Yesterday my husband and I welcomed over 400 people to our garden, which was one of seven featured on the free, annual South Pasadena Beautiful Garden Tour. Each garden displayed principles of sustainability–including California native and Mediterranean landscaping, planting for wildlife, bioswales, permeable paving options and recycling organic waste. In front of our house was...Read More

When I heard that Catherine Pannell and Robert Waters purchased their home in Downey 38 years ago for its garden potential, I knew they were kindred spirits. Having already gardened extensively with cacti, palms, succulents, fruit trees and more on their original 1/3 acre lot, the couple’s native garden was born when they purchased the...Read More

With the event just a month away, I thought you might enjoy previewing the four beautiful properties on South Pasadena Beautiful’s annual Garden Tour. The gardens are wonderfully diverse, including a playful Mediterranean garden; an informal, primarily native garden; a traditional garden with lovely outdoor rooms; and a very large, meandering “secret” garden. This is...Read More

On a foggy morning in Fall, I visited a lovely garden in Arcadia designed by renowned designer Judy Horton.  The informal tour was part of the Southern California Horticultural Society’s Coffee in the Garden series, which features gardens owned by the Society’s members.  Working with an established, 30-year-old landscape already featuring beautiful specimen plants and...Read More

It seemed like a hopeful way to start the new year: Two years ago, my family and I planted a meadow in our front yard. No longer a play space for our children, the lawn had outgrown its usefulness.  After a debate between my husband and me about the merits of gravel and native shrubs...Read More