Garden Design News

Other drought tolerant plants besides rosemary

2011-09-16T09:32:00.001-07:00

The Pie Shape

2011-08-29T08:34:00.000-07:00

NEWS!

2011-08-20T21:13:00.000-07:00

I've started a new blog over on Tumblr--this blog will allow you to come with me as I start new jobs and then transform them! Also, I now have a Facebook page and a Twitter for you to check in on...Come on over and check them out. This blog will remain here for your reference.

Spring in Brussels!

2011-03-18T18:07:00.000-07:00

How Amazing...a vast carpet made of flowers! It really is breathtaking. Spring is about renewal - it's nature's celebration after the darkness of winter, where it bursts into flower and birds into song. With all the earth changes, the tragic natural disasters that have recently devastated Japan, Haiti, New Orleans and Chile (they recently had an earthquake) we can count on the Spring and know that all is well and where the cold and snow stripped the flowers and the leaves and made things seemingly dead, they were only sleeping and now they are awakening again for a new start.

LEED Platinum

2011-03-13T10:06:00.000-07:00

The Design-Build team (of which I am a part) at Habitat For Humanity are very proud and honored by this certificate. We have created beautiful, energy efficient homes for hard-working, low income people. This house that was awarded Platinum in the LEED Certification still has a credit on their energy bill of $50.00 after nine months of living in the house - and full use of the heat and air during the summer and winter months!

2011-03-13T09:59:00.000-07:00

Hey Look! Sunset just came out with a new soft cover book. It's in grocery stores and on the newsstands until May. It recaps a lot of great ideas from the last few years - from vertical gardens, creating herb beds and before and afters...and they included both of my previous articles. One is of my house and getting rid of the lawn and the other is about a side yard renovation. It's $10.00. Check it out!

Habitat For Humanity

2011-02-14T08:58:00.001-08:00

Last night was the 17th Annual Hammy Awards (after 'Grammy') put on by Habitat For Humanity. It's always a lovely and moving event and I am so happy to be a part of it. During the course of the evening Francisca Flores spoke to the large room. She is a recipient of a Habitat Home. Since moving in over 8 months ago, she still has a credit on her SMUD bill of a little over $50.00. Her home and the homes that we work on are energy efficient, and Francisca's home is a Platinum - LEED certified home.

Francisca Flores told her story of how she had her first job at the age of 6 years old in Mexico. She eventually married and had 6 children. Her husband was an abusive man and would not permit her to work, only to stay home and take care of the children. They divorced after 20 or more years, and Francisca was left with her children (3 of whom were now out of the house) and the other 3 with whom she lived with in a 1 bedroom apartment. Two of the younger children slept with her in her bed and the older boy slept of the sofa. Being untrained, Francisca found a job doing janitorial work. Eventually she went to work with K-Mart up in Grass Valley. Over time, with her hard work and dedication, she was made a manager of her department. Working full time and raising her children, Francisca went to school. I forgot which community college, but she studies in the evening and is working on her degree. With all of this, she still put in the 500 'Sweat Equity' hours that is required to qualify for a Habitat Home. While she stood before us in the hall, she started to cry as she told us how she felt when she received the keys to her new home...it was so moving.

Dan Wilson, who is the head of building and the head of our Green building 'Charette' introduced me to the room, kindly saying that he couldn't say enough about me. He said that since I started working with them I had not charged them a dime. When you hear the stories of the families that have worked so hard and suffered so much in the way of trials and tribulations, but always went forward with their hopes and their dreams, creating a landscape design is not about being paid with money; it's about the joy I receive knowing that I can contribute in some way.

2011-02-10T09:49:00.001-08:00

Spring is almost here...I have changed my vegetable garden over to a flower/herb garden due entirely to my new family of cats!

2011 Home & Garden Expo

2011-02-10T08:38:00.000-08:00

The 2011 Home & Garden Expo was a hit! This year I took on the challenge of designing a 50'x20' demonstration garden, and the crews - Jeff Abdallah with Sacramento Valley Landscape and Roger Pajo with Creativescapes put it all together.

A very big thank you to Theodora from Green Living Design Solutions for lending me and bringing up the beautiful copper cut-work panels from Parasoleil; they were truly the hit of the show. I believe Sacramento was introduced to them in a big way! (To see more go to: www.greenlivingdesignsolutions.com)

Another thank you to Emigh Casual Living for lending their fabulous outdoor furniture. I used a set from Gloster that was also show stopping! Lara Hawthorne from Sierra View Nursery is, as always, the best - and her plant stock wonderful! Cascade Rock...you guys...I don't know where Sacramento would be without you! I have been working with them for over 12 years. Their rock selection is great and their service is even better! Green Acres supplied the beautiful pottery and the fountain.

Delta Blue Grass came through with a no-mow, native grass. Absolutely beautiful. A lawn that you can mow or now and takes 50% less water than a normal lawn!

Thank you everybody!

Free Home & Garden Show Tickets!

2010-11-21T10:16:00.001-08:00

The Home & Garden Expo is coming up - January 28th, 29th & 30th. This year we will be given tickets in December so they can be sent out with Christmas cards...so, if you’d like tickets to the show (one tickets admits two), please email me with the number of tickets that you would like and I’ll be happy to send them.

2010 Volunteer Spirit Award

2010-11-21T10:14:00.001-08:00

I am the very proud recipient of the 2010 Volunteer Spirit Award! I was nominated by Habitat For Humanity and the award was given in the category of the Environment. I do the landscape designs for all of the new Sacramento Habitat Homes - Pro Bono. This is very rewarding work. The homes that we have built this year have all been LEED certified (Leadership in Environment and Energy Design). Our house have made Gold and the last two, Platinum - the highest level. The landscapes are all no-lawn and drought tolerant. Our ‘charette’ or group that designs and builds these homes just won the National Green Building award. We are very proud.

I strongly urge folks to go to the Sacramento Habitat for Humanities website and find out when their tours are (generally once a week). You will learn about what the families need to do to qualify, you’ll learn about the families that have been chosen for the Homes - there stories are amazing and moving. You’ll also get a tour of the Habitat Re-Store - a great resource for finding building materials and other odds and ends cheap!

Also, a word about VolunteerCenter of Sacramento: they have many programs that allow people to get involved in our community be it with animals, our parks, food banks or even assisting in giving birthday parties to children that live in shelters and have never had the opportunity to have a party. You can find them online at info@volunteersac.org or call: (916) 567-3100

Regarding energy efficient homes: Did you know that SMUD was given a Federal grant of several millions dollars to give in rebates for Homeowners to retrofit their homes to make them more efficient? The call the program the Home Performance Program and you can qualify for up to $5,000.00 in Rebates. You start with selecting a contractor. There is a list of approved contractors on SMUD’s website:www.smud.org/rebates or call them at 1-888-742-7683 ext. 18.

Fall November 2010

2010-11-21T09:58:00.000-08:00

It’s Fall! The leaves are all changing colors and dropping to the ground forming a blanket of vibrant hues...that’s the beautiful part, the other part is that it’s time to rake! The fall weather lends itself to being outside and doing a chore that is also great exercise, not to mention, rewarding; you can instantly see the results of your work.

My garden is winding itself down. I still have many little orange tomatoes hanging on stringy vines. These will all come out as well as the pepper bushes. I can harvest my beets, although I have been doing that throughout the summer. All in all it’s been a good season. It ended up that the slugs left me only one squash plant...normally gardeners are inundated with squash but I could have used a little more.

Because I now have a plethora of cats (the feral mother cat, ‘Mimi’, bequeathed me with two litters before Happy Tails came out and assisted me in trapping her) I’m having a hard time keeping the cats out of my vegetable garden. Cat feces are toxic and should not be anywhere in the soil around your vegetable plants. I have tried all sorts of tricks and products, but once it rains, you have to apply all substances again! So, instead of fighting this I am going to change my garden over to flowers and herbs. The bulkier the plants get, the less the cats find room to dig. I’m okay with this decision - I am an avid frequenter of the Farmer’s Market and usually substitute what I haven’t grown with their vegetables - except for tomatoes, and by next year I’m sure I’ll be able to squeeze some plants in between the herbs without the cats getting in.

By the way, I have 3, 4 month old kittens that I would like to find homes for. Because the mother is feral, the kittens are shy and need some time and TLC to help condition them to a new home. They are outside cats, and after they stay indoors for a couple of weeks, they would be happy outside. They are excellent hunters...the squirrels tend to hide their nuts in other yards now, not mine. The kittens are all Tabby.

A week ago I needed a break and decided to slip out of the office and head up to Apple Hill.

If you ever want to get away and not have to drive too far, I highly recommend this trip. The fall is the best for Apple Hill. Besides the colors and the natural beauty, apple desserts are such a treat! There are also wineries to stop at to wine taste, Jack Russell Brewery and of course, lots of apples to buy. The picture was taken at the Boger Winery.

