Right Tree, Right Place

This is a handy tree guide made up for PGE by California Polytechnic State University for the Bay Area, Northern and Central California. If you're working on a site with power line issues this tool can be quite useful.This page has some handy guides for selecting the right tree for the right place based on some other guidelines like allergy and toxicity or fire safety.

You can order a Right Tree, Right Place poster from PGE here and download a cute poster for Palm trees appropriate for use near power lines.

The people who planted redwoods right next to the power lines at a recent client's property could have used this guide 15 years ago...

Pretty Little Grass - Melinis nerviglumis

This is such a pretty grass! I have one that I got from Annies Annuals. Devil Mountain has it listed as Rhynchelytrum nerviglumis but I have only seen it as Melinus nerviglumis. It’s not exactly low water but I really love the soft pink plumes.

From San Marcos Growers site:

Melinis nerviglumis (Ruby Grass) - A small semi-evergreen cool-season grass from S. Africa that forms a tidy 1 foot tall clump. It has blue-green foliage that turns purplish-red in the fall and showy pink flowers that rise a foot above the foliage in the spring and summer with spent flowers still attractive into winter. Best in full sun with regular water in a well-drained soil but tolerates considerable periods without irrigation and near seaside conditions. Is hardy to around 20° F and perennial in gardens in USDA Zones 8 and above but useful as an annual in colder climates. Cut back in fall to midwinter to allow fresh new foliage to emerge in early spring. A very attractive grass massed or scattered in a border planting or as a container specimen. This grass is called "one of the showiest of the small flowering grasses" by John Greenlee in his "Encyclopedia of Flowering Grasses". Ruby Grass is native to large areas of Africa south of the Sahara and also in Madagascar. There are several interpretations for the entomology of the genus name. One thought is that it is derived from the Greek 'melas' meaning "black" for its black seeds but another thought is that it is from the Latin 'mel' meaning honey for the sweet aroma some species have. The specific epithet is in reference to the veins on the glume (flower bracts). We have grown this plant since 1997 and early on used its older name Rhynchelytrum neriglume. This same plant is marketed under the names 'Pink Crystals' and 'Savannah' and besides Ruby Grass is commonly called Bristle-leaved Red Top. It should not be confused with the related Melinis repens that has naturalized in disturbed sites along the California coast. 

Pleasant Hill, CA Rasputin Music Green Roof and Landscaping

I'm just starting to drive around the far East Bay (i.e. Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, etc). I drove buy this Rasputin Records Shop the other day and was kind of surprised to see the nice landscaping and green roof! I stopped to snap a few pics and I probably should have run in to ask who did their landscaping. Next time!

Anywho, how cute is this?! Do I see some invasive grasses? Yes. I am trying to ignore them though. :)

APLD Plant Fair

Sadly, I didn't manage to take enough photos during the APLD Bay Area District Plant Fair. Next time, I must remember to capture some overview and crowd shots!

The APLD Bay Area Plant Fair is a fantastic event where growers and nurseries come together to showcase their latest and most popular plants. It's a great opportunity for landscape designers and plant enthusiasts to learn about new varieties and get expert advice on plant care and cultivation. I always enjoy attending and hearing the detailed stories and tips from the growers. It’s a fun and informative event that highlights the best of what our local nurseries have to offer.


I won this in the raffle. Now I need to figure out what to do with it!

I would also like to send a shout out to the amazing APLD Bay Area Board Members and Volunteers who pout this event on. Thank you so much for all your work!

Pots on a Deck

This area is quite hilly, and many homes feature decks with stunning views. In some cases, the backyard slopes so steeply that a deck is the only way to fully enjoy the outdoor space. Beautifully designed plant containers can enhance the deck experience, surrounding you with nature and making it even more enjoyable.

I love designing pot vignettes. Selecting pots with harmonious colors and appropriate sizes is crucial. Tiny pots on a large deck or oversized pots on a small deck can frustrate clients and detract from the overall deck experience.

