The Jacaranda trees are blooming in Southern California and spreading purple flowers all over the place. See how the Troy-Bilt CORE blower performs in cleaning them up, and enter to win a $100 Lowe’s gift card.

Plus, take a tour my friends’ new drought tolerant garden and learn more about Jacarandas trees.

Each spring and early summer in my Southern California neighborhood, the eye-popping Jacaranda trees bloom. These fast-growing, drought-tolerant trees reach 25 to 50 feet tall and 15 to 30 feet wide. It’s a lovely sight to see the streets lined in purple, but as the LA Times reports, you either love these trees or hate them.

Why? Because they make a serious mess when they bloom, which is why this pretty tree isn’t great planted near cars or houses. Many people on this street park their cars in the garage during this time to protect the paint.

Even on Maggie’s daily walks, we have to clean her paws so she doesn’t track these pretty, but annoying flowers in the house.

That’s why I thought these trees might be a good challenge for the Troy-Bilt CORE blower, which I was asked to review recently as a Troy-Bilt blogger. And I knew just where to go to try it out – my friends Kurt and Lynn’s house.

They inherited a Jacaranda tree when they bought their house, and the lovely tree makes a huge mess each year.

The Troy-Bilt blower has the industry’s only motor with a limited lifetime warranty. It also has variable speeds up to 545cfm/125 mph to lift these stubborn flowers off the walkway.

The blower is powered by a Lithium-ion battery, which can be swapped for any battery needed in the Troy-Bilt CORE system.

It did a great job of blowing away many of the flowers, as well as miscellaneous leaves and yard scraps.

You’ll find plenty of power to do various yard work and the battery seems quite long lasting. We easily did the entire yard without any problem.

Meanwhile, Kurt and Lynn have done a charming job of building a new garden with succulents and other drought-tolerant plants. In a shady spot they added two Adirondack chairs to enjoy the space.

They’ve added lots of gorgeous stones that compliment the flowers. Groundcovers are slowly filling in the open spaces, and there is room for these plants to grow.

The rocks and plants match the midcentury style of the house and add a natural, rustic feel.

It was a fine place to test the Troy-Bilt CORE blower and I can’t wait to see how the garden space develops in future years.

Win a Lowe’s Gift Card

Here’s your chance to win a Lowe’s gift card for $100 to use on whatever you want.

It’s easy to enter this random drawing. Just be sure to enter by midnight, July 2, 2017 and PLEASE include your email so we can alert you if you win. (This drawing is limited to the United States.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

GOOD LUCK everyone!

Disclosure: This Troy-Bilt review was sponsored and a blower was provided to me at no cost. However, my opinions are always my own.

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After a four year drought, California has finally had a rainy winter and spring. My small suburban garden has perked up quite a bit since we bought the property three years ago. So, I thought I would throw open my garden gate and invite you in for a little visit. Especially if you promise not to notice any weeds…

There is nothing like opening the kitchen door and looking out on jasmine, scented geraniums, herbs and succulents on a spring day. Rosemary, thyme, marjoram, basil and sage are close enough for flavoring dishes.

Edibles like tomatoes, lettuces, peppers, eggplants and broccoli are mixed among ‘Victoria Blue’ salvia, pink lantana, roses and flowering herbs.

I often combine flowers and food in some of my garden beds, because that allows me more growing space in my small garden. The flowers and flowering herbs attract pollinators like butterflies and bees for my edible plants. Plus, I don’t spray, so there’s no danger to the food plants.

Even with a rainy winter, we still have water issues in California. So, I’ve installed four rain barrels in my garden, which harvest rain from the gutters.

Did you know that just one inch of rain on a 1,500 square foot house can fill a 50 gallon rain barrel?

I’ve noticed my plants respond much better with rain water than from the tap. When I have four full rain barrels, I feel like a wealthy woman in Southern California.

The purple flowers are verbena, which attracts lots of butterflies and bees. Broccoli is planted underneath.

Rosemary, thyme, sage and marjoram are gathered in this sunny spot of my garden. They all like these Mediterranean growing conditions.

I let the thyme plants flower to attract bees. The flowers are edible, so when I prune them off, I add them to soups and casseroles.

This borage self seeded itself, as they often do in Southern California. This annual grows best from seed, because it has a long tap root. That’s why I pull up any babies I don’t want, as they don’t transplant well.

