Our new front yard, part 6: it’s all potential at this point

December 21, 2015

Back to the Garden, front yard series, Garden Design, Gardening

...project has made me aware of how often we expect instant results with our landscaping, and how this haste often comes at a price. I don’t mean money, though that is true as well. So often the homeowner or the designer installs way too many plants, and plants them too close to one another, so there is an instant sense of fullness in a newborn landscape. It looks good for a while, but inevitably the plants start to choke one another out. This eithe...

Read…

Our new front yard, part 4: a digression on the new paradigm

Mrs. Homegrown

November 19, 2015

Back to the Garden, front yard series, Garden Design, Gardening, Miscellaneous

5 Comments

...develop a new relationship with plants, and as a result, a new approach to landscaping. This is the path of the post-wild. New paths often run rough. Meanwhile, the lawn n’ shrub is a path worn into smoothness. In fact, it is a rut. So yes, learning to view the yard as a community takes some mind stretching and extra work. We are changing the lens by which we view our relationship to the natural world. (Dare I say we are becoming wise?) This is wo...

Read…

Emily, We’ll Miss You

Mr. Homegrown

July 21, 2015

Gardening

1 Comment

...on episode 20 of our podcast to discuss how to shift the mow, blow and go landscaping paradigm here in LA. Green wrote often about this problem as well as the consequences of climate change in our region. She’s was unafraid to take on LA’s corrupt and hypocritical politicians. Her voice here will be missed and there’s no replacement. I hope she’ll keep up her blog Chance of Rain. If you haven’t visited lately, you should check out her excellent t...

Read…

Mulch, mulch, mulch!

Mrs. Homegrown

May 14, 2015

Back to the Garden, Garden Design, Gardening, Permaculture, Soil

11 Comments

...ons due to mulches are unknown. Homeowners will continue to use mulches in landscaping around their houses and buildings. Our current recommendation is to be vigilant and up-to-date with termite inspection and treatment. Wood mulch robs nitrogen from the soil: There is also a persistent rumor going around that wood chips or shredded wood mulch robs the soil, and thus your plants, of nitrogen, so you shouldn’t mulch with wood products. While it’s t...

Read…

Garden Update Part II: The Good the Bad and a Lot of Ugly

Mr. Homegrown

March 4, 2019

Gardening

11 Comments

...eds and clutter here. Ugh, more junk. Here’s the nice new patio the Haynes landscaping folks built. The adobe oven is under a blue tarp. Blue tarps are the architectural equivalent of a comb over. The oven needs a little roof which, to extend the metaphor would be the architectural equivalent of a decent wig, if such a thing exists. And, man, do we need some outdoor furniture. Thankfully I came up with an idea for some outdoor furniture that I’ll...

Read…