Container shopping can be quite enjoyable, whether you're doing it alone or with clients. It's essential to invest in high-quality containers. From my observations of various client landscapes, I've noticed many small, cheap, and abandoned containers cluttering their side yards. I really don’t love the fiberglass containers I keep seeing. Pottery store inventory can change frequently, so it's important to shop and purchase your pots in a timely manner.

I love the other garden ornaments you can find. Concrete cats, pigs, chickens, etc.

Plants ready to get installed into new homes!

A selection of pots about to get planted up. In the background there you can see two crappy older fiberglass (or plastic even) pots that have simply failed at the seams. They will get hauled off and dumped. We replaced them with nicer ceramic containers in the same basic shape. I love this color palette.

People can get serious sticker shock when it comes to buying contains. Jaws hit the floor, etc. I like to emphasize that they will lat a lifetime and beyond.

A visit to Delta Bluegrass

If you are looking for quality sod in the Bay Area Delta Bluegrass is the place to go.

In the droughty Bay Area, we're encouraging people to remove their lawns. While there is a time and place for some lawn in a residential setting, it's often overemphasized. A common misconception is that families with kids need a huge lawn for play. In my opinion, this is a myth. Lawns are large, monotonous spaces that can limit play opportunities for children. A sprawling lawn might be useful if a child is passionate about soccer or another ball sport, but otherwise, it doesn't offer much in terms of stimulating play and I’m just not into it at all!

That said, a small patch of lawn can be nice, I admit! However, if you simply want a cool, grassy spot to relax with a glass of wine, a meadow is a far better option. Picture an Adirondack chair under dappled shade, with your bare feet in a soft, lush meadow—that's my idea of heaven. OR, picture a couple o tree stumps set up to be a table and chairs and your small children gathered around adding items like pine cones or flowers or rocks to the “table”. Anyway, meadows not only provide a more diverse and interesting landscape with ‘scope for the imagination’ - to quote Anne of Green Gables, but they also support local biodiversity and require less maintenance than traditional lawns.

But, again, there is a place for lawns even in the Bay Area. And there are low water and native options and that is why I am at Delta Bluegrass to hear about them all.

Rolls of Sod at teh Delta Bluegrass growing grounds.

Kurapia! Kurapia is a ground cover plant developed (I think developed in Japan?) from Lippia nodiflora. Kurapia is a low-maintenance, drought-tolerant ground cover that is being used as an alternative to traditional lawns. It requires less water, fertilizer, and mowing compared to typical grass lawns, making it an environmentally friendly option. Kurapia also has strong resistance to pests and diseases and can handle a wide range of soil types, making it versatile for various landscaping needs. Its ability to establish quickly and provide a dense, green coverage makes it an appealing choice for residential and commercial landscapes. It fills in quickly and WILL overrun sidewalks/hardscapes. It works well in shade as well as sun. In the sun this is not great if you have lids and pets running about because it will be absolutely COVERED in bees. In shade it does not flower much.

They have a handy dandy installation exhibit of various sods

The sod cutting and rolling machines were badass. I love weird industrial equipment. They also fed us lunch!

Sibling Road Trip and all the Succulents!

It’s road trip time with my sister! You can find her here: Bookmaniac. She’s incredibly smart, funny, insightful, and all the things I love. Simply the best!

Anyway, we’re embarking on a road trip south towards Santa Cruz filled with infinite silliness, and our last stop is to pose by the giant artichoke, stay tuned. It’s May in California so it is grey and FOGGY. We have many layers with us.

Succulent Gardens
2133 Elkhorn Road, Castroville, CA 95012

I mostly took pictures of succulents on this trip because we stopped at Succulent Gardens in Castroville, CA, to marvel at their amazing collection. This huge nursery, hidden along a winding road near Moss Landing and all the otters in CA, specializes in a wide variety of succulents and has some fun and creatively designed display gardens and greenhouses. I don't know why but seeing rows and rows of tiny succulents all alike is so visually pleasing! While there, I also signed up for a workshop to create a succulent frame planter, though I somehow forgot to take a picture of it.

Succulent close-ups.

More succulents….

I did buy some stuff…

As promised, here were are looking a bit disheveled in front of a large artichoke.