Food Critic

2010-10-21T18:43:00.000-07:00

As I drive throughout the city to my various clients, I'm always on the lookout for good coffee and good food that I can pick up fast. I am amazed at the number of eateries with less than wonderful food... I'm being kind. I thought that since I get around town so much and so often, I would stop at a new place to check the menu and review the food. Here is my latest:

Good Eats. It used to by Andiamo! on Folsom Blvd. It' is now a big, beautifully renovated building with (what I thought was) so much potential, but it turns out, it has very little to offer. When I came upon it I was excited. I had heard something about it before it went in. Now, here it was AND it was lunch time! As I walked through the door I marveled at the space. It reminded me of the Elephant Deli in Portland, Oregon. When I browsed through the counters of available choices, the comparison quickly fell to pieces. In the front of the store is their restaurant where you can sit down and order a salad for $11.99, or you can go by the hot food counter, the fresh salad counter (there were four salads to choose from) or the pastry counter (the cakes are from Freeport Bakery) . There was also a sandwich cooler. The hot food selection had less of a selection than Raley's or Bel Air - complete with Macaroni and Cheese as one of the wonderfully exotic dishes. Pizza was also in the offering. The salad I chose was recommended by the guy behind the counter...the salad was called the 'Chop Chop Salad'. It had an assortment of chopped vegetables along with artichoke hearts and iceberg lettuce, which at the time I ate it, was soggy. I grabbed a sandwich, turkey and jack cheese. It was dry and hum-drum even though it came with a packet of mayo.

Please Google the Elephant Deli in Portland - check out their menu! Their soups are made from scratch, as are their pastries and everything else they offer. They have opened a deli with the intention of creating and serving the best and most unique tasting foods. They even deliver sack lunches. When I see a deli or restaurant I see pure potential. It seems though in Sacramento, people spend fortunes on interiors, only to replicate every other tasteless joint! Did you see Meryl Streep's bakery in the movie 'It's Complicated'? Yes, it was a movie, but that was a real bakery/coffee/restaurant. The tables were loaded with delectable pastries, scones, cakes, etc.

Okay, I'm starting to rant. Suffice it to say that I was not at all impressed with Good Eats.

New Website!

2010-06-22T15:42:00.001-07:00

New Website! Finally after years of neglect I have a new website...created by Genevieve Walker, my daughter, and me; although Genevieve did all the graphic design and technical details. I now have new pictures in the gallery and a before and after page. I’m very excited about this and I hope that you take a minute to check it out: www.robertawalker.com

Newsletter Update

2010-06-22T15:41:00.001-07:00

You may have noticed that the newsletter is late...the new schedule will be on a quarterly basis instead of monthly. You can always check in at my blog to see if there are any new updates or events that I think everyone might be interested in.

Kittens and Garden Update

2010-06-22T15:38:00.000-07:00

Another update - Juniper in the garden. I have two kittens now instead of four: Juniper and Violet. I also have the mom and the dad, and they live in the backyard. I love having them. The kittens like to get up on the fountain and let the water drop on their heads!

Earlier in the year I wrote about my new garden beds. The beds that I had double-dug, etc. Here is an update on what the garden now looks like. I was able to plant so much more because of the new space and close plantings. My only problem now is keeping the cats of the beds...they love the soft soil - it’s so easy to paw! I have started to stake the Dahlias, cage the tomatoes and continue to pick strawberries.

Real People, Real Savings

2010-06-22T15:35:00.000-07:00

Check out the new Ad Campaign, "Real People, Real Savings," from the California Water Board. You can click on the picture of me and see a video of me talking about my garden (you can also see the video on the "Press" page of my new website, www.robertawalker.com). They are working hard to provide tools for the public to change over to water-wise gardens.

Filoli Gardens

2010-06-22T15:30:00.000-07:00

Something wonderful to do this summer is to take a trip to Filoli Gardens in Woodside California. This beautiful mansion and several acres of English-sytle gardens are open to the public. There is an entrance fee, but it’s well worth it. There is a restaurant and gift store, and if you make reservations on-line beforehand, you can have high tea there. Visiting public gardens is a lovely day trip. There are also the gardens in the Golden Gate Park, the Japanese Garden and the Botanical Garden, not to mention the glass conservatory and dahlia beds. Also, UC Berkeley has a great botanical garden. There are many others in and around the Sacramento and Bay Area.

Mother's Day Garden Tour

2010-05-15T21:07:00.000-07:00

On Mother’s Day, May 9th I had my annual tour of the garden. For the last three years I have opened my garden and invited clients and friends to wander through. The hours of the opening were from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and at about 1:45 p.m. the heavens opened up and the rain came down in sheets! What to do? I poured myself a glass of wine (it was Mother’s Day after all) and sat down to watch the rain. As it wound itself down the first guests arrived through the gate. They were from the Perennial Garden Club and they explained that neither rain nor any other bad weather could keep them from touring a garden! They came equipped with umbrellas. As the day wore one, the clouds dispersed and the sun shone bright and beautiful and I lost count of how many people came through.

The garden looked lovely - it had a wonderful watering! A question that I was asked numerous times throughout the day was “how many hours a day/week do you spend maintaining this garden?” I was surprised because I spend very little on maintenance. The garden and the landscape takes care of itself. I have designed plants that grow to certain heights and planted them accordingly. 90% of the plants in the landscape are evergreen. The perennial color comes and goes, and the most amount of effort I spend in the garden is clipping the roses and flowers to bring into the house.

My backyard landscape is nearly four years old and most of the new plants have grown in. I never stuff more plants than can fit into any space so after seasons have come and gone everything has filled in and balances itself with the rest of the shrubs and trees. Many times I have been called upon to redo landscapes that are completely overgrown even though they are not that old. The problem is that often people want the “instant garden” look and they plant too many shrubs that grow too big, and then later on it becomes just another problem! Balance is the key, and balance is about knowing how big a shrub or tree will get - and patience.

I would also like to mention that a client of mine, Sue Anne Sheya plays the flute, teaches flute and offers performances. If you are having a party or function, consider having Sue Anne play! Her phone number is: (530) 746-8783. If I had known about Sue Anne’s flute playing, I would have hired her to play for the garden tour...how lovely to wander through the garden accompanied by sweet flute music!

When all the company left the yard on Sunday, guess who popped out of their home in my wood pile? My four little nursery companions: Sprout, Juniper, Parsley and Violet! Those are the names I’ve given them, but they need to find loving homes, so if you are ready for love and fun, consider one of these little friends. They should be ready for adoption in another two weeks.

Color and Texture: Color Year Round

2010-05-15T21:05:00.000-07:00

Color and texture in the planting scheme is what really makes a garden stand out. I love to bring in the light and dark colored shrubs, setting them close to one another so that they are mutually complimenting. The same with texture: shrubs have a wide range of colors - from lemon yellow to deep purple and many varieties are available with “variegation” - multiple colors throughout the one plant. When you want your garden to look beautiful, colorful and alive throughout the seasons, then the bulk of the color should come from the shrubs - the perennial flowers can be added, popping out when they are in bloom. If you fill your garden with flower color, during the fall and winter when they’ve gone dormant, your yard will look dull and dead. Again, think: balance.

For bright yellow color try Coleonema “Sunset Gold” or Chamaecyparis “Mops” or even Juniper “Old Gold.” These plants are not deciduous and in the winter when it’s foggy and gloomy they will light up the landscape! The Phormiums or “flax” come in a variety of colors and unlike ornamental grasses, they do not go dormant and turn straw-colored. Loropetalum or “Chinese Fringe Flower” is ever-plum color. Try putting that next to silver Artemesia “Powis Castle,” Santolina or Convolvulous. You’ll find that when you use shrubbery to bring in the bulk of color into your landscape the maintenance is very low. The flower colors will come and go, and when they bloom they will be a delight but when they’re done the landscape will still look complete.

Flora Grubb

2010-05-15T20:45:00.000-07:00

The day after the garden tour my daughter and I headed for the City - San Francisco - to finally get to a nursery that I’ve been wanting to go to: Flora Grubb Gardens. What a treat! Flora Grubb has been featured in Sunset Magazine and also Garden Design Magazine. Flora Grubb sells fabric pockets that hang vertically which enable you to create a “vertical garden.” They also have a vast array of succulents and huge vertical plantings that are literally living art.

As you walk through the nursery you’ll come across some really crazy whimsical items, such as an old car that has every open orifice stuffed with plants...even the hood is ripped open for palms to grow out of the top! A bicycle is rimmed with air plants. It’s so creative and inspiring...I highly recommend a trip there. It will get your creative juices going!

Flora Grubb:

1634 Jerrold Ave. S.F.

www.Floragrubb.com

“April showers bring May flowers...”

2010-04-07T09:49:00.000-07:00

It’s just the beginning of April and yet we’ve had both the showers and the flowers! A month ago I had a truck-load of compost delivered by Carol (the Compost Lady), and I started shoveling. After more than a few wheelbarrows filled to brimming, I took a break and covered the compost with a tarp in case it rained. Well, good thing I did - in between quite a few storms I managed to finally get all the compost off my driveway and spread throughout my garden. In the meantime, my yard has come alive.

Recently I decided that I wanted to maximize my edible-garden space. Several years ago I had brick raised beds built.

The area of my yard that has the vegetable garden is the only area that gets full-sun throughout the day. In order to expand I took a sledge hammer to two of the brick beds, the middle 8-foot round and a back rectangular bed. I drew out a 20 foot circle and decided that in it there would be four concentric rings - four rows to plant in.

