Copyright (c) 2009 CraftStylish.com en-us Fine Gardening - "Sustainable Landscaping: Cool Green Gardens By Billy Goodnick" blog entries http://www.finegardening.com/blog/sustainable-landscaping Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:10:08 -0500 Fine Gardening - "Sustainable Landscaping: Cool Green Gardens By Billy Goodnick" blog entries http://www.finegardening.com/assets/images/cs_logo_sm.jpg http://www.finegardening.com/blog/sustainable-landscaping Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:55:00 -0500 http://www.finegardening.com/item/12386/easy-garden-simulations-win-a-free-design-book http://www.finegardening.com/item/12386/easy-garden-simulations-win-a-free-design-book Posted by CoolGreenGardens
What 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... ]]> http://www.finegardening.com/item/12386/easy-garden-simulations-win-a-free-design-book Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:19:02 -0500 http://www.finegardening.com/item/12345/wrapping-up-raleigh-really http://www.finegardening.com/item/12345/wrapping-up-raleigh-really Posted by CoolGreenGardens
My 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. ]]> http://www.finegardening.com/item/12345/wrapping-up-raleigh-really Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:44:24 -0400 http://www.finegardening.com/item/11971/planting-design-lessons-from-raleigh-nc http://www.finegardening.com/item/11971/planting-design-lessons-from-raleigh-nc Posted by CoolGreenGardens
Blessing 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. ]]> http://www.finegardening.com/item/11971/planting-design-lessons-from-raleigh-nc Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:37:27 -0400 http://www.finegardening.com/item/11955/win-a-copy-of-designer-plant-combinations http://www.finegardening.com/item/11955/win-a-copy-of-designer-plant-combinations Posted by CoolGreenGardens
This 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. ]]> http://www.finegardening.com/item/11955/win-a-copy-of-designer-plant-combinations Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:35:00 -0400 http://www.finegardening.com/item/11876/could-you-keep-a-straight-face-coyote-pee-interview http://www.finegardening.com/item/11876/could-you-keep-a-straight-face-coyote-pee-interview Posted by CoolGreenGardens
Welcome 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. ]]> http://www.finegardening.com/item/11876/could-you-keep-a-straight-face-coyote-pee-interview Sat, 03 Oct 2009 12:32:03 -0400 http://www.finegardening.com/item/11843/bovine-biscuits-get-a-new-lease-on-life http://www.finegardening.com/item/11843/bovine-biscuits-get-a-new-lease-on-life Posted by CoolGreenGardens
“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. ]]> http://www.finegardening.com/item/11843/bovine-biscuits-get-a-new-lease-on-life Tue, 15 Sep 2009 02:38:54 -0400 http://www.finegardening.com/item/11401/rethinking-the-suburban-lawn-national-coalition-launches-new-website http://www.finegardening.com/item/11401/rethinking-the-suburban-lawn-national-coalition-launches-new-website Posted by CoolGreenGardens
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. ]]> http://www.finegardening.com/item/11401/rethinking-the-suburban-lawn-national-coalition-launches-new-website Fri, 04 Sep 2009 19:39:50 -0400 http://www.finegardening.com/item/11396/why-are-you-working-so-hard-blow-up-your-rototiller http://www.finegardening.com/item/11396/why-are-you-working-so-hard-blow-up-your-rototiller Posted by CoolGreenGardens
Skip 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. ]]> http://www.finegardening.com/item/11396/why-are-you-working-so-hard-blow-up-your-rototiller Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:39:56 -0400 http://www.finegardening.com/item/11100/computer-controlled-cauliflower-when-software-meets-spinach http://www.finegardening.com/item/11100/computer-controlled-cauliflower-when-software-meets-spinach Posted by CoolGreenGardens
Wouldn'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... ]]> http://www.finegardening.com/item/11100/computer-controlled-cauliflower-when-software-meets-spinach Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:14:07 -0400 http://www.finegardening.com/item/11023/snakes-in-your-garden http://www.finegardening.com/item/11023/snakes-in-your-garden CoolGreenGardens
You’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... ]]> http://www.finegardening.com/item/11023/snakes-in-your-garden Mon, 10 Aug 2009 11:49:27 -0400 http://www.finegardening.com/item/10883/gone-with-the-wind http://www.finegardening.com/item/10883/gone-with-the-wind Posted by CoolGreenGardens
