Northern California - Fine Gardening

  • Design

    Fabulous Annuals for Fall Containers

    One of the best things about gardening in Northern California (and the wider Pacific Northwest) is that there’s seldom any true downtime. With our wonderful weather, we can enjoy our…

  • hellebore and fern
    Design

    Great Perennial Plants for Shady Garden Containers in the Pacific Northwest

    Shade gardens are some of the most beautiful and rewarding gardens you can create. No one can resist the cool welcome that dappled areas of the landscape offer in the…

  • eremurmus
    Design

    Spectacular Summer Flowering Bulbs for the Pacific Northwest 

    Spring is fading fast, and memories of the daffodil and tulip bulbs that we filled our beds and containers with are starting to fade also. Now is the time to…

  • San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers
    Design

    GPOD on the Road: The San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers

    My name is David Smith-Harrison, and I began observing and nurturing plants at a young age. I love watching plants grow. I started drawing and painting plants and trees as…

  • path leading to patio and arbor covering in climbing rose
    Design

    Roses, Despite Fire and Clay

    Today we’re in Redding, California, visiting with Carol Cowee. Here's how it started—bare ground that would become the new rose garden. The soil was compacted, horrible red, rocky dirt. It…

  • close up of pink and peach roses
    Design

    The Garden at Misty Haven

    We’re visiting with Edward Bielski today. We purchased our unbuilt home in 2021 in a new subdivision in Roseville, California. We started with a blank canvas and, using the pool…

  • close up of succulents and ground covers planted in front yard
    Design

    Kathy’s Garden Design for Her Daughter

    Kathy Sandel has shared her gardens with us before (More of Kathy's Calabasas Garden, Kathy's Garden Transformation in Sacramento), but today she’s sharing the garden she created for her daughter…

  • close up of potted succulents in the garden
    Design

    From Barren Plot to Urban Oasis

    Today we’re visiting with Max Cannon who gardens in south San Francisco, California: Our garden started as a barren plot of concrete and hard-pan clay in 2017, our mission has…

  • succulents that grow on a windowsill
    Article

    Vibrant Succulents to Brighten Your Indoor Space

    Succulents thrive in arid, often harsh climates, with abundant bright sunshine year-round and little to no regular water. They have adapted to such conditions by developing thick, fleshy leaves and…

  • backyard vineyard
    How-To

    How to Grow Grapes for Your Own Backyard Vineyard

    Have you always longed to make wine from tasty sun-warmed grapes gathered from your own backyard? While I live in the ideal wine-growing region (USDA Zone 9b) near the well-known…