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Taking On Lawn Alternatives With The Garden Designers Roundtable
5 commentsOther than a place to teach your dog to play lacrosse, I don't see much use for conventional turf lawns. So I knew just what I'd write about when the Garden Designers Roundtable asked me to write an article about lawn alternatives. And the perfect topic for getting the discussion in gear is Reimagining the California Lawn, even if you garden 3000 miles away.
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Healthy Skepticism for a Healthy Garden - Win A Free Copy of The Informed Gardener!
70 commentsLinda Chalker-Scott, didn't set out to be a matador, hell-bent on goring gardening's sacred cows. But somebody needed to bust the myths we carry into our gardens.
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Airplanes In The Garden -- Kids, Butterflies, and Summer Fun
2 commentsSummer's almost here, so what better way to get kids outside than growing your own butterfly garden? Joan Calder's book will entertain kids and guarantees some good, clean, dirty fun.
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Before You Dig, Get "Fit To Garden"
2 commentsStacy Walters' website is filled with everything you need to garden strong, garden smart, and garden safely. There's no reason to stall the start of spring with a case of sore muscles.
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I'm Branching Out Into Archaeology: Blame the Wisteria
8 commentsI’ve yet to see a documentary on the ancient migratory trail of the Wisterians, who evidently passed through Santa Barbara, leaving barely a trace. Without a reliable body of research I can only conjecture that they appeared about 14,000 years ago.
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Hot Tubbing with Jeffrey Gordon Smith?
3 commentsJeffrey Gordon Smith’s designs are not about what he calls “the flavor of the month,” like “Muscany” (Morocco meets Tuscany). “I don’t think garden designers should be pushing the past on gardens,” referring to the typical cookie-cutter gimmicks some designers reach for.
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Foliage Foundations and Gnasty Gnomes (the Gs are silent)
5 commentsWhat if the gnomes in your garden were practical jokers? You can outsmart them by planting a garden where form and foliage reign.
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Washing Machines and Art Collide in a Santa Barbara Garden
4 comments"Honey, I'm so proud of you taking a sculpture class. And I'm sure there's a perfect spot near the hose bibb." Unfortunately, that's how a lot of "art" winds up in the garden.
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Your New Years Resolution - Get Thee To A Garden Show
1 commentAt this very moment some of the most imaginative garden designers are hunkered down at their drawing boards putting the finishing touches on displays that'll knock your socks off.
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Did Vertical Gardening Start During The Gold Rush?
1 commentThe eastern face of Telegraph Hill looked wild and inaccessible, like El Capitan rising from the floor of Yosemite Valley. The rock face cascaded with ribbons of green, framed by the shimmering golden foliage of poplar trees. Fortunately, we weren't going to need a Sherpa or oxygen masks to mount our assault - we'd hoof it a couple of blocks to the Filbert Steps and take the more civilized route.
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A Book That Fattens Your Wallet and Warms Your Home
If you're interested in reducing your energy bills and making your landscaping more beautiful, Sue Reed's book, Energy-Wise Landscape Design belongs on your holiday gift list.
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Dumber Than A Potted Plant? Not So Fast
2 commentsA drizzly day in San Diego, a camera, and mass confusion about what to write about. Then I noticed what brilliant structural engineers plants could be. It's all about resisting The Big G -- GRAVITY!
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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.
