“I went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown. For going out, I found, was really going in.” ~ John Muir
Walking around my property, I am in awe of how quickly my landscape has come to life. Within just a couple of weeks, the garden has awoken from its deep sleep blanketing the hillside with lush green grasses and fantastic flowers. The frogs are croaking, the birds are chirping, and the bees are buzzing. Despite the continuing rain, nature is waking up from its soggy slumber.
My garden is a living laboratory where I design borders to include a diverse mix of plants including bulbs, perennials, annuals, shrubs, trees, and vines. Originally my color palette was strictly pinks, purples, blues, and whites, but over the years I have acknowledged the beauty of all color combinations. Daring forms and textures are welcome as I attempt to create a naturalistic style. Taking cues from Mother Nature, I encourage self-sowing specimens (thank you calendula and nigella) and I prefer my landscape to be full, a bit crowded, and wild. Rocks, stones, and gravel are incorporated into the scheme while vintage used bricks delineate the paths.
If you’d like to create a garden that respects the natural world, here are a few tips that may help.
1. Don’t be afraid to mix and match. Shrubs and trees provide structure. Bulbs pop up as surprises, especially at this time of year. Perennials are the main attraction with annuals affording the colors you desire throughout the year.
2. Always plant in swaths or groups. Repeating the groups coalesces and unifies the look.
3. Invite specimens that you like to self-sow. Allow plants to grow as they would in nature without your assistance. Don’t fret when stray flowers appear in an area where you didn’t plan to have them grow. Whimsical is fun.
4. When it comes to coordinating colors, be open to the bold and beautiful. I never thought I’d like so much orange and yellow in my landscape, but the combination of daffodils, calendula, and poppies has changed my mind.
5. Strive for balance. A clipped hedge is wonderful surrounding a formal rose garden, or outlining a driveway, yet when a garden is too heavily manicured it appears almost fake. Allow for some spillers, fillers, and thrillers. Add elements of awe.
6. Use containers for a variety of plants, including small trees. I have an Italian white peach growing in a container that boasts beautiful bright pink blossoms with fluorescent yellow oxalis underplanted. It is quite the unexpected showstopper. As a bonus, when the peaches are ripe, they are easy to harvest.
7. Orchestrate seasonal displays with plenty of colorful and textural annuals, perennials, grasses, and bulbs. Natives and carefully chosen non-natives will thrive happily together. With a plentiful variety of plants, pollinators will call your garden home and become your trusted helpers.
What’s Blooming Now?
*Bradford pear, plum, and peach trees
*Azaleas and camellias
*Daffodils
*Tulips
*Calla lilies
*Bergenia
*Calendula
*Cyclamen
*Muscari
*Iris
*Primrose
*Lilies of the Valley
*Christmas cactus
*Periwinkle
*Oxalis
*Freesia
*Viburnum
*Hellebore
*Jade
*Salvia Hot Lips
*Potato Vine
*Chinese Fringe
*Mustard
Numerous other plants are budding and will be gracing our gardens soon. Stay tuned!
The Goddess Gardener’s March Garden Guide
ü DEFINE property boundaries and create curb appeal with flowering shrubs. Numerous new varieties of hydrangea are a good choice.
ü SPRAY roses, crepe myrtles, pittosporum, iris, boxwood, rhododendron, laurel, fruit, and citrus trees with organic dormant oil and copper fungicide. This treatment will help to protect the trees and shrubs from overwintering insects and fungal diseases. Wash the citrus before consumption.
ü POUR chamomile tea around the base of newly planted seedlings to eliminate fungus growth.
ü DISPLAY fallen camellias on a hedge, ledge, or pathway for outside interest that are not pretty enough to float in a vase, but not rotten enough to toss in the compost bin. As the camellias wilt, dispose of them.
ü FERTILIZE hungry lawns anytime in March to strengthen roots, and resist cold, heat, and high traffic when the weather is wet.
ü PRUNE fig trees and grapevines. Dry the branches and cuttings to use in your smoker or barbecue this summer to add interesting flavors to your grilled specialties.
ü WATER houseplants while you are on vacation by filling a plastic bottle with water, piercing the neck of the bottle with an ice pick, and burying the bottle with the neck down. Your plant will slowly drink as needed.
ü PATIENCE: St. Patrick’s Day is around the corner. Spring is only a few weeks away.
Hang in there for the rest of winter and watch for the reawakening.
Go out for a walk and stay until sundown! Going out is going in!
For more gardening advice for all seasons, check out Growing with the Goddess Gardenerat https://www.CynthiaBrian.com/books. Raised in the vineyards of Napa County, Cynthia Brian is a New York Times best-selling author, actor, radio personality, speaker, media and writing coach as well as the Founder and Executive Director of Be the Star You Are!® 501 c3, celebrating its 25th year of serving the world.
Her newest children’s picture book, Family Forever, from the series, Stella Bella’s Barnyard Adventures is available now at https://www.CynthiaBrian.com/online-store.