The flowers are edible and taste a bit like cucumbers. Add them to salads and soups. Not only humans, but bees love them too. I always have a couple buzzing around in the mornings.

Here are eight edible flowers you can grow in your garden.

Meanwhile, artichokes thrive in Southern California and this was an excellent spring. I’ve left quite a few on the plant to turn into those luscious purple flowers.

Here’s more about growing artichokes.

And this roque squash self seeded itself in a quiet part of the garden, which surprised us all.

Hope you’re having a great spring. What’s growing in your garden?

This year’s El Nino weather has brought more rain to California, leaving the fields filled with wildflowers such as these wild mustard and lupin flowers blooming near Gaviota in Santa Barbara County.

Take an armchair tour of these spring meadows and get a good online resource for wildflowers in this area.

A pretty purple lupin was just some of the wildflowers spotted in Gaviota, just north of Santa Barbara, the day before the spring equinox.

The fields of wild mustard flowers can be seen in this photo of the Gaviota pier, which is currently closed due to a severe recent storm.

Here’s another mustard-filled field on a hiking trail to the Gaviota Wind Caves.  We didn’t make it to the caves, but this blogger did. Check out these photos by California Though My Lens.

California’s native elderberries (Sambucus mexicana) are a riot of flowers at the moment.  Eventually, these flowers will become blue berries beloved by many species of birds.  These berries are edible if they are cooked. Here’s more information on this variety by Dr. Peter J. Bryant of University of California, Irvine.

The flowers can be used for teas and tonics, although we like them best for elder fritters. Here’s my recipe to try.A bit closer to home, I found this unknown purple flower growing in the sand along the Ventura beach. Just another reminder that there’s lots of beauty out there – if you take the time to look!

Learn More

Database of Santa Barbara Flowers by SantaBarbaraHikes.com with photos

More California wildflowers at Ventura Botanical Garden

Wildflowers of the Eastern Sierras

Even in the world’s largest cities you can still find natural beauty and quiet serenity.

The Shakespeare Garden in Central Park is a good example. Just blocks from New York City’s busy streets, this delightful, four-acre garden has stone walkways, old-fashioned herbs, exuberant flowers and even apples, all dedicated to William Shakespeare. Come along on an early-September tour of this hidden gem.

Located on the West Side of Central Park, between 79th and 80^th streets, the Shakespeare Garden has a history almost worthy of a Shakespeare sonnet.

If you like drama, you could even say this garden has experienced its share of love, loss and redemption.

Love

The garden’s story began in the 1880s, when park commissioner George Clausen asked Central Park’s entomologist to create a garden near the nature study center in the Swedish Cottage.

On our visit in September 2015, we found this historic building to be a pleasant setting to enjoy an iced coffee under the trees.

Commissioner Gaynor dedicated the garden to Shakespeare in 1913, according to the Central Park Conservancy.

In 1916, during the 300^th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death, the garden was renamed the Shakespeare Garden as a tribute of love to the English poet and playwright. It was to become America’s first Shakespeare garden, and would eventually inspire other gardens across the nation.

Loss

As with much of Central Park, the Shakespeare Garden fell into disrepair by the mid-1970s.

The historic garden could have disappeared completely, and the story would have ended here without the generosity and love of volunteers and private donations.

Redemption

In 1987, the history of the Shakespeare Garden took a fortunate turn. The Central Park Conservancy restored and expanded the garden.

The paths were repaved, and rustic wooden benches were added, along with bronze plaque with Shakespeare quotations.

Our informal tour of the Shakespeare Garden took place in the first week of September 2015, nearly thirty years later.

The weather was still quite warm, and the flowers were buzzing with pollinators. I was glad to be here, away from the crowds and street noises for a moment.

The garden was a riot of colors and scents on this Indian summer day. The flowers reached up to our waists or higher, as they swayed in the gentle breeze.

Many flowers in the garden are said to have grown during Shakespeare’s time. A rustic trellis made from tree branches added support to climbing vines in this charming scene.

Phlox! Always a pleasure…

A massive planting of coleus, sweet potato vines and ornamental grasses gave a colorful, contemporary look to a side garden bed.

A shade garden near the Swedish cottage turned a spotlight on the striking beauty of foliage.

The next time you’re in New York, take a break and lose yourself in this delightful urban garden, before rushing off to watch a free summer Shakespeare play at the nearby Delacorte Theatre. You’ll be glad you did.

