Johnnys Selected Seeds This is an old favorite. I have a soft spot in my heart for vegetable gardening and a lifelong daydream of becoming a farmer. The information in the Johnnys catalog is thorough, and they offer a great selection of vegetables, flowers and herbs. Southern Exposure Seed Exchange Southern Exposure appeals to me … Read more 5 Nursery Web Site Catalogs I Go Back to Again and Again
We had a little drizzle in Carmel Valley this morning, which is not so common in September, especially in a year of serious drought. It got me to thinking, with all the implications of the drought, how plausible is it to raise an ornamental garden with little added water? It’s a challenge we deal with … Read more Gardening in Drought – the importance of planting design
I have heard ferns maligned in a surprising number of places lately, and I want to do my part to set the record straight. There seems to be a misconception that ferns are scraggly and awkward or difficult to grow. Allow me to argue the opposite. Ferns are no more difficult to grow than … Read more In Defense of Ferns
There’s a lot of romance to the idea of DIY. The rugged individualist is part of our national culture, part of how we see ourselves and our role in the universe. Not that everyone aspires to that goal, but it holds enough sway to merit an entire television network in its honor, plus countless books, … Read more Does DIY = Sustainable?
EcoGeek recently ran a post highlighting the correlation between income inequality and street tree inequality. The study in question was completed in 2007, and it’s certainly been true in my experience in cities that the fewer the street trees, the more marginal the neighborhood tends to be. I’ve heard all sorts of things about the … Read more The Economics of Street Trees
From around the web this week: Treehugger brought us another great example of a green wall enlivening a formerly bleak space, this time in London. Coming soon, the National Building Museum’s online exhibit exploring “New Cultural Capitals“, looking at the inclusion of high profile cultural spaces in contemporary civic design. Slated to open this summer. … Read more This Week’s Jumble – June 18, 2012
A friend recently asked me to take a look at the backyard of their rented urban home and help them screen a series of unsightly pipes and wires on the house as well as the conglomeration of waste bins and refuse in the adjoining yard. None of the property belongs to my friends, so actually … Read more Screening versus Focusing
From around the web this week: I heard of Arcosanti for the first time two years ago, when I flew to Phoenix to visit my boyfriend’s family for Christmas. It sounded like an interesting concept, according to the brochure sitting in the rack at the airport information desk – an artisanal village in the desert … Read more This Week’s Jumble – February 20, 2012
I enjoyed reading Dealnews’ tongue-in-cheek take on ways to save money on Valentine’s Day bouquets. Since forcing roses into bloom in February is tricky and probably best left to those hardy plant lovers who might be up to the challenge, I thought I’d offer a few alternate suggestions for intrepid romeos looking for a DIY … Read more A DIY Valentine’s Day
Landscape design news from around the web for this week: MOMA’s exhibition <Eugène Atget: “Documents pour artistes”> opens today. A sustainable development in Austin incorporates renewable energy sources and more in an urban context. The New York Times profiled the development. The National Building Museum’s exhibit on “Unbuilt Washington” continues until May 28.