#sustainableapld

[weedsgardendesign-blog]

Looks like something pretty delicious, right? Well, it is but don’t eat it - this is beeswax, almost ready to use for a lotion recipe I’m trying out 🐝 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ It’s a combination of wax from my hive and that from my amazing bee mentor, Gary’s, hives. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I can’t even begin to say how satisfying it is to create your own beauty and cleaning products! These days, I make my own makeup remover wipes that get composted when used and my own tooth powder, that I can customize with all kinds of amazing ingredients - next will be a lemon verbena flavored one, given the bounty of leaves in the garden. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Toothpaste, wipes, glass cleaner &,now hopefully, lotion or lip salve: less packaging, less transportation, more local ingredients, less plastic, less ingredients to wonder about, less trash, and finally, the sheer please of making something you use every day. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I’ve always been a bit of a mad scientist, mixing up potions and recipes using essential oils, flowers, herbs, so this is absolutely the natural progression and it feels good! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Anybody else have some great concoctions to share?! . . . . #livesustainably #beeswax #backyardbeekeeper #environmentallyfriendly #weneedbees #nobeesnofood #homemadebeauty #growmoremagic #frommygarden #gardenideas #beeswaxproducts #makemoments #gardenherbs #beelover #welivetoexplore #thatauthenticfeeling #liveauthentic #feedyoursoull #sunsetmagazine #lifeandthyme #naturallifestyle #sustainableapld #gardendesignmag #sustainableliving #whpclassic #realsimple #sustainablegarden #rshome #bhghome #livemoremagic ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ (at Weeds Garden & Interior Design)

[weedsgardendesign-blog]

The damn olive trees, one for each neighbor. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Well, it was quite a accomplishment getting these in - 9 guys, all day to move and plant the 2000lb+ field dug manzanilla olives. It didn’t help that they were delivered with a 4’ rootball instead of the 3’ that I requested 😬 A crane or bobcat would’ve been nice, but the canals are so tiny and there’s just no room at all. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ So manpower it was - thank you guys 💚 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Anyways, finally in place and looking as if they’ve been there forever.. . . . . . #landscapedesign #outdeco #venicecalifornia #landscapedesignbuild #growmoremagic #livemoremagic #sustainabledesign #gardendesign #gardenstyle #outdoorliving #outdoorspace #gardeninspo #outdoorentertaining #sustainablegarden #lobotany #gardenideas #gardenlove #sunsetmag #dwell #sunsetplants #gardendesignmag #takeamoment #liveauthentically #verilymoment #iamapld #thatauthenticfeeling #lowwaterhighstyle #sustainableapld #bhghome #whpclassic (at Venice Canals Walkway)

[weedsgardendesign-blog]

So excited! My first batch of homemade lotion, of lavender infused olive oil, flowers from garden and beeswax harvested from my hive and that of my great friend & #beek, Gary ❤️🐝❤️: A huge success! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Cleaning the beeswax was probably the hardest part (more time consuming than hard, and very much hands off). ✨Once you have the wax, you just add it to olive oil and melt these two ingredients together slowly. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Finally, add this melted mixture slowly to some water while whipping with immersion blender at highest speed and it will emulsify into this 💥 beautiful 💥 thick 💥luscious 💥 sweet smelling 💥 unctuous lotion 😁 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Just because I have loads of lavender in the garden, I did a quick infuse of the flowers & stalks in the olive oil first by heating the oil so that it’s fairly warm and, turning off the heat, then allowing the lavender to infuse into the oil overnight... and guess what, I also now have leftover lavender olive oil which will be amazing in a vinaigrette! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The final water that I melted the beeswax in to clean it had such a gorgeous honey smell and surely loads of honey goodness, that I couldn’t bear to throw it away, so used that as the water for the lotion. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Final result 💚💚💚 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Can’t wait to try the lemon verbena version! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Of course you could also buy the beeswax at a farmers market or online & do the same. My proportions were 2oz of beeswax, 1 cup infused olive oil, and one cup of water. Montanahomesteader.com has simple recipes for all kinds of great things like this. . . . . #livesustainably #beeswax #backyardbeekeeper #environmentallyfriendly #weneedbees #nobeesnofood #homemadebeauty #growmoremagic #naturalingredients #frommygarden #gardenideas #beeswaxproducts #gardenherbs #beelover #welivetoexplore #thatauthenticfeeling #liveauthentic #sunsetmagazine #lifeandthyme #naturallifestyle #sustainableapld #gardendesignmag #sustainableliving #whpclassic #realsimple #sustainablegarden #rshome #bhghome #livemoremagic ⠀ (at Los Angeles, California)

[weedsgardendesign-blog]

