Copyright (c) 2010 CraftStylish.com en-us Fine Gardening - "Sustainable Landscaping: Cool Green Gardens By Billy Goodnick" blog entries http://www.finegardening.com/blog/sustainable-landscaping Tue, 16 Mar 2010 03:51:19 -0400 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 Sat, 06 Mar 2010 18:53:07 -0500 http://www.finegardening.com/item/13883/i-discovered-a-new-plant http://www.finegardening.com/item/13883/i-discovered-a-new-plant Posted by CoolGreenGardens
I'm not exactly Mr. Botany, but the excitement of discovering a new species of plant was almost more than I could stand. At first, the magnitude of my discovery didn’t compute. I at a client’s property dragging a measuring tape with my right hand, scribbling numbers with my left, and video-recording with the other. ]]> http://www.finegardening.com/item/13883/i-discovered-a-new-plant Sun, 14 Feb 2010 15:29:26 -0500 http://www.finegardening.com/item/13810/grocery-gardening-a-new-look-at-growing-your-own http://www.finegardening.com/item/13810/grocery-gardening-a-new-look-at-growing-your-own Posted by CoolGreenGardens
This new book on growing your own food gets my Cool Green Gardens seal of approval. It not only provides rock-solid information about the science and art of growing your own, but explains how to get their in sustainable style. ]]> http://www.finegardening.com/item/13810/grocery-gardening-a-new-look-at-growing-your-own Fri, 05 Feb 2010 10:18:04 -0500 http://www.finegardening.com/item/13783/looking-at-green-through-rose-colored-glasses http://www.finegardening.com/item/13783/looking-at-green-through-rose-colored-glasses Posted by CoolGreenGardens
I don’t know about you, but I’m still trying to get my brain around the word green. Who’s to say if a product or service is “eco-friendly” or not? This is part two of my time at the LA Go Green Expo, where I keep my BS-detector on standby. ]]> http://www.finegardening.com/item/13783/looking-at-green-through-rose-colored-glasses Tue, 26 Jan 2010 23:59:08 -0500 http://www.finegardening.com/item/13666/cool-green-expo-tripping-around-la-with-shirley-bovshow http://www.finegardening.com/item/13666/cool-green-expo-tripping-around-la-with-shirley-bovshow Posted by CoolGreenGardens
If you're working your way to a more sustainable lifestyle, the Go Green Expo is the place to be. And what better way to spend a Saturday than hanging with Garden World Report's Shirley Bovshow? ]]> http://www.finegardening.com/item/13666/cool-green-expo-tripping-around-la-with-shirley-bovshow Sun, 10 Jan 2010 00:45:39 -0500 http://www.finegardening.com/item/13058/join-me-at-the-sf-flower-garden-show-this-spring http://www.finegardening.com/item/13058/join-me-at-the-sf-flower-garden-show-this-spring Posted by CoolGreenGardens
It's not every day you get to drool over fabulous gardens, meet famous authors, learn from experts and enjoy the camaraderie of like minded gardeners. And all this for $16? You've gotta be kidding. ]]> http://www.finegardening.com/item/13058/join-me-at-the-sf-flower-garden-show-this-spring Tue, 05 Jan 2010 17:35:38 -0500 http://www.finegardening.com/item/13016/when-the-fig-leaf-falls-sensuous-forms-appears http://www.finegardening.com/item/13016/when-the-fig-leaf-falls-sensuous-forms-appears Posted by CoolGreenGardens
As I scrambled to capture this public display on my camera, images of tattered, torrid romance novels cartwheeled past my mind’s eye. You know, like the paperbacks with the square jawed hero, blond hair blowing Favio-like, poofy pirate shirt ripped to the navel. And always the ravaged, redhead damsel nearly collapsed in his sinewy, suntanned arms. ]]> http://www.finegardening.com/item/13016/when-the-fig-leaf-falls-sensuous-forms-appears Sat, 26 Dec 2009 16:48:00 -0500 http://www.finegardening.com/item/12934/when-bad-taste-meets-power-tools http://www.finegardening.com/item/12934/when-bad-taste-meets-power-tools Posted by CoolGreenGardens
We love to pore over garden articles with luscious pictures of beautiful landscapes. Me, I get a kick out of finding the worst of the worst and holding them up for ridicule. My intention is to provide positive lessons using bad examples – the stuff that either makes you laugh out loud or contemplate gouging your own eyes out. There are so many out there to choose from. ]]> http://www.finegardening.com/item/12934/when-bad-taste-meets-power-tools Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:29:44 -0500 http://www.finegardening.com/item/12796/dont-turn-up-the-thermostat-look-at-these-pictures http://www.finegardening.com/item/12796/dont-turn-up-the-thermostat-look-at-these-pictures Posted by CoolGreenGardens
It's nearly winter in Santa Barbara too, but you wouldn't know it from all of the hot stuff in bloom right now. Our landscapes are bursting with vibrant colors while poinsettias add their scorching red heat to the mix. ]]> http://www.finegardening.com/item/12796/dont-turn-up-the-thermostat-look-at-these-pictures Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:52:42 -0500 http://www.finegardening.com/item/12646/announcing-book-giveaway-winners-calhoun-congrats http://www.finegardening.com/item/12646/announcing-book-giveaway-winners-calhoun-congrats Posted by CoolGreenGardens
Meet the three lucky winners of the Designer Plant Combinations book give-away. ]]> http://www.finegardening.com/item/12646/announcing-book-giveaway-winners-calhoun-congrats 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