Garden Design’s Spring Issue Now Shipping – Get Yours!

Subscribe before April 15th, 2017 and get this issue free when you subscribe! Go to

If you haven’t seen Garden Design magazine yet, the current issue is a great one to start off with!

• There are no ads in Garden Design. Yes, you read that right—no ads.  Just 148 pages of beautiful gardens and plants delivered to you each quarter. These are more like books.
• Many of the stories unfold over 8 to 20 pages. So you get the behind-the-scenes look at topics you care about most—designing with plants, landscape design, container gardens, kitchen gardens, houseplants, and more.
• Each magazine is collectible and coffee table worthy. It’s filled with large, bold photography so you can appreciate the details of gardens that make them great.

Plant lovers will love this issue:

• Daffodils: Here’s what you need to know about planting, growing, and enjoying daffodils. Wait until you see the photos!
• Learn how Annie’s Annuals become one of the most trusted gardeners in America.
• Flowering branches: The parade of blossoms from flowering branches starts in February and continues through May and beyond. Get tips for growing, arranging, and harvesting them

There is so much more in this issue! Here is what a recent subscriber said:

“I saw a copy of Garden Design magazine late last year and was absolutely impressed with the in-depth articles and the beautiful photography. This past spring I became a subscriber and love every single page. It is beautifully presented and I love that there are no ads. I don’t subscribe to too many magazines, but Garden Design is worth every single penny. I highly recommend it.”

Subscribe before April 15th, 2017 and get this issue free when you subscribe!

Go to: 

Photo Credits:

Daffodils- Georgianna Lane
Annie (Nursery display garden)- Meg Smith
Flowering branches’ Ngoc Minh Ngo​

Spring Recipe: Feta and Honey

Maybe not so pretty, but such a lovely vehicle for our favorite bee by-product.  It might make a bit of a mess in your cooking vessel, but REALLY: so worth it. You could use pita bread, but a rough, edgy cracker with some personality of its own is what you want.  Sit outside in the softly warm late afternoon with the spring bees making their happy noise and have a snack—and Pinky’s Paloma, too.

FETA AND HONEY

1 -6 oz piece of Greek Feta

2 T olive oil

1 T honey

Freshly ground black pepper

Triangles of toasted Greek pita bread and/or your best crackers
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place feta in a small casserole a little larger than the cheese and cover with the oil.  Bake about 8 minutes or until the cheese is soft to the touch.

Preheat broiler.  Heat honey in a small pan until melted and brush over the top of the cheese.  Place under the broiler and broil until the top of the cheese is brown and has begun to bubble.  Season with freshly ground black pepper.  Serve immediately with crackers and/or pita.

Photo Credits:
Honey, Creative Commons, Lemon & Honey Chicken Skewers 1of4  by Breville USA is licensed under CC by 2.0 

Feta, Creative Commons, Spanakopita – Feta chunks by Rebecca Siegel is licensed under CC by 2.0 

Olive Oil is under Public Domain 

In My Garden

I love Spring. The energy that the longer days and warmer weather give me is equaled by what I get from  my garden and the plants that are beginning to come alive. Renewal is happening all around me from flowering succulents to budding roses to the carpet of arugula sprouting from the last rain.

I want to stay home, not go to work. I want to get dirt under my fingernails and look forward to soaking sore muscles in a hot bath at the end of the day thinking about tomorrow and what pots I can fill with which plants that have kept me company all winter just waiting for this moment to arrive.

Harmony in my garden, my sanctuary where my soul is revitalized and the faith I have in my small marriage with nature can’t wait for the next sunrise to begin again.

Sunlight, fecund soil, sweet water and my small contribution mixed into a paradise of my own creation; why would I want to be anywhere else but in my own garden?

– Brent Freitas

Shrink Your Lawn or Ditch it All Together

Spring Equinox ushers in longer days and with  the recent arrival of the first day of spring and Daylight Saving Time just kicking in this means more time to devote to our outdoor spaces and gardens. We need to be sure to take time to enjoy our roses’ first flush of blooms, the most glorious of the whole year.

Assess Your Garden
Take a look at your yard. Do you really need that plot of water-guzzling lawn? Across California, lawns are the leading consumer of outdoor residential water use. Let’s be honest, with very little to offer in the way of habitat value, thirsty traditional lawns could be smaller in favor of providing habitat for butterflies, birds, and bees.

In our mild climate, consider the many relaxing benefits of a water feature in your turf-free zone. Many no-turf options combine the use of local native plants, inviting paths, seating areas, perhaps a small meadow of flowering perennials, and water features.

Thoughtful Design
Think about your outdoor activity needs and limiting turf to places where you really need it (like a kids’ play areas). Some types of grassy lawns require less water than others so consider this when combining drought tolerant plantings alongside a lawn. Or, try eliminating it altogether—it’s the most effective way to reduce your outdoor water use (plus it gets you out of the mowing grind).

So if you don’t use it, why not ditch it? Beautiful landscapes that replace turf with easy care, drought-tolerant plants will make you wonder why it took you so long to make the change.  Eye of the Day has over two acres brimming with pots converted to fountains, multi-tiered fountains, beautiful statuary, antique wrought iron, birdbaths, patio furniture and staff who will happily guide you through making the switch to ditch your lawn, and to create a beautiful, peaceful outdoor space.

Photo Credit: Bee, Creative Commons, Pollen covered Bee by Bill Damon is licensed under CC by 2.0