Embarking on a new adventure: the blogosphere.

My name is Alastair William Boase. I came to this land of opportunity about 20 years ago, and almost immediately went into the landscape trade. I became accustomed to the heat, learned to speak Spanish, and took a crash course in botany.

A lot of Los Angeles is very new, stark and clean. I began to realize that many Los Angelenos regretted that they were being asked to live with such modern materials, arranged with strong geometry, and being forced to tolerate a lot of unpleasant background noise. So, I set out to introduce a little bit of the lush, quiet, pastoral beauty of the West Highlands of Scotland to the gardens of L.A. I have concentrated on screening with evergreen foliage, creating a sense of seclusion, drowning traffic noise with babbling water, and establishing, handsome gardens, with the flora that does well in this climate zone.

It has been a rewarding lifestyle, with much room for creative expression, seeing new environments, and meeting the movers and shakers of the entertainment capital.

I have never really had much positive influence in my community as a landscaper, beyond serving client by client and would like to make myself more broadly known, and find out what it is that people really want and if there is more I can give. I would like to keep in touch better with all the wonderful people who have given me business and friendship over the years.

So I am starting a blog about landscape issues, and everything I believe people might have some interest in. I will impart my knowledge and reveal a few of the elusive mysteries of garden design. I will debunk a lot of impractical theory, and I will boil the subject down to what matters to an earthling trying to be happy. I will give snippets of empirical knowledge that will make some people go "Chaaaaaa!" Or I might just relay some humorous or unusual stories that I have lived through. Or I might write nothing, and have Jenny, my beloved wife, do it all. Wait and see!

Yours,

AB