To guide you in your preparation you need a plan. A lot of time and money can be wasted if you take my initial approach and just go to the nearest nursery or big box store and pick up anything that catches your eye. There are a few guidelines that will help in the planning stage.

First, know your site. Every location has its own microclimate. Which just means that you need to take into consideration factors surrounding your home that affect the climate directly around it, and cause it to be different than the surrounding area. For instance, the way your house is situated, shade and shelter from trees, prevailing wind and nearby structures, to name a few. All of these affect the climate directly around your home and should influence your plant choices.

Next, keep it simple. Simple is low maintenance and we all want a beautiful yard without being a slave to it. This is accomplished by limiting the number of plant varieties you use. Be mindful of grouping only a few varieties of higher water use plants together where they will give the most impact, and then choose a balance of low water use plants for the rest of the garden. Also, by limiting or excluding a lawn altogether you will cut way down on maintenance.

Last, choose plants that are known to be critter resistant. I say “resistant” because plants that are typically unpalatable to deer or rabbits in one area may be nibbled by them a few miles away, so I suggest spraying with a product that repels these animals. And don’t forget to put all your plants in wire gopher baskets to protect them from those underground marauders. Local nurseries can recommend appropriate products for your situation.

By having a plan, considering your micro-climates, keeping it simple, and protecting your investment from local wildlife you will be well on your way to an enjoyable experience preparing your Tehachapi garden for spring.

The post Preparing For Spring in the Tehachapi Garden appeared first on Terre Verte Landscape Design.

It is no small undertaking to have a wedding in your garden, so my advice is to be prepared. Just as you would not wake up one day and say “I think I will direct a broadway musical” without ever having done it, you can’t throw a huge bash like a wedding (or even a small wedding like we had), and pull it off well, without experience, or the help of a wedding planner who is experienced in outdoor weddings. In our case I have participated in outdoor events while working at Mourning Cloak Ranch and Botanical Gardens for four years. I was often on hand to help out while watching the vastly experienced Maria Aguirre pull off her magic with feeding big crowds from events that spanned casual garden lunches to formal dinners to Christmas buffets. We had Maria help us with two formal rehearsal dinners for around 35 people for two of our other sons weddings, so bumping it up to 50 guests did not seem like to much of a stretch, right? Wrong! An actual wedding is a much more involved.

Our decision to do the wedding in our garden was an easy one. Our son RJ had shared with us his dream of getting married at home a few times over the years, but of course I knew that his one day bride-to-be would be very involved in the choice of venue for the event. So when she asked us if it was a possibility of course we said yes. We had about two months to prepare and a shoe string budget, but we were determined to make it a memorable day. Lucky for me I have two other daughters-in-law who are capable, talented women. One of them is considering event planning as a future career. I quickly delegated all decorating, and table setting to her. I had a few other friends whom I delegated different portions of the preparation to, and gave each a budget. I had my landscape crew start grooming the grounds in preparation for the big day. This was a great reason to complete all the pathways and bring in a few fresh plants to spruce up the garden! The groom climbed trees and strung lights to create a magical evening setting and we finished our fire pit area that would do double duty on the wedding day the actual ceremony (minus the fire pit that day).

The way our yard is set up the ceremony was held at the bottom of our slope in the back yard. There was plenty of space on the deck for guests to comfortably view the ceremony, we also have a patio between the deck and fire pit area that was just the right size for the grandparents to be seated and for the string quartet to provide the perfect accompaniment for the ceremony. A beautiful, broad pathway made for a grand entrance by the bride. In the end we invited guests to gather around on the pathways that were closer to the fire pit area, if they wished, and a few found seats on obliging boulders that were nearby as well. It was charming! and the ceremony was relatively short so no one was uncomfortable standing.

Here comes the bride!

Our little two year old granddaughter was to be the flower girl, problem was she fell asleep about 30 minutes before the wedding ceremony. Her other grandma (Mimi) tried to gently wake her and bribe her with chocolate to happily walk down the path and strew her rose petals. What really happened was that she ate the chocolate, and still cried with her Mimi coaxing her down the path about half way then her daddy (a groomsman) carried her down the aisle with chocolate dripping down the corners of her mouth, and tears rolling down her cheeks, clutching her basket. Although not a perfect scenario, it was adorable!

