The work on the front yard patios is completed. I planted some grasses and other perennials but am waiting until next winter to plant a few shrubs. As promised in […]
design
Lawn-less sustainable garden
I got rid of the last bit of lawn in Wild Suburbia. We are lawn-less, lawn-free, turf-be-gone, but definitely not grassless! Deergrass, California fescue, melic grass, purple needlegrass, and even […]
Front yard makeover continued
It has been six weeks since the last post – shame on me! I really am trying to be better about this and do hope that I have not lost […]
Front yard plans
As you may remember, we had to remove a diseased, old avocado tree in our front yard last year (RIP Avocado). Since the avocado was removed we have had some […]
Create your own garden paradise
Walking on a quiet street in a Los Angeles suburb, my eighty-year-old father and I approached a lovely adobe home. As we walked along, I noticed that he was slowly […]
Life stages of a native plant garden
Gardens, like people, have life stages. In the beginning, they grow vigorously, even rampantly. Maybe the first year or two seems a bit slow for a new native plant garden. […]
Top 20
People new to using California native plants are often overwhelmed by the many new and unfamiliar plants. Some of us “experts” further confuse these newcomers by using botanical names. Today […]
A garden retrospective
We have lived here for fourteen years and the garden has taught me much. I am glad that I started slowly. Many of the original plants are gone. Some did […]
In the beginning
In the heat of the summer of 1999 I take pieces of scrap paper and sketch the long, narrow parkway bed on the east side of our corner lot. It […]
Getting Ideas for a Front Parkway Habitat Garden
Between now and winter I will be planning a habitat garden in the parkway in front of my house. By November or December, just in time for the rainy season, […]