I have agonized long and hard over the question of which is more sustainable, redwood or pressure-treated wood.  I still don’t have an answer, although the new “sun woods” use a process called ACQ® which they claim has no arsenic and no chromium, so there are no hazards created by their use. I try to avoid wood when some other material would work as well. However, sometimes wood is all that will work.

If you must use wood, care for it with paints, preservatives or stains.  Longevity is the key to sustainability in this case.  Be conscious of the treatments you use on your wood deck, making sure to use non-toxic products.  There will be fewer toxic preservatives available as we decrease the market for them.  I have been using Olympic water-based stains with good results.  Livos Plantchemistry advertises a line of non-toxic thinners, stains, preservatives and finishes.

Deer are creatures of elegance. Yet when they trample our plants and chomp at our buds they cause no end of resentment.  I have even heard them referred to as “overgrown rats.”  Remember the ornamental 7’ high wire and post fence in The Edible Environmental Garden? If you live in deer country and you must have roses, fence them in! Line the fence with hedges to discourage deer from jumping over the fence. Delight in the  grace of Nature without fretting for your beloved botanicals.

If you must use power tools, it seems to me that electric tools are the best ones to use.  The exhaust and noise of gas powered blowers and mowers are turning life in the suburbs into a travesty.  One longs for the quiet of the city

Yes, they are pests. No, you probably will never be able to kill them all.  Besides, they were here first.

For vegetable and cut-flower gardens, the best solution is raised beds with half inch aviary netting firmly fastened to the sides and bottom.

Otherwise, I plant all young plants in “gopher baskets.”  These are designed to deteriorate as the plants mature and can be purchased in bulk from Diggers in three sizes.  Most larger plants can survive gophers after the first few growing seasons. 

Along with fragrance, the presence of birds in the garden adds extra dimension that transforms the merely pretty into the magical.

Design and content are equally important factors in attracting birds.  Sunset Western Garden Book has a good list of bird-attractive plants.

Birds need cover and water.  Use thickets of high, dense greenery and make sure water is out in the open. Water near a shady or covered area can offer hiding places for cats. The more varied the levels of planting (trees, shrubs, ground covers) and types of exposure (sun and shade), the more bird habitat you are creating.

Supply bird food only if you intend to make it an ongoing habit.  Do not use humming-bird feeders unless you can thoroughly clean them once a week. Dirty feeders can spread disease.  

Columbine, Coral Bells, Penstemon, Various Sages, Bougainvillea, Trailing Lantana (Lantana montevidensis), Hall’s Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), Cape Honeysuckle (Tecomaria), California Fuchsia (Zausneria californica), Butterfly Bush (Buddleia), Fuchsia magellanica, Lemon Bottlebrush (Callistemon citrinus), Red-flowering Current (Ribes sanguineun), Fuchsia-flowering Gooseberry (Ribes speciosum), Woolly Blue Curls (Trichostema lanatum)