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Easy Garden Simulations - Win A Free Design Book!
2 commentsWhat if you could simulate the garden of your dreams using software you already have on your computer? Imagine experimenting with flower and foliage combinations without spending a dime on a single plant or digging a hole? Grab a hot cuppa cocoa and read on...
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Wrapping Up Raleigh - Really!
6 commentsMy September trip to Raleigh NC was a fading memory until I ran across these fab photos of the plants and people who made the visit so special.
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Planting Design Lessons from Raleigh NC
3 commentsBlessing or curse, I find it difficult to look at a garden without awakening the design teacher in my brain. A voice in my head instantly starts deciphering the visual principles in place as if I were explaining the tableau to my students. I imagine it’s no different for a film critic enduring their brother-in-law’s home videos. Join me as I cruise this lovely garden and share a few design ideas you can use in your own garden.
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Win a copy of Designer Plant Combinations!
170 commentsThis book resonates with me on many levels - visually elegant, clearly and buoyantly written and chock full of down-to-earth plant information. You can win your own copy just by leaving a comment about your own garden combos.
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Could YOU Keep A Straight Face? Coyote Pee Interview
6 commentsWelcome to another fun article and interview from my recent visit to the Garden Writers Association trade exhibit in Raleigh, NC. With my nose for news, I sniffed out this promising product, a predator-pee infused pellet that triggers the natural fears of many garden pests, including deer, woodchucks and mice.
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Bovine Biscuits Get a New Lease on Life
“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” That is the essence of one of the exhibitors that Kate Frank and I visited in Raleigh last week. Darn! Now I have to delicately bridge the thought of lemonade and cow manure.
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Rethinking the Suburban Lawn: National Coalition Launches New Website
In Star Wars, Darth Vader sensed “a shift in The Force” when Luke Skywalker tapped his Jedi powers. I felt another shift today. A big piece of the sustainable landscaping puzzle fell into place. It takes the form of a new website I’m thrilled to be a part of. After two months of long-distance scheming, the Lawn Reform Coalition (LRC), a new campaign to change the American Lawn, launched today.
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Why Are You Working So Hard? Blow Up Your Rototiller
14 commentsSkip the soil amendment, toss the slow-release fertilizer, make your rototiller into a sculpture. Sustainable landscaping means responding to what nature gives you. Let's start using plants that are adapted to the soil and climate of your yard.
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Computer-controlled Cauliflower? When Software Meets Spinach
5 commentsWouldn't it be totally cool to be a professional futurist? You'd get a paycheck for predicting what the world will look like in a hundred years, then wait for everyone to die before they can tell...
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Snakes In Your Garden
8 commentsYou’ve probably heard people singing the praises of drip irrigation, which was developed in the early 60s in Israel. I thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread when it arrived on...
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Gone With The Wind
3 commentsYes, I'm still going on about water conservation. Well, why not? We're in the dog days of summer and I'm here to help you save a few gallons and a few bucks. Besides, if water is running off your...
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Irrigation Gizmos & Gadgets -- Part II
4 commentsThe Brainiacs of Irrigation Timers How close are we to living in a Jetson's futureworld? When it comes to irrigation technology, pretty darn close. "Smart controllers" represent the next wave of...
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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.