Learn More

Shakespeare Garden on Central Park Conservancy’s website with Marcia Gay Harden interview

High Line Takes Root in New York City

The days are growing shorter. The neighborhood kids are back at school. And my little suburban garden is transitioning from summer to fall. Some plants performed wonderfully this growing season. Other plants didn’t do as well.

Here’s a little virtual tour of what’s happening here, as well as some plants that are new to the market this year.

Gardening in a Drought

From Hungarian peppers to black sunflowers (shown above), my small California garden is thriving even with this historic drought.

We’ve had to make several adjustments, such as installing two rain barrels to use for watering plants. We also save water while rinsing vegetables in the kitchen sink and while the shower water is heating up in the bathroom. Between the rain water and gray water, we’ve been able to significantly reduce our irrigation from the garden hose. Other ideas for saving water in garden.

Here’s what grew well, and what didn’t…

‘Mystic Haze’ Dahlia

This summer I fell hard for this pretty dahlia with near-black foliage and pretty orange flowers. ‘Mystic Haze’ grows about 24 to 30 inches tall, and blooms prolifically on a full sun spot on my patio. Unlike some other dahlias, this one does not need to be staked.

If you like dahlias, definitely give this a cutie a try.

Kodiak Black Bush Honeysuckle

This perennial shrub (Zone 5) was sent to me by Proven Winners to review this summer. It’s available on the market this year. The tough native is adaptable to most soils, including dry shade. In my yard, it’s growing in a partial sun area and doing quite well.

Some gardeners will be glad to know this plant is deer resistant! You can expect this shrub to grow about 3 to 4 feet tall and wide.

In summer, pretty yellow flowers appear on this shrub. It’s nearly September, and I still have flowers on my plant. They’ve been blooming more than a month already.

But perhaps most exciting about this Proven Winners shrub is that the foliage turns dark burgundy-black in spring and autumn. I’m still waiting for mine to turn, but I’m eager to see it!

Meanwhile, above is an image from Proven Winners, so you can see how Kodiak Black bush honeysuckle got its name.

Artichokes

These fuzzy purple flowers warm my heart. When you leave the artichokes on your plant, they eventually grow into these strange and wonderful blossoms.

Even if you don’t care for eating artichokes, this interesting plant adds structure and drama to your garden for several months.

We’ll prune this plant back soon, so it can prepare for the next round of artichokes. Learn more about growing artichokes in your garden.

Sunflowers

Sunflowers are very easy to grow from seeds, but I actually bought a six-pack of these striking orange-black sunflowers at the Ojai Farmer’s Market.

The cheerful flowers are growing among my edible plants, attracting bees and other helpful pollinators to the garden.

These sunflowers are a little wild and informal, but they add lots of charm and color to our garden. I’m sorry to see them start to die back already, and have pledged to grow them again next year.

Sedums

Succulents of all types are finding their way into my garden during this drought. I love the colors, textures and unusual shapes. Plus, they couldn’t be easier to grow in well-draining soil.

In this container, I planted a variety of different sedums including the classic ‘Autumn Joy’. These carefree plants are thriving in this sunny container near my pergola.

Tomatoes

I consider myself a quite proficient tomato grower, and I usually have excellent growing results when I follow these ten tips for trouble-free tomatoes.

But living in coastal California can make growing tomatoes a challenge. These edible plants require warm sunny days, and we had several weeks of cool, foggy days (with no rain, alas) in June and July.  My healthy plants started to suffer.

I grabbed a couple handfuls of tomatoes (see above), but most of my summer tomatoes came from the farmers’ market and friends this year.

Watermelons

My tomatoes were a disappointment, but my watermelons made up for it.

I’m growing ‘Charleston Gray’ watermelons this year in a new garden bed. This heirloom plant will eventually grow 25-pound melons with red flesh. Mine weighs more than 5 pounds already, I bet.

As you can see, you’ll need lots of room to grow this watermelon so it can sprawl out a bit. Consider yourself warned.

What Lies Ahead

This fall, I have a lot of plans for my garden. There are empty spots that need new easy-care shrubs, such as New Zealand Flax (Phormium). We’re looking to reduce the lawn in our garden, because of the drought. Our gardens need their regular applications of compost, worm castings and other organic matter. And we’re busy planting cold weather edibles for winter.

