Wordless Wednesday

 Gaillardia 

Ornamental Peppers

Echinacea

If you would like help beautifying your life, think about creating a garden with me. You can call me at 661-917-3521, contact me via email at julie@thegrassisalwaysgreener.net or visit my website

The Santa Ana Winds Are Upon Us

Driving out of the Santa Clarita Valley where I do most of my Landscape Design, heading toward the city on Friday, made me realize that it is time to send out a reminder about the wind and the health of your plants.  Watching the wind whip up the dirt around the freeways, was a great wake up call for me.  So, here is some information that is perfect reading for this week.  How To Protect Your Plants From Wind.

I just took a little tour around my garden and found a need for some additional staking in more than one place! Enjoy the lovely cooler weather that October brings us, but don't forget your plants may need a little extra care.  (Yes, that is Velcro plant tape on my pretty Blue/Purple Ginger plant - gotta keep that wealth corner happy!)


If you would like help beautifying your life, think about creating a garden with me. You can call me at 661-917-3521, contact me via email at julie@thegrassisalwaysgreener.net or visit my website.

Wordless Wednesday

Milla biflora 

Chrysanthemum 

Festuca glauca 

If you would like help beautifying your life, think about creating a garden with me. You can call me at 661-917-3521, contact me via email at julie@thegrassisalwaysgreener.net or visit my website

October Inspiration

As a Landscape Designer in the Santa Clarita Valley, nature and inspiration are very important to me. I find my inspiration mostly outside because that is where I can really explore all my senses.

I am constantly seeing new plants, rocks, and design patterns wherever I go; scent is usually next – I walk past a fragrant flower, or brush a fragrant perennial or shrub and memories visit. I actually find that for me, the plants that I touch to release scents are usually the most evocative. Crushing the leaves of a pineapple sage, rubbing some scented geraniums, and trimming California sage are all things that I enjoy.

That brings me to touch, I’m very tactile with plants – as I brush past and must feel the leaves and flowers so texture is very important to me. I love the fleecy texture of lamb’s ears, the towering softness of an Agave flower stalk, and even the rough feel of sandpaper verbena (one of my new favorites).

 
My ears tune in to the friendly chirp of birds enjoying the berries on a Toyon, the hummingbirds zipping by on their quest for nectar add to the lovely wind chimes and the soft swish of grasses and plants with umbels.

Then there is taste – I’m an avid edible gardener and love to explore the addition of edibles in my garden and the gardens of others. My summer veggies, figs and grapes are gone for the year but my new crop of winter vegetables is just beginning and my kumquats and Oro Blanco Grapefruits are starting to mature. Winter is going to be a delicious season at home!

I think that every season has it proper time to take a pause to not only smell the roses but to decide if you want to make any changes to those roses you’ve planted in your garden. I am counting on the weather to start cooling down soon, so I can take some strolls in the afternoons but so far my inspirational walks have be relegated to the early morning and evenings. Getting out into nature is good for the soul, and if you have a garden (or want to have one) it is one of the greatest ways to find new ideas, revisit old garden loves and make plans.

Take time for yourself, your family, and your pets and get outside and enjoy yourself. After you’ve taken your stroll, sit down with your favorite beverage and jot some notes down about the things you saw and how they made you feel. Next step is to collect photographs (you can take them yourself or find them online) and keep them together with your notes. If you do this on a regular basis, you’ll be surprised how fast you have formulated your dream garden.

So, it’s time to get out into nature, find some inspiration and … call me if you have questions.

Wordless Wednesday

If you would like help beautifying your life, think about creating a garden with me. You can call me at 661-917-3521, contact me via email at julie@thegrassisalwaysgreener.net or visit my website

What To Do In Your Southern California Garden In October

As a landscape designer in the Santa Clarita Valley, I like to provide some help for your gardens so now that the weather is starting to feel wonderful; bye, bye 100 degrees - hello Fall!  Here is  a list of things you'll want to take care of in your garden this month.

Have fun!


If you would like help beautifying your life, think about creating a garden with me. You can call me at 661-917-3521, contact me via email at julie@thegrassisalwaysgreener.net or visit my website

Wordless Wednesday

Amaryllis

Golden Roses

Zinnias

If you would like help beautifying your life, think about creating a garden with me. You can call me at 661-917-3521, contact me via email at julie@thegrassisalwaysgreener.net or visit my website

Clouds

I'm making this a Semi-Wordless Saturday... next week you'll have your tasks for the month.

If you would like help beautifying your life, think about creating a garden with me. You can call me at 661-917-3521, contact me via email at julie@thegrassisalwaysgreener.net or visit my website.

Wordless Wednesday

Dichorisandra thyrsiflora (Blue Ginger)

Dragonfly

If you would like help beautifying your life, think about creating a garden with me. You can call me at 661-917-3521, contact me via email at julie@thegrassisalwaysgreener.net or visit my website.