Susan Morrison's Blog, page 5

Wordless Wednesday: Hiking the Marin Headlands

On Sunday, Nick and I joined my sister and brother-in-law for an eight mile hike beginning at the Marin Headlands visitors center and ending at Stinson Beach. Beautiful weather and incredible views, though my sore calves beg to differ with the guidebook's statement that this is a leisurely stroll. Here's a taste of what we saw.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Garden Designers Roundtable: Garden Design Reality Check

 

This month, the Garden Designers Roundtable is taking a timeout for a reality check – those garden design ideas that you know will cause problems down the road, yet wind up in the plan anyway. The following are a few of the ways my clients and gardening friends have turned a blind eye to reality. (Okay, and me too.)

 

Reality Check #1: You live in a house, not a magazine

No one enjoys flipping through the pages of a glossy shelter magazine more than I do, and they can be a great source of...

Plants for Small Gardens: Weeping Trees go Vertical

Snow Fountains 'Weeping Cherry'

all images courtesy of Maria Zampini

Just as there's more than one way to skin a cat (I'm taking this on faith, of course, as I prefer my kitties fully-furred), there's more than one way to fit a beloved plant into a small space. In Garden Up! Smart Vertical Gardening For Small and Large Spaces, Rebecca and I describe many strategies for working in small, tight spaces: choosing vertical plants; layering up, not out; and using your walls, fences or arbors as...

Say No to SOPA

I'm not going black today, mostly because I haven't got a clue how to do that on a Typepad blog. But in solidarity and support, I'm encouraing you let congress know you disagree with the Stop Online Piracy Act. This site by google sums it up nicely AND makes it easy for you to add your name to the online petition. The latest information is also available in a Huffington Post article.

 

From Google:

"Millions of Americans oppose SOPA and PIPA because these bills would censor the ...

Wordless Wednesday: The Gardens of Yountville

When you live 40 minutes away from the Napa Valley and are blessed with an unusually beautiful Saturday in January, there's really no better way to spend it than lunch, wine-tasting and garden-hoping in Yountville.

We began at Domain Chandon, which has extensive grounds punctuated by majestic oaks and whimsical artwork. (FYI we only tried the bubbles, not the oysters.)

 

 

 

After fortifying ourselves with a lunch at Bouchon, we grabbed our camera and headed down the street to Maison Fleurie...

Ring in 2012 with these New Plant Introductions

Eat less, volunteer more, draw or write daily in my journal – all examples of past New Year's resolutions that were quietly discarded as the everyday pressures of work and life took precedence. This year, I'm making only one resolution and I know I'll enjoy keeping it: to experiment with as many new plants as possible.

One thing making my resolution easier is the APLD-sponsored new plant presentation I attended late last year, courtesy of Ryan Hall of Pacific Plug and Liner.  I'll be sharing ...

Merry Christmas! From my Computer to Yours 2011

As my clients and a few long time readers of my blog know, every year I design and illustrate a holiday card. I don't send out a newsletter and it's my way of staying in touch and thanking clients for letting me play in their gardens with them. But I also cherish the wonderful readers of my blog, so without more ado, here's this year's card (click to enlarge):

 

This year was more topical and silly – past cards have varied from humorous to sentimental. You can see past years here.

To all my...

Garden Designers Roundtable: Deer Resistant Garden Strategies

Photo courtesy of jonnnnnn

"All plant material to be low water and deer resistant, however, plants cannot be guaranteed deer proof."

Above is an excerpt from my standard contract when designing for clients who co-exist with deer. The fact that I feel the need to legally protect myself from deer-induced disappointment is a good indicator of how unhappy, angry and downright crazy people get when deer ravage their gardens. Of course, choosing deer resistant plants is the first line of defense...

Add a shot of vodka - your paperwhites will thank you

When I was a little girl, my granddad told me that coffee and cigarettes would stunt my growth, but for flowers, it's all about the booze.

I read on-line that adding one part alcohol (such as vodka) to 7 parts water keeps paperwhites from getting too big and flopping over.  You wait until the plants are 1/2 to an inch high, then switch from regular water to the 7-1 mix. I wasn't paying attention, so mine were about 2 inches high before I introduced them to to the 24/7 cocktail hour.  This...

Susan's 2011 Best of the Back Yard List

It's been pretty exciting around here, lately.  I got my first Gelish manicure (day 15 and counting), my cat hasn't thrown up in two weeks…oh yeah, and Garden Up! made Amazon.com's Best Books of 2011 list. Not surprisingly, I'm most thrilled about the last bit, although Nick is more pleased about the cat. To make the experience even more awesome, out of only five garden books chosen, good friend and author extraordinaire Ivette Soler's wonderful The Edible Front Yard: The Mow-Less, Grow-More...