Yes, 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... ]]> http://www.finegardening.com/item/10883/gone-with-the-wind Wed, 05 Aug 2009 12:10:03 -0400 http://www.finegardening.com/item/10851/irrigation-gizmos-gadgets-part-ii http://www.finegardening.com/item/10851/irrigation-gizmos-gadgets-part-ii Posted by CoolGreenGardens
The 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... ]]> http://www.finegardening.com/item/10851/irrigation-gizmos-gadgets-part-ii Fri, 31 Jul 2009 01:22:33 -0400 http://www.finegardening.com/item/10751/irrigation-gizmos-and-gadgets-part-i http://www.finegardening.com/item/10751/irrigation-gizmos-and-gadgets-part-i Posted by CoolGreenGardens
Have you ever looked at the surface of your soil and thought, “Man, that looks dry; I’d better break out the hose”? If so, I envy your moisture-sensing x-ray vision! How else would you explain your super hero ability to know the amount of moisture below the soil just by observing the top 1/16” of crust? ]]> http://www.finegardening.com/item/10751/irrigation-gizmos-and-gadgets-part-i Mon, 20 Jul 2009 18:05:46 -0400 http://www.finegardening.com/item/10127/part-ii-its-like-road-rage-only-wetter http://www.finegardening.com/item/10127/part-ii-its-like-road-rage-only-wetter Posted by CoolGreenGardens
Road rage: A motorist's uncontrolled anger usually provoked by the behavior of another driver. The affliction is officially recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. "Water rage," however, is not yet listed. But if it were, I'd probably be the poster child. ]]> http://www.finegardening.com/item/10127/part-ii-its-like-road-rage-only-wetter Thu, 09 Jul 2009 00:27:20 -0400 http://www.finegardening.com/item/9824/part-i-when-the-well-runs-dry http://www.finegardening.com/item/9824/part-i-when-the-well-runs-dry Posted by CoolGreenGardens
Perhaps it’s just a passing cycle, just a blip. Maybe next year the skies will open up and we’ll all be fine. I’m usually a cockeyed optimist, but not anymore—not when it comes to the big unknowns of climate change. ]]> http://www.finegardening.com/item/9824/part-i-when-the-well-runs-dry Fri, 26 Jun 2009 01:20:06 -0400 http://www.finegardening.com/item/9627/too-bad-my-dogs-color-blind-sizzling-hot-colors-of-summer http://www.finegardening.com/item/9627/too-bad-my-dogs-color-blind-sizzling-hot-colors-of-summer Posted by CoolGreenGardens
I was walking my dog the other afternoon and as is frequently the case, I had my trusty camera with me. Biff the Wonder Spaniel is a patient soul, waiting as I compose my shots. We were just taking a short neighborhood walk as the sun was shooing away the last of the gloom when I noticed that we were surrounded by all the hot colors of summer. ]]> http://www.finegardening.com/item/9627/too-bad-my-dogs-color-blind-sizzling-hot-colors-of-summer Fri, 19 Jun 2009 23:55:00 -0400 http://www.finegardening.com/item/9443/flowers-from-a-bad-sci-fi-flick http://www.finegardening.com/item/9443/flowers-from-a-bad-sci-fi-flick Posted by CoolGreenGardens
Every once in a while I run across a plant I just can't figure out how to use. The other-worldly flower of Puya alpestris dazzled and confounded me once again. ]]> http://www.finegardening.com/item/9443/flowers-from-a-bad-sci-fi-flick Sat, 13 Jun 2009 10:00:00 -0400 http://www.finegardening.com/item/9182/you-love-to-garden-are-you-ready-to-turn-pro http://www.finegardening.com/item/9182/you-love-to-garden-are-you-ready-to-turn-pro Posted by CoolGreenGardens
The big news from my San Diego visit was that this professional economist, wife and mother had just enrolled in the horticulture program at Cuyamaca Community College, majoring in landscape design! There’s an enthusiastic “I can DO this” demeanor that pours from Roberta Correia and convinces me that she will soon be a force to be reckoned with. ]]> http://www.finegardening.com/item/9182/you-love-to-garden-are-you-ready-to-turn-pro Fri, 05 Jun 2009 22:50:00 -0400 http://www.finegardening.com/item/8939/why-not-replace-your-plants-with-styrofoam http://www.finegardening.com/item/8939/why-not-replace-your-plants-with-styrofoam Posted by CoolGreenGardens
Maybe I’m missing something and you can straighten me out. I’ve been under the impression that people put plants in their yards because they want to bring a little bit of nature into their lives. ]]> http://www.finegardening.com/item/8939/why-not-replace-your-plants-with-styrofoam Wed, 27 May 2009 01:00:00 -0400 http://www.finegardening.com/item/8558/do-you-suffer-from-one-of-each-itis http://www.finegardening.com/item/8558/do-you-suffer-from-one-of-each-itis Posted by CoolGreenGardens
For gardeners, impulse shopping is hard to avoid when everything at the nursery is calling to you. Don't distress. There's a cure for what ails you and it doesn't require the use of pharmaceuticals. ]]> http://www.finegardening.com/item/8558/do-you-suffer-from-one-of-each-itis