San Luis Obispo Landscaper Blog

Vince and Janet Marino's Morro Bay garden is making waves! Their Gardens by Gabriel landscape, installed 2 years ago in the spring of 2010, was featured in an article we wrote for the Tolosa Press; highlighted by the SLO Tribune in November of 2011; and is now one of the five gardens in 2012's AAUW spring Garden Tour.

The right tool can make almost any landscaping task enjoyable. Just as easily, the wrong tool can make gardening uncomfortable, tedious, and seemingly endless. Here are a few of my favorite tools to keep on hand. These guys have performed well for me under a variety of conditions for a variety of needs.

Gardens by Gabriel asked Kaveh Maguire, a horticulturist and new resident of Los Osos, to elaborate on his techniques and strategies as a garden designer. Kaveh graduated alongside Gabriel from the New York Botanical Garden's School of Professional Horticulture.

Tucked into the pines off of Highway 1, Cambria Nursery is a welcome and unexpected surprise. Rooted on four beautiful coastal acres, Cambria Nursery's inviting aisles and unexpected nooks encourage visitors to explore the plant selection, attend a class in their outdoor amphitheater, or simply enjoy a picnic amidst the beautiful surroundings.

Why the switch? What's different about Continuing Cultivation (and why the capital letters?)? Over the past 6 years of Gardens by Gabriel's leafy existence, the range and depth of our services has grown and improved.

As head gardener of the children’s wing of LA’s Huntington Botanical Garden, Jeff Karsner's enthusiasm for plants was equal to his enthusiasm for helping children learn.

...And even they will find it hard to swallow! I'm a stickler about using the word "soil" when others may feel content to say "dirt." Simply put: Dirt gets on your clothes and coats your car. Soil feeds your plants through a complex system of living and dying organic matter.

The image of a plant enthusiast is easy to conjure: A kindly bearded gent, ankle-deep in mulch, puttering in the garden from dawn til dusk, trusty trowel in hand. Here to break the mold, however, is Grow Nursery owner and plant fiend Nick Wilkinson.

...Starting with our own KCBX! Many thanks to Mike Bush of the San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden who, during his January 25th, 2012, interview on KCBX, mentioned a garden we completed with water conservation champion Mary Wilhelm.

As we button up our coats and wrap our scarves against the winds, Summer may seem like a distant memory--but try, for a moment, to recall last year’s array of sweet summery produce. Remember the delicious fruits: juicy plums, crisp apples, plump berries, and more?

In the past several years, succulents have become a mainstay in drought-tolerant gardens throughout central California. Their practicality aside, the geometric shapes and colors ranging from sublime to electrifying create a definitive sense of place in a garden. One woman in particular has made a career of illustrating how to creatively plant and care for them.

Happy New Year to all! Gardens by Gabriel is happy to announce that our winners of last week's Plant Puzzler were Madeline, Kaveh, and Greg, who correctly guessed Kniphofia rooperi. Sadly, this brings our 6-week Plant Puzzler to a close.