First exercise,…then relax……completing a ‘relaxing’ project! Friends, I’ve been stretching, doing knee bends and weight-lifting! At the gym? No,…my latest big garden project! Not too big a deal but I’ve been meaning to spiff up my sad, little sitting area under the big oak and started this week, by finding new chair cushions.. Serene and…
Tim and Barbara’s garden, one year later If you remember, Tim and Barbara Fruehe of Oakhurst, CA, renovated their entire front and back gardens, installing drip irrigation, gravel paths, garden benches and iron arbors. It was a huge undertaking, but Tim had it all thought out and he and Barbara knew what they wanted, an…
Drought tolerant and colorful plants for any garden… Sometimes you find an ideal list of plants suitable for your area to save and keep. This time one of my customers at the nursery happened to bring in an especially nice one. We were able to impress each other,..they were because most of the plants they…
It is a commonly heard in casual remarks on gardening topics and maintaining a landscape in the Sierra Foothills that Manzanita and other chaparral plants must be cut down and removed because they are so very flammable. Yes, it is important to clear 100 feet of defensible space around your home, and yes, Manzanita can…
A nearly native drought tolerant garden Tim and Barbara Fruehe came into the True Value Garden Center with a list of needed plants that we could really work with! Their ambitious whole house-whole yard renovation was winding down and they were at the point where the outdoor hardscape was done and the soil was amended. …
In a series of Then and Now photos, it’s satisfying to look back nostalgically to see how far we have come. Bought in 2000, and in a completely natural area, we’ve striven to preserve the beauty of our 7 acres near the Sierra foothills of California, as we make a place for ourselves in this beautiful spot.…
When landscaping in a fire risk area, like the Central Sierra foothills of California, you normally have to keep a hundred foot fire safe barrier around your home. There is quite a bit of research done concerning plants that ignite slower and burn slower. First, protect your property by grooming the branches and brush 10 feet…
We have lived here for 8 months and five of those in the new house. As far as the garden goes, the first big priority was to dispose of the huge piles of construction debris…our responsibility according to our contract with Western Homes.
