California School of Garden Design

I'm happy to let you know that my newest course "Simplified Grading for Garden Designers" is now live on UDEMY.com! If you've ever wanted to know how to do simple grading and differential elevation surveys then you may want to check out this training. Lots of exercises will help to hone your skills. Visit UDEMY and search for 'Simplified Grading for Garden Designers" to preview!!

February 19, 2021 A cold, rainy day in Applegate after a much needed, short holiday to the Mendocino coast. We live at an elevation of 2,000 ft. in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and dropping into the Sacramento Valley really shows the difference in the season. Our fruit trees are barely showing any bud swell while outside of the town of Woodland on the valley floor, almond orchards are in full bloom. Driving through the hills surrounding Clear Lake the topog...Continue reading

February 9, 2021 It’s interesting how certain things come to pass. In the late 1970’s I was employed by the U.S. Forest Service and one summer I had the great opportunity to work with my foreman on a survey of rare plants on the Tahoe National Forest. Well, actually, it was a survey focused on two rare plants Lewisia stebbinsii and Phacellia stebbinsii and I’ll have photos at the end of this post. I was in the timber department at the time, mainly cruising and doing inve...Continue reading

February 3, 2021 Well, my grand plan of writing a post each and every day, has fallen by the wayside. What I’ve found is that it is hard to find the time to write considering my other work, and how to keep the momentum going. What I’m trying to do is find my voice. But then I realized that this is just as true in the profession of landscape design. When we’re first stating enthusiasm is not an issue. Designing a garden for someone, watching it being built and then seein...Continue reading

January 27, 2021 A stormy a few days here in Applegate with even a rare snowfall this past Monday. Due to the approaching storm the garden took priority for me over the weekend and I took the opportunity to get shelling peas planted and potatoes in the ground. One thing I noticed over the years is that, when talking to homeowners or even at garden clubs, there is a misconception of the definition of a formal garden. I remember meeting with a potential client a few years b...Continue reading

January 22, 2021 One thing I know is that if you really want to learn something, try teaching it to others. Sierra College had an opening for someone to teach irrigation design and the director of the environmental horticulture department called me and asked if I would be interested in the position....Continue reading