Lawn Gone book cover Pam Penick, who started the Garden Blogger Flings with the first one in Austin, TX, has some solutions for those of you conflicted about your water and chemical guzzling front lawns. She's written a new book, Lawn Gone!: Low-Maintenance, Sustainable, Attractive Alternatives for Your Yard, which offers great design ideas for lawn replacement that your neighbors won't mind. These include: • alternative grasses that seldom (or never) need mowing; • drought-tolerant, eco-friendly landscapes; • regional plant recommendations for all parts of the country; • artificial turf that looks like the real thing; • step-by-step lawn-removal methods; • strategies for dealing with neighbors and HOAs; and • ways to decrease your lawn if you’re not ready to go all the way. Living in Austin, TX, Pam understands what drought really means, and because I visited her former home, I can attest that the lawn-less area in front...

In my heart of hearts, I'm a fair-weather gardener. I'd rather stay indoors when it's too cold or too hot, but my weather doesn't often cooperate. I sometimes fantasize about living in Hawaii where I would enjoy this very situation, but not for long. Mushroom containers repurposed as seed starting containers I sowed most of the seeds I'm starting indoors, and they sit cozy beneath their chicken grit and plastic germinating blankets atop heat mats. Once these were finished, and I could no longer stall, I braved the cold for two days planting cold-weather seeds like peas, lettuce, spinach, beets etc., along with several shrubs I ordered from Forest Farm. It may seem odd that I purchased shrubs all the way from Oregon, but if you want the odd or eclectic, Forest Farm is a great place to hand over your money. I desire more spring color in the berm...

Best use of black mondo grass at the show. Everyone has this idea it's always raining in Seattle. Not true. This week, while I attended the Northwest Flower and Garden Show, it was cloudy, but very little rain fell. Meanwhile in Oklahoma, we had hail, snow, sleet and freezing rain within a three-day period. It's raining even now as I write from my cozy kitchen workplace. Since we're in a drought, I'm grateful. The Hobbit Garden was very popular at the show. I'll take Seattle in February anytime. I wish I could carry you there in my pocket, but unfortunately, that isn't possible--so, I'm going to try virtually by describing the excitement and anticipation. I stayed in the Sheraton with the show in the convention center next door. To get to the show, you must travel up three floors by escalator, and excitement builds at each level. You check your...

It's no secret I enjoy Amanda's work. She is my colleague and friend, and we both write columns as Proven Winners Garden Gurus. I've been a fan of her blog since she started it. She makes me laugh regularly there and on Facebook where she shows the irreverent side of motherhood, and her husband's quips about life. In all this funny business, though, there is also a tender place, and I see that too. Amanda is a Master Gardener and landscape designer in the Chicago area. Kiss My Aster: A Graphic Guide to Creating a Fantastic Yard Totally Tailored to You is her second book after co-authoring Grocery Gardening, and it might surprise you. It is a graphic guide. In other words, like a graphic novel, it uses Amanda's drawings to tell the story. It is fun. However, because I am Amanda's friend and coworker, I didn't think I could give an unbiased review so...