Carolyn Singer

Carolyn Singer, author and photographer for her new book, “The Seasoned Gardener: 5 decades of sustainable & practical garden wisdom”, has been gardening since she was a young child. While edible gardening remains her favorite pursuit, she understands the value of the ornamental garden in creating a vital habitat for beneficial pollinators, insects, and for the gardener. With indomitable good humor and joy, Carolyn writes about a broad spectrum of gardening experiences. Beginners and advanced gardeners will connect with her wisdom and practicality. Many have said that reading her books is like being in the garden with her. Early horticultural lessons were from her parents, first in Berkeley, and then in Sebastopol, California. Extended family in Sonoma County were all gardeners, adding to Carolyn's enthusiastic connection with the earth. Gardening in the Denver area for eight years, and camping in the beautiful Rocky Mountains were influential in her growing interest in rock gardening. Since 1977, on her property in the Sierra Nevada foothills near Grass Valley, California, she has been testing hundreds of ornamentals for their performance and deer-resistance. Carolyn’s perennial nursery, Foothill Cottage Gardens, and display gardens in Grass Valley were open to the public for 25 years. Her nursery was recognized nationally in several publications: Organic Gardening, Fine Gardening, Country Gardening, Sunset and in Taylor’s Guide to Specialty Nurseries. Two award-winning books of deer-resistant plants summarize her experiences and those she learned about from other gardeners in deer country. “Deer in My Garden, Vol. 1: Perennials & subshrubs” and Vol. 2: Groundcovers & edgers” cover more than 200 deer-resistant plants, detailing cultural requirements, bloom length, landscape use, companion plants, maintenance and propagation. Garden classes have been held every year since 1980. She has also taught at Sierra College. Students continue to enjoy her propagation classes, held each summer in her garden, to propagate from the huge assortment of plants, many deer-resistant. She has taught a series of organic gardening classes at Peaceful Valley Farm & Garden Supply in Grass Valley CA. She has been an instructor for the Garden Study Program (National Garden Club). Carolyn has written a garden column "The Seasoned Gardener" for her local paper, The Union in Grass Valley since 2006. She has published garden articles in The American Gardener (AHS), Fine Gardening, Garden Gate, Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publications, and Sierra Heritage magazine. She has been employed as a revegetation consultant with Nevada Irrigation District, advising about hydroseeding and restoration with natives. Working with fire-safe native grasses is a special interest. Fire-safe and water-efficient landscape consulting is Carolyn's top priority when meeting with property owners. Carolyn's rock garden, which is the inspiration for many of the perennials in "Deer in My Garden, Vol. 2: Groundcovers & Edgers", has been featured on HGTV’s Paul James, “Gardening By the Yard”. When they filmed the segment about gardening with rocky soil, Carolyn's garden was a perfect site. Her designs have been published in Home Landscaping Western Region (2010) and Home Landscaping California Region (2001), by Roger Holmes and Lance Walheim (published by Creative Homeowner Press). Her work is mentioned in Judith M. Taylor’s Tangible Memories, Californians and Their Gardens, 1800-1850 (published 2003). In 1995 she contributed to the updated Time-Life, Complete Gardener: Perennials. She is a member of the California Native Plant Society (CNPS), the American Horticultural Society (AHS), Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), the Xerces Society, and the California Native Grasslands Association (CNGA), and a past member of the Perennial Plant Asociation (PPA) and the American Rock Garden Society. She has received the honor of "Lifetime University of California Master Gardener".