Secret garden moments sprinkled all through the landscape provide a new vignette at every meander, as should be. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Tendrils of wisteria and Euphorbia Diamond frost hiding beneath the ridiculously prolific Mexican lime tree. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Simple broken concrete (reclaimed from demo on a project) and pea gravel paving. . . . . . #landscapedesign #mygardentoday #gardendelights #growsomethinggreen #landscapedesignbuild #growmoremagic #livemoremagic #sustainabledesign #gardendesign #magicgarden #gardenstyle #secretgardens #landscapedesigner #outdoorliving #outdoorspace #gardeninspo #sustainablegarden #lobotany #gardenideas #gardenlove #sunsetmag #dwell #sunsetplants #gardendesignmag #takeamoment #liveauthentically #verilymoment #iamapld #thatauthenticfeeling #sustainableapld (at Los Angeles, California)

[weedsgardendesign-blog]

Thank goodness this ladybug is looking after the eggplants. I admit to being a supremely lazy gardener. I look at those self-sown rows of seedlings & perfect veggies of otherson insta with the utmost admiration, knowing that mine will never be so pristine. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Yes my raised beds are a wild chaotic wonderland, full of good bugs & bad (what are those small round black bugs on the favas?), a jumble of plants in no certain order (well I usually try to plant the trail-y things at the edge of the raised beds at least, so they can fall over the side), compost and amendments as much as possible, but irregularly applied.. and yet, still somehow harvest all kinds of lovely veggies and herbs. Even if they are not the most gorgeous specimens! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ When I suggest installing veggie beds for clients (especially when the beds are a part of the visible landscape) I think they, too, can be intimidated by all the perfection portrayed on sites like these. Usually the two responses are: “Oh, I’ve never grown vegetables before (fearfully) “But won’t it look messy?” (aghast) ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Me: • It’s easier than you think, especially if we install drip irrigation • a mix of edible plants can be more satisfyingly aesthetic than you can imagine • it’s always changing as seasons come & go, so there will be some messy times and some gorgeous times (subtext, it’s a garden ffs)• we live in LA, so we are never at a loss for something pretty yet productive to fill the beds • we can mix in herbs & edible flowers too • and so on.. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The funny thing is, once we do install the beds, I don’t remember anyone who hasn’t gotten pleasure & produce from them, beginner or expert. . . . . . #gardenbounty #livesustainably #gardenfresh #eggplants #favabeans #sustainableapld #growsomethinggreen #freshfromthegarden #thesunsetkitchen #growmoremagic #frommygarden #makemoments #eatmoremagic #welivetoexplore #huffposttaste #thatauthenticfeeling #seekthesimplicity #liveyourroots #liveunscripted #liveauthentic #verilymoment #feedyoursoull #sunsetmagazine #lifeandthyme #gardendesignmag #gardendesign #sustainableliving #sustainablegarden #growiteatit #forageandharvest (at Los Angeles, California)

[weedsgardendesign-blog]

Your low water garden doesn’t have to be a dessert! Here are a few APLD Garden Tour Highlights (I was only able to visit two ☹️, but what a two) ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ These are pics from the gorgeous front garden created by @farmerjacky using low water and lots of native plant varieties - hats off to the flourishing crazy pretty white flowers of Carpenteria californica, aka Anemone Bush, as well as a fantastic installation of Myoporum parvifolium groundcover, various ceanothus busting out in flower and Heucharas galore (Coral Bells), to name but a few! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Enjoy & plant! . . . . . . #landscapedesign #growmoremagic #livemoremagic #sustainabledesign #gardendesign #gardenstyle #outdoorliving #outdoorspace #gardeninspo #sustainablegarden #nativeplants #lobotany #gardenideas #gardenlove #gardenista #sunsetmag #dwell #sunsetplants #gardendesignmag #takeamoment #liveauthentically #verilymoment #iamapld #ariverrunsthroughitapld #thatauthenticfeeling #nothingsordinary #sustainableapld #watershedgardens #cnps (at Sherman Oaks, California)

[weedsgardendesign-blog]

Seven years after we designed and built this lovely garden, the owner rang to ask if we would work on her son’s house. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ It’s always great when people are so happy with their gardens that they recommend us to others. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ This was such a fun project as it was a small garden deep in the Hollywood Hills (oh, the stairs!), and quite challenging to fit everything the clients wanted into the space. But I love these kinds of projects; they are like an intricate puzzle. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Within this space we managed a complete outdoor kitchen, water feature, custom fireplace set into an existing wall, built-in hardwood seating three large olive trees, fruit trees in big pots, small raised beds for herbs and gorgeous French limestone patios. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ It’s nice to know that they are still enjoying this space all these years later. . . . . #landscapedesign #secretgardens #mediterraneangarden #landscapedesignbuild #growmoremagic #livemoremagic #sustainabledesign #gardendesign #gardenstyle #outdoorliving #outdoorspace #gardeninspo #outdoorentertaining #sustainablegarden #lobotany #gardenideas #gardenlove #sunsetmag #dwell #sunsetplants #gardendesignmag #takeamoment #liveauthentically #verilymoment #iamapld #thatauthenticfeeling #lowwaterhighstyle #sustainableapld #bhghome #whpclassic (at Hollywood Hills)