2024-04-16 10:30
When planning a Garden Design, I will always pay special attention to the use of Trees. As they are typically the most expensive item in a Planting Plan and the most difficult to remove and… Read More
Blog Directory > Home & Garden Blogs > Colwynn Garden Design home-and-garden Blog >
Colwynn Garden Design Blog
colwynn.com/blog
A blog about garden design, with a specialty in drought tolerant and sustainable gardening.
2024-03-21 22:07
Matrix Gardening, also known as Matrix Planting, Wildscaping, or Modular Planting, is a modern technique for designing sustainable gardens that aims to emulate natural landscapes.The traditi… Read More
2024-03-05 22:52
If you have a sprinkler and/or drip irrigation system in your garden, you will usually have a controller that manages the watering schedule. Traditionally, these controllers worked similarly… Read More
2024-02-23 17:46
I currently live in Los Angeles, where we just experienced the second atmospheric river of this Winter. My garden received over 2" (50mm) of rain in two days, and that landed on already satu… Read More
2024-02-15 22:51
Desire paths are a useful way to examine the usage of outdoor spaces and determine the best layout of paths in these areas. So what is a desire path? Desire paths are unofficial, unplanned p… Read More
2024-01-18 22:37
If you are new to gardening, you may make some errors as you learn about how to design and tend to your outdoor space. Here are ten of the most common mistakes you should try to avoid in you… Read More
2024-01-04 22:05
When planning a garden, you need to make sure the plants are suitable for your location. Location suitability has two main factors: You want to make sure the light conditions are suitable. F… Read More
2023-12-29 22:32
Anyone with experience in tree care will probably notice a lot of bad pruning on trees in our cities. The most egregious example is when a tree is "topped", also known as "hat-racking". The… Read More
2023-12-14 22:49
If you live in a cold winter climate, you probably don't pay much attention to your garden in Winter. With some planning, you can have just as spectacular a garden in Winter as it is in Summ… Read More
2023-12-07 23:36
Gardens are often planned around how they look, and the design considers only one of our 5 senses: Sight. We have other senses too: Sound, Smell, Touch and Taste, which can be considered for… Read More
2023-11-16 22:35
As I write this post, it is mid-November in California and the first storm of the rainy season is about to hit the West Coast, heralding the start of planting season for California Native Pl… Read More
2023-11-09 22:29
Designing a home garden can be a gratifying task, but all too often people find they don't know where to start. Today's post is the third in a new series where I will explain a simple proces… Read More
2023-11-02 22:28
Designing a home garden can be a gratifying task, but all too often people find they don't know where to start. Today's post is the second in a new series where I will explain a simple proce… Read More
2023-10-26 21:34
You may have heard the term "edimental" as a new buzzword in gardening. Garden Design magazine listed edimental gardening as one of the top garden trends to watch out for in 2024 alongside g… Read More
2023-10-19 22:31
Designing a home garden can be a very rewarding task, but all too often people find they don't know where to start. Today's post is the first in a new series where I will explain a simple pr… Read More
2023-10-12 21:47
If you live in a drought-prone area and are planning a drought-tolerant garden you will need to water your plants to stand a good chance of them getting established. Once drought-tolerant pl… Read More
2023-10-05 18:31
There's more to your morning cup of coffee than a jolt of energy for your body. Those used coffee grounds can be a secret weapon for your garden, offering a sustainable and cost-effective wa… Read More
2023-09-28 21:49
I have noticed that many home gardens, particularly front gardens, are now using rocks as the main ground covering instead of lawns or traditional mulches like shredded wood or bark chips. I… Read More
2023-09-21 21:10
In nature, you rarely see perfectly straight lines. Curved lines and shapes are commonly found in natural spaces such as meandering rivers, rolling hills, and tree canopies. Incorporating cu… Read More
2023-09-14 22:42
Water is a precious resource. Water is a finite resource. It makes sense that we should conserve our water and use it as efficiently as possible. For most people, the water supply for our ho… Read More
2023-09-07 22:02
During the recent drought in California, I had a lot of people asking me about artificial lawns. California was in drought conditions almost every year from 2011-2022 and landscape water res… Read More
2023-08-31 21:00
Some insects, bugs or small animals can actually be a benefit for your garden. On the other hand, some are problem makers that eat away at your plants. What are the beneficial creatures we s… Read More
2023-08-21 21:31
English Landscape Garden style was a design style that became popular in 18th Century England. The English Landscape Garden is also simply known as the English Garden. This style was a sharp… Read More
2023-08-16 20:26
Teabags have long been known for their role in the kitchen, steeping into comforting cups of tea, but their usefulness extends far beyond the realm of beverages. In recent years, teabags hav… Read More
