It was a rainy day but I still got some good pictures of one of the most beautiful gardens in the hills above Florence, Italy. The entry drive is long and lined with Italian Cypresses which were planted over 100 years ago. The villa was built in 1470 as a farmhouse and remodeled many times…

This garden is the largest private garden in Europe that is wholly inside the city limits. It is about 15 acres and has 2 full time gardeners. This is a typical view of the city streets that surround the garden. The 25′ wall is a complete barrier from the outside world for the garden and…

This is where it all began. The garden was begun in 1549 and now has been in existence for 500 years. It was owned by the wealthy Medici family and became the example of formal gardens for Europe and the western world. Before this garden there were just farms owned by the rich and military…

I will be visiting Italy from May 4 thru May 25 and will visit some classical villas and gardens along with some newer gardens. The climate of Italy is Mediterranean which is the same as much of California so the plants used are similar. The first tour starts in Florence and goes to Pienza, Cortona,…

Here are some photos taken by Rick Krach of the Crystal Hermitage Tulip Garden or sometimes called The Ananda Tulip Garden which is about an hour north of Dawn Gardens off of Highway 49. https://www.flickr.com/photos/96352750@N05/albums/72177720298510200

Dawn Landscaping maintains the landscape at Crossroads Church at 10050 Wolf Rd., Grass Valley. This Nevada county campus has 17 acres. The buildings are the main sanctuary building, the north building for Jr. High meetings and other buildings rented to Say When Cafe & Deli, Graphics Center, Sutter Health Clinic, Forever Your Florist and other…

The Daffodil season starts in December at Dawn Gardens. All Daffodils are in the Narcissus genus and there are 13,000 varieties but Dawn Gardens has only about 100 of them. We planted about 50,000 daffodils in the past 20 years. Narcissus ‘Paper White’ bloom in December thru January and a few into February. They are…

Lonnie and Karen built a new house in S. Auburn and wanted a front garden with drought tolerant plants and no lawn. Here are views of the front of the house before the landscaping was installed: The weeds were sprayed and then, a week later, all the flat areas were rototilled to loosen up the…

Some plants have thin and sparse flower stems so you can see through them to the garden on the other side. These plants move in the wind and add kinetic interest to the garden. Gaura lindheimeri Verbena bonariensis Gay Feather (Liatris spicata) Molinea ‘Skyracer’ Geum ‘Totally Tangerine’ Geum ‘Mrs. J. Bradshaw’ Incarvillea arguta Persicaria amplexicaulis…

On January 9, 2022 I went to visit friends in Walnut Creek California. We went to the Ruth Bancroft Garden where they had an evening light show. The cactus, Agaves, and succulents are striking enough during the day but at night it is like being in another world. The garden was planted in the 60’s…