Inspiration for an eclectic kids' room remodel in San Diego

Annie Legroulx
Inspiration for a small modern exterior home remodel in Montreal

At AZ Desert Turf, we’re all about making life easier with beautiful, low-maintenance artificial grass that stays green all year. We’re a small, family-owned business in Queen Creek, and we love helping our neighbors transform their yards, pet areas, and even playgrounds with top-quality turf. We also handle paver installations to complete your outdoor space. If you want a hassle-free lawn that looks great and saves water, give us a call—we’d love to work with you!

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.

Beautiful residential landscaping project featuring quality ForeverLawn synthetic grass. The high-end artificial turf from ForeverLawn offers a natural appearance, a soft, usable lawn, and significant savings in water and maintenance. ForeverLawn - Grass without limits. www.foreverlawn.com

This is an example of a large traditional backyard landscaping in Calgary.

Pool photo in Other

Home design - craftsman home design idea in Other

Beautiful residential landscaping project featuring quality ForeverLawn synthetic grass. The high-end artificial turf from ForeverLawn offers a natural appearance, a soft, usable lawn, and significant savings in water and maintenance. ForeverLawn - Grass without limits. www.foreverlawn.com

In this Houston Heights neighborhood transformation, we converted a backyard playground into a versatile, family-friendly oasis. Parents now have ample space to relax and entertain in an open backyard featuring synthetic turf for easy maintenance and a new fence for added privacy. We designed an outdoor kitchen to fit seamlessly within a previously wasted small space, maximizing functionality without compromising style. The addition of a bluestone patio complements the home's architecture, providing a cohesive and elegant outdoor living area. This redesigned space perfectly balances beauty and practicality, offering the family a perfect place to unwind and enjoy their outdoor haven.

This is an example of a landscaping in Other.

At AZ Desert Turf, we’re all about making life easier with beautiful, low-maintenance artificial grass that stays green all year. We’re a small, family-owned business in Queen Creek, and we love helping our neighbors transform their yards, pet areas, and even playgrounds with top-quality turf. We also handle paver installations to complete your outdoor space. If you want a hassle-free lawn that looks great and saves water, give us a call—we’d love to work with you!

When she wants a tranquil water feature and he just wants to come home and practice a little golf to take edge off... This is how their two worlds came together in the back yard. Her vision was to have a spa like resort so we chose to use the vibrant colors of the moss rock and multiple cascading waterfalls to fill her yard with soothing water sounds. He was looking to come home and enjoy a maintenance free synthetic lawn putting green.

Patio fountain - small rustic backyard concrete paver patio fountain idea in Columbus

This is the finest appointed home under $200K in the valley, boasting luxurious upgrades such as high-end soft-close cabinetry, slab granite countertops with full backsplash, and stainless steel appliances. Features include: solid core doors, dimmable LED recessed lighting, surround sound built into two rooms, designer accent wallpaper, elegant tile bathrooms, & a sunken living room. Large patio doors provide easy access to the paved, private, hacienda-style courtyard. The low maintenance desert landscaping, artificial turf and a mature shade tree allows you to enjoy the outdoors as much as the indoors. This amazing and beautiful custom remodeled home is close to trails, playgrounds, shopping and the I-17. Schedule your showing today! E-car charger does not convey.

Exterior home photo in San Diego

In this Houston Heights neighborhood transformation, we converted a backyard playground into a versatile, family-friendly oasis. Parents now have ample space to relax and entertain in an open backyard featuring synthetic turf for easy maintenance and a new fence for added privacy. We designed an outdoor kitchen to fit seamlessly within a previously wasted small space, maximizing functionality without compromising style. The addition of a bluestone patio complements the home's architecture, providing a cohesive and elegant outdoor living area. This redesigned space perfectly balances beauty and practicality, offering the family a perfect place to unwind and enjoy their outdoor haven.

This is the finest appointed home under $200K in the valley, boasting luxurious upgrades such as high-end soft-close cabinetry, slab granite countertops with full backsplash, and stainless steel appliances. Features include: solid core doors, dimmable LED recessed lighting, surround sound built into two rooms, designer accent wallpaper, elegant tile bathrooms, & a sunken living room. Large patio doors provide easy access to the paved, private, hacienda-style courtyard. The low maintenance desert landscaping, artificial turf and a mature shade tree allows you to enjoy the outdoors as much as the indoors. This amazing and beautiful custom remodeled home is close to trails, playgrounds, shopping and the I-17. Schedule your showing today! E-car charger does not convey.