After the ceremony we quickly got to serving dinner and did not make our guests wait too long. We attempted to keep the guests comfortable by providing heating on the deck and seated the grandparents together just inside, leaving the sliding doors open, so they could view everything but not be chilled by the cool October evening. After dinner the patio that had served to seat grandparents and the string quartet became a small dance floor and the lighting in the trees created a magical environment.

The wedding was a huge success and although there were a few hitches, we just rolled with it and enjoyed the moment. This would not have been possible without a lot of forethought and planning. Here are some things to consider if you want to plan a wedding in your garden:

1. Mother Nature must be your first consideration. Spring in Tehachapi is often cold, so I would recommend not planning a wedding outside till, at the earliest, the end of May through October if the weather holds. Have a back up plan for holding it indoors if it decides to rain or snow (we get the occasional freak snow storms well into June and I’ve heard it even snowed on the 4th of July once). Consider reserving a tent as a backup plan. Your back up plan must be one you can live with if the weather does not cooperate, so give it some thought.
2. Consider where the sun will be at the time of day and the month of the year you are planning the event. I our case we did not realize the sun would be in the brides face during the ceremony, because when we were planning it earlier in summer the sun was higher in the sky than it was in October, and the ceremony was well under the trees.
3. Bugs may visit and allergies may flare when having a garden wedding so be prepared. Just before the ceremony we discovered the string quartet were standing over an ant hill, we quickly grabbed the ant spray and they were fine. Make sure there are no plants blooming in the area of the ceremony that may cause bad allergic reactions to people involved.
4. Dress for the weather and make sure to have shawls or wraps for people who may not be prepared if the weather turns cold.
5. Think like an electrician and delegate someone to familiarize themselves with how many amps and circuits are available to make sure you have the electricity you need for the deejay or band, caterer, lighting, fans, or photo booth. Decide if you need a backup generator. Use U shaped landscape steaks to pin down electrical cords in the garden, to avoid tripping.
6. Depending on the size of the crowd, the span of time the wedding will encompass and whether or not you are serving alcohol, you may want to consider renting a portable restroom. There are some very nice ones available for events. Decide whether you need a ramp for easier access by elderly or disabled guests. you should have one restroom per 50 to 100 guests.
7. Count the costs. If you need a lot of extras like a tent, portable toilet, kitchen rental, valet parking, furniture storage and a cleaning service for before and after the event, the costs may not make having it at home much cheaper than renting a venue. In our case I hired help for cleaning before and after, and did not need any of the other services listed here, so it was very affordable to have the wedding at home.

The intimate setting and magical mood of home and garden created the backdrop for a lovely day. Memories that were created that day were well worth the cost and time it took to plan and pull off a garden wedding. For us there truly was “no place like home”!

The post Hosting a Garden Wedding: There’s No Place Like Home! appeared first on Terre Verte Landscape Design.

We have heard it so often that I wonder if we have not become desensitized to the message. Yet, it does require a response from me, and from you. I have switched to low flush toilets, shower heads and faucets that use less water and practice turning off my faucet while I brush my teeth, etc… It is time to move from inside the house to the landscape, where I must figure out a way to use less water. The landscape is,by far, the biggest water guzzler for most every home.

So how do we use less water, and still have a beautiful inviting landscape? I say that it is not only possible, but that we need to ask for more.

Being a landscape designer I have given a lot of thought to my ideal landscape and it provides so much more while using less water. My ideal landscape brings nature to my home so I can observe and enjoy the fascinating creatures of the Tehachapi Valley from my window, or while I relax in my own back yard. It creates a relaxing and stress free environment for me and a garden refuge for birds and butterflies as well as all sorts of other little pollinators like bees and other beneficial insects. As an influx of more people reduces native habitat and water resources, I want my garden to be a refuge for some of the creatures that are being displaced, while using less water. How can I achieve this goal?

The National Xeriscape Council has a 7 point strategy that can help you use up to 50% less water in your landscape. By combining their strategies with careful plant choices you can achieve a garden that does more good than you dreamed possible.

1. Planning and Design:

All beautiful, efficient water wise gardens begin with good design. Conserving water in the landscape can be maximized if it is considered in the initial planning stage. Make your first zone your “Oasis” by planning your highest water use zone where it is most appreciated and used. Right outside your door, literally on the perimeter of your house itself. As you move further from the house you can plan a transition zone that uses less water and farthest away from the house you can plan a low water use zone that can be populated with natives and plants that are adapted to very little water.

