I showed this photo recently at one of my presentations. In the back of the room, a little girl stood on a chair to see better. I understood; as a child growing up in Southern CA, I also was captivated by brilliant ice plant blooms. Those colors! As blindingly bright as ever a flower could [...]
Many thanks to this month’s contributors for sharing lots of ideas and helpful how-to tips on getting rid of grass, choosing and using mulches, and selecting gorgeous groundcovers for multi-season interest. Let’s get right to them! Garden Bloggers’ Design Workshop – Covering the Ground (Nan at Gardening Gone Wild): Kick-off post for this month’s topic. [...]
Covering ground has long been a gardening obsession of mine. By that, I mean covering ground with something other than lawn. Every year, we have less grass than the year before, although the lawn I maintain for my dogs is safe. They couldn’t survive without essential sections for throwing Frisbees and tennis balls. In my [...]
In past Design Workshops, we’ve talked a good bit about vertical design elements, such as walls, fences, trellises, and screens. This month, let’s take a look at the horizontal plane: the various ways we gardeners handle the “floor” of our outdoor spaces. Hardscaping Some sort of lawn, as well as some paved areas for a [...]