I should have cancelled my membership at the gym because the digging, shoveling and moving brick was, and continues to be, far more intense than my workouts at the gym! The reward for this manual labor however is way greater than any gym workout, my garden is getting rebuilt and it’s so beautiful outside - much nicer than the smelly gym. From the picture you can see that I’m almost done. The weather forecast looks good so I’ll be able to finish and be ready for my spring planting.

Before I started this endeavor I read up on the best methods of digging the beds. A great resource was Barbara Damrosch’s book, Garden Primer. She and her husband have a large organic farm in Maine and much of their produce is used in local restaurants, even some in New York. I used Barbara’s method of double digging and I’ve even drawn a little diagram of how it’s done:

This is where I used a lot of the compost that I had delivered. I'm excited to see how it all turns out!

the Bay-Friendly Garden Tour

2010-04-07T09:48:00.000-07:00

Sunday, April 25th, from 10a.m. to 4 p.m is the Bay-Friendly Garden Tour. This is a wonderful tour of gardens in the Bay Area - Berkeley, Emeryville, Alameda & Fremont. The tour is FREE, you just need to register on their website and they will send you a booklet with directions, pictures and a schedule of talks being given. You can load up your bikes and ride to see the gardens, or choose a cluster of homes and then walk to each garden. The gardens chosen utilize drought-tolerant, organic and environmentally friendly practices.

New arrivals!

2010-04-07T09:44:00.000-07:00

What looks like just a little hole or cave in the bamboo turns out to be a snug little nest for my wild mommy cat and her five kittens!

I have named the mother cat “Mimi”. She comes to my back door for food, and in the morning I walk out to the back of the yard where her nest is and bring her breakfast in bed. By the end of May the kittens will be at the age to be fixed and have their shots...let me know if you’d like a sweet addition to your home! However many might stay with me, I’m thinking of naming them after the plants and flowers and herbs in my garden: Parsley, Pansy, Columbine, Daisy, Rose, Weed, etc.

My Open Garden

2010-04-07T09:43:00.001-07:00

My target date for this year’s open garden at my home is Mother’s Day, May 9th. I will send out emails with an invitation. As always, there will be tea and cookies and white wine. What a lovely way to spend the day!

Beautiful Spring

2010-03-04T10:44:00.001-08:00

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!

2010-03-04T10:37:00.000-08:00

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

2010-03-04T10:34:00.000-08:00

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.

Sacramento Magazine Article!

2010-02-20T09:56:00.001-08:00

Spring Society Ladies

2010-02-19T13:11:00.001-08:00

Ground Hog Day!

2010-02-08T19:54:00.000-08:00

Ground Hog Day!

Pennsylvania’s official celebration of Ground Hog Day began on February 2, 1886. Although it was on February 4, 1841, from Morgantown, Berks County (Pennsylvania) a storekeeper reported, “Last Tuesday, the 2nd, was Candlemas day, the day on which, according to the Germans, the Groundhog peeps out of his winter quarters and if he sees his shadow he pops back for another six weeks nap, but if the day be cloudy he remains out, as the weather is to be moderate.”

The tradition originally came from the Germans. When they arrived in the 1700s, they brought with them a tradition called Candlemas Day. It came at the mid-point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. Superstition held that if the weather was fair, the second half of the Winter be stormy and cold.

(Groundhog.org)

So, from 1886 to our present 2010, Punxsutawney Phil, “Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators,” (Groundhog Day movie,1993) and Weather Prophet Extraordinaire, a groundhog named after the settlement Punxsutawney, which is named after the Native Americans who lived there, reports the weather.

The report for 2010: Phil saw his shadow and went back in his burrow to sleep for another six weeks of winter!

Which means that although we have had some break-through days between storms where the temperature actually reached 60 degrees, winter is not over! Thus, it is not time to start planting. This is the time to plan what you are going to plant in your garden. Seed catalogues abound, and I would like to recommend one that is an excellent source as well as being totally organic: Seed Savers Exchange. It offers Heirloom seeds, books and gifts, and an amazing variety of seeds. You can go to www.seedsavers.org or phone: (563) 382-5990 for a catalogue. You can also sign up as a member and receive a quarterly “Yearbook” or magazine and also save 10% on purchases.

the Home and Landscape Expo 2010

2010-02-08T19:40:00.001-08:00

the Home and Landscape Expo 2010

One of the features that I had in our booth at the Home Show was a sculpture: a little dog made of stone. This little dog seemed to be the highlight of the booth...countless people stopped to look at and inquire about the dog. One fellow suggested I name the dog “Roxie”! This wonderful creature was created by Mary Ellen Garcia, or The Rock Lady (see my previous post). She also creates cats out of stone, turtles, birds and people. If you’d like to get in touch with her you can call her at (530) 363-3081; and, you can make an appointment to visit her studio in Pollock Pines!

I love my little dog. On the first day of the show I told it to “stay” - and that dog did not move an inch for the entire three days!

“Humans tend to look at gardens as an expression of nature.

Nature looks at gardens as an expression of humans.”

-Perelandra Garden

I wish you all happy dreaming and visualizing of your spring gardens!

I Have Worms!!!

2010-02-08T19:26:00.000-08:00

I Have Worms!!!

At the Home & Landscape Expo that took place on January 29th, 30th & 31st, I met Lara who owns Urban Worms. In our conversation I learned quite a bit about “vermicomposting,” the practice of using earthworms to turn your kitchen scraps & other organic material into a rich soil amendment for your house or garden plants.

I have been interested in this type of composting for quite a while. After meeting Lara I was thrilled to be able to purchase my own home composter...which came with 1,000 red worms. It’s very easy to maintain and does not have any unpleasant odors. A medium-sized worm bin can process more than 5 pounds of food waste each week!

According to the Greek philosopher Aristotle, “Earthworms are the intestines of the earth.”

One of the most comprehensive resources on vermicomposting is Mary Appelhof’s by Worms Eat My Garbage, which is in it’s second printing after selling 100,000 copies.

To find out more about the worm systems that are available, and to order, go to Urban-Worms.com or call (818) 506-1284

Talk Radio - Me and Farmer Fred!

2010-02-01T09:01:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday I "appeared" on Farmer Fred's Talk Show, 650 KSTE. What a fabulous time I had! Here we are in the studio.

The Home and Landscape Expo 2010

2010-02-01T08:58:00.000-08:00

My booth at the Expo:

Talk Radio This Sunday!

2010-01-29T09:59:00.000-08:00

Listen in this Sunday to 650 KSTE from 10 - 11 to hear me interviewed by Fred Hoffman!

It’s January!

2010-01-08T11:49:00.001-08:00

In Sacramento January means a lot of gray days. Still, there is beauty all around and as I was sitting at my drafting table, I watched the birds busy in the trees.

January is the time to finally cut back your roses if you haven’t already. I realize that many of the roses still have blooms on them, nevertheless, it’s time to cut them back. Also, any grasses that haven’t been cut back should be as well. I noticed that already the new green growth is coming up around the dormant shoots on some of my own grasses. Now is also a good time to transplant plants and small trees. In my yard, for example, a shrub starts to overrun another every couple of years and them it’s time to transplant the crowded shrub to a place that will give it more room.

To transplant a shrub or tree:

Put the shovel in at an angle, about 18” from the base of the plant. Work all around the plant until you’ve made sort of an inverted triangle of dirt and roots. You should easily be able to pop the shrub or tree out and transplant it. When transplanting, it’s always good to add some new fertile soil to the new hole before putting the plant in.

The Home & Landscape Expo

2010-01-08T11:47:00.001-08:00

And finally...IT’S SHOW TIME!

The Home & Landscape Expo

will be January 29,30 & 31st.

I have free tickets so please email me (robsplantz@gmail.com) and let me know if you would like to come. One ticket admits 2 people - I’ll send you as many as you need. Please include the address where you would like to receive the tickets . I will be showing my “Drought Tolerant” presentation at the Expo on Saturday, January 30th at 11:00 a.m. in the back far corner of the “Pavilion”. My booth is also in this building. In previous years many people have told me that they looked and looked but could not find me, so I’m going to give you detailed instructions:

To My Booth

First, the “Pavilion” building is the building closest to the racetrack. You can enter Cal Expo at this end and park in front of the “Pavilion” (parking fees are not included with the ticket). The building is shaped like an “L”. The small foot is where you enter and then after you walk down (south) towards the middle, the “L” expands to the right (west). The entire middle of this building is given over to demonstration gardens. Just before the first demo garden (you are facing west) look left and you will see my booth. It’s equivalent to 3-booth lengths and I will be with Creativescapes (Roger Pajo) and Sacramento Valley Landscape (Jeff Abdallah). We have designed and will be building a really beautiful booth with the furnishing from Emigh’s Casual Living. We’re very excited...like Ed Sullivan was known to say, “It’s going to be a REALLY BIG show!” I look forward to seeing you there! I have lots of tickets, so don’t hesitate to ask for as many as you need.