2. Irrigation:

Irrigation should be carefully planned for each zone so that the landscape is using each drop of water efficiently, with no excess runoff. Properly installed irrigation, on a timer, takes a lot of the headache and work out of maintaining the garden. Irrigation in the first few years is essential for almost every plant. After a plant makes it through its third summer it is truly established, then you can wean the plant back slowly, keeping in mind that most your plants will need some supplemental water for the life of the garden.

3. Mulch:

Mulch is a term that refers to any material that is spread around plants to insulate the soil.It can be gravel or some type of bark, or shredded redwood (commonly called gorilla hair).This material is a workhorse in the garden, reducing erosion, moderating soil temperature, and reducing evaporation. You can combine mulch with a weed barrier cloth that will allow water and oxygen to pass through to the roots, giving you a great approach to suppressing weeds.

4. Soil Preparation:

To be successful with your gardening endeavor you must prepare the soil in the areas you are going to plant. This can mean tilling, and amending with compost to improve the soil in the oasis and transition water zone at least. Depending on the plant material chosen, and the soil in the planting location, you may be able to get away with just loosening the soil by digging the plant holes wide enough in the low water area.   If your soil is really challenging contact your local UC extension office for information on where to bring a soil sample for testing. They can advise you of the laboratories that test soils for your area.

5. Practical Use of Turf:

Lawn has been a mainstay in American landscapes for decades. It can fulfill the needs of homeowners by cooling the local environment, reducing erosion and dust, and providing a play surface for children and pets. The choice of whether or not you need turf grass, and how much you need should be made after considering  how you plan to use an area, what the benefits will be of incorporating turf, and then deciding how to use it in a limited fashion. It can be a main component of the oasis and should be used close to the house where it’s benefits can be enjoyed the most .

6. Appropriate Plant Selection: 

As the demand for low water plant material has increased, so has the supply. Our local nursery has a great variety of plants that can attract wildlife pollinators of every type to your garden. This is where your garden can shine! You can provide for their needs by choosing plants that provide food for butterflies, hummingbirds, bees and other pollinators at their different stages of life. in addition you can choose to not displace some of the natives existing on your site. For example; on the fringe of your garden (in your low water zone) leave a few native milkweed that provide  monarch butterfly caterpillars with food for their larval stage.

7. Maintenance:

Whether you plan to take care of the landscape yourself or have help from a gardener, maintenance must be planned for. Low maintenance is possible. No maintenance is not. Be realistic about the time it will take to maintain the landscape. Pruning, occasional weeding and pest management as well as checking the irrigation system to see that it is functioning properly is the minimum maintenance for a well cared for yard.

By following these guidelines you have the opportunity to create a low water habitat in your own landscape. The more diversity in the plant choices you make, the more different homes you provide for the type of wildlife that are so enjoyable to watch in your own garden. Bees and butterflies, hummingbirds and quail can be sheltered and nourished while your mind and spirit relax in the arms of nature. So lets ask more from our landscapes while actually using less of our precious resources, including water. Lets bring nature home to our water wise garden.

The post Asking For More While Using Less: Bringing Nature Home to the Water Wise Garden appeared first on Terre Verte Landscape Design.

I gardened with this intensive method for seven years and found that along with great vegetables, herbs and flowers we grew a lot of positive interaction with the whole family.

One of the keys to success with vegetables is to make sure that they get at least 6-8 hours of sunlight a day. So choose your site accordingly. We live on a hilly site, but fortunately there was one flat area that was big enough for us to place the raised beds. Our spot was also protected from strong winds, which kept the plants from drying out too quickly. If you can locate your beds near the house, particularly close to the kitchen, it will be more convenient and you will stay motivated to keep your project cared for.

My hubby built our beds out of simple 1x 6 cedar lumber and made the beds 18” tall. We lined the wood box with hardware cloth by rolling out the wire mesh and bringing it up the sides (inside the box) and then using heavy duty staples to attach it to the wood. He also installed the drip irrigation 1/2 inch lines, to which I hooked up 1/4 inch tubing that had micro emitters imbedded in it every 12 inches.  This worked nicely to keep the soil uniformly moist and kept the beds very low maintenance. We had this on a timer, so watering was automatic and not reliant on me to remember it.

We used our own home grown compost (although store bought compost is a convenient alternative) mixed with equal parts peat moss and perlite to fill the raised beds. It also helped that while weeding other parts of the landscape the boys and I would come upon earthworms, which I encouraged them to add to our raised beds, and very quickly the soil was full of of those little critters, an indication to me that the soil was healthy.

