“Any plant that encourages bird life, supplies the bees with an unexcelled source of honey, gives food to man, furnishes tannin from its bark, protects arid slopes from erosion, paints the landscape with vivid colors and carries joy into the …
Shrubs are perfect to use as hedges, for screening, and for adding more dimension and layering to a landscape. I’m starting to plan my new landscape makeover and I’m pinpointing the spots that need screening. The worst part is the …
The beauty of California… isn’t it why you’re here? It offers a variety of geography, from mountains to coasts, to deserts. And that diversity in geography manifests a diversity in the plants and animals that live here. That’s biodiversity. California …
There’s a particular fragrance on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada. Like a resinous perfume. Before we moved up here I always noticed it here in particular. It’s how I identified with this place and how I felt it …
You may think that using or keeping native plants in your landscape automatically poses a fire hazard. They don’t. They are not “made to burn” as some have said. Many are drought tolerant and better at holding moisture in their …
Drought means less water for our landscapes and less water in the soil. And with the high heat events we’ve been having, any moisture in the soil or that’s applied to plants gets sucked out quickly. We’re in a “megadrought” …
Dappled shade is what most of us have here in Nevada County. And dry shade at that. Since we’re in one of the driest years in decades, and we’re in what’s being labelled a “megadrought”, we need to plant the …
Have you noticed the California lilacs blooming this spring? Many are a beautiful blue, and some are white. The white ones that are abundant around here are still blooming and stand out. Erect, fountain-shaped shrubs with lilac-like clusters of white …
Grasses are popular landscape plants, offering a wonderful variety of textures, shapes, and colors. But we have unique California native grasses that offer more options for our landscapes. While the rest of the world is planting from the same palette …
In my two previous articles I described natural meadows and meadows you can make in your own landscape. Comprised of grasses and flowers, or even just flowers growing and reseeding with wild abandon, you can create a space that helps …