The Meadow

2010-01-08T11:46:00.000-08:00

Browsing through Borders not too long ago, I came across a book by John Greenlee called The American Meadow Garden: Creating a Natural Alternative to the Traditional Lawn . I can’t tell you how excited I am about what I’ve read and seen in this book. Finally a detailed source for replacing a lawn with a natural meadow! I called the nursery that I use, Sierra View Nursery, and it turns out that they carry many of the meadow plants named in the book as well as plugs of Buffalo grass - a grass that only needs 3 inches of water per month! Creating a meadow is really a renewable canvas for unlimited possibilities. You can leave it as just a low water type grass that can be mown or not, or you can weave in wildflowers and other perennial flowers. You can create a meadow that has only hues of blues or whites or both - or a mix of the warm colors - yellow, orange and red! You can use Carex grasses, which are clumpers, mixed with perennials or bulbs...have you ever seen natural meadows in the spring yellow with Daffodils? Imagine that in your own yard! Peaceful Valley Farms, www.groworganic.com has many different wildflower mixes. You can buy them by the pound. One pound would cover 1,000 square feet.

So, naturally, my next project is to get rid of the last of my grass, which is in my back yard. Here is a picture of what it looks like now (dead of winter). As we get closer to the Spring and the warmer weather, I will have the sod removed. I do not have any Bermuda grass in the lawn (I’m sooo grateful), but I do have other weedy things, and I’ll be sure to kill them. Round up is the most useful weed killer, Round up is good but will not kill nutgrass. Next will be the planning of my small meadow. You can follow along each month, as I’ll post my plant selections and pictures...I’m even thinking of doing another “how-to” DVD that will show the entire process. I think creating meadows is a wonderful way to have grassy areas without requiring a lot of water or mowing. Also, it’s great for dogs and creates a healthy habitat for birds, butterflies and insects. So stay tuned!

West Sacramento: Drought Tolerant Landscaping

2009-12-09T14:12:00.000-08:00

I recently gave a talk on drought tolerant landscaping for the City of West Sacramento and they filmed it! It’s available on their website:

www.westsacramento.org

Caring for Plants During the Cold Months

2009-12-09T11:22:00.000-08:00

It’s cold!!

Quite quickly we went from mild fall temperatures to snow as low as Loomis! My roses are still blooming and have many new buds on them. But, the time has come to make adjustments to the irrigation clock and to cutback the roses.

What I have noticed is that once an irrigation timer is installed on a job site, there is a belief that the client will no longer have to worry about water issues... though this is not the case. In Sacramento our temperatures range from extreme highs to lows. Having 20 degrees days in early December and then reaching 112 degrees in the summer, it’s important to regulate landscape water.

When I know that we will be getting rain, I turn my irrigation system off. If it’s cold but not raining, I keep the water on a regular schedule - even if it’s just for 5 minutes a day. This is especially important when we get freezing temperatures. The plants MUST have water during a frost, or else they will die. The water keeps the roots supple and prevents them from drying out. It may take a sticky note on the door to remind you to adjust your clock, do whatever you need. It’s a terrible waste of water to have the irrigation system running during the rain!

Speaking of plant care during freezing temperatures: There are a few plants that will need protecting during heavy frosts. Most of our citrus here in Sacramento will do fine, although if the temperatures stay at freezing during the day, for many days at a time, I would recommend putting sheets over the trees and some plants. Do not use plastic! Water collects on the plastic and freezes. Use sheets or purchase special landscape cloth that is made specifically for frost, sold at nursery centers. Bird of Paradise, Banana trees and Cannas (which will turn brown and look dead in the winter with severe cold - it can be cut to the ground, and in the spring it will be back) will need either covering or little christmas lights woven around them. I find the christmas lights are easier (and it sort of fits for the time of year). I normally do not have Bougainvillea as part of my plant palette, but if you have it, wind christmas lights through it and cover it with a sheet to keep it warm. I have a Brugmansia (Angel Trumpet) that I love, and I currently have christmas lights around it and it’s is doing fine.

Time to Prune!

2009-12-09T11:20:00.000-08:00

December and January are the months to prune roses. If you are unsure about the process, there are many workshops that demonstrate how to do it. Check the calendar in the Garden section of the Sacramento Bee, and also check with local nurseries like Capital Nursery and Windmill Nursery... they may have classes as well.

I heavily prune my climbing roses. They are vigorous growers, and if you don’t prune them hard, in the spring they will grow too heavy for their supports (with all of their buds and blossoms).

Crape Myrtles require major pruning as well, and they will produce better blooms in the summer after a good winter prune. This is one of the few non-fruiting trees that need pruning. For your fruiting trees, UC Davis has a wonderful website, the California Backyard Orchard that has information and classes on just about every type of fruit you can grow - and how to prune them! It’s worth browsing. Again - in a time of economic fluctuations growing fruit and vegetables makes sense; plus it’s fun and gratifying.

Sacramento Magazine will be Featuring one of my landscapes!

2009-12-09T11:19:00.000-08:00

One of my garden’s will be featured in the February, 2010 issue Sacramento Magazine! In July of 2006 Charlie and Valerie Sumner hired me to design their backyard. They wanted an outdoor fireplace and cooking area. The result was a breathtaking outdoor room, really, an extension of their home. After three and half years the garden has filled in beautifully. Their new landscape no longer has a lawn, it’s colorful all year round and requires very little maintenance. I am so excited to be able to share their yard in such a public way!

A Dog that makes a wonderful pet...requiring NO care

2009-12-09T11:15:00.000-08:00

I was recently up in Apple Hill buying apples when I came across the artist Mary Ellen Garcia. She creates animals and people out of stone! I loved this little dog who weighs a lot more than a real dog of it’s size. Garcia can create almost anything in stone for the garden. I will be featuring her work at the Home and Landscape Expo in January, on the 29th, 30th & 31st. (I will have more information on the show next month.) If you are interested in a whimsical piece for your garden, you can contact her at: (530) 644-2474.

Group Effort: Habitat for Humanity housing in Sacramento

2009-11-23T10:18:00.000-08:00

Grand opening for Habitat Housing!

These houses are not free - they are low-income and offered at a 0% interest rate but the homeowner still pays the mortgage, taxes and insurance. Many different groups volunteered to build these homes and each family had to put in 500 hours of work on the house, not mention all of the qualifications involved. On the day of the dedication, the Young Democrats were putting up the framing for the next house. The Peace Corps. and many others spend time on the project.

These four homes on Forrest Street, Sacramento, is Habitat's first multi-unit endeavor. I designed all of the yards, and they are all drought-tolerant with no lawn and very little maintenance.

These homes made Gold Standard in the LEED Certification (Leadershiop in Energy and Environmental Design). This project shows that homes can be built on a very small budget and also be energy efficient. It should be noted however that PG&E donated the solar collectors that run the A/C unit. These are extremely expensive, and without the donation, the houses would not have them.

One of the families

(After handing them a bouquet of flowers)

Rosalind Creasy and Edible Gardens

2009-11-08T10:45:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday I attended a lecture and slide show by Rosalind Creasy. Creasy is a landscape designer whose focus is on creating edible landscapes. She has written many books on the subject. Her earliest book, The Complete Book of Edible Landscaping was written about 27 years ago. I overheard one woman in the crowd saying that it can be had on Amazon for $600.00! (I saw that a new copy sold for $93 on Amazon though) Creasy has many books that are quite reasonably priced. She has published books on herb gardens, salad gardens, French gardens, Italian gardens, heirloom tomatoes, flowers, rainbow vegetables (as in “colorful”), peppers, Asian and Mexican style gardens (I purchased The Edible Mexican Garden).

I was very inspired by her presentation. It is important to be clear about the time and maintenance an edible garden requires... which is a lot. However it can be more than worth the time and effort to adopt Creasy's ideas and incorporate them into your own garden. Many of my clients have made room in their yard for small vegetable plots or vegetables planted in raised beds. It’s amazing how much you can grow in a small space. John Jeavons has written a book called, How to Grow More Vegetables that gives great advice on how to plant intensively and reap abundant harvests from small spaces.

Creasy pointed out that she grows peanuts and sesame bushes, paprika that she swears by (saying that [compared to the quality she gets from her plants] the brown powder you buy in the store is not worth the money or the packaging!) I took home a catalogue called the Seed Savers Exchange - that has a variety of organic seeds far beyond that of small nurseries or catalogues. Visit the site to order a catalogue.

My Garden

2009-11-06T13:27:00.000-08:00

What I am doing with my garden:

After hearing Rosalind Creasy speak I was excited by all of the possible edibles I could plant. I decided to plant bok choy, a mix of lettuces, broccoli, purple cauliflower (from Peaceful Valley Farms), as well as cabbage and arugula for my winter garden. I’m still harvesting the last of my golden cherry tomatoes and eggplant. As a staple in the garden, I have artichokes and chard growing, along with marjoram, rosemary, thyme, oregano, pears, and mandarine oranges.

On another note, soon I will be pulling up my dahlias and transplanting them to my garden borders to create more room in my beds. I will also pull up and transplant my strawberries to containers where I can better regulate the slug population...it’s all out war over who gets my strawberries! I am going to go over to the nursery and pick up a couple of blueberry bushes (you generally need more than one to cross pollinate), because I love blueberries and the shrubs are lovely - although deciduous.

