Although this wasn’t the main goal of our sabbatical in France, it was definitely part of our explorations. France has a lot of public spaces and often budgets that allow interesting work to be done using native stone and other materials. The goal was to find patterns and materials we can adapt to our designsContinue reading “Staring at the ground in France: paving surfaces”
Category Archives: General
When art meets invention: a modular grill with mosaic art
No pizza oven? Everyone really expected us to build a pizza oven. Although we’d love one, we didn’t want to spend the time waiting for it to heat up (hours) nor did we want something that only did oven things. We wanted it all: grilling, indirect heat, pit roasting, baking, side heat rotisserie… and forContinue reading “When art meets invention: a modular grill with mosaic art”
Here come the wildflowers!
Drawing plans and designing native plant gardens is one thing. Seeing the plants in nature is another. For one thing, some of these plants aren’t easy to establish, and others are next to impossible to find in any nursery. Looking at how the plants grow in nature, what they’re associated with, and which colors naturallyContinue reading “Here come the wildflowers!”
6 tips for restaurants who are ready to reinvent their outdoor dining areas
You’ve spent a fair sum of money on your restaurant’s interior. What about outside? A great patio space can help your restaurant become a favorite during the many months when the weather is too nice to dine indoors. Here are six things to consider It’s not just seating. There should be some kind of POSContinue reading “6 tips for restaurants who are ready to reinvent their outdoor dining areas”
The 3 secrets of adaptive reuse that everyone misses
Everyone involved in green building knows the benefits of adaptive reuse. You get a new space from an old building, perhaps not the same function as the original, but something that shares the area’s history and perhaps brings new functions to the surroundings. 1. It’s not just the building. Can the building’s surrounding landscaping beContinue reading “The 3 secrets of adaptive reuse that everyone misses”
Trimming time for the grasses & sedges
Time to trim the meadow: bringing the height down makes room for new growth and eliminates old dead stalks.
Not just for the butterflies: California Dutchman’s Pipe
California Dutchman’s pipe vines flower in winter, feed caterpillars and are native to California. Interesting flowers, easy care and ecological benefits, all in one easy to grow plant!
Monterey Park garden growing up
Progress photos of a Los Angeles area subtropical garden designed to save water and be interesting year round.
Down with binders!
The office bookcase sagged under the weight of years of accumulated binders filled with catalogs, promos, product information, new plant announcements, those samples of fake grass that arrived one day long ago… Binders are part of an old paradigm, where companies kept everyone up to date by periodically visiting, throwing out the old data and replacingContinue reading “Down with binders!”
Time to cut back the California asters
After months of steady growth, the asters were reaching for the sky, with an average height of about 54 inches. Time to act. Last year, some of the asters were trimmed too late, almost completely eliminating their flowers. Others were done earlier, resulting at a solid floral display held below eye height. Untrimmed, the plantsContinue reading “Time to cut back the California asters”