Author Archives: Denise

fantasy herbaria of Anne Ten Donkelaar

Posted on September 26, 2017 by Denise

Gardens are inspiration engines, filled with mesmerizing sights, sounds, and scents. For an artist, it’s a bottomless treasure trove of ideas. Have a look at the “flower constructions” of Anne Ten Donkelaar. (from “Dearest Nature“) The “flower constructions” series of … Continue reading →

Posted in artists, inspire me, photography | Tagged | 1 Comment

Bloom Day September 2017, fall-planting edition

Posted on September 15, 2017 by Denise

Nothing much new to report for September Bloom Day, hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens. Anything new in bloom here is from fall planting. Okay, so technically I’m a little premature with fall planting, but patience has never been … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, Bloom Day, pots and containers | Tagged , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

golden gardens

Posted on September 13, 2017 by Denise

Doing some blog research for fall planting, I was surprised to find what a luminous phase the garden entered briefly around 2014. I’ve always been drawn to bright-colored leaves, but in this period the garden glowed as if irradiated. Chief … Continue reading →

Posted in design, journal, Plant Portraits, pots and containers | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

dog days of August bite garden

Posted on September 9, 2017 by Denise

My leaning Cussonia gamtoosensis took a serious dive earthward in late August. Like a watched pot that never boils, it’s difficult to discern when a chronically leaning tree is in imminent danger of failing, but clearly the cabbage palm was … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, clippings | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Sunday clippings 9/3/17

Posted on September 3, 2017 by Denise

Did the Powerball mania descend on your home too a couple weeks back? Just because I never buy Powerball or lottery tickets, magical thinking really kicks in when news of the big jackpots reaches even my normally oblivious state of … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, climate, clippings, design, garden travel, garden visit, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Re-post: Amsterdam houseboat gardens

Posted on August 31, 2017 by Denise

In the aftermath of the 500-year storm event in Texas and the horrendous suffering it has inflicted, offering lovely houseboat scenes may seem overly naive, if not downright cruel, but just try not to dwell on the design issues that … Continue reading →

Posted in climate, design, MB Maher | Tagged , | 3 Comments

to the kids, with love

Posted on August 30, 2017 by Denise

Remember this photo from a few posts ago? The “east wing” was getting readied for my son Duncan’s engagement party. Add lights, paper lanterns, friends, family and cake, and voila! Duncan and Kristy’s engagement party last Sunday. A trip to … Continue reading →

Posted in cut flowers, journal, MB Maher, pots and containers | 9 Comments

the Virginia Robinson Garden

Posted on August 24, 2017 by Denise

There’s always a local, hometown garden or two that we never get around to visiting, right? And that holds true even in garden-starved Southern California. The Virginia Robinson Garden in Beverly Hills has been written and rewritten in seemingly vanishing … Continue reading →

Posted in climate, design, garden visit | Tagged , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Bloom Day August 2017

Posted on August 15, 2017 by Denise

August is a mixed bag in the garden, with parts of the garden exuberantly bulging out of bounds while other areas grow threadbare. Bocconia and tetrapanax share the award for most frequent dropping of big, yellowing leaves, and the melianthus … Continue reading →

Posted in Bloom Day | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

keep on planting

Posted on August 14, 2017 by Denise

image of Iris reticulata from Wikipedia Commons Collections of Virginia Woolf’s copious letters and diaries have sustained me through some dreary, uninspiring times. By turns bitchy and transcendent, but always dependably filled with trenchant and unflinching observations of her life … Continue reading →

Posted in artists, books, Bulbs, clippings | Tagged , , | 10 Comments