In a time when the economy is looking bleak and so many people are working fewer hours and therefore contributing less to household income it makes sense to become self-sustainable (at least more so). There is plenty that we can do: grow more of our own food, catch rain water to recycle in our gardens and garden to reduce stress! I love to be out in my garden, especially after long hours at my desk. I love to wander around the beds and check what’s growing...

Rain Water

2009-11-06T13:24:00.000-08:00

Remember the children’s song “Rain, rain, go away, come back another day!”? Well, it looks like we have to change the lyrics to “rain, rain, come again!” California’s water supply is short.

We did get a rather large amount of rain over a two day period last month...said to have blown in from a bigger storm overseas. When I heard that rain was coming I decided that this time I would catch it and use it for my garden... why not?

I went over to The Home Depot and purchased two 55 gallon plastic trash bins with lids ($13.89 each), and two 20’x 4” ABS (plastic) drains. I removed the downspout from my gutters and attached the ABS drain (using wire to hold it in place), and then positioned the trash bins under the spout with the drains leading into them. The rain started somewhere after midnight. By 8:00 a.m. the next morning my trash bins were overflowing, I could have filled 10 of them!

I learned something important: I could catch enough water during the winter months to water my entire garden all summer. That’s the idea. Implementing a system that makes it worthwhile however seems to be a little more complicated, namely, hooking up a pressurized irrigation system to the water tanks. The trash bins that I used were fine to catch the water, but now I have to use a bucket to move the water from the bin to my watering can. I use the water only for my potted plants which are close to the source...otherwise I would have to haul it to the back of the yard and that’s a lot of work.

Emigh Hardware sells an 80 gallon holding tank with a screen on the top and a hose spigot on the bottom. Attaching a hose makes it much easier to water plants, a more ideal solution. Still, any type of irrigation system requires water pressure to force the water out of the ends of the pipe. This pressure normally comes from the water main and therefore would have to be supplanted by a pump in my water barrel system.

A client of mine contacted Gutterglove Company who installs special gutters that filter water caught in gutters and then dumps it into a holding tank. The tank sizes vary depending on how much you pay. Unfortunately, the representative from Gutterglove had no idea how to hook up a pressurized irrigation system with a hose. My client is contacting another company, and hopefully they will know how to do it.

Many people are starting to implement their own gray water systems. A system of using use the recycled household water (showers and sinks) to water their garden. The water also goes into a tank (instead of the sewer system) and gets some filtration, and then is pumped out to the garden. These systems are used for particular areas of the garden.

All of these methods are worth checking into. Next month I’ll post the findings on hooking up a system to irrigate, using pressure, from caught water. For now, consider buying a holding tank from the hardware store that will allow you to catch water and hook up a hose. It’s very satisfying to water your garden from water that came naturally, and not from the usual source that you paid for!

Fall Part 1: Masks

2009-10-04T21:26:00.000-07:00

Fall is Here!

The Autumn equinox came and went (september 22nd this year) and still Sacramento continued to bake at around 100° temperatures. Then suddenly we had a blissful 70° day and the hint of a breeze - fall is around the corner! While digging through my old files I came across an article from Martha Stewart’s Living magazine that I tore out back in 1997:

The article was on Halloween and gave a quick how-to on creating masks using leaves and petals. My daughter and I were completely smitten with the project - we thought, what a great way to display the fall colors! My daughter and her friend made the masks for Halloween and they came out beautiful. We purchased one of those half-face, unadorned masks as a template and then glued the leaves right on. Honestly, when they were finished they were art pieces. We sprayed them with a clear varnish (get this at a craft store) to protect them and after they had served their purpose as costume pieces we put them in a keep-sake frame. My daughter still has hers, it has held up amazingly well over the past twelve years.

Fall Part 2: Butterflies!

2009-10-04T21:25:00.001-07:00

On another rather surprising autumn note, in late September my Passion Vine was the birth place of over 100 vibrant butterflies. I was concerned to see so many of them so I went online to see if there was someone who could tell me more about them. I found a website that identifies butterflies so I emailed a picture of my butterfly colony and the caterpillar. That same day a man named Ken Davenport responded telling me that my butterflies were called Gulf Fritillaries (Agraulis vanillae). He said that they are from the tropical family and they generally live in Southern California. He also mentioned that they migrate from “permanent populations in the San Joaquin Valley and Bay Area [to Sacramento]” and that are sometimes brought into the area via imported nursery stock. When Ken lived here in Sacramento years ago he never saw a Gulf Fritillary himself. They can be pests to some gardeners, but mainly they are a delight to butterfly enthusiasts. Aside from chewing off every leaf on my passion vine (which doesn’t worry me a bit because it will come back), they haven’t touched anything else so I fit into the delighted category and am feeling fortunate to play host to the butterflies. Watching them is like seeing little fairies dressed up in bright orange dresses flitting around the garden!

Fall, part 3: Speaking Events and pruning

2009-10-04T21:22:00.000-07:00

I have also begun to think about the season’s growth in the garden and what will need pruning. It is still early to cut back the ornamental grasses, not until they go dormant or straw-colored will they need a clipping. Fall is the time to plant bulbs so I will have to make some decisions on what I want to see come spring. My tomatoes are still producing fruit as are my eggplants and salad greens. By the way, don’t forget to plant more salad greens for the fall and winter. I found six-packs at Emigh Hardware.

Speaking of Emigh Hardware, I will be giving two presentations there on October 17th at 10:00 a.m. and another at 12:00 noon . This time we will be indoors in their Casual Living building, so there will be plenty of room and a large screen to view the presentation. Along with me will be a representative from Rainbird, bringing drip irrigation components. He will explain how and what to use for a drip system as well as have a table for hands-on working. Emigh prefers to have people RSVP so that they can accommodate for everyone, so if you’re planning on coming, give them a call: (916) 482-1900

On that same day that I will be speaking at Emigh is the UCDavis Arboetum’s plant sale: Saturday, October 17th from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. This is a great opportunity to buy plants that you may not have seen before. They have a lot of natives and drought tolerant species - it’s worth checking out... I’d love to, but I’ll be presenting! On the website you will find a list of what plants will be sold, directions and a map.

Finally a quick note on the bulbs you will start seeing in nurseries about now: Daffodils, Tulips, Narcissus, Crocus and more. Interesting fact:

The Crocus - the Crocus Sativa, are the flowers that produce the tiny yellow/orange stigmas - not the stamen - that are hand-picked and dried to make Saffron. An estimated 75,000 blossoms are needed (225,000 stigmas) to produce one pound of saffron! Saffron has been used by many ancient cultures including the Sumerians, Phoenicians, Minoans, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, and Persians. The saffron powder is used in medicines, perfumes, flavoring and as a dye.http://waynesword.palomar.edu/ecoph3.htm#saffron

Enjoy the cooler weather and changing colors of October!

Vines in the Garden

2009-09-05T19:43:00.000-07:00

Hey look!

…Thumbing through the new September Sunset Western Garden magazine I read an article (page 54) addressing readers’ questions regarding vines that can be planted near the house, and lo and behold, a picture of my very own rose arching over my front door was pictured!

I have a few thoughts on vines:

First of all, the rose over my front door is a Cecil Brunner. It is lovely when it blooms, really showy, but it only blooms once a year in the spring. During the rest of the year I have to prune back the new wandering branches and stocks as they will completely obstruct my entry if I let them! But this rose is merely child’s play when it comes to vines. For instance - Wisteria, Trumpet Vine (Campsis Radicans), Passion Flower (see picture), Ipomea (Morning Glory) and the Lady Banks Rose can all grow 30 feet high or wide! Be careful not to plant them close to other trees because they will climb and overtake their foliage.

Wisteria will eventually grow a trunk the size of a tree, as will the Trumpet vine. Make sure that you have strong supports, and preferably metal (any wood support will eventually rot, not to mention it’s practically impossible to manage with vines growing on it).

Ipomea, or Morning Glory, is beautiful in bloom but it will go dormant in the winter, looking weedy and dead. Also once you have it watch out - it’s hard to get rid of!

Great all ‘round vines are: Solanum jasminoides (potato vine), Hardenbergia and many of the Jasmines. Carolina jasmine too, but keep in mind that this vine gets very big and full – make sure you have enough space.

Clematis

HardenbergiaTrumpet VineLadybanks RoseWisteria

Planting for the Fall

2009-09-05T19:42:00.000-07:00

The other day one of my friends emailed me asking what she should plant for the fall and where she could by seedlings.

Some of the local Sacramento nurseries will carry cool-weather vegetable seedlings, but large stores like Home Depot and Lowe’s will not. A great source for organic vegetable seedlings and seeds is Peaceful Valley Farms. They have a store in Grass Valley, take a little drive and visit them.

Some cool weather vegetables are: Garlic, shallots, Oriental Greens, Mustard Greens, Mâche (European variety – delicious!), Spinach and some herbs such as Cilantro and Dill.

Fall is also the time for planting cover crops. I like to plant Crimson Clover (also available in bulk from Peaceful Valley Farms). In the spring the clover produces bright red flowers, and when it’s done blooming I turn the crop under and the clover brings oxygen to the soil. Fall is also time to plant wildflowers and bulbs. You’ll see bulbs available at most of the big stores and nurseries.

