Treasures from Wine Country…

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

You really can’t go wrong with getting anything from Artifact Design & Salvage, out of Sonoma. And I’m really not just saying this to plug anyone – it’s just true. Every time I go shopping for one of my client’s while accidentally getting drunk/wine tasting in Sonoma, to find that perfect something for the garden – this is one of the meccas I travel to.

For instance, where else can you find a bunch of over sized clock/wheel thingies?

I can imagine these installed on a huge fence or to cover a boring retaining wall… nothing growing on them, but maybe a great  hedge line planted on either side?

Now mind you, everything looks a whole lot cooler when you have had a few glasses of wine in you, but either way I suggest going.

This is something you could post on your neighbors fence when they forget to weed! Although I haven’t mowed my lawn since 1942 so who am I kidding.

Dirty Love.

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010

I spent my pre-V-Day with the ones I really love… my plants. Yes, I said it – and I don’t care if I sound like a pathetic loser obsessed gardener. I love my plants and am constantly wanting to propagate more. (Kind of like Brangelina’s obsession with kidnapping adopting children.)

Here’s how it went down:

Free plastic pots from HMB Nursery

Steal Ask local nursery if they have any pots they don’t need (it’s always a Yes! Take them!)

Lots of dirt.

Then, have Soil Farm deliver a shit ton of soil… but not just any soil! I have a super secret soil blend – so fabulous that throngs of screaming clients beg me for the ingredients. And for a limited time only you get them: (more…)

Ahhh yeaaaah! SF F&G Show!

Saturday, February 13th, 2010

If Laura hadn’t reminded me I would have almost forgot to grab my ticket to the SF Flower & Garden Show early… having to bum a ticket at the door like I did last year. I’m usually one of those dorks that loves to get tickets early, print out directions early, schedule things… and so on. If I don’t control plan ahead of time, I get itchy. So luckily, I’m ahead of the game this year. (Thanks Laura!!!!!!!)

I absolutely love the flower and garden show (who doesn’t? It’s flowers and garden stuff!)…. but I do take a little issue with pictures of people gardening – when they are not dirty! It’s like, seriously? Who are you fooling. I mean it’s one thing to accidentally fall asleep in a mushroom patch wearing jewels, but it is quite another to be at a potting bench not covered in soil. Plus – that child should probably be whining about not being able to go inside and watch Barney or something, rather than perfectly posing… right? (Do kids still watch Barney?)

Beyond that – the SF Flower & Garden is fantastic and I’m going (Carla, you’re coming with… and buying me a corn dog or something.) Afterwards, be sure to tune back in about my findings….

For more info about how you can get your sweet buns to the show, go to….

www.sfgardenshow.com

Saturday, February 6th, 2010

This is me, looking dead, in Montara.

I was imagining what it would be like to die from a Fly Agaric mushroom… plus, my amazing paparazzi photographer, Carla, threw a little dirt on me and some got in my eye balls. I could tell right away the photo shoot was going to be amazing, since she was laughing at me and telling me how there was probably bugs in my hair – or that I was ingesting deadly mushroom spores. Nothing says professionalism, like when your photographer keeps looking down at the camera to review the shots, and says, “Ohhh man! That one is really bad. I’m going to delete it right now.”

But it’s not Carla’s fault. I lead her there under false pretenses, saying it would be a 30 minute trip to take a couple fun pic.’s of me next to these really cool mushrooms. (“let’s go! It’ll be sooo fun!”)And, I needed her to come – uh, like, now! – since rain was upon us. It probably wasn’t until she saw the pearl necklaces, wardrobe changes, and Dior lipgloss did she realize what she committed herself to.

I have been trapped by Carla many times before though. Back in the days where Carla did amazing flower arrangements – rather than amazing gardening – she would trick me to go with her to the SF Flower Market.

Carla: “Jenn do you want to come with me to the flower market!? It’ll be so fun and there are tons of flowers!”

Jenn: “Sure! That sounds great!”

Little did I know it meant getting there by 3-4AM and schlepping her bounty around like some sort of tired pack mule. It was cold and thankless… but for some reason, I’d keep going back with her… thinking maybe the next trip would be really fun.

So, I guess you could say I took a little pleasure forcing Carla to be my paparazzi for the morning. It’s a dirty job, but someone’s gotta take pic.’s of me in dirt next to deadly mushrooms.

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Valentine’s Day Yumminess

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

Stumped on what to get your loved one for Valentine’s Day???

Well, flowers of course.… oh ya and diamonds. Puppies are good too.

But for a more eco-inspired Valentine’s Day gift check out Sustainable Harvest International and their gift of a chocolate forest!

“The mission of Sustainable Harvest International (SHI) is to provide farming families in Central America with the training and tools to overcome poverty while restoring our planet’s tropical forests.

Since the organization’s start in 1997, SHI has planted more than 2.6 million trees and converted thousands of acres to sustainable uses; thereby saving tens of thousands of acres of tropical forest from slash-and-burn destruction.

SHI works with families and students throughout Honduras, Panama, Belize and Nicaragua implementing alternatives to slash-and-burn farming, the leading cause of rainforest destruction in the region. “

A Patootie in my Garden

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010

Now introducing: Patootie.

or P.Toots

or Tootie

or Toots

or Tea Bag

or P.T. Cruiser

or White Ninja

Here’s a shot of Toots looking out where the big mama agaves used to be. Last week we finally found a home for the last of the agave I harvested back in the summer. They are a perfect addition to a new garden we landscaped in Moss Beach.

