Author Archives: Denise

on the tour; Passiflora vitifolia

Posted on May 7, 2014 by Denise

The self-guided Mary Lou Heard Memorial Garden Tour stretches from my hometown in Long Beach to about 50 miles south, as far as San Clemete and Mission Viejo. For much too short a span of time, but long enough for … Continue reading →

Posted in garden visit, Plant Portraits | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Cinema Botanica; 2014’s best garden in a supporting role

Posted on May 6, 2014 by Denise

The Great Beauty, awarded the Oscar for best foreign film in 2014, is mysterious and ravishing, like the formal garden Jep’s balcony overlooks, where a nun and children play hide and seek, with the battered hulk of Rome’s Coliseum looming … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema Botanica, design | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

aftermath of a spring heat wave

Posted on May 5, 2014 by Denise

Unseasonal, sudden onset heat, like cold, is similarly not in a plant’s best interests. The pristine good looks of Agave ‘Blue Flame’ took a hit last week. Poor thing didn’t have time to develop a base coat and suffered a … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, Occasional Daily Weather Report, Plant Portraits | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

a succulent table (filed under fun but useless things)

Posted on May 1, 2014 by Denise

If I wake up to a day that has a few extra hours rattling around like loose change in the pockets of Marty’s jeans that I always borrow, clinking against paper clips and last night’s Peroni bottle cap, it’s pretty … Continue reading →

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

isoplexis and digiplexis side by side

Posted on April 29, 2014 by Denise

There’s no telling which of these, if either, will be around for photos next year, so now’s the time for a side-by-side color comparison.According to this article, it was Isoplexis canariensis that was crossed with Digitalis purpurea to give us … Continue reading →

Posted in cut flowers, Plant Portraits | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

this is my brain on spring

Posted on April 28, 2014 by Denise

Spring is such a massive distraction, and that’s coming from just my own little garden, which apart from work* I rarely want to leave. For the first time in my adult life, I drove by a multiplex theater on Sunday … Continue reading →

Posted in garden travel, plant nurseries, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

waxflowers in bloom at Grand Park

Posted on April 26, 2014 by Denise

The last time I worked at the downtown Los Angeles courthouse prompted this post on Grand Park*. Yesterday the waxflowers were in bloom, an Australian shrub that most likely passed completely unnoticed at my last visit. The waxflower, or chamelaucium, … Continue reading →

Posted in cut flowers, garden visit, Plant Portraits | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

sweet peas and orlaya

Posted on April 21, 2014 by Denise

Finally made it to the garden plot, where mountains of old chard running to seed were thrown on the compost pile, aged horse manure was dug in, and all was raked and watered. After two weeks of pure neglect, I … Continue reading →

Posted in cut flowers | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

planting notes 2014

Posted on April 21, 2014 by Denise

Every year brings a new crop of preoccupations in the garden, such as: Will the beschorneria choose this spring for their first bloom? How about the puya in the gravel garden? Feel like blooming this year? Some plants really do … Continue reading →

Posted in clippings, garden travel, journal, plant nurseries, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

rhipsalis in the Bay Area

Posted on April 20, 2014 by Denise

I was up in the Bay Area for two days, helping to launch a vegetable garden, which was just enough time to squeeze in a couple brief plant shopping forays at Flora Grubb Gardens and Annie’s Annuals & Perennials. At … Continue reading →

Posted in plant nurseries, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments