When I tell people that I was a landscaper before I landed my first full-time writing job, their reaction is usually a mixture of shock and dismissiveness. I have experienced firsthand the negative ...

North Bay communities are surrounded by plentiful, diverse scenes of nature that not only enrich our lives but teach us about designing gardens, too. The types, forms, foliage and growth habits of ...

One recent Reddit post posed the question: "Landscape fabric right up to the trunk, remove or leave?" There are two photos of a tree surrounded by leafy ground cover and, unfortunately, fabric. Based ...

Not to be confused with zero-scaping, xeriscaping is a type of landscaping that reduces its need for irrigation beyond the water its natural climate can supply. A Greek derivative, xeros means “dry,” ...

I recently led a study abroad to Brazil for UD with my colleague, Anna Wik—what an experience! We took 14 students to the Amazon region and stayed in floating lodges to learn about the flooded ...

Normally at this time of year — and what a year this has been — we reflect back on what we’ve learned on our journey toward better living. So here are my top takeaways from 2020: In January, sick of ...

It seems like headlines about the 2022 drought show up daily. Many include information about water restrictions, challenges the state faces and federal water allocations, but very few provide tools to ...

California has welcomed recent rain showers with open arms and we will continue to hope for a wet season throughout the winter. While we celebrate the much needed precipitation, it’s also the time to ...

It seems as if I have always known of the Villa d‘Este, the celebrated Renaissance villa and adjoining gardens northeast of Rome, but until this spring I really didn’t know much about it. I was dimly ...