 ext. 1109

The next tours will be:

3/11/10 8:00 a.m.

3/25/10 10:00 a.m.