North Coast Gardening

Category: Garden Design

  • Blueberries: Which Ones Taste Best?

    Blueberries: Which Ones Taste Best?

    We’re big fans of blueberries here on the North Coast of California, as our damp Pacific Northwest climate and acidic soil make it the perfect setting to grow blueberry bushes. And we’re coming up on the best time to plant them, as most nurseries get their biggest shipment of blueberry varieties in fall. Because blueberries…

  • Wildlife Garden Design Tip: Focus on Shape

    Think native plants and wildlife-attracting gardens look messy? It doesn’t have to be that way. In this series, we’ll talk about the techniques involved in designing a beautiful wildlife garden. Recently, Rachel Matthews wrote a guest post here about what she sees as the most important aspect of landscape design: Shape. I want to follow…

  • Wildlife Garden Design Tip: Choose a Simple Color Palette

    Think native plants and wildlife-attracting gardens look messy? It doesn’t have to be that way. In this series, we’ll talk about the techniques involved in designing a beautiful wildlife garden. Today’s tip goes well with my last piece of advice, which was to plant native and wildlife-attracting plants in masses: The tip? Choose a simple…

  • Wildlife Garden Design Tip: Plant in Masses

    Think native plants and wildlife-attracting gardens look messy? It doesn’t have to be that way. In this series, we’ll talk about the techniques involved in designing a beautiful wildlife garden. Many native plant enthusiasts and wildlife gardeners start out by trying to replicate the randomized “design” of nature, by planting a lovingly-curated collection of individual…

  • A Designer’s Take on Wildlife Gardening

    Though recent polls show that using native plants and attracting wildlife are big priorities for gardeners, these types of landscapes have a terrible reputation for being messy and poorly-designed. It’s gotten to the point that many landscape designers I’ve spoken with shy away from mentioning native plants to their clients, even if they plan on…

  • Backyard Landscaping Not Looking as Good as You’d Like? Here’s Why

    Gen here – today’s article is a guest post from my friend Rachel Mathews of Successful Garden Design. Rachel’s an established landscape designer in the UK, and I’ve been been enjoying her landscape design eBooks and courses for some time. Today she’ll share one of the biggest secrets to success in designing a landscape:

  • Destination Nursery: Flora Grubb Gardens

    When traveling to San Francisco, most people think of the Golden Gate Bridge, Coit Tower, or the cable cars as the “must-see” things to visit. But for plant and gardening geeks, there’s a new destination in town: Flora Grubb Gardens. This nursery is like Chez Panisse is to slow floodies – her blog and online…

  • New Hellebore Flowers Hold Their Heads High

    I’m a big fan of hellebores, since in my rainy climate so many flowers are dashed to the ground at the first rough rain shower. Plus, some types of flower and color just don’t stand out boldly enough to be visible from a window. Hellebores are tough as nails and shine brightly in the winter…

  • Luxurious Stone Fountain Table for Wine Country Gardens

    There was so much inspiration from the 2012 San Francisco Garden Show that I am still sifting through it all weeks later. One of my favorite pieces in the entire show was this stunning table and fountain made of a solid piece of stone from McKenna Landscape. It has a recirculating pump which allows a…

  • Rockin’ It: Innovative Use of Stone at the San Francisco Garden Show (2012 Edition)

    As I pointed out last year, garden shows are a place for designers to do all the crazy shiznit that’s over-the-top stunning, but also completely impractical, hard to maintain or otherwise unsuitable for life in the real world. But the wonderful thing about the hardscape and stonework at garden shows is that it’s full of…

  • Contemplative Spaces: Key Elements To Include

    When creating a space for calm contemplation, what you leave out is much more important than what you put in. It’s as true in the garden as it is elsewhere; clutter isn’t soothing. Whether you’re creating a small nook for restful solace or overhauling an entire garden, these essential elements will keep you on track…