If you don’t want to bother with a winter garden, you can cover your beds with the fallen leaves and put the garden “to sleep”. In the spring, turn the leaves under, as many of them will have composted.

Late fall and early winter is the time to cut back your ornamental grasses. They will turn a straw color. Make sure to cut them back before the spring and the new growth comes in.

And finally…it’s cooling down so enjoy your garden! We are fortunate to have mild weather all the way through October and into November, and it’s lovely to have meals in the garden.

On a trip to Germany, roughly ten years ago, we saw this stunning show of Boston Ivy covering a building...

As a side note - check out these vertical gardens. They are not exactly vines, but plants planted on the vertical faces of buildings. While I was in Paris last summer I saw a building done by this particular designer and I was thrilled!

Herbs in the Garden

2009-08-08T17:15:00.000-07:00

Did you know that many of the plants in your landscape are actually herbs and have medicinal qualities? Most of them make delicious teas…

Let’s start with the common landscape/drought tolerant plant:

Lavender: Lavender is good for women’s and children’s health, nervous system conditions, pain relief and it is also a great herb for the skin. Many companies are now selling lavender seed heads to scent the laundry while drying; packets to throw in the bath and many organic cleansers use pure lavender oil. According to the book Growing 101 Herbs That Heal, lavender can be used for a myriad of things: an infusion, tincture, cider vinegar tincture, syrup, compress, poultice, elixir, ointment, salve, cream, balm foot soak, sleep pillow, bath herb, infused oil, honey, butter, suppository liniment, and insect repellent.

Passion Flower: This is a vine: This vine will take off, reaching heights of 30 feet! Be careful where you plant it because it will invade and climb trees. Passion Flower is a strong sedative and a nervine. It can be used an infusion (tea), to make a syrup, a compress, foot soak or for the bath. Use flowers, fruit and top leaves, fresh or dried.

Lemon Verbena: This shrubby plant smells like lemon candy and makes a delicious tea! It is frost tender, so make sure it gets some protection during the winter. Mine is in the back corner of the garden and has made it through the winters so far. You can use it as a calming digestive tea and as a calming sleep herb. It is also a common ingredient in herbal insect repellents. Use the leaves and flowers fresh or dried.

Dandelion: I know, they’re weeds! However…it is considered a whole-body tonic and medicinal action in nearly every body system! It is especially recognized for it’s benefit to the liver, urinary tract, and skin. If you don’t want their weediness in your garden though, you can buy bunches of dandelion greens at the market.

Feverfew: This is not traditionally a landscape plant. Mine came as a gift from some bird or the wind (?) But when it’s in bloom, it’s full of little daisy-like flowers, white with yellow middles. I like using them in flower arrangements. Medicinally, Feverfew is used primarily to treat headaches – especially migraines. You can make a tea with it, an apple-cider vinegar tincture, syrup, medicinal food or a balm.

Purple Cone Flower: Not only is this perennial lovely in the garden with it’s big purple flowers and dark centers, but it’s also great for colds and flu, immune support, and respiratory and skin conditions. Look for it in tinctures or combined with other supplements at Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods.

A few more common garden herbs:

Rosemary – an antioxidant

Oregano – an antiseptic for the skin

Nepeta – Catmint (your cat will love it) but is also considered a sedative and is good for colds and flu.

Here are some of my favorite herb references and guides:

Growing 101 Herbs That Heal: Gardening Techniques, Recipes and Remedies, by Tammi Hartung

Wise Concoctions: Natural Elixirs and Tonics for Health and Energy, by Bonnie Trust Dahan

Rosemary Gladstar’s Family Herbal: A guide to living life with Energy, Health and Vitality, by Rosemary Gladstar

A couple of recipes

2009-08-08T17:07:00.000-07:00

“Hot Ginger-Echinacea Lemonade”

A recipe from Growing 101 Herbs That Heal

This tea is a great expectorant and a sore throat soother. Also, it tastes good.

2 cups boiling water

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger root

1 teaspoon dried echinacea flowers or roots

(find these at herbs stores or online)

Juice of 1 freshly squeezed lemon

1 teaspoon honey

In a bowl or teapot, pour the boiling water over the echinacea and ginger root. Cover and steep for 10-15 minutes. Add the lemon juice and boney and stir. Serve warm.

Zucchini-Banana Bread

As a side note, I thought I would add a recipe to help take care of all of those monstrous zucchinis growing in your garden. This is adapted from a few different recipes.

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

3 cups flour

2-3 cups grated zucchini

3 ripe, mashed bananas

2 tablespoons oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon cinnamon and nutmeg

1 tablespoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Mix the butter, sugar, and vanilla in a bowl. Beat in the eggs, oil, then the bananas and shredded zucchini and spices. Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. Combine dry ingredients with the wet. Place in a well greased glass pan. Cook for 45 minutes to an hour. Because of the bananas and zucchini, this bread will be moist verging on pudding. Let cool before eating.

Roberta's latest client

2009-07-16T16:14:00.000-07:00

Summer Pleasures

2009-07-08T13:39:00.000-07:00

Having lived in Sacramento for nearly thirty years now, Roberta has learned to survive the grueling summers by way of air-conditioning, cool bodies of water and innumerable glasses of lemonade. This summer she has decided to elaborate on her heat escaping schemes here on this blog. We have compiled a very short list of Sacramento eateries that can provide a shady spot in the garden to enjoy a meal or a coffee. Over the next couple of months you will find a smattering of these garden related articles to match the season. It is an experiment, so bare with us. We would love to hear your feedback and suggestions. Enjoy!

the Tower Cafe

2009-07-08T13:37:00.000-07:00

Tower Café:

www.towercafe.com

1518 Broadway

Sacramento

Sun-Thurs: 8am - 11pm

(desserts and drinks from 10pm-11pm)

Fri- Sat 8am - 12am

(desserts and drinks from 11pm-12am)

The Tower Café is a local treasure, something to keep in ones pocket when friends ask what to do in the city. Between the consistently tasty food to the titillating décor to the rare and head turning garden, the Tower café has no equal within one hundred miles. As soon as we get close Roberta starts to make note of the garden, like an emerald mirage floating in heat waves and concrete. There is always something to have piqued her attention anew – a particularly full Acer, yet another gigantic cerulean pot, more topiary junipers… We marvel at the lushness of this little oasis and the genius that has gone into it.

The Tower Café, opened in 1990, is named after the Tower Drugs store that once occupied the space that the cafe took over. The Tower franchise of the Solomon family: Tower Books, Tower Records, etc., was born from this same Tower Drugs store. The Tower café and the adjacent theater are both memorial to and singular survivors of the Tower legacy. The theater was built during a moment of the uninhibited and curvaceous lines of Art Deco - making it the oldest theater still functioning in Sacramento, né 1938. Today the Tower theater plays independent flicks and it was there that I first saw and fell in love with Amélie. At ten o’clock pm when the movie finished, the café was still open for coffee and dessert - the décor of the café offering an appropriate follow up to the fantasy of a movie.

There is not a corner of the Tower Cafe that is not host to a gaggle of competing sculptures. the devotees of innumerable creeds, cast in concrete and wood, pray and genuflect amid ficus trees, orchids and busts of Frida Kahlo. The ceiling is hung with lanterns and streamers, wall hangings, tapestries and vases with four foot sprays of gladiolas - a cavern of chlorophyl stalagmites and woven stalactites. The motif is undeniably South American with a twist of the indiscriminate antiquarian. There is an air of the English study brimming with stolen goods and appropriated culture – it’s rich, decadent. The idea is for the cafe to be “Sacramento’s own little global village”. The cuisine is also a mélange of tender appropriation and imagination: Mexican hot chocolate in a four-inch saucer, “Eggs Tower” - a version of the classic Benedict, the “Greek” breakfast, Chile Relleno, Chinese chicken or Brazilian Chicken salads.

Naturally Roberta and I sit outside whenever possible, even if it means asking for a heat lamp to be turned on in the early morning. The patio, or garden area, is brick. The tables totter in the middle of this patio, surrounded by a dense planting that shields the patrons from the road. A fence of Italian Cypress towering thirty feet high, Acers (Japanese Maples), Thujas, Elephant Ear, Yucca, tree ferns and a giant Cedar comprise the verdant wall, all of which is belted by a delicate metal fence covered in Morning Glories. Sitting amid this hand forged jungle it is easy to forget that one is practically swimming upstream a Sacramento thoroughfare at the corner of Broadway and sixteenth street. The Tower café is a magical urban grotto of lush indulgence, local history and sumptuous food. Take comfort in their ambience that transcends, as if by magic, the harsh seasons.

the Coffee Garden

2009-07-08T13:36:00.000-07:00

Coffee Garden:

www.thecoffeegarden.com

(916) 457-5507

2904 Franklin Blvd.

Sacramento

Mon- Sat 6am-11pm

Sun 7am-10pm

You may have overlooked the stucco façade of the Coffee Garden on first pass. It is camouflaged by a lack of décor common in most Sacramento strip-malls. A string of lights and a few potted palms have been placed outside the front door, something like balloons tacked to a mailbox, signaling that there is more going on inside than meets the eye.

