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Calling On The Capitol - DC Revisited
1 commentI'm not a conspiracy theorist, but something's up. Why would those tricky devils at the Garden Writers Association derive so much pleasure from watching me perspire? A little background: I...
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San Francisco Road Trip Part I - UC Berkeley Botanical Garden
8 commentsCool as it's been in my hometown of Santa Barbara, Lin and I decided to get out of town for a few days and subject ourselves to the San Francisco fog monster. Saturday was the big deal, horticulturally speaking. I've heard for years about the legendary 10,000-plus species collection ensconced at the 34-acre University of California Botanical Garden on the Berkeley campus. I headed into the wilds of the Garden with trusty camera...
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Five Step Program for SMS - Help Is On The Way
7 commentsDo you find yourself stumbling around your yard, arms extended zombie-like, a plant in each hand, mumbling "Where can I put these?"
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The American Meadow Garden : Win A Free Copy of John Greenlee's Book!
125 commentsI couldn't wait to get my hot little hands on The American Meadow Garden: Creating a Natural Alternative to the Traditional Lawn, (Timber Press) written by grass and meadow madman John Greenlee, and seductively photographed by Saxon Holt. The book promised tools for my landscape architect's bag of tricks-philosophical reassurance, design inspiration, a new palette of plants, how-to details.
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Great Garden Speakers - Coming To Your Town?
GreatGardenSpeakers.com is a brand new website helping garden clubs, Master Gardener groups, botanical institutions, nature centers, garden shops, flower shows bring informed and dynamic speakers to their programs and pack the house. Now, finding the right speaker is a near as your computer.
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Garden Design - A Dog's Eye View
6 commentsWhen I start a new design, I picture the plants the same way Biff probably sees them. I imagine they will never bloom—that I'll have to rely on something other than floral color for interest. I select and combine plants using all their other visual qualities—the silhouette of the plant, its foliage shape, leaf size, density and surface texture, for example. The flowers ice the cake.
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And The Winner of the "Succulent Container Gardens" Book Is....
1 commentIt's not easy growing succulents in the Pacific Northwest, or other cold, wet climates. Here's some advice from the best source around...
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Growing A Greener World is Must See TV
2 commentsJoe Lamp'l’s newest, greenest, most ambitious TV adventure is Growing A Greener World, now showing on multiple public television stations around the country. This impeccably produced, lusciously filmed HD video, 30-minute weekly show is a top-notch visual treat, but it’s the content that has me so excited.
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Pasadena Open Days Tour Part II - Urbanite!
4 commentsMy last blog post offered a few design lessons from my recent Open Days Tour in Pasadena, CA. The gardens were beautiful, but what really caught my eye was a simple, free, plentiful, sustainable construction material you can find just about everywhere.
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My Very First Garden Conservancy Open Days Tour!
It was all Lin’s idea. After reading an eye-catching article in the Los Angeles Times, my spousal support unit suggested we spend the a next Sunday in Pasadena, strolling other people’s gardens (without fear of getting arrested for trespassing). No way I could turn down an offer like that.
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Book Review and Giveaway: Succulent Container Gardens
76 commentsRead the review, log in, and post a comment. One lucky person will win a copy of Succulent Container Gardens by Debra Lee Baldwin.
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In A Dinosaur's Garden
7 commentsOn my second day in the cavernous halls of the San Francisco Flower and Garden Show, I discovered Sproutopia in a generous side room. The folks at the show thoughtfully created a space where the...
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About this column
Enter the world of sustainable gardening with Billy Goodnick's "Cool Green Gardens" blog. Billy lives in Santa Barbara, CA, and delivers a West Coast perspective on landscape design that will translate into your own backyard. Check out CGG for great ideas on reducing your impact on the environment and creating a landscape that is an extension of your home.Billy Goodnick, a landscape architect, educator and writer, shares the wisdom he has gathered from thirty-five years of retail nursery sales, landscaping, designing and teaching. He'll challenge your assumptions while putting a smile on your face with his off-the-wall humor.
Whether you're seeking to fine-tune your existing garden or are starting with a clean slate, Cool Green Gardens is your go-to resource for sustainable ideas, innovation and inspiration.
