Author Archives: Denise

october already

Posted on October 2, 2020 by Denise

Somehow, what the low angled light of October does to grasses always catches me by surprise. I caught this peripheral shimmer on the way to the office yesterday morning, turned to find the source and gasped. Of course it’s one … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, journal, Plant Portraits, plant sales | 5 Comments

vacationland

Posted on September 20, 2020 by Denise

Remember that mythical place, Vacationland? Sure, you do. Lock up the house, leave instructions for friends to care for the pets and garden, and set off for the airport or a road trip to shed the ever-tightening skin that forms … Continue reading →

Posted in MB Maher, photography | 5 Comments

Labor Day weekend heat wave reading

Posted on September 8, 2020 by Denise

I grabbed some stuff to read from the piles stacked on the “sunroom” floor, a small, heavily windowed room with a western exposure just off the kitchen that we use as a reading room. Heading back outside in 100 degree … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments

more rusty stuff

Posted on September 1, 2020 by Denise

Some recent distractions in the garden. After they no longer had any use for it, my parakeets’ bird cage was moved into the driveway, staged near the trash bins for removal. A neighbor sorta admired it there and mused about … Continue reading →

Posted in journal, pots and containers | 4 Comments

new to my garden; Justicia brandegeana ‘Red’

Posted on August 29, 2020 by Denise

What is that? I was stretching my legs at a local nursery last week, not looking for anything in particular, just keeping track of what plants are up for sale in late August. Cosmos, zinnias, and dahlias have all showed … Continue reading →

Posted in Plant Portraits, pots and containers | 5 Comments

friday clippings 8/21/20

Posted on August 21, 2020 by Denise

“When we sow a seed, we plant a narrative of future possibility,” Sue Stuart-Smith, a British psychiatrist and psychotherapist and wife of garden designer Tom Stuart-Smith, writes in her new book, “The Well-Gardened Mind.” (The New Yorker 8/24/20 “The Therapeutic … Continue reading →

Posted in clippings, journal | 6 Comments

making the most of it

Posted on August 13, 2020 by Denise

Emotionally, this summer feels like summers when I was 12 or 13 — when I stuck close to home because I wasn’t allowed yet to get in trouble with friends with cars. I’m regressing to the point that I’ve even … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, clippings, cut flowers, design, journal, plant crushes, plant nurseries, pots and containers, succulents | 5 Comments

garden notes late July 2020

Posted on July 30, 2020 by Denise

More garden chit-chat. Let’s see, where to begin? I never know what bits of info will be useful so I’ll just meander. Working from most recent, last night I moved the potted Cussonia natalensis into this corner made by the … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, clippings, journal, succulents | 8 Comments

succulents and ceramics

Posted on July 16, 2020 by Denise

Following the new social distancing guidelines, by the time I came to the end of the prescribed one-way route through the Sherman Gardens last month, my camera battery was dead just as I reached the last garden before the exit; … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, MB Maher, Occasional Daily Photo, succulents | 4 Comments

garden notes 7/12/20

Posted on July 12, 2020 by Denise

Pots line one side of the back porch stairs — the first year I’ve done this. Tripping hazard? Not really, not if you don’t try anything cute like taking a shortcut over the pots. Just follow the stairs straight down. … Continue reading →

Posted in clippings, journal, pots and containers, succulents | 4 Comments