Photos, email mails and calls are pouring in from friends living in the south. These are the friends that post beautiful pictures of gorgeous frost tender plants throughout the year that leave me drooling and waiting for the day to have any color resembling what they share. As of this writing, those contacting me are … Continue reading Cold, Cold, Cold
The snow is gently falling on the winter garden at the moment. What foliage remains is either covered in winter white or exposing the brown leaves of dormancy. The overall landscaping is breathtaking. The air feels crisp and clean on my skin as I walk out to feed the equine. My mind flits about from … Continue reading Ponderings
The subject of a recent call from a friend brought back memories of years teaching irrigation design at College of Marin and causing me to dust off buried literature used in the classroom. I realized what I taught still ran deep – Plan for success. Unintended pathway? My friend’s concern was regarding the lawn in … Continue reading Poor Planning
Wild land Fire - 2020 Every year I write a blog about protecting homes and properties from wild land fires. The materials and knowledge used come from years of working with CDF (now CAL Fire) and studying the effects of vegetation related to fire science. I know about good defensible space, the benefits of using … Continue reading FIRE!
A tub of Tulips A cool breeze waifed through the open bedroom window this morning waking me up. Before my eyes opened, a beautiful choir of birds chirped out a song leaving me in wonder of what feathered friends sang such a lovely tune. The melody must have caught "the boys" attention as my line … Continue reading Nature’s Gift
Daffodil and Muscari Blue skies, bright sunshine beating down on the warmed earth as spring bulbs pop their heads up through the soil are all indicators we are experiencing a very early spring this February. Or is it an early spring? I recall it was these false winter days that brought folks out of the … Continue reading Early Spring?
Blue skies of Hawaii Early morning tropical breezes and spectacular sunsets still waif through my mind of an unforgettable trip with all the females in my family. Daughter, granddaughters, great granddaughters and spices of my grandsons took off for one of those family adventures we are so famous for doing... Walks, swimming, and shopping filled … Continue reading Shades of Hawaii
Orchids from Hawaii While developing this website, I considered the name and the broad spectrum of writing about landscaping I hoped to achieve. This blog site required exploring various locations on my bucket list. as well as micro-climates and plant material found within far and away from regions beyond my garden gates. It was the … Continue reading Hawaii is Beyond Garden Gates
The quiet pitter-patter sound of raindrops seeped into my dream state. The gentle rhythm carried along a magical fragrance in the air that only can be experienced with rain. In my half- dream state, my brain registered that it surely must be the irrigation system. It had to be close enough to five in the … Continue reading Autumn Rain
There is no question about it. I am a certified - card carrying - plant junkie. If such a club or organization existed, my name would be right at the top. Plants seem to find their way into my care if I need them or not. I just can't resist! Often I wonder if this … Continue reading Plant Junkie
Beyond Garden Gates 