susan_morrison

I'm a huge fan of this book! It's exciting to see so many terrific books either out, or coming out, on the topic of lawn alternatives.

I have to admit, I didn’t think you stood a chance going into this, Steve. I loved Michelle’s initial plant choices, in particular the addition of yellow blooms. And you can dress it up with all the manly-man language you want, but I recognize a lavender pot when I see one. But the final composition is quite lovely and has a very appealing asymmetrical quality. Adding the silver was genius.

I was with you until the part about "wakes you up before the rooster crows." Anything involving pre-dawn action is a deal breaker for me.

My water bill has averaged about 30% less than before I got a smart controller, but if you have a lawn, which I don't, the savings would most likely be greater. Plus, as you point out, my plants look great with no effort on my part AND no guilt that I'm not manually adjusting my controller every month - the only way to irrigate efficiently on your own.

I've been specifying these for several years now for my clients. For your readers who are considering installing one, a little more info: the Weathermatic is generally less expensive and because it relies on a weather station installed on site (usually on the roof where it won't be obstructed) there is no on-going fee. Some contractors have also told me they find it easier to program. The downside is you can't manually program individual stations; the programmed times are either on or off. So if you want to manually set irrigation times for a container garden or as in my case, where I am temporarily setting the times for a newly planted area, a Rainbird or Toro will allow you to mix manual and programmed stations.

P.S. With the rebate I got from my water district, I paid a net of only $50.00 for my smart controller!

Other commenters have already done a good job describing the joys of landscape design as well as the reality: it requires a much broader skill set than many realize and it can be challenging to earn a living. So although I would caution anyone considering this as a second career to go in with their eyes wide open, eight years ago I left a florishing corporate career to become a garden designer and have never regretted it, so I say go for it!

I've given talks on operating a garden design business to students in the past, and invariably some contact me looking for more information, which I'm always happy to give. I would advise Roberta to connect with local garden designers, who can give her a solid idea of the opportunities and challenges in her area.

Good luck, Roberta!

But you're assuming you are only at risk of catching this illness from a nursery or plant sale. What if your friends are all serial propagators? Plant lovers can never let down their guard!

I went to school at UCSB and still have friends there. Several were evacuated, but no one's home burned, although others, of course, were not so lucky.

Firescaping is a big topic in the East Bay in Northern California; specifically for those in high risk areas, on slopes, next to open space and in neighborhoods with restricted access. It certainly makes you rethink what makes a landscape or garden. But that's part of what makes gardening fun, always reinventing.

Thanks for the thoughtful post.