California is in a drought, and it looks like this is not going to be a rare event going forward. So we’re getting selective. This means losing potential clients, who may not share these values. “I don’t want your values in my backyard!” anonymus caller No, that did not go well. Never mind that they’reContinue reading “Did we become snotty tree huggers? Or just insist on designing for the future?”
Category Archives: insects
A tapestry of colors for a front yard
Low-growing plants create a tapestry of color, punctuated by bold agaves, backed by taller shrubs and trees. It’s a great place for hummingbirds and pollinators, too. This garden has been growing for several years now, and has moved into the phase where maintenance centers on keeping the plants in bound as opposed to letting weedsContinue reading “A tapestry of colors for a front yard”
Butterflies in the garden
Our butterfly bush gets numerous visitors as butterflies emerge. The garden also gets the occasional dragonfly who snatches small flying insects in the air and devours them. So far, we’ve had about six species of butterflies and three species of dragonflies. butterflies Butterflies have scaly wings, hence their name in Latin, lepidoptera. So if oneContinue reading “Butterflies in the garden”
Staying home… in the garden
Between working remotely on projects, our garden is the place to go. There’s always something happening if you look closely enough. Every day is different: new flowers in, old flowers out. Different birds. Strange insects and spiders that appear as you sit and watch the plants.
Deer Grass: a pollen source for honeybees!
Grasses are supposed to be wind pollinated, so bees should ignore them, right. Actually, no. Our local honeybees have discovered that deer grass produces lots of usable pollen. They come in numbers to gather pollen, storing on their back legs as bright yellow balls. Another funny thing is that deer grass is native, but honeybeesContinue reading “Deer Grass: a pollen source for honeybees!”
Pollinators
What’s the best pollinator plant in the garden right now? Mint! Just plain old mint, grown from cuttings from the supermarket. The second best, native narrow-leaf milkweed. Although many of the insects are the same, some preferred the mint, shunning the milkweed. Variety is king! Quite a swarm out there Bees These include sweat bees,Continue reading “Pollinators”
Renewing the meadow
Timing is critical: renew too early and there might be some leftover seeds that the birds would have loved to eat. Too late, and you’ll be removing new growth as it starts at the end of winter. Then there’s rain: this meadow doubles as a rain garden, so if you cut too soon after aContinue reading “Renewing the meadow”
Evening Primroses spring open after sunset
After the sun sets, these flowers spring open in seconds. The trick is being there when it happens, since they take their time getting ready. The flowers in the video were shot at normal speed, no time lapse, no acceleration. The entire sequence was over a a bit under 30 minutes, starting just after sunset.Continue reading “Evening Primroses spring open after sunset”
A tale of two landscapes…
One client wanted a classic, contemporary look with minimal maintenance. The landscape should look good all year long, and color comes from foliage contrast, not flowers that have to be clipped after blooming. The other wanted a haven for birds, especially hummingbirds, something full of flowers and seeds, where seasonal maintenance was and accepted trade-offContinue reading “A tale of two landscapes…”
Bringing the ‘burbs to life
When we started, there were plants, a bird bath and bird feeders. The plants for the most part did nothing to feed the birds. Native insects likewise did not come here for fine dining.
With this makeover, that’s all changed. The bird bath is now a recirculating fountain. The bird feeders remain, but now there’s a veritable smorgasbord for visiting birds, with insects buzzing around a host of new native flowers.