How was your garden this year? 

“Take me out to the ball game. Take me out with the crowd.” But forget about buying me “some peanuts and Cracker Jack,” as the 1908 Tin Pan Alley song by Jack Norworth and Albert von Tilzer recommends.

I would much rather tour the new 5,000 square foot rooftop farm on top of Fenway Park for Red Sox fans.  Come along with me on an armchair tour of this new innovative urban farm above Boston’s favorite baseball field.

The next time you go to a Red Sox game, be sure to head over to the Third Base side of Fenway Park. From there, you can observe the new Fenway Farms on the roof of the Front Office on the Third Base of the EMC Level. It was installed and launched on opening day of the 2015 Boston Red Sox season.

More than 2,000 pounds of fresh foods are being grown this first year using a special milk crate container growing system, which fits within the structural load constraints of the historic stadium. A drip irrigation system waters plants efficiently, and can be operated offsite.

“The produce is used in food and cocktails sold at the concessions, at nearby restaurants and in the team’s flagship restaurant that prepares meals for about 40,000 people during home games,” reports WCVB-TV in Boston.

What’s Growing

In spring 2015, urban farmers from Green City Growers planted and grew arugula, broccoli, broccoli raab, carrots, chard, chives, cilantro, collards, greens mix, head lettuces, kales, lettuce mixes, mint, oregano, parsley, pea shoots, radishes, rosemary, scallions, snap peas, spinach, strawberries, thyme and violas.

For summer, the productive rooftop garden grew warm-season favorites such as beans, eggplants, hot peppers, sweet peppers, tomatoes and zucchini.

Strong Responsibility

It’s not the first time this historic ball park has grown vegetables either.

During the 2000 season, former bullpen coach John Cumberland grew some tomato plants in the bullpen. But this new rooftop garden at Fenway Park is definitely something special, according to Green City Growers.

“The installation of Fenway Farms marks the ongoing process to make America’s most beloved and oldest ballpark also one of America’s greenest,” reports the Green City Growers website. “We feel a strong responsibility to act as a community leader to demonstrate the social, health and environmental benefits of urban agriculture.”

Go, Red Sox! You scored a home run with Fenway Farms.

Special thanks to Dan Doherty, who loves Boston, healthy food and the Red Sox.  He alerted me to the story, and supplied a first-hand look at the garden.

Recently, Seasonal Wisdom was honored to attend the 5 year reunion of Garden2Blog with P. Allen Smith and a couple dozen well-known garden bloggers from across the nation. This is the third time I’ve had the pleasure to attend this invitation-only event, and I always bring home plenty of new creative ideas for my home.

Come along on this armchair tour, and grab some clever design ideas for your garden too.

Photo copyright P. Allen Smith

Moss Mountain Farm photo copyright P. Allen Smith

You probably already know P. Allen Smith from his two PBS-TV shows, P. Allen Smith’s Garden Home and P. Allen Smith’s Garden to Table, or his syndicated 30-minute show P. Allen Smith Gardens. He also has written a number of successful books, including Seasonal Recipes from the Garden.

This stylish tastemaker is renowned for his historically inspired Moss Mountain Farm (shown above). Here are just a few design tips I took away from his gardens during the 2015 Garden2Blog reunion:

Pick Plants with Lasting Beauty

Your gardens will have long-lasting beauty if you select flowering plants that look good, even after blooming.

For instance, these purple ornamental alliums are just starting to fade, but they continue to look good.

As ornamental alliums age so beautifully, they retain their charm even after they’ve lost their flower petals. (Click on this or other photos to make larger.)

Create Focal Points

Wandering around P. Allen Smith’s gardens, you’ll  see attractive focal points that lead the eye to the background. See the picturesque trellises through the above garden gate?

Here, a rustic cattle pen gets new life in this Moss Mountain Farm garden pathway. In the far distance is a lovely urn surrounded by irises, coleuses and other flowers.

Here is that focal point, up close. The roundness of the garden bed mirrors the urn’s round shape.

At his 1904 Colonial Revival Cottage in Little Rock, Arkansas, these focal points – white columns, green foliage and red shed door – help to create separate “garden rooms.”

Walk through the first set of white columns and you enter this delightful garden courtyard with containers and seating. Walk through the next set of white columns and you’ll come to a charming kitchen garden.

Embrace Color

Don’t be afraid to mix colors in creative ways.

