http://pinterest.com/maureengilmer/small-budget-gardening/

Palm Springs Style Gardening Discover the essence of the arid zone garden and the style that made Palm Springs a world famous venue for fun in the sun.

http://pinterest.com/maureengilmer/palm-springs-style-gardening-in-the-desert/

Modern Landscapes I’m tired of the cold hard modern approach to these new landscapes so I created this page that grows every day with fabulous examples of well planted or naturally focused modern architecture.

http://pinterest.com/maureengilmer/modern-landscapes/

I am a HUGE fan of new ideas for creating fabulous gardens on a shoestring. Since publishing The Small Budget Gardener, my excitement over recycled and reused items has exploded into hundreds of new ideas from around the world. They’re at my Small Budget Gardening board on Pinterest, a cool new site where all my fans can share these discoveries. Before you start gardening this spring, be sure to look these over for hundreds of ways to save money and get far more garden for each penny you spend.

Click this link to go directly to new ideas and prepare to be inspired! http://pinterest.com/maureengilmer/small-budget-gardening/

Save money and live green this holiday season with natural decorations. Cuttings, berries, twigs and vines make some of the homiest decorations that cost next to nothing. Collect them from your garden, that of a friend, relative or even from your neighbors’ yards. Sometimes you can find great stuff growing wild along side of the road. Get started right now. Download my free pdf eBook Holiday Gifts & Decorating Ideas from the Crafter’s Garden. Celebrate the holidays Nature’s way, then come January it all goes into the compost pile.

I’m thrilled to find this collection of landscape style palettes that really helps to convey what you want to your designer or contractor. Take a look at these selections and download them to your wish book for a current project or one you plan in the future. Why reinvent the wheel when it’s already done for you here at-

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http://www.landscapingnetwork.com/

I was so excited to discover a wealth of MODERN patio and garden ideas by clicking on “photos” in the top title bar of Landscapingnetwork.com-then go to the categories and peruse hundreds of incredible examples of work by top designers. Lots of other styles there too, of course, but you’ll find outstanding built projects in both mid-century modern and Bauhaus modern all at within this one convenient location.

While speaking at the Disney Epcot Flower & Garden Festival on my book, The Small Budget Gardener, I discovered these straw-bale gardens in the park. My book tells you how to create the planters made from a bale of straw costing just $3 to $6. These are really great examples of this super cheap idea. They’ve planted it with greens, another with herbs and the third mixed showing its versatility. When the bale finally breaks down, you can take it apart and use for mulch. No waste, no unnecessary expenses.

This year I’ve moved to a new desert home! Biggest problem is soil that’s largely sand and lacks organic matter and is not bio-active so I need a POWERFUL amendment. So I’m testing out Black Gold Soil Conditioner to see if it will turn a dry wash into a productive vegetable garden. Water goes straight through this ground so I really depend on the sponge-like humus in Soil Conditioner to catch and hold it in the root zone. The mycorrhizae in this mix, will colonize my soil and enter the roots of my veggie plants to make them more resistant to our dry climate. And to boost this nutrient poor soil, there’s bat quano, worm castings, kelp meal and bone meal. If you’re faced with crummy soil like this head for the Black Gold web site to get off to a good start and find a retail source near you!