After spending a week on the Hudson River a few weeks ago with steady rain every day and temperatures in the high 50s-low 60s, it would be easy to think that the lack of water is a non-issue. As most of you know, this weather was extremely unusual for the East Coast. When I returned to Israel with temperatures in the mid-90s and no rainfall whatsoever for the past 2 months, with brown grass, dead flowerheads and wilted leaves, it was a stark reminder of how critical it is for all of us to diligently practice water conservation, in both our gardens and homes. A great resource to learn about smart irrigation is: www.irrigation.org.

If you want your garden to be filled with a plethora of texture, shapes and color during the summer, the only way to go is with drought tolerant perennials, succulents, annuals and ornamental grasses. Because I’m now residing in Israel for much of this year, I’ve been browsing through books on Mediterranean gardens. One of my favorites, New Gardens In Provence by Louisa Jones, is not only filled with magnificent photos of Provencal gardens but it serves as an inspiration and reminder of how rain free gardens can be drop dead gorgeous when selecting the right plant for the right location.

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I was a little hesitant to repeat a GBDW topic, thinking that you all might be bored with the subject of front-yard gardens. Well, how glad I am that I was wrong! Our contributors this month have outdone themselves in generously sharing ideas and inspiration with other folks looking to turn their own barren yards into welcoming spaces filled with flowers and foliage - and wildlife as well. Wow, those before-and-now shots are amazing! [Read more →]

 A big thank you to all who entered and an ovation for your rose photos. Many of our 31 entrants submitted the full allotment of three photos, so I had close to 100 to judge—a daunting yet delightful task. [Read more →]

Hah! I bet you thought I’d be posting about exclamation points! Exciting stuff! Focal points! But no, today I shall focus on the lowly, misunderstood, but oh-so invaluable comma. Let’s think for a moment about its role. According to Wikipedia, “the comma is used in many contexts and languages, principally for separating things.” So what exactly does that mean in terms of garden design? [Read more →]

I have been working in Seattle recently and I always drop by the Bellevue Botanic Garden, knowing great photos are to be found.  Walking around the groundcovers garden I came upon this scene.

path in Bellevue groundcover garden

My photographer’s radar switched to acute knowing this was a scene to be worked, to savor, to discover a special photograph.  Let’s analyze. [Read more →]