Author Archives: Denise

upcoming dates

Posted on March 8, 2019 by Denise

This is what’s on my radar this spring. I’m also going to include these dates in “Dates to Remember” under the masthead for ease of reference and will be updating throughout the spring and summer. Let me know if there’s … Continue reading →

Posted in garden visit, plant sales | 4 Comments

miscellany from the Modernism Week Garden Tour 2019

Posted on March 2, 2019 by Denise

On the recent Palm Springs Modernism Week self-guided garden tour, it was impossible to confine one’s attention to houses solely on the tour, so I’m including some other swivel-headed discoveries. No, I didn’t find #thatpinkdoor, but there were plenty of … Continue reading →

Posted in design, driveby gardens, garden travel, pots and containers | Tagged | 11 Comments

MB Maher revisits the High Line February 2019

Posted on February 26, 2019 by Denise

Mitch sent me a short note and some photos documenting his recent wintry visit to the High Line, which I present here unedited, the better to showcase the antic epistolary style that always cracks me up. Some quick backstory: When … Continue reading →

Posted in garden travel, MB Maher | 6 Comments

scenes from Modernism Week garden tour

Posted on February 22, 2019 by Denise

I’m going to leave you this Friday with a few images from the self-guided Modern Garden Tour put on by Modernism Week in Palm Springs this past Wednesday. Leaving Long Beach at 7:30 a.m., I arrived just before 10 a.m. … Continue reading →

Posted in garden travel, garden visit, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged | 6 Comments

some good reads

Posted on February 19, 2019 by Denise

Next time you’re visiting Joshua Tree National Park, take a moment from reveling in the restorative, otherworldly sights of the desert to give thanks to Minerva Hamilton Hoyt, “hailed as the first desert conservationist and called the Woman of the … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, books, succulents | 4 Comments

you are here (think warmth)

Posted on February 14, 2019 by Denise

On this very wet Valentine’s Day I’m sending a love letter to…cactus. Cactus may not be what horticultural traditionalists call lovable plants, but their sculpturally adaptive, sun-addicted ways make a landscape feel warm and inviting to me any time of … Continue reading →

Posted in artists, garden visit, succulents | 8 Comments

friday clippings 2/8/19; Modernism Week 2019

Posted on February 8, 2019 by Denise

Next week brings some welcome warmth to this chilly February with the start of Modernism Week in Palm Springs (February 14-24, 2019). Long Beach garden designer and ceramicist Dustin Gimbel, some of whose recent work is pictured above, will give … Continue reading →

Posted in artists, clippings, garden travel | Tagged | 3 Comments

how to declutter your garden

Posted on February 1, 2019 by Denise

Since the new year, I keep coming across the word “declutter.” I find the phenomenon of cultural obsessions fascinating, more so than the obsession du jour itself. How does everybody get on board with any one idea in such a … Continue reading →

Posted in pots and containers, succulents | 11 Comments

desert bloom 2019

Posted on January 23, 2019 by Denise

Let me just say up front, to avoid any confusion, that these are all photos from a December visit to the Desert Garden at the Huntington Botanical Garden. While I love a visit to this glorious garden any time of … Continue reading →

Posted in garden travel | 8 Comments

friday clippings 1/18/19

Posted on January 18, 2019 by Denise

I find this brickwork for the studio of photographer Graciela Iturbide utterly mesmerizing, taking a pedestrian building unit like the brick to new heights — three-story heights, in fact. The architects Mauricio Rocha (Iturbide’s son) and Gabriela Carrillo (of the … Continue reading →

Posted in artists, clippings, design | 3 Comments