sweetrebecca

I haven't checked these comments in awhile and wanted to thank you all for such kind words. My garden is truly a labor of love and I'm really glad so many of you have enjoyed seeing it!

Antigonumcajun - you bring up some good points, but they're mostly misguided in terms of my own garden. I have no idea how many 'man-hours' I spend in it, as it's not something I find important enough to keep track of. During different seasons it can be a dozen/month or a dozen/week - it all depends. It's not work for me, though, but pure pleasure. Even when I'm on my hands and knees weeding or doing some other menial task, I love every minute of it. I try and garden as much as I can, but it's never enough since I have my own landscape design business and between that and writing books and traveling the country speaking, free time is something I'm left with very little of. I try and never use pesticides if possible, choosing organic methods instead. If you think I have a staff of gardeners you'd be wrong. Unless you count my husband and kids, then yes, I have a staff. My garden isn't as large as it might look here - the entire property is under 1/3 acre, with a modest ranch-sized home taking up the bulk of it. I use my own compost (though I don't get as much as I'd like). Yes, I water my garden but try and be conscious, preferring drought tolerant plants when possible and closely moderating when and how much the water goes on throughout the year. Though I must admit I've snuck in a few hydrangeas that are thirsty little guys. I've never claimed to be a purist, but I make an effort. I'm not really as fit as I'd like, and in fact will be going in for one of three surgeries this year. But I'm not really sure what that has to do with my garden anyway. And I'm sorry to say I'm not someone with 'no other worries in life' (is there really anyone out there like that?) but luckily gardening, when I have the chance, helps those worries melt away.

Thank you all so much for the kind words!! My mother has been suffering with knee problems this week and this will definitely lift her mood! So glad you all liked the photos as much as I did!

….and people think we don't have fall color out here in California! This is truly breathtaking, thanks for posting the photos!

Thank you so much, Michelle - you've done such an amazing job capturing my garden with your beautiful photos. And I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see my dearly departed Daisy again, too! My little dog loved that garden almost as much as I do! ;)

Being a fan of the fine art of cussing, I'm thrilled to discover yet another choice word to add to my vocabulary. Thanks for the enlightenment and laugh, Amanda!!

Can I get one to water, too? But not just water, but do it RIGHT so dirt doesn't splash out of the containers all over the place? If I kick down for a little extra $$ can I get one to re-locate all the spiders that are just now starting to make their face-high webs in my garden, too?

Thanks for telling me (yet again) the name of this plant. One of the coolest plants I've seen in a long, long time!

Thanks for keeping Daisy's memory alive, Michelle! I'm so glad you had the chance to know her sweet little spirit. Now you need to meet Buddy, my new garden helper that'll be joining our family this Thursday! I didn't think I would be ready for another dog so soon, but gardening just isn't the same without a little furry companion by my side!

Nice!! Can't wait to see it in person!! ;)

Ha! Yes, Vojt above is correct - its salvia. I had just finished ordering some lupine from Annie's Annuals when I wrote that caption so I had Lupine on the Brain!

This is actually quite stunning, in a very subtle way. I'm so glad you posted this photo! Combining evergreens with herbaceous plants is something that is definitely an art form, in my opinion. So often evergreens are just plunked into a garden bed seemingly separate from their surrounding neighbors. Looking forward to seeing more photos....

Beautiful example of gardening 'up'! I have my morning glories growing over my daughter's outgrown swingset and they're still going gangbusters....

My parents live in Auburn, CA where the soil is as red as this - and I'm with you. I used to hate it, but have grown to love it as it's truly beautiful with the surrounding oaks and fall's beautiful colors. 'Sense of Terroir' at its finest!

I love when succulents are used in unconventional ways - this is the perfect example! GORGEOUS!!

I love this little lizard! Especially reading that he lives in my favorite Oakland garden! Lucky, lucky lizard….

One of my very, very favorite places! I used to work next door at the DeYoung Museum, and would sneak over here for lunch, dining on tea and cookies in their teahouse. HEAVEN!!

What timing, Michelle! My very favorite gate of all time and very favorite gardeners of all time. In fact (believe it or not) I'm visiting with them tomorrow night so I get to see their garden in full-Summer mode!

Update! Our 2nd nest hatched over the weekend so I'm fairly confident we'll have lots of them to watch over the Summer! Kari - what I meant to imply was even though hundreds are hatched, it seems they get eaten by birds, other insects or migrate to neighbor's gardens so I'm usually only able to find one (or two if I'm lucky) each Summer.

Wow - to get compliments like this from Mr. GardenWiseGuy himself is enough to make one's head swell to huge proportions.....thank you so much! And can you tell I just ADORE Susan Morrison?

Looking forward to reading more about your fabulous trip, the gardens you visit, the people you meet.....

Don't you just HATE know-it-alls like Shecky?

This is beautiful, indeed! I've always read that you can let clematis scramble on the ground, but haven't seen one actually grown this way (except for the occasional close-up in a magazine photo)..this is great as it shows a large section of the bed and I must say it looks fantastic!!

Ahhh....I was lucky enough to see this garden and enjoy the 'trip down memory lane'! A gorgeous garden created by 2 wonderful people - thanks!

Great Idea! I've done this a TON at our local schools, but never for my neighbors. Since you've seen my neighborhood ('patchy' in areas is an understatement)...it's an excellent idea! Especially since I have so many gardening friends that would love to spruce up our street!

It's great seeing photos of your garden, too - so GREEN and lovely!

That explains why there's been so many 'Missing Cat' posters hanging around town lately....Hey - isn't that 'Fluffy' in the third photo? Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty...

Amen to THAT, Billy! In general, I think people tend to make things harder than they have to be - gardens, included. I'm so glad to see gardeners like yourself educating folks about the importance of working WITH nature and not against it. After all, Mother Nature always wins. ALWAYS.

I would definitely say it's a Sedum rupestre 'Angelina' - we garden in the Sierras (close to where you took this photo) and have it growing in our garden as well...

It always makes me laugh when people feel the need to 'correct' others and their opinions. To what end? Wouldn't it be boring if we all thought, looked, acted and gardened the same way? What fun is in that?

There's always people who feel the need to put others down in some sort of an effort to raise themselves up. Unfortunately, it just ends up lowering them even further.

I believe if someone is even THINKING about gardening, despite their personal tastes, that's a GOOD thing. And as we all know - credentials don't guarantee 'style'!! Facts, yes. Style, well...that's something you're born with.

Whether or not I like the plant you showed is irrelevant. Thanks for sharing - THAT'S what's important!

Love all the info! Personally I like the one from Sears (above). Since it doesn't rain much here in CA we could always use it to make a giant batch of ice tea!