Sunset Headquarters in Menlo Park

I heard the Sunset headquarters is going to move so I wanted to dash down there to visit it before it relocated. When I first moved to CA I worked just down the street but did not know about Sunset magazine at that time. Nor did I particularly care about gardens at age 19. Anyway, my friend and I jaunted down there to take some pics.

I’m so glad we did! I just love the color and texture they are playing with. The bright orange, round trellis is also speaking to me. I would like to own this moon gate trellis for myself!

Buckle Up - There are many pictures.

I have an absurd amount of photos and I simply am having trouble picking which ones to upload so there will be a lot. I have already lost the actual garden info so this is for your eyeball enjoyment only.

This garden was amazing.

Look at this gorgeous copper gutter. I want this.

Look at this gorgeous copper gutter. I want this.

I like how they carried this purple color throughout the garden

I like how they carried this purple color throughout the garden

Laura goes to Washington DC

This is my first trip to DC. I know a lot of folks go to Washington in 8th grade. I’m not sure why I did not. My confession here is that I did not realize that “The Smithsonian” is, in fact, a bunch of museums and they are all free. damn! I need to bring my kid here soon.

I’m here for the APLD Conference. This is my first one and I do not know anyone here. I made my reservations with a little padding so that I can at least explore a little bit. There is so much to do and I am a tad overwhelmed and having to talk myself down from trying to do everything. I can not do ALL THE THINGS. I also do not want to discount the value of vaguely wandering. :D

My first foray from the hotel brings me to this sweet garden and bird habitat! Such luck! Lots of pictures here of plant combos and textures that caught my eye. Also, a mondo grass lawn!? It’s cute!

I went to the Natural History Museum after hanging out in this garden and then headed to the Space one. Along the way there were MORE PLANTS!

Then I went to Washington Station (I think) which is basically a mall because I wanted to go to the Moleskine store. I did buy a new notebook and a little sleeve thingy that goes over it and zips to hold a few pens.

Moving a giant-ass palm

Here I am driving along and I see this truck with a massive palm all over it! How cool to see how they are moving it. I wonder what very large crane (VLC) is waiting to put it in it’s final place!? Where is it going?

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Characteristics of CA Native plants w/ APLD and Cal Academy of Sciences

I joined APLD folks to talk to people about CA native plants at the California Academy of Sciences. I like to do this sort of thing.

Here are some of the characteristics of native plants that help them conserve water:

Slivery grey leaves with little hairs reflect light help keep a plants temperature down in hot dry climates.

Small leaves help plants conserve water because less surface area means that leaf will lose less water.

Waxy leaves serve as sort of a waterproofing that reduces transpiration.

Thick succulent leaves trap and conserve water.

Look at all those adorable signs MF made! So cute!

Look at all those adorable signs MF made! So cute!

Trees for Children's Play Environments

So plant ID classes can be very challenging. I’ve got some brain differences, including mild dyslexia, and memorizing a ton of plant names AND how to spell them is almost prohibitively impossible.

I’ve managed to soldier through life and all previous plant ID classes fairly well until taking Tree ID last semester. My LAST plant ID class required for me to graduate. I swear this one upset me so much because some large percentage of the grade was going to be on SPELLING. Spelling!!?

One of the grand things about life today is that there is the internet (a series of tubes) and spell check. Dyslexic people every where rejoice! Anyway. I have a Fine Art degree! Don’t ask me to spell!

For my final project for that class I had to get away from things I am bad at that make me feel terrible and like I am failing in 3rd grade again and get back to things I am good at, like illustration. I decided that illustrating a bunch of beautiful trees would sooth my fevered soul.

And, to make it more complicated (hello ADD), I thought it would be cool to turn those illustrations in to a book. Of course, I did not complete the project. I completed enough for the class but not quite enough to finish the actual book. I used Blurb to layout and print the book even though it wasn’t finished. I can finish it another time, right?!

Here are a few of the illustrations. I drew the whole tree and then a detail.

The Blurb software is called BookSmart and it’s … just okay. The final printed book is a little paperback and is so cute!

Here is the cover and some layouts

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