Beyond the deceptive exterior there is indeed more to be had. Inside the Coffee Garden there is a jumble of small tables, comfy chairs and artwork all higgledy-piggledy about the room. The jolly staff is helpful - quick to make drinks and answer questions.

Roberta and I visited on a mild Wednesday afternoon. We ordered and took our enormous cups, overflowing with foam, to the back garden. We found a table in the courtyard which is carpeted by decomposed granite and skirted by a vine-covered fence. The foliage is mainly comprised of plants in pots – tropical ferns, palms, orchids, and hibiscus. The owner and gardener had been an exotic plant dealer before opening the Coffee Garden.

We sipped our coffee, contentedly swaddled in the back-yard atmosphere. The muffled crunch of footsteps on decomposed granite, a low murmur from the patrons and a diverse family of flora to keep our eyes moving over the landscape made for a lovely setting. The Coffee Garden made our list of public gardens to escape to during the summer.

High-Hand Nursery

2009-07-08T13:34:00.000-07:00

High-Hand Nursery

(916) 652-2065

www.highhand.com

3750 Taylor Rd.

Loomis, CA 95650

Open: Mon-Sat 9am-5pm

Sun 9am-4pm

This is undoubtedly the Disney Land of nurseries. We went to High-Hand – the name references a high-hand in cards - for lunch on a Sunday afternoon and found it bursting with people. The restaurant structure resembles a barn converted to a solarium. The walls on two sides are open to the nursery and the entire thing is topped in glass. Bright yellow and orange umbrellas dapple a completely outdoor section of seating and inside old world charm competes with new world functionality - rolling metal doors lock down the facility when it is shut. Upon arriving we were handed a beeper as the host told us that we should expect a twenty minute wait. Neither of us was upset, we were looking forward to exploring the nursery.

The grounds, departing from the restaurant to cover a broad expanse of land, looks more like Pleasantville on steroids than a plant nursery. There are fully grown trees with black Mondo grass and Sedum Ogon tumbling from their planters. Shrubs are stacked like presents in a tantalizing array of colors and shapes - like a Bengal Tiger rooming with a King Penguin these specimens share living quarters for the sake of the show, in blatant disregard of natural order. We were startled by a life-size bronze boy pushing a cart through a patch of petunias. Even someone with no interest in plants could appreciate this show. We explored the isles of Echinacea and Acorus grass, bright red Roses and yellow Peonies. Across the yard we came to another barn-like structure that contained mountains of ceramic pots in glistening umbers and navy blues. By the time our buzzer went off we were dizzy from all of the marveling we had done.

The food however, was not to be upstaged. I was prepared to bet that the ambience had taken precedence over the cuisine, likely relegated to a third rate chef and iceberg lettuce. Me of little faith – our lunch, much of it grown on location – was delicious. My green-bean salad in pesto was delicate and well thought out. Roberta’s prawn salad was equally fresh and interesting. It is rare to be able to interact with nature and a garden while dining out. High Hand offers a uniquely intimate experience - eating in the midst of a nursery, flanked by the grounds growing supplying our meal. I was pleasantly surprised by the whole experience.

The Secrets Behind Success: Roberta's connection to Sierra View Nursery

2009-06-05T16:31:00.000-07:00

Sierra View Nursery is a wholesale nursery - a growing ground that provides plants to landscapers and designers. The nursery itself is set against the ridge of a hill - the bank of a railroad track as it happens, in Loomis, California. Sierra View Nursery is comprised of two small, shingled huts with flower boxes – resembling leftover movie props - that act as sentries in the Orlando vicinity of the Florida shaped nursery. Those huts are where Lara, Sierra View’s owner, does her business. Generally there are two or three large trucks nosing in on the porch: a delivery truck, a nursery employee vehicle, and perhaps a visitor. The atmosphere is serene: the nursery hums with sprinklers and the occasional train.

It was a warm day when we visited Lara’s nursery. She escorted us through the long, narrow expanse of the grounds, stopping to point out plants of interest along the way. “That’s a California Anemone, it’s a California native,” Lara pointed to a tall flowering shrub. “Do you want to see my cauliflower?” Lara asked us, and of course we did. In the middle of Sierra View Nursery - maybe Polk county, if you’re still with me on the Florida reference - Lara has created an example garden of the plants she carries. We walked through a living trellis of apple trees to a round bed of metallic blue foliage. Lara bent down and pulled open a group of leaves to show us the knobby head of a beautiful, white cauliflower. “I tie the leaves up, it’s supposed to keep the bugs out. It’s probably going to make the cabbage grow into a funny shape though,” Lara commented. We continued on, and Lara, amongst day lilies and rows of tomatoes, would bend down to pull weeds from the bases of plants. “She’ll be doing that all day,” Roberta said in smiling approval, referring to Lara’s plant preening.

Roberta and Lara have been working together for the better part of seven years. They have cycled through contractors and landscape crews, attended children’s birthday parties, graduations and a myriad of other social gatherings. Before Lara and Sierra View Nursery, Roberta’s designs were at the mercy of the limited stock of other local nurseries. There was always something being substituted, something too small and twiggy, something that had to be brought in from that other nursery, even though “I can’t stand working with them!” Roberta would lament. The problem was, other nurseries stocked for their retail customers that generally wanted colorful annuals, large varieties of shrubs that Roberta avoids such as privets and camillias – plants that require shaping and copious amounts of water, and usually didn’t have drought tolerant sections. Roberta works with specimen plants, dwarf varieties that have the same shape and color but are half the size or less maintenance than their giant counterparts. When Roberta was introduced to Lara, through a friend incidentally, her use of other nurseries died off almost immediately. Lara stocks specimen and drought tolerant plants, California natives as well as landscape workhorses such as miscanthus, pennisetums, junipers and berberis. Another thrilling aspect of her plant stock for Roberta was the size and quality of Lara’s plants. “I like to wait,” Lara said in regards to how lovely her plants always look, “and in fact I think I tend to wait too long with some of them.” Even the one-gallon pots - a standard size for plants that will go into a new landscape - are nearly bursting through their containers. The effect is, when a client sees her newly planted yard, the plants she has just spent thousands of dollars on are identifiable, not a field of barely-living-stems.

Lara’s care of plants began in January of 1999, more as a happy mistake than anything else. Her father suggested that she start selling some tree starts and well, “someone has to be with plants all the time” Lara remarked, and thus she became the full-time caretaker of what was to become Sierra View Nursery. It wasn’t a complete left field decision though – Lara has a degree in plant science from the University of California Davis. Though Lara’s nursery is strictly wholesale, she brings her wares to the farmer’s market. She sells her flowers, some vegetables and vegetable starts along with anything else that happens to be looking good. Being at the farmer’s market is a way for Lara to interface with the public, which she can’t always do from her out-of-the-way location in Loomis. The market helps her bring awareness to the existence of her nursery, as well as bring in business via the designers and contractors she works with, “I have a brochure with the names of landscapers and designers I work with for people to take… although that needs to be updated,” she said slightly apologetically. The landscaping world is tough, as both Lara and Roberta know, and finding a contractor that can maintain the quality of work as well as the ethic that they desire is difficult.

The symbiotic relationship between Roberta and Lara has evolved over time. Walking down the aisles of bursting roses and rambling sedums, Roberta picked up a Salvia East Friesland she wanted for her own yard, “I’ve been using these a lot because I know you have so many of them, and they’re just as beautiful as May Night.”

“Good,” Lara said, “but we’re nearly done with those, just so you know. Have you ever used this plant?” She asked pointing towards a red-barked tree, nearly four feet tall and decked with tiny white, bell-like flowers. The tree is a Styrax or “Japanese Snowball Tree,” Lara informed us.

Roberta got giddy over the new specimen, “Wait, let me get a pen to write down the name.” Lara’s stock is influenced by what Roberta uses, just as Roberta’s plantings will change depending on what’s in season and thriving at Sierra View Nursery. When questioned about her drought tolerant selection, Lara rattled off a few plant names before saying, “I try to have what Roberta uses.”

As we loaded up Roberta’s truck with the plants she had chosen, I carefully leaned the two tomato plants that Lara had insisted I take against the back seat, excited and nervous to test their metal back in the big city where I live. One was already sporting two striped and shiny green tomatoes. We waved goodbye to Lara and she waved back before ducking into the little shingled office to continue on with the day’s work.

Sierra View Nursery

(916) 652-3908 ph/fax

lara@infostations.net

3170 Delmar Avenue

Loomis, CA 95650

http://www.sierraviewnsy.com/

The David Lubin Garden Tour

2009-05-10T13:59:00.000-07:00

Garden Five of the David Lubin tour, 2009

Owners: Schnetz’s

Embellisher: Stems

The David Lubin Garden Tour is a tribute to the eponymous man with the intention of enriching the Sacramento community by means of the David Lubin Elementary School’s Student Enrichment Programs. The tour takes place on Mother’s day weekend, and had we (Roberta and crew) had our minds about us, we would have let more people know that it was happening! Be that as it may, the tour was a success and Roberta’s garden looked, well, ravishing. Her clients’ home was Garden Five on the tour. On page twenty six of the Lubin Tour program, Betsy Ronsheimer wrote that Garden Five’s flow aided by ambling paths and hardscape elements such as an outdoor fireplace, “seamlessly [married] the garden to the home,” which is something that Roberta believes every garden should do – expand one’s living space. Ronsheimer goes on to write about the “relaxing” quality of the design—providing shade in the summer and a place to entertain, “what more could a busy family want?” Well I’m not sure Betsy, but it’s a good start.

