Gettin' Your Green On at Flora Grubb

Just love going to Flora Grubb in San Francisco. Her store is so artful and original.

Here's detail on her vertical succulent garden.

A still life of tillandsia....

I need a driftwood shelf in my garden, right?

Even her logo raises my serotonin.

The custum-drip coffee bar rocks too.

The madam, herself.

This is her cottage in the back of her house. Another vertical succulent garden and cool combos down below in the ground.

As the Black Eyed Peas say, what's that junk inside your trunk?

Very cool eucalyptus pads....





My husband, David Gottfried, picking out garden sculpture.

Re:visionaries: Van Jones & David Gottfried

Check out the 6-minute video on Van Jones, with an interview by my husband and founder of the USGBC, David Gottfried.

Love the broadening of the context from green technology to creating a revolution and perhaps redemption for the human race, for connecting back to the human spirit through green to reclaim not just discarded materials but discarded lives. Let's create transcendent and ecstatic experience through our work in greening our planet and lives.

It’s deeper than a solar panel.

Van rocks!

Sim Van der Ryn Visit

Sim Van der Ryn is a pioneer of green architecture, prolific writer, visionary, and rock star of "sustainable architecture." He's authored seven books. Sim's Inverness home is extraordinarily beautiful, deep green with inspired design, and I thought I'd post a few snaps of it here.

Above is his gorgeous front door, to the anteroom (top photo and below) that connects many parts of his evolving home. It was painted by Tibetan monks in colors that make you happy.

Lots of queer little artifacts such as this one below in the window facing Inverness Ridge.



Beautiful staircase to his bedroom. The wood is all reclaimed.

Below are a few shots of an awesome redwood root, twirled and turned as an arch on Sim's grounds.

Maya, age 4, is in there for perspective.

I love the sleeping nook (above) and the old bench (below, with pond implements).

All I Want to Do is Garden

Our yard is filling in, albeit slowly. 

Discovering lots of inspiration from others. Love Vanessa Kuemmerle's work especially her Ocean Ave garden with the use of Balinese doors for an entry (above). 

You've probably seen Flora Grubb's gorgeous work - she's the IT Garden Girl. She landscaped the Bardessono Hotel, a new LEED-Platinum hotel in Yountville, with a fab Tillandsia and succulent vertical garden. Even the New York Times had nice things to say. My mom and I had such a swell field trip to Flora's garden last month.

What I'd really like to do today is hang out in Marcia Donahue's paradise, which she opens to the public most Sundays, 1-5pm. She's in Berkeley at 3017 Wheeler St. Instead, I will go to the zoo with DH and the kids, and then my daughter's piano recital....

Met Home: Greenest Little House in America

We are delighted to be featured in Metropolitan's Home green April 2009 issue! We met Michael Millman, a local photographer who grew up a few blocks from us here in Rockridge last Christmas holiday, barely catching a few rays of sun for the outdoor shots.



Below is our kitchen with paintings by Claire B. Cotts, counters by Syndacrete, and FSC-cabinets by Silverwalker.

Michael climbed up our neighbor's home to show the PV panels. David was thrilled.

Our back deck before the landscaping. David loves his outdoor shower.  Just bought a table and chairs for our "gathering circle" yesterday at The Wooden Duck in Berkeley, which features reclaimed wood furniture. Our dining room furniture, dressers, bookcases are from there too.

David's home office, the LifePod with a view of the Rainhog.

Eco-Bling Mulch

It's been a while since I last posted. My integrative medicine practice has been busy growing to include three new doctors. Now I'm back to greening my life again and especially interested in our garden.

Mulch. It's the poor relation to the hip, trendy low-water plants. The illegitimate child of the brilliant hardscape. But now it's time for mulch to get its proper due.

I was thumbing through this month's Garden Design over my oatmeal this morning, thinking about how to mulch one very shady part of our yard in Rockridge। I've been tremendously inspired by Marcia Donahue's work nearby and I'm wondering how to acquire vintage bowling balls and enormous ampersands as I don't see many cool ones on Ebay. Marcia, help!? Here's some snaps from her extraordinary art garden here in Berkeley.

Then I was thinking beach glass when I happened upon an ad for American Specialty Glass products, which are 100% recycled and tumbled to remove all sharp edges. They're based in Utah and members of the organization my husband founded, the US Green Building Council. So, we like them already.

Check out the options.

Their website looks as homegrown as mine but they have a few very cool installations. Here's one from the "Mineral Spirits Garden." I don't see more details on their website.

Looks like they've mostly done commercial applications but that's how it's been with green building. Time for more applications in private residences.

Help me decide between these options which are to go against a redish/brown FSC-redwood fence. I like the jewel tones best.

But what's not to love about purple and amber?

Please vote!