In My Sister’s Garden-A Wistful Romp through a Drought Resistant Oasis "Spring is the time of the year, when it is summer in the sun and winter in the shade." - Charles Dickens One of the great things about growing up on a farm in the boondocks is that your tribe is your family. We five siblings were as thick as thieves as we climbed trees, worked the fields, pulled fences, drove tractors, branded cattle, and planted the spring garden. We played, we quarreled, and we dug in the dirt together. By the time May arrived, we ached to get our hands grubby in the vegetable patch. Waiting for the vegetables to sprout and be harvested taught us patience and responsibility. Of course, Mom’s beautiful flower gardens would already be abloom by this time of year getting us into constant trouble because we were forever picking bouquets not only for her, but, for teachers, 4-H leaders, and Sunday masses. As we grew into adults, our love of the earth grew as well. Following in the big shoes of my Father, my brother continued the family tradition of being a farmer and has one of the most beautiful vineyards in the county. Our Mother’s love of gardening instructed the gardens of her girls. Recently I walked with my sister Debbie through her eclectic garden. There is a saying that “you can take the girl out of the country, but you can never take the country out of the girl.” With Deb, she’s never left the land where we were born. She is a country cowgirl through and through. She’s always adorned with her cowboy hat, rodeo belt buckle, and boots! She hunts, fishes, grows her food, and would have relished being a pioneer in the 1870’s. Debbie and her husband are the ultimate recyclers and re-purposers. With their barnyard of adopted animals-pigs, goats, donkeys, chickens, even Texas long horns at one time, all the weeds and garden cuttings feed the animals and the manure is then recycled back to the garden. They collect rooftop rain runoff in used wine barrels then pipe it to a storage tank to help with summer watering. It’s never enough, but every drop helps. Their garden art includes rusted plows, wooden swings, a plethora of homemade birdhouses, multiple fountains made from found objects, wagon wheels, antlers, the cutest country chicken coop you ever did see, and a sleeping shed outfitted with a bear hide, antique fishing gear, pinecones, and found treasures of every sort. From their patio they watch the wildlife on their hillside property-deer, bobcats, raccoons, turkeys, skunks, and the occasional mountain lion. It’s a playful, restful garden setting, albeit with a watchful eye for the rattlesnakes that enjoy this oasis as well. What I love about Debbie’s garden is how it reflects her unique personality, her love of the land, and her admiration for the history of the Wild West. As we ambled around the property with her happy dogs in the lead, the songbirds sang, a bevy of butterflies delicately landed on her flowers, and the koi in the pond swam to the surface to greet me. This time together immersed in this sustainable landscape nurtured my soul and brought our childhood memories to vivid life. Although we grow the same plants, shrubs, trees, and succulents in both of our yards, our designs and esthetics are completely different. And that’s the beauty of creating a garden, making it your own special paradise where you can find peace, tranquility, and restoration in tandem with the wild kingdom. TIPS TO CREATING YOUR OWN UNIQUE PLAYGROUND ⎫ Don’t over-think it! Make lists of everything you enjoy in a garden then do it. ⎫ Be conservation conscious as well as considerate of nature. ⎫ Be creative. Think swathes, angles, circles, and flow. There is nothing more boring than a box. ⎫ The hardscape must include natural materials: rocks, gravel, barn wood, shells, or anything meaningful to you. ⎫ Instead of buying art, repurpose childhood toys, old sinks, even a commode overflowing with flowers can be comical. ⎫ Be playful. When you are going to spend time in the outdoors, you want to enjoy yourself. Allow your personality to shine. ⎫ Add surprises, secret gardens, hedged rooms, anything that will enhance the whimsical and magical element to your garden experience. ⎫ Lead to a focal point or view with meandering paths, walkways, and trails. ⎫ Invite the pollinators; bees, butterflies, and birds by providing housing, nectar flowers, protection, fountains, and ponds. ⎫ Mix it up. For a drought resistant garden, consider an array of beautiful succulents, cactus, lavender, bulbs, iris, daylily, geraniums, and other plants that will add color, texture, form, and structure, yet require little maintenance and minimal water. ⎫ A potager, pots, or area designated for edibles and herbs is a must have. There is nothing better than picking your dinner from your own property. ⎫ Benches, swings, lounge chairs, umbrellas, and places to unwind, watch the clouds, savor sunsets, and marvel at the stars make your garden your home. ` What’s so fun about our family gardening experience is the sharing that we all do in giving each other clips, snips, cuttings, bulbs, and volunteers. We grow the same specimens and as we stroll and admire our handiwork, we can’t remember who gave what to whom first. As I said farewell to my sister, she handed me a hand-painted tin filled with blooming echeveria from clippings I had given her a few years before. We shared a laugh. Little did I know this would be the last walk with my sister. She died just a few days before this article was published. She would have loved to have seen her passion in print. Debbie may you garden in the heavens. The circle of life continues. Happy Trails to you, Debbie. Until we meet again... Read more: https://www.lam orindaweekly.com/archive/issue1006/Digging-Deep-with-Cynthia-Brian.html Scribd: https://www.scribd.com/doc/313702488/My-Sister-s-Garden-Digging-Deep-With-Cynthia-Brian Radio Broadcast: http://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/92459/porn-alarm-effective-apologies-in-my-sisters-garden Press Pass: http://vapresspass.com/2016/05/24/in-my-sisters-garden-a-wistful-romp-through-a-drought-resistant-oasis-by-cynthia-brian/ ©2016 Cynthia Brian The Goddess Gardener Starstyle® Productions, llc Cynthia@GoddessGardener.com www.GoddessGardener.com 925-377-STAR Tune into Cynthia’s Radio show at www.StarStyleRadio.com I am available as a speaker, designer, and consultant. Keywords: Debbie’s garden my sister’s garden, a cowboy western garden, drought resistant plants, cynthia brian, lamorinda weekly, starstyle, goddess gardener.