Planning what to grow in the garden was the fun part for me. I often poured over seed catalogs and my favorite was Johnny’s Selected Seeds (www.johnnyseeds.com). I tried many sunflower varieties and special heirloom varieties of vegetables. Most were a success, but a few failures were all a part of the experience. Each year I let my boys pick a few of the veggies they wanted to grow and this gave them a feeling of ownership in this gardening adventure.

We were careful to plan where the plants were going in the bed. Tall plants of course go in the back of the bed, so they don’t shade out the shorter vegetables. We did make an exception to this when planting our lettuces. We would purposely plant something tall in front of them to give them some shade. That way the delicate leaves did not burn in the middle of summer. Late in the day we could go out and trim some lettuce for our salad that night, and in about a week or so it was ready to trim again. In this way we kept a steady supply of salad greens through the season and by growing different varieties our salads were always colorful and flavorful. Interplanting in this way is an idea that has been used for thousands of years and is especially successful in intensive gardening. To achieve good results light, nutrient and moisture requirements must be taken into consideration. Lucky for us a lot of this work has already been done and there are charts and diagrams on the web that make this easy. Just google “square foot gardening” and you will get all kinds of information, if you would like to dig into it a bit deeper.

Our success included zucchini, pumpkins (small varieties), every type of green bean we could find, snap peas, cherry tomatoes, chives, oregano, sage, parsley, lettuces, spinach, Armenian cucumbers, basil and many others. I kept notes of what worked and what didn’t, and whether I would plant more or less of a particular plant the next season. An intensive garden does require a bit more planning, but the time invested in planning was well rewarded with less work in the garden and increased yields. Our family found it a fun way to interact with nature and an easier way to put some fresh food on our table.

The post Growing Your Own in California appeared first on Terre Verte Landscape Design.

This vignette features a variegated Kousa Dogwood ‘Wolf Eyes’.  I love how the boxwoods lead your eye to focus on the Dogwood and the steps are in perfect proportion.

I cant believe the beautiful gardens we have seen over these last few days! I will post pictures as I go. There is so much to take in.

This approach was formerly an asphalt driveway. I think this treatment with the large paving stones with grass between them is such an improvement. The ability of the rain to percolate between the stones and recharge the water table is sustainable and lovely.

Beautiful foliage combination of Hosta and a Japanese Maple. Fine and bold texures at their best!

What a great day!

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In this photo you can see the Germander in the foreground, on the right, and compare it to the Boxwood on the left.

Immediately my mind went to Germander (Teucrium chamaedrys). I have had it in my entryway for eight years and am working toward using it as a low hedge in the foreground of my entire small front yard garden (60 feet long x 18 feet wide). It looks good all year and can take the dappled shade as well as the full on hot sun that beats down on it from the west, where it also gets reflected heat off our driveway in the hottest point in the day. Once established it can withstand a considerable amount of drought and will in fact die if the soil is kept too moist for too long.

My approach to the front door

This is one tough, beautiful little hedge, from a plant that is not well known in our area.

I was first introduced to this plant in 2000, while working at Mourning Cloak Ranch and Botanical Garden. I introduced it to tour participants there as my favorite small woody plant, and it has kept that status ever since. This plant has proven itself over the years and can be counted on to be relably evergreen and cold hardy in our area.

The post Revisiting Germander appeared first on Terre Verte Landscape Design.

They provide multi-use spaces, places to connect with friends and family. No one is there unless invited, so we have an outdoor location where it is safe to express our style and preferences as we entertain, relax and interact with the people in our lives.

Naturally we want to put our best foot forward and bring out the beauty of our home and yard. There is so much we want to do, and yet we often don’t know where to begin. The task seems daunting. Breaking it down into five easy steps makes the process manageable. Today we will focus on step # 1.

 ONE: Begin at the beginning

What do people see as they drive up to your house, park their car and approach your front door? Does your home say “Welcome, we are so glad you came to visit”, or is it more like “I am so rushed I did not have time to prepare for your arrival”?

My front entry. Welcome to our home!