2023-08-03 22:01
After your garden is established, even the most low-maintenance designs require some amount of pruning to keep looking good. Here are the pruning tools I recommend every gardener should have… Read More
2023-07-27 22:12
As a Garden Designer practicing in Southern California suburbs, homeowners often ask me about making their landscaping resilient against wildfires. Even in homes that are not immediately adj… Read More
2023-07-13 23:32
Many cultures around the world have given plants great spiritual meaning. Here are 10 of the most common garden plants that have spiritual qualities. Try planting these to receive their spir… Read More
2023-06-29 21:42
Wild Gardens are becoming an increasingly popular trend for home gardeners. Many people are no longer interested in the traditional lawn surrounded by exotic shrubs, with over 1/3 of U… Read More
2023-06-22 22:31
Garden paths can be constructed in a number of different ways. Here are 9 ways to create a beautiful walkway for your garden.Stepping StonesStepping stones are one of the simplest methods of… Read More
2023-06-14 23:38
Dark leaved or flowering plants can create a dramatic effect in your garden. These types of plants become big talking points to garden visitors as most people have not seen many plants with… Read More
2023-06-08 19:52
In this blog, we've talked about ways to create natural gardens to encourage wildlife visitors. Some wild creatures are in serious trouble due to loss of habitat, but there are interventions… Read More
2023-05-18 21:00
Managing gardens, with their arrays of vibrant colors, refreshing scents, and bountiful harvests, has captivated the hearts of many. Yet, amidst this world of botanical wonders, a labyrinth… Read More
2023-05-11 21:00
Mulch serves many purposes in your garden. There are a number of different types of mulch and it can be confusing to know which to use, how much, and where to put it. This guide should help… Read More
2023-05-04 22:39
Lawns are a common feature of many landscapes, but they come with their fair share of problems. They require a lot of water, fertilizer and maintenance to stay healthy, and they can contribu… Read More
2023-04-29 20:38
If you have an ornamental lawn, you should consider removing and replanting this area to save water and increase bio-diversity of your garden. Once you have decided to do this, the first ste… Read More
2023-04-27 21:00
Various California native plants benefit from periodic pruning to rejuvenate, improve their look, or to maintain their health. In this blog post we will discuss pruning regimens for some of… Read More
2023-04-20 23:00
Garden Designers create landscape plans for two reasons: firstly, illustrative plans are used to sell the design to their clients. Secondly, a more technical set of plans are used to inform… Read More
2023-04-13 23:00
In our previous post, we talked about the technical aspects of creating a garden on a sloping landscape. Once these issues are addressed and the slope is deemed suitable for working on, we c… Read More
2023-04-06 16:32
Designing a garden on a slope can be challenging. While there are a number of aesthetic choices we can make, there are technical aspects that should be addressed first. The most important te… Read More
2023-03-31 23:50
Garden Designers employ a number of techniques to manipulate space and change our perception of a space. This is done through the use of optical illusions that can trick your mind into think… Read More
2023-03-23 22:25
The idea that talking or even playing music to plants is beneficial has been around for many years. Talking to plants was popularised when Gustav Fechner published his book "Nanna (Soul-life… Read More
2023-03-16 22:45
Mulch is a useful material for your garden. Mulch inhibits weed seeds from germinating by starving them of sun. Mulch prevents soil from drying out, and moderates soil temperature. A natural… Read More
2023-03-09 22:00
You may already know that plants typically have 2 names: a botanical name and a common name. Botanical names are unique to a plant, whereas a common name differs in other languages and even… Read More
2023-03-03 19:40
Butterflies and flowers seem to be made for each other. The French Poet Ponce Denis Écouchard Lebrun once wrote: “The butterfly is a flying flower, The flower a tethered butterf… Read More
2023-03-02 19:07
Drip Irrigation is considered to be much more efficient at watering than traditional landscape sprinklers. A drip irrigation system can reduce water use by 50-80% over a conventional sprinkl… Read More
2023-02-24 00:26
Crevice Gardens are a type of Rock Garden that has been recently gaining in popularity. A Rock Garden is a general term for a garden design that uses rocks and stones as major feature of the… Read More
2023-02-02 22:58
Ceanothus is a genus with 50-60 known species that are native to North America, the majority of which are native to California. The California native Ceanothus are commonly called "Californi… Read More
2023-01-17 21:36
It's January, which is a great time to plant a California Native Garden. All month, we are publishing plant profiles of select native plants. Today we are featuring California Buckwheat (Eri… Read More
2023-01-06 02:07
Heteromeles arbutifolia is a California native shrub commonly known as Toyon. The name "Toyon" is derived from the Ohlone people that lived in Northern California before Spanish colonization… Read More