Sweet Pea cutting garden. Flowers, seeds & photo by Floret.
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A second broadleaf evergreen choice is lily-of-the-valley shrub (Pieris japonica), with raspberry, bell-shaped blooms. This is one of the best early-blooming shrubs for my Zone 8b garden. Design & photography (c) Debra Prinzing, Slow Flowers LLC

This "ultra violet" hued selection has non-straight stems, which I prefer, and button-black centers. Design & photography (c) Debra Prinzing, Slow Flowers LLC

White hyacinths add volume, texture and fragrance. These were grown by Oregon Flowers in Aurora, Ore., but I could just have as easily forced hyacinth bulbs indoors. I went for convenience and bought a bunch of five stems, perfectly in bloom. Design & photography (c) Debra Prinzing, Slow Flowers LLC

Garden hellebores are sometimes the only thing blooming in my beds and borders at this time of year, so I judiciously snipped just three stems for inclusion in this seasonal arrangement. Design & photography (c) Debra Prinzing, Slow Flowers LLC

Getting started. Organize all flower stems and branches by variety. From left: Pieris japonica, poppies, hellebores, anemones, ranunculus, hyacinth tulip magnolia, cymbidium orchid spray (which I ended up not using), Viburnum tinus in back, fancy parrot tulips. Strip off any foliage that falls below the water's surface to reduce bacteria. Note that I've inserted a vintage dome-style flower frog inside the footed vase. This can be secured with floral adhesive, available at craft and floral supply retailers or online. Design & photography (c) Debra Prinzing, Slow Flowers LLC

I also purchased one bunch of pink ranunculus (California-grown) and placed them in water inside my home for 48 hours to encourage them to open. . Design & photography (c) Debra Prinzing, Slow Flowers LLC

Detail of selected ingredients, including four elements clipped from my garden and neighborhood (with permission) and blooms grown by U.S. flower farms. I purchased the hyacinth, anemone, ranunculus, poppy and tulips from the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market, a wonderful farmer-to-florist cooperative representing only Pacific Northwest and domestic flowers. It is open to the public from 10 a.m.-Noon every Friday. The vintage creamware vase has the Haeger USA mark. Design & photography (c) Debra Prinzing, Slow Flowers LLC

A few quirky stems of California-grown Icelandic poppies (open and in bud) add movement and personality to contrast with the denser focal flowers. Design & photography (c) Debra Prinzing, Slow Flowers LLC

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These interesting white-and-green variegated parrot tulips are almost fully opened, which gives them a Dutch Masters quality. Grown by Sun Valley Flower Farm in Arcata, Calif., Design & photography (c) Debra Prinzing, Slow Flowers LLC

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Start with foliage and woody branch stems. Note how the Viburnum tinus is a broadleaf evergreen shrub with wine-colored stems and buds. Placement creates the lines that will ultimately take shape as the arrangement progresses. I love to choose one longer stem to "reach out" to the right as an asymmetrical gesture. Design & photography (c) Debra Prinzing, Slow Flowers LLC