Author Archives: Denise

Plug & Play

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Denise

I briefly escaped the desk yesterday and checked out a couple local nurseries. Fall is when some interesting plants start to appear again in Southern California nurseries, for planting in the cooler temps, to be settled in by winter rains. … Continue reading →

Posted in Plant Portraits, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Wake-Up Call

Posted on September 19, 2011 by Denise

This morning the eaves were dripping and a foghorn blew for the first time in months. In other words, the season for succulents has begun. Summer’s siege is over. If you’re an aeonium in Southern California, or any other mediterranean … Continue reading →

Posted in succulents | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Flea Market Shuffle

Posted on September 18, 2011 by Denise

A sunny day at the flea market brings its unique brand of hangover. An unfocused listlessness follows the rest of the day. The adult equivalent of the delicious exhaustion I’d feel as a kid after spending a whole day at … Continue reading →

Posted in design, pots and containers | Tagged | 3 Comments

Anemone japonica in Southern California

Posted on September 17, 2011 by Denise

A rare sight in Southern California. There’s a garden on a bluff near a popular dog walking spot that has big, established clumps of this anemone blooming in fall, along with giant stands of Romneya coulteri, the Matilija poppy, in … Continue reading →

Posted in MB Maher, Plant Portraits | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Foliage Follow-Up September 2011

Posted on September 16, 2011 by Denise

I just noticed today that seedpods had formed on the little manihot tree. M. grahamii is hardier (zone 7b-10) than M. esculenta, which is grown for its starchy, edible tubers, with a possible future in biofuel. The Melianthus ‘Purple Haze’ … Continue reading →

Posted in Plant Portraits | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Bloom Day September 2011

Posted on September 16, 2011 by Denise

No use in dancing around the fact that my Bloom Day posts can be a bit repetitive. Seems it’s the same cast of characters every month. But if you’re in zone 10 and lack the space for big herbaceous drifts … Continue reading →

Posted in Bloom Day, Plant Portraits | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Grace Notes

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Denise

I hadn’t noticed until last night that Bulbine frutescens was blooming again among the fallen seedheads of grasses and dyckia. Amazing how the outlines of plants can clarify a mood I’ve been in. I was just writing to my brother … Continue reading →

Posted in Plant Portraits | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Old Lights Made New

Posted on September 13, 2011 by Denise

In the angle of the eaves where the house intersects with the bath house, the space cried out for a light. A hanging light or three. I’ve had these three glass shades for many, many years, but every time I … Continue reading →

Posted in design, garden ornament | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Dahlia ‘Chat Noir’

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Denise

I’m fairly certain now that the identity of the one and only dahlia I’m growing this summer is ‘Chat Noir.’ September’s heat has really kicked it into gear. Some additional support was added a couple days ago. Otherwise, as far … Continue reading →

Posted in Plant Portraits | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

L.A. Lawn

Posted on September 10, 2011 by Denise

Emily Green, in the September 9, 2011, edition of The Los Angeles Times, discusses many of the hidden costs related to keepings lawns, including the health risks to those often hired to maintain them in Southern California, in her piece … Continue reading →

Posted in design | Tagged , , | 4 Comments