Cynthia Brian, SAG/AFTRA, A.S.I.D., Founder and Executive Director of Be the Star You Are!® 501 c3 literacy and positive media charity, New York Times best-selling co-author of Chicken Soup for the Gardener’s Soul, author of Be the Star You Are!®, 99 Gifts for Living, Loving, Laughing, and Learning to Make a Difference, Be the Star You Are!® for TEENS, Be the Star You Are!® Millennials to Boomers, Growing with The Goddess Gardener, The Business of Show Business, The Blessing of Love and Relationships, and Miracle Moments®, is an internationally acclaimed keynote speaker, personal growth consultant, actor, producer and host of radio and TV shows, columnist, designer, gardener, and lifestyle coach. (www.CynthiaBrian.com)
Stella Bella’s Barnyard Adventures is Cynthia’s first illustrated children’s book series with true tales from her menagerie of adopted rescues. Titles include No Barnyard Bullies, Family Forever, and Books in the Barnyard: Oh Deer!
Referred by the media as “the Renaissance woman with soul!”, Cynthia is a world traveler who speaks French, Spanish, Italian, and Dutch. With four decades of experience working in the entertainment field as an actor, producer, writer, coach, designer, and casting director, she has had the honor of performing with some of the biggest names in the industry. Cynthia is a Certified Interior Designer and has had her interior and garden design projects featured in TV, commercials, books, and numerous publications. She wrote, produced, and directed the film, The Quest for Pure Design. Cynthia is a much in demand speaker on luxury cruise lines and spas around the world, inspiring others to be the stars they were born to be by creating a life they design.
Because of her devotion to increasing literacy and positive messages in the world, Cynthia founded and is the Executive Director of the 501(c)(3) charity, Be the Star You Are!® (www.BetheStarYouAre.org) empowering women, families, and youth, which won 2024 Nonprofit of the Year. Her motto is “To be a leader, you must be a reader!”. GuideStar and Great Non Profits consistently honor Be the Star You Are!® as a top-rated non-profit. BTSYA was named the 2024 Nonprofit of the Year. As part of her dedication to giving youth a voice, she created and launched the creative community at www.BTSYA.com while also producing and directing the young adult radio broadcast, Express Yourself!™, (www.ExpressYourselfTeenRadio.com) the #1 most listened-to program around the world on the Voice America Network with teen hosts and contributors. Cynthia says “Express Yourself!™ is an uncensored haven where youth talk and the world listens!”
As an empowerment architect and life success coach, Ms. Brian is also dedicated to helping others achieve their dreams, recognize the possibilities, and utilize their potential by implementing their unique gifts. Many aspiring thespians, writers, and professionals have been coached to fun, fame, and fortune through her personal success consultations in acting, media, writing, life skills, and presentations. Because of her energy and passion, companies engage Cynthia’s services as a media spokesperson.
Born on a farm in the Napa Valley in northern California, the eldest of five children, Cynthia raised chickens and sheep, drove tractors, and picked fruit to earn enough money to pay her way through college. She was a Grand Champion rooster raiser, winning hundreds of blue ribbons in 4-H. After being honored as the Outstanding Teenager of California, she was named teenage ambassador to Holland and served as a foreign correspondent for several newspapers. Her travel expeditions gave birth to her writing, speaking, and coaching career.
Since 2008, Cynthia has been the gardening consultant and inspirational garden columnist for The Lamorinda Weekly known as The Goddess Gardener. (www.CynthiaBrian.com/Gardening) There, she also served as the editor and coach for Teen Scene. As a home, garden, and lifestyle expert, she has been privileged to write for Internet sites, and numerous print publications, and is proud to be a Top Reviewer at Trip Advisor and on the Elite Squad at Yelp. She published her first gardening calendar, A Gardener’s Guide, in 1993.
Interviewing is a talent this dynamic woman enjoys. Broadcasting live since 1998, Cynthia interviews the authors and experts considered pioneers on the planet. Tune into her award winning upbeat, positive, internationally broadcast lifestyle radio program, StarStyle-Be the Star You Are!® live and archived every Wednesday from 4-5 pm PT/7-8 pm ET on the Voice America Network Empowerment channel. (www.StarStyleRadio.com)
Cynthia’s goal is to inspire, encourage, inform, and motivate others to be their unapologetically unique selves.
When you are seeking a business expert with earthiness, exuberance, and personality that garner results, Cynthia Brian is the seasoned professional writer, speaker, coach, host, spokesperson, and Goddess Gardener guide for your next project.
Cynthia Brian, empowerment architect, passion, purpose, and possibility professional, is available for private coaching, consultations, and speaking engagements.
To Book Cynthia Brian
Talent Agent:
Stars, the Agency
415-421-6272
http://www.StarsAgency.com
Reception@StarsAgency.com
Literary Agent:
Waterside Productions, Inc.
Gayle Gladstone
760-632-9190
www.Waterside.com
gaylegladstone@gmail.com
https://www.waterside.com/portfolio-item/cynthia-brian/
