As climate change leads way to drier conditions and potential fire threats throughout California, it is important to consider how to keep your home safe by means of plant selection, proper maintenance, and landscape layout. Plant selection comes down to choosing various types of plants, including trees, that are firewise, meaning they tend to have...Read More

What types of gardens are you drawn to? The gardens that resonate most with me are those that are (or were) deeply personal for their owners. An exhilarating example here in Southern California is Ganna Walska Lotusland, a 37-acre nonprofit botanical garden located in Montecito, near Santa Barbara. The unique and exquisite plants of Lotusland...Read More

Humans are innately drawn to nature; biophilia being the term coined for our inherent desire to connect with the environment. Beyond the sense of ease that comes with spending time in the natural world, there are positive physiological benefits to spending time in the outdoors. An NPR article, by Marielle Segarra, states that trees have...Read More

The natural playground creates a world to be discovered; it consists of structures built from what exists in nature and allows for children’s creativity to shape their play. Here are some structures, which can be interwoven into a landscape design as a cost effective and equally safe alternative to standard structures. 1. Start with Some...Read More

Throughout Los Angeles, many of the trees that shade our streets and absorb carbon are nearing the end of their lifespans. Urban trees can often have shorter than usual lifespans, and in Southern California, many are succumbing to disease after years of drought. As an example, all of the beautiful mature camphor trees on the...Read More