Author Archives: Denise

Cinema Botanica Pick: More Than Honey

Posted on January 19, 2014 by Denise

I’ve been enthusiastically recommending the documentary More Than Honey whenever the subject of what to watch comes up, and I’ve been getting a lot of “Oh, I noticed that in the queue” as the limp but polite response (streams on … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema Botanica, creatures | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Asparagus virgatus

Posted on January 17, 2014 by Denise

There’s not a lot of fern action in my dry, sunny garden, much to my regret, but in the front garden on the north side of the house, planted in the parched gloom at the foundation line, a fern is … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, plant nurseries, Plant Portraits | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Bloom Day January 2014

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Denise

Scrounging around the garden for something to report this first Bloom Day of 2014 made me realize that although nothing big and splashy was catching my eye, there’s still plenty to give bees, hummingbirds, and other pollinators micro energy drinks … Continue reading →

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

designing crows

Posted on January 13, 2014 by Denise

“The crows that live in Tokyo use clothes hangers to make nests. In such a large city, there are few trees, so the natural materials that crows need to make their nests are scarce. As a result, the crows occasionally … Continue reading →

Posted in creatures, photography | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

it’s that time

Posted on January 11, 2014 by Denise

Time to cut the grasses down and say goodbye to sights like this until next winter. Spring comes early here in Southern California, February/early March, and the old growth needs to be cut down to make way for the new. … Continue reading →

Posted in Plant Portraits | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Kalanchoe ‘Oak Leaf’

Posted on January 10, 2014 by Denise

Wonderful architectural bloom trusses on this 5-gallon kalanchoe at Lincoln Avenue Nursery in Pasadena. Was this a Kalanchoe beharensis in flower? The leaves at the base of the plant were difficult to see without disturbing the careful display. The San … Continue reading →

Posted in MB Maher, plant crushes, plant nurseries, Plant Portraits, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

tropical leaf under glass

Posted on January 9, 2014 by Denise

Cleaning up the tropicals for their winter rest in early November, there remained an absolutely perfect leaf on Colocasia ‘Blue Hawaii.’ I cut it for a vase, and when the water had evaporated and the leaf was still in good … Continue reading →

Posted in cut flowers, plant nurseries, pots and containers | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Coronilla valentina

Posted on January 8, 2014 by Denise

Now that we all have a new phrase in our meteorology lexicon (“polar vortex”)*, it’s time to entertain our cold-blasted friends with talk of plants from warmer climes. Along with the unexpected germination of several triangle palm seeds (Dypsis decaryi), … Continue reading →

Posted in Occasional Daily Weather Report, Plant Portraits | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

glass floral frog

Posted on January 4, 2014 by Denise

There was some good-natured bartering done among ourselves at the end of the recent flea market/bloggers’ pop-up shop in December. I swapped Dustin one of Marty’s sailor knot creations for this glass floral frog. Floral frogs have an old-fashioned, tight-laced … Continue reading →

Posted in cut flowers, pots and containers | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

garden rooms year-round

Posted on January 3, 2014 by Denise

With one main living area to work with, to accommodate the holidays here, it’s an inescapable fact that furniture must be shoved around and rearranged. Things are just now slipping back into their former places. Around late November, the everyday, … Continue reading →

Posted in design, garden ornament | Tagged , , | 7 Comments