P.Allen Smith often uses big splashes of colors, which contrast dramatically together in this garden bed.

He also mirrors these colors with different plants in similar or contrasting hues.

Welcome Quieter Looks

On the other hand, sometimes quieter colors look nice too. The subtle shades of these hostas, ferns and ornamental grasses create a restful scene that is ideal for a shadier spot.

This bed shows that quieter colors can be rich and exciting too.

Here, a simple row of purple irises add quiet elegance to this textured wall.

Use Height

Varying heights in your garden is also a good idea.

Urns and large containers are scattered throughout P. Allen Smith’s gardens. Their height adds a bit of drama to these settings.

If your urn isn’t very tall, build a platform for it. That’s what P. Allen Smith did with this planter in his rose garden.

General Beauty

Here’s a side view of the Moss Mountain Farmhouse, with P. Allen Smith’s artist studio on the left. Take a tour inside this historically inspired and exquisitely decorated home.

Swans, heritage poultry, lambs and other animals can be found around the farm. Learn more about some of his critters in this Seasonal Wisdom blog post.

Warm Thanks

This reunion event would never have happened without the kind support of these event sponsors, who covered most of our travel and expenses:

American Grown

Aromatique

Bonnie Plants

Crescent Garden

Jobe’s Organics

First Nature

Flexzilla

Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau

Sakata Home Grown

Stargazer Barn

Trio’s Restaurant

One of the best parts of these writer trips is spending time with the other bloggers, who continue to inspire me with their gardening talent and generous spirit. Shown (left to right, with links to their blogs) are Barbara Wise, me, Kenny Point, Kylee Baumle and Rick Bickling.

Learn More

At Home with P. Allen Smith 

Visit P. Allen Smith’s website to learn more about his fascinating homes, garden tips and more.

In the foothills overlooking Ventura, California are the rapidly growing seeds of a new botanical garden, specializing in Mediterranean plants. On a recent spring day, Seasonal Wisdom took a quick stroll along the public garden’s demonstration trail and enjoyed breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean and Channel Islands in the distance.

Here’s an armchair tour of the Ventura Botanic Gardens in spring.

The Ventura Botanic Gardens is a labor of love. With more than 100 acres of public land leased from the City of Ventura, a group of dedicated and determined citizen volunteers are working to create a world-class public garden.

Already, the community-supported botanical garden has finished a one mile-long demonstration trail that snakes up the foothills, offering glimpses of stunning coastal California scenery. On the spring day I was there, the trail was bursting with elder trees (Sambucus mexicana), lupines and other wildflowers.

With the trail’s lush plant life and sensational ocean views, it’s easy to see why the six-foot-wide pathway was mentioned in Sunset magazine, and recently named the “best hiking trail in 2014” by Ventura County Reporter.

When completed, the Ventura Botanical Gardens will feature gardens representing the earth’s five Mediterranean climate zones, as well as public gathering areas, botanic laboratories, event center and shop areas.

But that’s a bit down the road.  For now, the garden organizers are busy adding another hiking trail, removing invasive plants from the grounds, planning Phase III and building part of the new Chilean Gardens.

Chilean Gardens

Above, the walkway is passing through the new Chilean Gardens. When this area is finally completed, it will “be the largest Chilean Garden in the world, outside of Chile,” reports the Ventura Botanical Gardens.

The bushy looking plant, which looks a bit like heather but is not flowering, is Fabiana imbricate. The garden’s botanist says it is a native of Central Chile and amazingly drought tolerant.

Snuggled among the stones is the common California native wildflower Phacelia campanularia.

Also called desert bells or bluebells, the wild annuals pop up in spring after rain.  I find them awfully sweet.

Protecting Open Space

As Southern California loses so much of its valuable coast to over-development and luxury real estate, it’s inspiring to see this community work so hard to protect its coastal beauty for the public to enjoy for many years to come.

This special garden’s  steady growth is certainly worth supporting.  Ventura Botanical Gardens offers many fun ways to get involved. Check it out.

Learn More

Native Plants of North Carolina

Wildflowers of the Sierras

What do a famous city in South Carolina, a picturesque old home and six national bloggers have in common? Come along on this tour of one of America’s most important historic gardens and I’ll tell you about it.

Cooper-O’Connor House

Recently, I found myself in Charleston, South Carolina – a beautiful city with a rich history. “Charles Town” was founded in 1670, and later changed its name to Charleston in 1783.

