Author Archives: Denise

Occasional Daily Photo 12/4/13

Posted on December 4, 2013 by Denise

These gazanias were pulled up last spring to make room for the manfredas, but obviously some roots escaped my trowel. whoa. I’m rubbing my eyes after looking at just two flowers. Imagine fields of them in South Africa. I have … Continue reading →

Posted in Occasional Daily Photo, Plant Portraits | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

enter the dragons

Posted on December 3, 2013 by Denise

What they say about good bones for faces and houses applies to gardens too. Good bones will see you through some tough times. I’ve posted just a couple photos on this sweet little house and garden before. The front facade … Continue reading →

Posted in driveby gardens, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

blooming kalanchoes

Posted on December 2, 2013 by Denise

Leaves, leaves, extravagantly shaped, juicy leaves. It’s all about the leaves with succulents. Or is it? There are a couple kalanchoes in bloom now I’ve been noticing around town, Kalanchoe luciae with striking vertical spires, and Kalanchoe orgyalis, with lime … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, driveby gardens, Plant Portraits, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

giving thanks for rain

Posted on November 30, 2013 by Denise

a very polite and well-timed rain arrived after the Thanksgiving holiday, sometime after midnight. On Wednesday I brought in chairs that summered in the garden for holiday duty. The new rain gutters gurgled musically as they efficiently carried rain away … Continue reading →

Posted in climate, Occasional Daily Weather Report | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

where would Holly Golightly keep her tillandsias?

Posted on November 26, 2013 by Denise

For the holidays, it’s okay to ditch the earnest glass orbs that imprison tillandsias the rest of the year and take a leaf from Holly Golightly’s decorating book, the one that epitomizes her insouciant glamour. The one each of us … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema Botanica, design | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

the awkward age

Posted on November 25, 2013 by Denise

My garden has lived through lots of them and will most likely continue to do so while I’m in charge. The latest awkward age involves a flowering agave and a young tree. Or maybe it will be a shrub. Neither … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, design, Plant Portraits, succulents | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

on the subject of the southern hemisphere…

Posted on November 22, 2013 by Denise

Remember the old surfing movie The Endless Summer, where summer is chased around the globe? Well, I do. My older brothers took me to all the surfing movies. You can see where I’m going with this…it’s summer in Australia, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Occasional Daily Photo, Plant Portraits | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Bernard Trainor’s Landprints

Posted on November 21, 2013 by Denise

Ages and ages ago (last July in fact) a bunch of us garden bloggers visited gardens in Northern California at last summer’s meetup known as the Fling. For the temperate Bay Area, it was an incredibly hot day, and we … Continue reading →

Posted in artists, design | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Bloom Day November 2013

Posted on November 15, 2013 by Denise

By November my garden has turned into a curiosity shop of oddities and seedpods. Like the racks of antler-like blooms on tetrapanax, seemingly more blooms than leaves this years after I clipped away some of the sunburnt foliage. Limbing it … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, Bloom Day, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , | 14 Comments

glass artist Amanda Dziedzic

Posted on November 11, 2013 by Denise

As someone who has had the same Vilmorin Andrieux prints of oversized vegetables in the kitchen since we moved in 20 years ago, I’ve always admired artists who respect vegetables. The Design Files recently did one of their signature, long-form … Continue reading →

Posted in artists, design | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments