Lotusland, Santa Barbara Botanical Garden and Casa Nueva

Day Two of the Pacific Horticulture Symposium, Gardening Under Mediterranean Skies VII: Lessons in Sustainable Gardening.

The day started with two really interesting, challenging and though provoking lectures on sustainability. Pamela Berstler was a lively speaker who asked us to push the envelope in our thinking about landscaping. She challenged the magazine ideal of a perfect back yard, and showed pictures of her own work that she felt "disappointed in" because of its lack of sustainability. Bernard Trainor's lecture was entitled 'Ecological Design - Connecting with the Place' and he showed pictures of his work that were truly stunning. He talked about the time taken to really get a sense of the natural place of a site, using a range of tools including satellite images to see the natural geography. His projects were larger and at 'drop dead' locations, but he showed how native vegetation and the use of native stone can really make a landscape blend into the natural landscape... click to read the rest of this article on our website.




Diane E Downey is the owner of The Yard Fairy Inc, a North San Diego County based award winning landscape design and installation company creating low water, low maintenance landscapes that are as functional as they are pleasing to the eye. To arrange your consultation with The Yard Fairy, please call 760 804 1661 or email info at yardfairy.com today.