helping people plant right, water less and garden more
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Susan Morrison is a landscape designer, educator and garden blogger. 

With Blue Planet Gardening and her blog, Susan has taken this philosophy to heart. She speaks regularly in the Bay Area on design principles, sustainable gardening and lawn-free landscape design, and has been interviewed in such publications as the San Francisco Chronicle and the Contra Costa Times.  As an active Master Gardener, she participates in various educational projects throughout the year and was a featured speaker at the 2008 Master Gardener Symposium.
And why, exactly, does Susan feel qualified to tell you how to plant your tree or design your garden?  Her qualifications:
 
  • Certification in Garden Design, UC Berkeley, Awarded with Distinction
  • Advanced training in lighting design, firescaping and graphic techniques
  • Board of Directors, Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD), California Chapter 

Susan is the owner of creative exteriors landscape design, a residential landscape design firm in the East Bay of Northern California.
While puttering around online one day, Susan came across the infamous Stewart Brand quote “information wants to be free.” 
If you're a blog reader, you may know Susan as Garden Chick.  In her blog, Susan writes about life as a garden designer and shares her challenges and successes as a home gardener. 

Comments from Susan's Blog
"I've just found your blog and am enjoying your design tips as well as your sense of humor. Good stuff!" on What I learned from Seven Years of Journals

"I loved the tour of your yard, Susan. Exposing our successes and 'projects-in-waiting' (failures fall into this category) are a fun part of blogging" on If you Can't Be a Good Example, then at Least be a Horrible Warning.

"My first time visiting ~ thoroughly enjoyed poking my nose around your site then reading this thought-provoking post." on Is Your Blog Self Your Real Self?
Not one to take herself too seriously, Susan's blog includes cateogories such as We don't need no stinkin' lawn and Does this come in anything besides green?
>  DESIGN
Just getting started?  The landscape Design Center has articles and advice on planning your garden, including lawn substitutes and alternatives, low water plant combinations, habitat gardening and more, plus authors' links to landscape design websites and blogs that specialize in sustainable design.

>  INSTALL
Ready to turn your ideas into a garden?  The Installation Center has information on irrigating your landscape and planting techniques.

>  MAINTAIN
Now that the garden is in, how do you keep it looking its best?  The Maintenance Center has articles on keeping your garden happy and healthy over time.


She specializes in creating sustainable designs for both Traditional and New California Gardens. Through Real Deal Garden Design,Susan offers slimmed down design services for budget-minded homeowners.