Announcing my Plant Dictionary website!

2009-05-08T10:59:00.000-07:00

I have recently added a component to my landscape design services: a plant dictionary. When I finish a design I take the plant list and make it into a book that includes a photograph, description and care instructions for each plant. This way I don’t have to carry my monstrous and taped Botanica everywhere, and when I leave clients’ homes they can refer back to the book whenever they need… a year later when a question arises regarding pruning, when a neighbor asks what a plant is, etc. The reception to these books has been wonderful so I have decided to extend the service to past clients and even those whose yards I have not designed. The website for these books is now up and ready so check it out and pass it on!

Plant Dictionary website

Another episode of Gardening by the Yard!

2009-05-05T14:38:00.001-07:00

Tune in once again to HGTV's Gardening by the Yard on June 7th, 7:30 am EST.

"Host Paul James shares tips on wrangling your raindrops in a method of landscaping known as xeriscaping. Then, David Salman gives an overview of drought-tolerant plants that save time and money. Meanwhile, Roberta Walker demonstrates how to construct a low maintenance landscape, and Paul gives the trick on [one] of the wisest water practices around."

Xeriscaping, Drought-Tolerant Plants, Wise Water Practices

Weed fabric?

2009-03-15T15:19:00.000-07:00

While speaking to a gardening class recently I was asked whether I recommend using a weed barrier or weed fabric. I have been asked this question before so I thought that I should share my thoughts with...

The long and short of it is, there is a time and a place for weed fabric. For instance, in my front yard I have a large expanse of pea gravel. There are a few plants planted amongst the gravel, but for the most part it is a wide, open space. I would highly recommend weed fabric (or “weed barrier” as it is sometimes called) in such an area – otherwise weeds could easily push up through rocks, getting all the sun and errant water they needed, and I would be weeding constantly. Along the borders of the pea-graveled bed, I planted very densely, leaving little space for invasive weeds to mar the landscape. Therefore I didn’t see the need for weed fabric. The plants I placed block out the light and keep the weeds from growing. Another built in defense is my drip-system, which supplies water to an individual plant, rather than the whole area.

Weed fabric does not guarantee a weedless garden. There really is no absolute solution, accept foregoing plants and pouring concrete over everything, but that is not generally a look I promote. Weeds will find their way into any planting: Birds drop seeds, the wind will blow seeds on top of the fabric, and after a good rain, you will unwanted sprouts. Weed fabric is simply a good preventative, not a cure. Adding weed fabric to an entire landscape can increase your costs considerably so be judicious about where you put it - an area with plants placed far apart, a sparse planting, or decorative rock gardens are good candidates.

Gardens that Rock!

2009-02-10T09:10:00.000-08:00

On March 15th you can watch another episode of the HGTV "Show Gardening By The Yard" featuring me! The shows airs at 7:30 a.m. Eastern Standard time – which ends up being 4:30 a.m. For us. So, unless anyone gets up before the birds, you might want to TiVo it! My bit is called "Gardens that Rock!"

Some thoughts on Drought Tolerant plantings

2009-02-04T20:19:00.001-08:00

Hello Everyone,
I would like to commence this blog with a post on drought tolerant, a subject that has caused quite a stir lately –both in my own work and the general gardening community. After my article came out in Sunset magazine and the spot on News 10 I thought it might be a good idea to share a list of my most frequently used and favorite drought tolerant plants.

A little history...

As a landscape designer I needed to find plants that not only look good and
have a nice form, but also plants that can withstand the heat of the summer
here in Sacramento (which can hit 112F). Many of my clients have had new homes which means no yard and no trees –thus, no shade! Many of the
plants that tolerate high heat happen to be drought-tolerant. It was sort of
a logical step. For me to use plants that require a lot of water and
shade just didn't make sense. And so, over the years I have developed a
plant palate that comprised of plants that looks good, perform well, need very little maintenance and have low water needs.

Most of the plants on this list are also in my yard - I have a very large
yard! If they are not, I make a point of knowing what a plant
will do in our climate by visiting a nursery or planting it. I never simply rely on the plant label.

A drought tolerant plant will exist on one to one and a half gallons of water every three days. A drip system is typically adjusted time-wise with the weather. In the
summer I let my drip system run forty five minutes to an hour every other day. In
the spring this can be every third day. Plants that require more water, roses for example, I will give two drip lines. The trick is to stay away from
overhead sprays - a good percentage of the water will evaporate before it is
able to penetrate to the roots of a plant.

The plants that I have on my Drought Tolerant List are plants that thrive in my growing zone. A zone is defined by elements such as elevation and temperature. In the front of the Sunset Western Garden Guide to Plants there is a good chart of zones. There is also the USDA guide, but I generally stay with the Sunset book.

There are two main sources that I go to for drought tolerant suggestions: Sunset Western Garden and the Xeriscape Plant Guide by Rob Proctor. The Sunset book has a section in that lists plants for dry areas.

Out of all of these plants I have listed here, I have to say that my most trustworthy and favorites are Artemisia, Kniphofia and Salvia.

Artemesia 'Powis Castle' is non-deciduous (does not die back or loose it's
leaves in the winter). You will be surprised at how fast it grows. It is
a bit of a monster when it gets going - give it a lot of room. I generally let
it cascade at the base of landscape boulders. It is a beautiful filler for a
bouquet of cut roses. It is also an herb with quite a fragrant aroma.

Kniphofia - the common name is Red Hot Poker. These plants have a base that
looks a little like agapanthus –green and spiky leaves, but the flower is a tall stem with a torch of red. I like to plant a lot of these in a row so that they create one big
splash when they bloom. In between them I tend to plant Achillea, also known as Yarrow 'Paprika'. The Paprika has fuzzy cream and red blooms grows lower than the Kniphofia, making it a lovely filler. Another great combination is Stipa and Kniphofia. Stipa, or Mexican feather grass, will seed itself all over a yard so in a large area it is perfect to have a drift of the soft grass with the tall blooms of the Kniphofia.

Salvia 'Hot Lips' - What a star performer…This plant blooms beautifully
during the hottest temperatures, mine has lived through a few winters that went down to 24F and was still the first to bloom in the spring. It blooms straight through the summer and finally gives up only after it is well into winter. Salvia Hot Lip is evergreen. If you saw my article in Sunset magazine, this plant is the red blooming in the front of my yard.

Okay, my last plug for drought tolerant. I know this is corny but here it goes: Planting a drought tolerant garden makes sense because it is beautiful and easy to maintain. It makes “cents” because you can potentially save time and money on water and fertilizing (not to mention mowing). Lastly, it makes scents because so many of the drought tolerant plants are fragrant and attract healthy insects, birds and butterflies.

Don’t get me wrong, lawns are lovely too – if you love your lawn but want to cut back on your water usage, try cutting down the lawn area and planting more of these plants. Good luck, I hope this has been helpful!

My Drought Tolerant Favorites

2009-02-04T20:16:00.000-08:00

Silver Color

Artemesia ‘Powis Castle’
Convolvulous – Bush Morning Glory
Cerastium – Snow in Summer
Sontolina – chamaecyparis
Lavender – all types
Stachys – Lamb’s Ear
Grevillea ‘Penola’

Non-deciduous shrubs

Cistus – Rock Rose
Helianthemum – Sunrose
Hemerocallis – Day Lily (there are evergreen varieties)
Zauschernia – California Fuschia
Correa – Australian Fuschia
Coleonema – all types
Pittosporum – all types
Dietes – Fortnight lily
Rosemary

Grasses

Pennisetum ‘Rubrum’
Pennisetum ‘Hamlin or Little Bunny’
Miscanthus
Helictotrchon – Blue Oat grass
Blue Fescue
Carex – sedge
Muhenbergia rigens – deer grass

Perennial Color

Coreopsis – all types
Shasta Daisy
Echinacea – Purple Cone Flower
Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’
Achillea – Yarrow
Gaillardia
Gaura
Nepeta – Catmint
Perovska – Russian Sage
Salvia – ‘Hot lips’ ‘Maynight’, etc.
Knipfofia – red Hot Poker
Anigothanzthus – Kangaroo Paws
Plumbago
Ground Cover Roses

Aloe
Erigeron – Santa Barbara Daisy
Lantana
Brachycome – Swan River Daisy
Felicia
Aster

Ground Cover

Delosperma – ice plant
Thymus
Gazania
Erigeron
Rosemary
Verbena

Ground Cover Rose
Myporum
Juniperus ‘Wiltonii’

Sunset Magazine, February 2009

2009-01-30T21:58:00.000-08:00

You can find me featured this month in Sunset magazine pages 34-35

News 10

2009-01-30T21:55:00.000-08:00

Check out my spot on news 10...

My first Sunset Magazine article, April 2008

2009-01-30T15:52:00.000-08:00