Local lore makes great last-minute gifts

..."Designing California Native Gardens" (University of California Press, $27.50), by Glenn Keator and Alrie Middlebrook, is a gorgeous full-color book with several chapters geared to Inland Empire gardeners. "Desert Gardens" and "Chaparral," for example, deal with drought-tolerant landscaping, while "Montane Meadows" and "Mixed-Evergreen Forest" feature mountain gardening. "Oak Woodland" and "Grasslands" are for foothill and valley environments, respectively...

Tomorrow Matters produced and hosted by Deborah and Spencer Lindsay, focuses on the local environmental solutions to the global ecological crises for a better world tomorrow. Topics include climate change, peak oil, permaculture, green business, alternative transportation, renewable energy and more. Listen to this daily program on www.deborahlindsay.com to learn how the Central Coast is lowering their collective footprint and how you can make a difference in your life, one step at a time, because for all of us, tomorrow really matters.

Listen to Alrie Middlebrook interview in mp3

Right Plant: Right Place—the First Time

Native plants make practical gardens

The advantages of native plant gardening can't be dismissed — less water usage, longer life, better for the local ecology. For native plant gardener and designer Alrie Middlebrook, the question is simply what style you are looking for...

To read the whole article go to Monterey Herald

Home & Garden: Designer to give native planting talk in Pacific Grove

San Jose native garden designer Alrie Middle brook will lead a Monterey Bay regional plant discussion on Oct. 18 in Pacific Grove.
The presentation, entitled "Designing California Native Gardens ...

To read the whole article go to Monterey Herald

Ideas for replacing your lawn.

My September column presented several reasons as to why a lawn, especially a large expanse of decorative lawn, is no longer appropriate in Sonoma County. A small lawn for toddlers or puppies to roll about on is wonderful ...

To read the whole article go to Argus Courier

Expert Says Our Lawns Have a Drinking Problem
Thirteen ways to tackle global warming

By Ivan Velinov
Epoch Times San Francisco Staff

"Lose your lawn" has been the call of a campaign spearheaded by Alrie Middlebrook, a California landscape professional and native plants specialist calling on people to mitigate their carbon-footprint by replacing their lawns with native gardens.

Middlebrook is a founder and president of Middlebrook Gardens, the award-winning design and building firm located in San José. The company is an innovator and industry leader ...

Sustainable Landscape, Native Plants in Los Gatos

By Alastair Dallas

Los Gatan Alrie Middlebrook, founder of Middlebrook Gardens, a design/build firm specializing in California native gardening and sustainable landscaping ...

To read the whole article go to The Los Gatos Observer

Learning about California natives

By Alastair Dallas

"“Designing California Native Gardens" by Glenn Keator and Alrie Middlebrook, published by University of California Press, is full of color photos. Each chapter describes an ecosystem, such as ...

To read the whole article go to The Petaluma Argus Courier

Landscaping secrets from Santana Row
MEET THE WOMAN BEHIND THE RIOT OF COLOR AND TEXTURE AT SAN JOSE HOT SPOT
By Holly Hayes

If you're a plant person, you just might think that Kathy Finley has about the coolest job in Silicon Valley. I sure do. Consider:

She has all of San Jose's swanky Santana Row as her "canvas" for creating horticultural displays in bedding areas and containers.

She gets paid to shop for plants at Northern California's eclectic collection of retail and wholesale nurseries and growing grounds.