Author Archives: Denise

the desert gardens of Steve Martino

Posted on March 21, 2014 by Denise

I’m checking the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days website daily now, anxiously awaiting full publication of this year’s schedule. I’m expanding my radius to include Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, Palm Springs, California, New Mexico, anyplace I’ll be likely to find some … Continue reading →

Meet The Midge

Posted on March 19, 2014 by Denise

I don’t know about you, but my thoughts in spring typically turn to…tables. Chairs, too, always chairs, but that’s another post. But I have enough big tables. I just had this discussion with Marty at the flea market last Sunday … Continue reading →

Posted in design | Tagged Annette Goliti Gutierrez, Atwater Village, California design, Mary Gray, mid-century modern design, outdoor living, Potted For Outdoor Living, The Midge Table by Potted | 7 Comments

young grasshopper

Posted on March 17, 2014 by Denise

Helping himself to a serving of Aeonium ‘Cyclops.’ I admit to being just ever so slightly phobic about grasshoppers. I have no idea why. No other insect rattles me like these. This one’s tawny color and freshly minted exoskeleton drew … Continue reading →

Posted in creatures, Occasional Daily Photo | Tagged aeonium, grasshoppers, Orthoptera | 12 Comments

Bloom Day March 2014

Posted on March 16, 2014 by Denise

Typical for March, the reseeding poppies are the biggest showboats in my garden at the moment. Anticipating where and against what backdrop another loopy-necked bloom will open each morning is a huge part of their appeal. Summer-dormant Pelargonium echinatum has … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, Bloom Day | Tagged Agave lophantha 'Quadricolor', Andrew Lawson, blue oat grass, Broughton Grange, Digiplexis 'Illumination Flame', Disocactus flagelliformis or Rattail cactus, dyckias, Euphorbia rigida, Helicotrichon sempervirens, Manihot grahamii, Orlaya grandiflora, Papaver rupifragum, Papaver setigerum, Pelargonium 'Crocodile', Pelargonium echinatum, Phlomis lanata, Salvia flava, Solanum pyracanthum, Tom Stuart-Smith, Verbena lilacina | 10 Comments

soon now

Posted on March 11, 2014 by Denise

Some visual encouragement from my garden today and gardens I’ve visited in the past. Just in case spring still seems impossibly far away. private garden, Los Angeles private garden, Los Angeles private garden, Los Angeles private garden, Los Angeles private … Continue reading →

Posted in design, garden visit | Tagged bromeliads, Evie the cat, is it spring yet?, Lavandula multifida, Lavandula pennata var. buchii, Papaver rupifragum, Papaver setigerum, Phlomis lanata, Russell Woodard spun fiberglass table and chairs | 4 Comments

the Taft Garden

Posted on March 9, 2014 by Denise

“Ancient geologic forces shaped the Ojai Valley that modern-day visitors find so attractive. This part of Ventura County lies in a region geologists call the Transverse Range Province. Transverse means “lying across,” and the mountains and valleys in these parts … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, garden visit, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged Aloe striata, aloes, Australian Native Plants Nursery, Australian plants, Brachychiton rupestris, cussonias, Jo O'Connell, leucospermums, Ojai Valley, Pacific Horticulture, proteaceae family, South African plants, Taft Garden, The Mediterranean Garden Society, Transverse Range Province, Ventura County, Xanthorrhoea | 20 Comments

Australian Native Plants Nursery

Posted on March 7, 2014 by Denise

For just a two-hour drive up the coast, we ended up covering a lot of continents on Tuesday, botanically speaking, of course. Australia and especially South Africa were well represented. This was a much-anticipated trip to Jo O’Connell’s Australian Native … Continue reading →

Posted in garden travel, garden visit, plant nurseries | Tagged Australian Native Plants Nursery, Australian plants, Eucalyptus 'Moon Lagoon', Gastrolobium sericeum 'Black Form', Jo O'Connell, Lechenaultia biloba, proteas, Scadoxus natalensis, South African plants, Xanthorrhoea | 10 Comments

Agave geminiflora

Posted on March 4, 2014 by Denise

Agave geminiflora spangled in morning dew is one of my favorite sights these mornings. Slow growing, doesn’t offset, rare denizen of open oak woodland in Mexico, and just about everybody agrees the best thing in a container since Nutella. The … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, Occasional Daily Photo, pots and containers | Tagged Agave geminiflora, The Ruth Bancroft Garden | 2 Comments

Verbena bonariensis unchained

Posted on March 3, 2014 by Denise

Maybe you’ve already bumped into these photos on Pinterest or tumblr, which surfaced in May 2013, of some startlingly robust Verbena bonariensis bursting skyward from an enviable geodesic concrete container. The image is from the garden and blog of Svante … Continue reading →

Posted in Plant Portraits, pots and containers | Tagged Elle Decoration, Verbena bonariensis | 5 Comments

reprising a visit to the Huntington Desert Garden

Posted on March 1, 2014 by Denise

The recent storm surprisingly coaxed a bloom from my 6-inch Euphorbia atropurpurea, whose acquaintance I first made at the Huntington in 2011. That visit prompted a frustrating summer of scouring plant sales and nurseries for this rare, ruddy-bracted Canary Islander, … Continue reading →

Posted in garden visit, MB Maher, plant nurseries, Plant Portraits, succulents | Tagged Annie's Annuals & Perennials, Canary Islands, dyckias, Euphorbia atropurpurea, Golden Barrel Cactus Echinocactus grusonii, Huntington Botanical Gardens, Huntington Desert Garden, Nolina interrata | 5 Comments