The oldest city in South Carolina is filled with charmingly restored homes, such as the Cooper-O’Connor house on Broad Street (shown above) constructed circa 1855.

During the Civil War, the house was used by the Confederacy as a prison for Union officers, according to the Historic Charleston Foundation.

Image courtesy of Library of Congress

Here’s a photo of the Cooper-O’Connor house right after the Civil War. You can see how it has changed a bit over the years, but perhaps most noteworthy, is that the house is still standing … unlike its neighbors. Considering I married an O’Connor, you can see why I took an interest in the place.

My host for the Charleston trip was Troy-Bilt, and I was joined by five accomplished garden and DIY bloggers. More about this information in a moment… But first, let’s tour Middleton Place.

Middleton Place

The 18^th century Middleton Place sits along the Ashley River, with 65 acres, and is a National Historic Landmark.

It’s interesting to note the family history. In one generation, Arthur Middleton signed the Declaration of Independence. Nearly a hundred years later, Williams Middleton and his older brother signed South Carolina’s Ordinance of Secession. This removed South Carolina from the United States, and started the Civil War.

The only surviving part of the residence is the former gentlemen’s guest quarter (shown above) built in 1755.  Two other parts of the South Carolina home were burned by the Union troops in 1865, just two months after the end of the Civil War.

Historical Landscape

Middleton has the oldest landscaped gardens in the United States, dating back to 1741.

Classic French garden design techniques can be seen here, including a strong focus on symmetry, geometric shapes and order.

There are hidden treasures here, including a sweet statue that sits at the end of a walkway.

In early March 2015, the azaleas were just starting to bloom. Can you imagine how this space will look in a few weeks, when the flowering shrubs are a riot of colors?

Early Camellias

Camellias hold a special place at Middleton Place. In 1786, a French botanist gave the Middleton family some of the first camellias grown in a United States garden.

Unfortunately, I don’t know the variety of these red camellias, but they looked rather stunning with the Spanish moss.

Today, there are more than 3,500 camellias in the Middleton Place gardens, including this one I photographed during our tour.  Camellias add vivid colors to this Southern garden during the late-fall and winter months.

Many camellias at Middleton Place are older than 220 years. And, yes, one of the original four camellias from the French botanist is still alive.

Here’s more about the fascinating history of camellias at Middleton.

Guests to Middleton Place can buy several varieties of camellias at the garden shop.

Growing Camellias

To have success with camellias, you’ll want acidic soil in your garden. These flowering plants, just like azaleas, can run into problems with neutral or alkaline soils.

A general guideline about pH is that wetter climates with forests, like the Eastern United States or the Pacific Northwest, tend to have more acidic soil than drier areas out West, which often have alkaline soil. However, your soil may have changed when your house was built with new topsoil. So if you are curious, get a pH soil test from your local cooperative extension service.  Or, purchase an inexpensive pH test.

Here’s good growing advice for camellias from Southern Living magazine.

Gators in South Carolina

During our garden tour, several alligators were visible in Middleton Plantation’s lakes and creeks.

Alligators are indigenous in South Carolina, and our tour guide mentioned the gators are quite common. Here’s more trivia about alligators around Charleston.

Natural Dyes and Peacocks

Around the property, there are different Colonial-skills demonstrations recreated at Middleton, such as spinning wool or milking cows.

The above display shows how different colors were made in earlier times, using onion skins, berries and Spanish moss as natural dyes.

Peacocks strutted their stuff and showed off a bit for us as we were leaving.

This guy’s impressive display ended our tour of Middleton Place with an appropriately dramatic finish, worthy of such a historically important place.

Saturday6 Announcement

My trip to Charleston, S.C. was sponsored by Troy-Bilt, a well-known manufacturer of lawn and garden tools. Troy-Bilt is the brand who introduced the first rototiller for U.S. gardens back in the 1930s.

Seasonal Wisdom was asked by Troy-Bilt to be part of its Saturday6 blogger program for 2015, along with these five accomplished bloggers from across the nation:

PithandVigor.com

GardenFork.TV

VeggieGardeningTips.com

TheImpatientGardener.com

SandandSisal.com

Seasonal Wisdom does occasionally accept sponsorships from select companies, which have proven quality products and admirable corporate values.  I evaluated this opportunity carefully, and was encouraged by what former Saturday6 bloggers Gardening with Confidence and Our Little Acre said about their experiences last year.

