Wow. Our new Advisory Member* David Salman is really carrying the word with the 2011 High Country Gardens catalog. Just look at the cover and inside cover above. Now focus just below David's photo and you'll see our little Lawn Reform badge and his plugging of the Coalition and this very site. So thanks, David, and welcome, High Country customers!
Then of course big chunks of the catalog offer actual plants that work well as alternatives to lawn. They come in three categories: native or low-water grass choices, wildflower meadows, and galloping groundcovers. Those grass choices include Buffalo grasses, Blue Gramma, No-Mow, and others I hadn't heard of yet. Interesting stuff!
PLUS, there are two planned gardens that will change people's minds about planned gardens. One is "The New American Front Yard" that promises to "take your yard from montony to botany". It combines small lawns of low-care native grasses with masses of shrubs, perennials and larger grasses - wonderful stuff!
And then there's the tough-yet-gorgeous "Sizzling Colors Inferno Strip Garden" by Lauren Springer Ogden and Scott Ogden. They're the awesome couple who wrote the popular Plant Driven Design, and they're regular designers for HCG. Great partnership between a grower and designer-writers in their region.
Big kudos are in order to David and the gang at HCG for their 2011 catalog! It's exciting to see so many great water-wise plants being offered, and bundled up with so much good customer education.
I'm told the digital version of the catalog is almost ready, and I promose to link to it right here.
*Let me quickly relieve the minds of readers who - rightly in my opinion - are always on the look-out for sell-outs, and who may want to know more about our relationship with High Country Gardens.
David and HCG are more like partners in lawn reform than a commercial partner with the Coalition. David is pitching in 100 bucks toward our modest website expenses, just like the rest of the members. And like our other plant-selling Advisory Member - Neil Diboll at Prairie Nursery - he has no vote in Coalition business decisions. Both companies are providing plants that we want more people to use so yes, we're happy to bring them a bit more attention.
I love when catalogs offer design ideas for using their plants. The fact that they have the Ogdens on board designing an inferno strip garden is very cool. I will be sure to check out their lawn alternatives to see which ones are appropriate for Austin.
Posted by: Pam/Digging | January 16, 2011 at 05:58 PM
Been doing TARA TURF for over a decade.
A mix of what the wind blows in & what you want to add/keep: moss, clover, bulbs, English daisy, annual blue ageratum, talinum, & etc.
Don't have to buy anything if you don't want to, or you can keep it CHEAP with a few packets of seed.
Fragrance & pollinators. Up to 75% less mowing. No wildflower meadow issues, EASIER.
TARA TURF was discovered in gardens across Europe. Great for meadows & formal gardens.
Formal gardens? It's all in mowing heights.
Alas, home owner associations with DEED RESTRICTIONS affect millions of gardeners. It's ILLEGAL for them to have TARA TURF or the meadows you're trying to sell.
Garden & Be Well, XO Tara
Posted by: Tara Dillard | January 17, 2011 at 08:59 AM
I, too, have been digging (figuratively) the new catalog for the past few weeks. I love the folks at HCG, and I think they run a great business.
I do think, though, that they seem to be playing a bit loose with the "native" label in some cases. They use a broader definition than I think most gardeners do. Just FYI.
Posted by: Vincent Vizachero | January 17, 2011 at 10:03 AM
The gang at High Country Gardens is so excited to see this post. For decades we have been talking about "less is more" as far as gardening is concerned. Now we have this great organization to work with! BTW-over 200K catalogs will be asking gardener's to rethink their lawns and get answers how-to from Lawnreform.org.
Posted by: Ava Salman | January 17, 2011 at 05:47 PM