Stylish and Sustainable Garden Design Living and designing in California, the ongoing and severe drought we’re experiencing is on everyone’s minds. And as such, drought-tolerant gardens are rapidly replacing outdated water-thirsty landscapes. While everyone is on board with the concept of a drought-tolerant garden I inevitably hear the same hesitation from clients – they don’t…
Archives for 2014
Home Outside Palette App: Landscape Design Made Easy and On the Go
Could it be time to add your mobile device to your set of gardening tools? There really is an app for everything. Bring out your inner designer to create the dream landscape you always imagined with the Home Outside Palette app. Move, resize, and even undo with over 280 available elements (trees, paths, enclosures, and more) to…
Debunking the Terracotta Mythos
Debunking the Terracotta Mythos The sun has yet to awaken, the moon just rose as a wink on the horizon, and the roosters are making that heinous sound only roosters can make, disturbing my first cup of coffee. Excuse me while I get that cup… …
Elements of Style: The Classic Mediterranean Garden
Elements of Style: The Classic Mediterranean Garden A classic Mediterranean style garden is typically low-maintenance, drought tolerant and perfect for a climate dry and hot in Summer and warm and moist in Winter. For those of us living in California, this seems a perfect fit. Traveling throughout the Mediterranean region, focused on the landscape and…
How To Keep Your Fountains Water Wise During Drought
As we all face this unprecedented drought, we need to make smart choices about using water. At this point I’m praying for rain, but I’m realistic enough to know my lobbying may not be that influential. But I have instituted several measures, the first of which regards my fountain. This water element is an essential…
Right Plant, Right Place: The What and Where of Drought Tolerant Planting
My client was happy; she’d just completed installation of major landscape improvements designed by an award-winning designer. I was not so happy. Some of the plants the designer had chosen were simply not suited for the area where they’d been planted and it was my job to make them look good. Landscape architects, designers, and…