The client, Karen, must have thought I was crazy when I asked, “Exactly how much do you like agave?”.  I informed her they were basically like my soul mates or my children… no better! These agave were like a whole batch of freshly baked oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, that I know I can’t/shouldn’t keep to myself but really wanted to.

After much soul searching I decided to give up my cookies….. err…. wait, agave – and planted them at Karen’s. They look incredible and she is very pleased.

In their place, along the white picket fence, are some new little strawberries that just got potted up last week. And a Patootie dog watching over the joynt.

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The Late Show Gardens

Monday, September 14th, 2009

Celebrating garden design and addressing our current environmental challenges… Cornerstone will be hosting The Late Show Gardens, Sonoma.

I’m still debating if it’s worth going for just the shows, but I’m headed out to see Ken Druse and Topher Delaney. For more info visit www.thelateshowgardens.org

LSGPhoHero

Gestalt Gardener

Friday, September 4th, 2009

A couple months ago a friend turned me onto the Gestalt Gardener Podcast, out of Jackson, Mississippi. You maybe wondering, why would anyone who lives in California listen to a garden show out of the old south… but it’s absolutely addicting! I listen when I’m working in gardens, when I’m driving, when I’m walking the dogs, etc. Felder Rushing’s southern twang is addicting and hilarious. In past episodes I have literally heard a caller ask how to get rid of wild hogs that keep coming and tearing up his front lawn!

Felder’s approach to gardening is much like my own, laid back and whatever works for you… except for his deviation from organic products. Below is the email correspondence in which we met. (Please read… good stuff) From those emails a podcast interview with Jenn was born! You can check that out on the radio’s website or by searching iTunes under Gestalt Gardener. It’s the September 4th 2009 Podcast and I’m 17 minutes into the hour long show.

gardener


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Wanna find eco-friendly toilet paper? There’s an App for that!

Thursday, September 3rd, 2009

iphone-greenIphone apps are all the rage… err something.

Well, the green apps are anyway! Here is a list of my favorite green applications to check out… (Not to completely sell out to Apple – but if we have to be addicted to iphones at least there are some great green apps for them!)

3rdWhale Mobile

This green app connects to the green businesses in your area. Whether you are traveling by car, bike or foot – you can find the closest green business around you. It takes a bit to connect, but gives you plenty of choices… as long as there is a green business for what you are looking for. Very easy to use.

Get Green

This app gives you eco tips everyday. Some of the tips are very basic, but I think any of them are helpful and can be inspiring. They also are updating this app all the time so there will be more and more to come.

get-greenGo Green Free

One of my favorites! This app allows you to evaluate different daily situations to determine how green they are.

For example – You can eliminate up to 2 pounds of Co2 by washing your clothes in cold water!

The different facts and figures allow you to learn more about how conserving and changing your everyday habits really impact the environment.

Gorgeously Green Survival Guild

phpThumb_generated_thumbnailjpgThis app gives you valuable information about the types of chemicals in things like makeup and cleaning products. You can find out exactly what is in the makeup you wear everyday. It also gives you info on how to read food and product labels.

EcoCal

Coming soon!

Although this is not out yet, I can’t wait to get it!

I have bought these calendars at hippy green festivals every year… they are beautiful and very inspiring. They show you a more ecological view of each day and how the seasons change. Great for kids or to hang in your office, too. The app will give you info about how the dates relate to migration, tides, moon phases, flora & fauna facts, etc. Love this one!!

**As all of these apps help with “getting greener” none of these companies are non-profit. I also have not included any apps that plant trees for you as I have heard many things about it being a complete scam… still researching that though.

Brought to you via HS

Wednesday, July 8th, 2009

“Do the 18″ spinning rims on your lawn mower get rain-spotted because you don’t have any kind of a structure to keep it in? Is your rake plated in gold but you’d never know it because it got lost under a pile of leaves last fall due to piss poor tool organisation? Whenever you’re in the Home Depot do you think your experience would be better if only the air was a touch more skunky?

Well have we got good news for you – You may be able to solve all those issues soon with the help of Snoop Doggy Dogg. He’s selling his old garden shed on eBay. That’s right, on eBay – so someone like you can help keep up hip hop’s proud tradition of extremely precise lawn care.

Now right off the bat you may think there’s absolutely no need to purchase Snoop’s old backyard tool shed. You may even think that although it looked real nice in the rapper’s backyard it would probably just crowd your livingroom.

To that we say this – don’t lose this chance so foolishly. After all, this is the same garden shed Snoop was wearing when he infamously got kicked out of Heathrow, and its the same shed he was wearing while he did almost a literal 1000 hours of community service for something or other.

Still not convinced it’d be a smart buy? But it’s for charity you selfish boob. As E! Online puts it:

“The hip-hop star is putting his favorite old backyard haunt—where he’s done some serious woodshedding over the years to craft some of his biggest hits and hang out with some of music’s brightest luminaries—on the eBay auction block to raise funds for Snoop’s Youth Football League.

“”I’ve had this shed since tha turn of tha century,” Snoop tells E! News. “I’ve beaten over 1,000 people in Madden in it, watched football game tape, seen the Lakers win championships, and, most of all, written hits in it.””

And if that still doesn’t convince you the Dogg is prepared to sweeten the deal by throwing in the butler that’s been permanently assigned to the building for at least the past two years. And if you act now you can get a free diamond encrusted carrot peeler. It sounds tacky but it actually looks quite nice.

Surely by now you must be wondering where you can buy such a fine backyard product while financially contributing to little boys in padding tackling each other. Well, the link is right here.

Better click fast – its already over $1000.

With an option to rent to own.”