What does this mean to you? Not much really. During 2015, you’ll see a few Troy-Bilt sponsored posts, which will be clearly identified with the Saturday6 disclosure. I’ll also be writing for Troy-Bilt’s own publications. I’ll mention these stories over on Seasonal Wisdom’s social media platforms; so you can find them there, if you’re so inclined.

Any sponsored posts or product reviews on Seasonal Wisdom will continue to be treated with objectivity and honesty. Thanks for your support, and happy gardening.

Learn More

Middleton Place

Charleston Garden Tours

Mount Vernon Garden Tour

Monticello Garden Tour

North Carolina Native Plants

At the end of a quiet leafy street in Santa Barbara, California, lies a small home garden that doesn’t need much water, but is loaded with charm. You won’t find flowering annuals here, but you will find brightly colored foliage and stems. Take a tour of this attractive water-wise garden, and get tips for your own outdoor spaces.

All photos are copyright Nell Foster, JoyUsGarden.com.

California Drought

After years of historic drought conditions in the West, it’s never been more important to save water in California gardens. In Santa Barbara, the city announced Stage 2 drought restrictions on May 20, 2014 after three of the driest years on record.

An estimated fifty percent of water used in Santa Barbara is for landscaping, and gardeners must cut water use by more than 20 percent, among other restrictions.

Out here, folks need creativity and common-sense to produce a water-wise garden that’s enjoyable and good for the environment.

Water-Wise Garden

Nell Foster understands. As the owner of JoyUsGarden.com, this author and blogger re-did her 270-square-foot front garden a year after she bought her home. She ripped out the thirsty lawn and planted succulents and other drought-tolerant plants instead.

Above is the water-wise garden from the street, and below is the view of the front garden from the driveway.

A natural-looking stone path leads to a brightly colored table, which is an ideal spot for dining alfresco.

“I live on a dead-end street, so there’s never much traffic,” explains Nell. “I love eating outdoors and being able to enjoy my garden.”

Saving Water in Garden

Along with using mulch, Nell’s garden is watered with a drip irrigation system. This method delivers water right at the roots. To further save water, the plants are irrigated before the sun comes up.

“I run the system at 6 a.m., before the sun and heat are factors,” says Nell. “There’s too much chance for evaporation at mid-day.”

Nell keeps a pail in one side of her double sink to collect gray water.

That’s how she waters her container plants, such as this bowl of drought-tolerant succulents and Cryptanthus, surrounded by different bromeliads.

Water-Wise Side Yard — Before and After

About four years after moving into the 1920s-style house, Nell tackled her 135 square foot side yard.

Here’s how it looked before…

Here’s how the side garden looks now.

The house got a hip new paint job and new stonework too, as you can see.

In the spotlight is a bright magenta Bougainvillea ‘Barbara Karst’, which adds a little drama to the scene. Also featured are several bromeliads and Sansevierias. The three plants with white variegation are variegated pineapples or Ananas comosus ‘Variegata’.

Here’s a closer view of those gorgeous bromeliads and variegated pineapples. Their foliage patterns are stunning, even if this photo doesn’t really do the plants justice.

Nell combines her plantings with garden art that reflects her fun personality.

Shrimp plant (Justicia brandegeeana) sits off in the corner of Nell’s side garden. This pretty shrub is native to Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala. I particularly like the red bracts on the end of the stems, and so do the butterflies and hummingbirds.

A vividly colored bougainvillea grows with relatively little water up the side of Nell’s garage and studio.  It’s a dramatic sight even from the street. Gardeners sometimes use this plant to create a  safety barrier, because of the thorns on the stems.

In her small garden, Nell has succeeded in creating a charming outdoor space with lots of colors and textures. Her water-wise garden manages to sparkle even without flowering annuals or thirsty turf playing a role on this arid stage.

I walked away with lots of design and water-saving ideas for my own garden, and I hope you do too.

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Check out Nell’s books

Ornaments to Make Your Christmas Sparkle – New!

Keep Your Houseplants Alive

Mother Nature Inspired Christmas Ornaments

Nell’s Holiday Tablescape for Seasonal Wisdom

This specially created tablescape features edible ingredients and is ideal for holiday entertaining.

How are you saving water in the garden?