Up on the Roof
Plant a rooftop; change your life. That’s Pamela Berstler’s mission. By converting conventional heat-generating roofs into energy- saving ecosyste…
Seasons: Spring
Sweet Meadows
I stepped off the road into the meadows. Quickly knee-deep in a green sea, I was bathed in a sweet fragrance that rose not from individual flowers but…
When It Pours…Let Nature Do the Watering
Tyson set aside a small, curbside section of a garden he was creating in Berkeley (Sunset zone 16/17), attempting to free himself from the “the tyra…
From Forest to Bluff, Shade to Sun: Heronswood to Windcliff
Dan Hinkley left behind a shady woodland garden, not well suited to sun-loving plants, when he moved to the sun-baked bluff at Windcliff and created a…
Fragrance in Wild Western Gardens: Irises
In California, the best smelling wild irises are to be discovered from around San Jose northward to Laytonville (in Mendocino County), or Garberville …
Clematis for Small Spaces
The subtitle of Raymond Evison’s latest book, “150 High-performance Plants for Patios, Decks, Balconies and Borders,” will no doubt lure those relatively uninitiated to clematis…
Thistle Lovers All: The Cobwebby Thistle as Habitat
The beautiful cobwebby thistle (Cirsium occidentale) is nearing the end of its life cycle in my Novato garden. It’s almost June, and I watch as the …
Lessons from the NPA Borders: Spring Tasks
Early spring is a good time for a stroll around the Northwest Perennial Alliance Borders at the Bellevue Botanical Garden. A visit will not only offer…
Santa Clara University’s Wall of Climbing Roses
Today, some 250 kinds of climbing roses cover a half-mile-long wrought iron fence along the eastern border of Santa Clara University, effectively prov…