Sometimes my publicist lets me know ahead of time that Lawn Gone! will have a mention in an upcoming publication. Other times it’s just a thrilling surprise. Like when I opened my copy of Wildflower (Summer 2013), the magazine of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center…

…and spotted a recommendation for Lawn Gone! along with other staff picks from the garden’s gift shop on page 11. Woot! Thanks, Wildflower Center!

While I’m basking in the glow of their recommendation, let me give a little love back. This looks like a particularly interesting issue of Wildflower. One of my favorite garden writers, Scott Calhoun, has an article called “Design with Spines: Getting Hooked on Cacti in the Home Garden,” which I’m sure will be a good read (click to read it online). Despite my love for spiny agave, yucca, sotol, and now dyckia, I don’t know much about growing cacti, so I’ll be reading that with interest.

There’s also an article about getting children involved with nature, called “The Family Garden: Nature as Teacher,” by Julie Bawden-Davis, that I want to read, especially as it accompanies detailed information about the new children’s garden under construction at the Wildflower Center. I’ve been taking my kids to the Center and on greenbelt hikes around Austin (and in national parks around the country) since they were babies, and I believe unstructured outdoor time is essential for children’s health and development. So I’m glad to see the Wildflower Center creating an exploratory garden especially for children, where they don’t have to be told “no, don’t touch!”

Check out these articles online, and consider subscribing to Wildflower through a membership to the Wildflower Center. Wildflower is a national-interest magazine, with articles and updates about native-plant gardens all over the country.

All material © 2006-2013 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

I’m always excited to see a mention of my book, Lawn Gone!, in a magazine or newspaper article, and this week there are two.

On page 41 of the June 2013 issue of Woman’s Day magazine, you’ll see an article about freshening up your patio garden, which references my advice in Lawn Gone! to cut down on lawn by laying paths through your garden. My photo of Tait Moring’s inspiring patchwork path accompanies the tip.

And in today’s edition of the Seattle Times, in an article titled “Green, green grass of home,” writer Tom Watson reminds us that even in the cool, damp climate of Seattle, homeowners are finding compelling reasons to rip out their lawns. He references Lawn Gone!‘s suggestion to start with the parts of your lawn that get the least use — the parking strip or the whole front yard — and he points out that the book includes regional plant recommendations for the Pacific Northwest from Seattle’s own Christina Salwitz.

All material © 2006-2013 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

While flipping through the enticing April/May 2013 issue of Vegetarian Times magazine, which has just hit newsstands, you’ll find that my book, Lawn Gone!, got a whole page of coverage in “The Buzz” on page 16!

Willi Galloway, author of the popular Grow Cook Eat, interviewed me for the piece and effectively summarized key points about how to shrink your lawn. And as she reminds us, “Shrinking the size of your lawn means you get to spend less time mowing and more time outside enjoying your yard, preferably with a refreshing drink in hand.” Amen to that!

All material © 2006-2013 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.