Author Archives: Denise

that moment with the eremurus and smoke tree in the Shinn garden

Posted on June 29, 2019 by Denise

I had a little moment with this smoke bush and eremurus in the Carol & Randall Shinn garden on the recent bloggers’ tour of Colorado gardens. Hitting notes bright and deep, still in that incipient sparkle stage, buds concentrated and … Continue reading →

Posted in artists, design, garden travel | 11 Comments

summer stock: Agapanthus ‘Indigo Frost’

Posted on June 25, 2019 by Denise

I have even less impulse control when plant shopping now because…summer. Of the four seasons, summer seems to be the one that we’re constantly admonished to savor to its fullest or risk being filled with inconsolable regret.  And you won’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Plant Portraits, pots and containers | 7 Comments

Denver Botanic Gardens #gbfling2019

Posted on June 20, 2019 by Denise

Since returning on Monday, I haven’t been able to shake Colorado from my mind. It’s a landscape that leaves you with a visual hangover, so this post will be hair of the dog, blog style, while the visit is still … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 11 Comments

for the hard-core greenhouse fans

Posted on June 16, 2019 by Denise

You asked for it. More greenhouse photos from my visit to Rancho Soledad Nursery in May. I’m out of town for the moment and will be right back.

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

the greenhouses at Rancho Soledad Nursery

Posted on June 6, 2019 by Denise

I have quite a history with commercial greenhouses.  There was a large, abandoned greenhouse at the end of my cul-de-sac’d street, the mesh netting detached in places from the rickety structure and flapping in the breeze.  Through the gap in … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, plant nurseries, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged | 6 Comments

Ray Valentine’s neighborhood botanical garden

Posted on May 31, 2019 by Denise

In early April, as I was leaving a garden on the Theodore Payne Native Plant Garden tour, I noted a hand-lettered “plant sale” sign in the neighborhood and swung around to have a look. I posted a photo of the … Continue reading →

Posted in driveby gardens, garden visit, MB Maher, photography, succulents | 12 Comments

some recent driveby gardens

Posted on May 26, 2019 by Denise

Documenting my enthusiasm for gardens seen on foot or driving through Los Angeles neighborhoods has migrated to Instagram, which seems more suited to a quick visual blast without background information on how such landscapes came to be. But I’m making … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, design, driveby gardens, garden visit, succulents | 7 Comments

White Point Nature Preserve; landscape interrupted

Posted on May 19, 2019 by Denise

White Point Nature Preserve in San Pedro, CA is a remarkable gift of public open space nestled into 100 acres of bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It’s a landscape that visibly bears the marks of tumultuous human endeavors spanning at … Continue reading →

Posted in garden visit, journal, plant sales | 6 Comments

bloom day May 2019

Posted on May 15, 2019 by Denise

Correcting the record: In early May I wrote “Reseeding nicotianas are a fixture of spring now and come to the fore after the poppies are almost over. I sowed some ‘Tinkerbell’ nicotianas, which are so similar to this reseeding flowering … Continue reading →

Posted in Bloom Day | 10 Comments

resort style

Posted on May 8, 2019 by Denise

The Garden Conservancy’s Open Days for Los Angeles was held last Sunday, and its five gardens fairly well covered the breadth of idiosyncratic ambitions people have for the land immediately surrounding their homes — from verdant gardens supporting lush plant … Continue reading →

Posted in garden travel, garden visit | 10 Comments