A quick way to spruce up the approach is to add color. A few six packs of annuals placed in pots on either side of the front door would do the trick. Mary Palmer Dargan, at Dargan.com recommends 18 inch pots or larger for creating impact. My approach is asymmetrical so I group pots on either side of the approach to the door, using different sizes to balance the space. For a quick fix, when company is on the way, I have been known to run to the nursery, purchase a few hanging baskets of mixed colors,  and set them directly into the waiting pots. These will often last an entire season. My mother-in-law (who lives with us) can be relied on to take charge of them and make sure they are watered and fed.

A stunning combination!

If there is no room right by the entry for this, an alternate place for color would be a small planting bed on either side of the driveway entrance, or accenting a mailbox by a curb with some colorful annuals, grasses, or a mix of perennials would be cheerful.

A beautiful Clematis brightens up the mailbox.

 What ways have you found to spruce up your curb appeal?

Share it with us in the comments.

The post Bringing out the Beauty of your Property: #1 appeared first on Terre Verte Landscape Design.

Near Tejon Ranch, on the way to Arvin,  I took this picture of California Poppies and Lupines.

California native Poppies and Lupines along side the road to Arvin, near Tehachapi

We drove down the road a bit and these verdant hills captured my heart!

Green hills near Tejon Ranc.h

Yesterday the Forsythia and Daffodills put on quite a show in my West Garden.

Multi-colord daffodils shine, with Golden Forsythia in the background.

In the East Garden Lavender colored Catmint (Nepeta faassenii) Blooms along side Chartreuse Myrtle Spurge (Euphorbia myrsinites).

Spring blooming Catmint and the chartreus blooms of Myrtle Spurge make a glorious display!

The back yard is featuring the beautiful Flowering Currant (Ribes sanguinea) right now.

Flowering Currant is a California native that flourishes in dappled light

Spring is here Tehachapi. Cheers!

The post Happy Spring Tehachapi! appeared first on Terre Verte Landscape Design.

But I could not wait to share with you all about my recent trip to Charleston, South Carolina!

I spent several days with Hugh and Mary Palmer Dargan (renowned landscape architechts), their staff, and a lovely group of fellow landscape professionals and garden enthusiasts, touring many gardens designed by the husband and wife landscape architect team, and celebrating Hugh’s 40th year as a landscape architecht. We also listened to lectures and participated in design excercises and projects to get our creative wheels turning.

It was an absolute delight and I will be sharing photographs and insights gleaned over the next few weeks.

But for now, here is a taste of the gardening style of Charleston.

The post Visiting Charleston appeared first on Terre Verte Landscape Design.

Rosa ‘Zephirine Drouhin’ at Blue Oak Cottage

The only drawback to trying your hand at them here is that the deer love them. Think of your favorite desert… that is how I relay how much deer enjoy rose blossoms. In my garden it seems that they wait and watch for the buds to swell and just start to open, then denude the plant in one fell sweep, taking every last one!

Needless to say the frustration that has brought me has caused me to declare war!

Yellow rose ‘Graham Thomas’ at Blue Oak Cottage

I have moved most of my roses to the back yard that is fenced, and is the domain of my lovable Swiss Mountain dog, Sadie. But even a big dog and a fenced yard is not a complete guarantee.

Rosa ‘Abraham Darby’ growing at Blue Oak Cottage

Last spring I was surprised to hear Sadie barking emphatically in the back, and then running to the sliding glass door and barking at me, then running back toward some bushes and barking like crazy. I felt the need to investigate. I went out back and peeked around the bushes to see what was going on. There on the lower path was a large doe standing her ground and staring us down. Sadie looked at me as if to question what she should do. I promptly encouraged her to go chase that doe out! What happened next really took me off guard. I would not have believed it if I had not seen it with my own eyes. Not only did that doe not budge, she reared up on her hind legs and brought her hoofs down on Sadie’s back! Sadie ran away whimpering and the doe leisurely bounded over the fence as if this were a normal everyday occurrence. To say I was shocked would be putting it mildly. If a fenced yard, and big dog don’t keep the deer out what’s a gardener to do?

Deer Out Deer Repellent

Deer Out:

It is a product that I bought online and it works! The best part is that it smelly like mint! Yes, you heard me right, MINT. If you have ever used the products that repel deer you know that mint is the last thing they usually smell like. Dried blood, or rotten eggs mixed with garlic is the usual smell of these products, so mint is a refreshing alternative. I used it all last summer and into the fall, and the deer left my roses alone.

What have you found that works for you to keep the deer away?

The post Outstanding Design Plant: Roses appeared first on Terre Verte Landscape Design.