Carolyn Singer was a devoted gardener since she was a you child. Learning from her parents early on in both Berkley and then in Sebastopol, California. She had extended family in Sonoma County that were all gardeners as well. This helped add to Carolyn’s love and passion for everything gardening.
Starting in 1977 on her property in here in Nevada County, she tested hundreds of perennials, ornamental shrubs, and trees for their performance and deer-resistance. After a little while she opened a nursery called Foothill Cottage Gardens. Her perennial nursery and display garden was open to the public for 25 years. It was recognized nationally in publications like; Organic Gardening, Fine Gardening, Country Gardening, and Sunset. As well as Taylor’s Guide to Specialty Nurseries.
Writing was not only a passion, but a way to share her knowledge with everyone she could. Carolyn wrote two award-winning books of deer-resistant plants, Deer in My Garden, Volume 1: perennials & subshrubs, and Deer in My Garden Volume 2: Groundcovers & Edgers. Both books are based on around 3 decades of research done by Carolyn. She also wrote The Seasoned Gardener, which was researched for nearly 5 decades. The Seasoned Gardener won Book of Year from Foreword Reviews in 2012. It is filled month by month with information about every aspect of your garden.
In 1980 she began teaching locally, with garden classes on everything from propagation, to plant placement in your garden and everything in between. Her garden classes eventually became so well know that she moved them to Peaceful Valley & Garden supply along with classes every summer in her own garden. She also taught home orchard and landscaping at Sierra College for years.
Carolyn had articles published in Fine Gardening, Garden Gate, Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publications and Sierra Heritage magazine. Along with this she also had her reoccurring garden column in The Union Newspaper. Her Rock Garden was a feature on HGTV’s Paul James, “Gardening by the Yard’. They did a piece on gardening with rocky soil, Carolyn had the perfect site for this segment.
Not only was she involved with the local community, she was also a member of the California Native Plant Society and California Native Grasslands association. She was also involved with revegetation consulting for property owners in the foothills and the local NID.
The designs that she created have been featured and published in such publications as Home Landscaping California Region, by Roger Holmes and Lance Walheim and Western Home Landscaping, both published by Creative Homeowner Press. Her design work was also mentioned in Judith M. Taylor’s Tangible Memories. Californian’s and Their Gardens. In 1995 she contributed to the updated Time-Life Complete Gardener.
In July of 2019 Carolyn passed away. Even 5 years later, she is still impacting our community. People still use her special soil blend for gardens, her books are still used for gardening know how even by us here at the nursery. She touched so many lives and taught so many people in our community and beyond. Her commitment to this community and its gardeners was always clear with how she helped people understand and grow gardens filled with food, flowers and plants in the foothills.
As a community of gardeners, let us all take a page from her book. Brighten someone’s day with a few perennials for their garden. Reach out and teach someone about gardening; help them cultivate a better tomorrow by planting seeds today.
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