2022-12-29 01:38
Lepechinia fragrans is commonly know as "Fragrant Pitcher Sage", and it lives up to it's name. This shrub is one of the most pleasingly fragrant plants I have ever come across. It is fairly… Read More
2022-12-20 18:51
Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) grows naturally in meadows throughout the northern hemisphere. In temperate regions, this herbaceous perennial plant is often found growing in grassy are… Read More
2022-12-15 23:15
Espalier is a method of horticulture used to control the growth of a plant on flat plane when grown against a wall, fence or trellis. Espalier is derived from the Italian spalliera, meaning… Read More
2022-12-09 23:10
If you have an interest in California Native Plants, you need to know about Theodore Payne. Theodore Payne was a horticulturist that pioneered the use of California native plants in the earl… Read More
2022-11-30 18:22
There are times when you need to build something in your garden using wood. Wood is much easier to work with than bricks, stone or concrete. This is a great material for DIYers that like to… Read More
2022-10-18 16:00
Hummingbirds are found throughout the Americas. If you live in North or South America you may have seen them in your home garden already. If you haven't had one of these visitors in your yar… Read More
2022-10-13 22:14
Water is a precious resource. Here are some basic principles to incorporate water saving features for your garden.Use of drought-tolerant and native plants. This is more obvious… Read More
2022-10-10 21:48
One of the most spectacular natural events in California are those years when the rainy season delivers the right amount of rain for a Superbloom. When this happens, the hills of California… Read More
2022-09-22 21:40
As a Garden Designer, I often design gardens that have concrete walkways. These walkways can make it difficult to install irrigation, or run wires for lighting. Sometimes, you need a pipe to… Read More
2022-09-16 23:45
Regions in the Western states of the USA have been experiencing major water shortages in recent history due to an uptick in more intense droughts caused by the climate crisis, increasi… Read More
2022-09-08 21:57
Unlike temperate climates, California does not suffer from plants going dormant en mass over winter. Instead, California native plants are typically dormant in late summer and autumn as a me… Read More
2022-08-27 16:02
Garden designers generally guide themselves using some basic principles of home interior design. Namely the principles of form, line, texture, scale and color. In an earlier post, we talked… Read More
2022-08-19 01:03
Plants labeled “Water-Wise” or “drought tolerant” have the potential to become tolerant of dry spells. They are not drought tolerant until they establish themselves p… Read More
2022-08-12 23:31
About 100 years after the Italian renaissance Garden became popular, the Renaissance garden design style started to appear in France in the 16th Century. This movement was catalyzed when Kin… Read More
2022-08-04 19:26
Variegation is a term that describes plants whose leaves have a mixture of color: generally this is seen as green with lighter green, yellow or white markings. Often these plants will have t… Read More
2022-07-28 22:42
The Renaissance period of history marks great changes in society and culture from the middle ages. As it became safer to live outside of walled hilltop castle-cities, we see a change to livi… Read More
2022-07-14 21:07
Knowing what type of soil texture you have is very important when working on a planting design for a garden. Put simply there are 4 categories of soil: Sandy, Silt, Clay or Loam. Sandy soil… Read More
2022-07-07 22:24
After the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th Century, the Church took over in leading the way in Garden Design. Monastery Cloister Gardens began to appear all over Europe, and drew heavily… Read More
2022-06-23 20:19
The ancient Persian and Greek Empires created some of the earliest known designed gardens, and these were all in royal residences or other hallowed grounds. With the advent of the Roman Empi… Read More
2022-06-18 14:58
Cistus is the name of a group of shrubs commonly called Rock Roses. The common name refers to the similarity of their flowers to wild roses and the preferred habitat of the plants: rocky and… Read More
2022-06-10 23:53
The earliest gardens in the history of Western civilisations were in ‘sacred spaces’, these were places of worship and restoration. The oldest known landscaped site is Göbek… Read More
2022-06-02 22:39
In our posts on Color Theory in Garden Design, we have explored the concept of using different types of colors in different applications, e.g. using Blue/Grey tones can help liven up and add… Read More
2022-05-26 22:56
Research has shown that spending time outside is good for our bodies and our minds. In Japan, a common stress therapy is “shinrin-yoku”, which translates as forest bathing.Spendi… Read More
2022-05-13 22:16
A question garden designers should ask clients is “what is your favorite color?”. Say the reply is “red”, don’t assume the designer will create a plant pa… Read More
2022-05-08 21:42
Raised garden beds are a great way to grow vegetables in your home, providing an area that maximizes your backyard garden space, gains you better control over the soil, reduce soil compactio… Read More
Subscribe to Colwynn Garden Design
Get updates delivered right to your inbox!