Author Archives: Denise

in the news

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Denise

Since the government shutdown, I’ve been checking in with The New York Times at an increasingly feverish pace, several times a day, (and doing little else, it seems), so it was in real time that the story on James Golden … Continue reading →

Posted in artists, clippings, design, garden travel, garden visit, MB Maher | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Natural Discourse: Culture & Cultivation 10/10/13

Posted on October 13, 2013 by Denise

What to make of this impulse to create gardens? Most of my ruminations are done leaning on a shovel, or moving a pot inches to the left and wondering why in the world it matters. One of the few constants … Continue reading →

Posted in artists, creatures, design, photography, science | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

tithonia for Clarice Cliff

Posted on October 7, 2013 by Denise

I’m still cutting buckets of tithonia from the community garden plot and filling every vase in the house, even those I usually leave empty, like this museum reissue of a Clarice Cliff vase, the 20th century British ceramic artist famous … Continue reading →

Posted in artists, cut flowers, design | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

shrub

Posted on October 6, 2013 by Denise

What occupies my thoughts on the garden for next year this hot Sunday is nothing more earth shakingly consequential than planning the beginning of a smallish spine of shrubs to snake through bays of herbaceous stuff. Ozothamnus ‘Sussex Silver’ moved … Continue reading →

Posted in design, Plant Portraits | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Occasional Daily Weather Report 10/5/13

Posted on October 5, 2013 by Denise

Humidity is at zero degrees. The wind rattled and snapped the window shades all night. Sirens wail in the distance. This repost from 11/2/11 sums it up: “There was a desert wind blowing that night. It was one of those … Continue reading →

Posted in Occasional Daily Weather Report | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

seasonal bouquet project 10/1/13

Posted on October 1, 2013 by Denise

African basil, Persicaria orientalis, zinnias, tithonia, crithmum, autumn light and shadows, all wrapped up in a rutabaga vase for a Dutch still-life, abundance-of-summer effect. I should have grabbed a snail or two as bit players to slipperfoot up the side … Continue reading →

Posted in artists, cut flowers | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

clippings 9/30/13

Posted on September 30, 2013 by Denise

While on the subject of concrete, precast manhole covers, stacked. I prefer to have a day’s worth of concrete projects if I’m going to drag all that mess out. Found at BHG here, but the link loads slow. I was … Continue reading →

Posted in Bulbs, clippings, pots and containers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

a diamond in the rough

Posted on September 27, 2013 by Denise

I need to get my hands into some crete this weekend. From A Merry Mishap, instructions and template included at the link.

Posted in Department of Instruction, design, garden ornament | Tagged | 4 Comments

Cevan Forristt

Posted on September 25, 2013 by Denise

My timid approach to incorporating a bit of the exotic in the garden got me thinking about gardens that boldly embrace the exotic, gardens that become a country wholly unlike the one in which they nominally reside. There’s always a … Continue reading →

Posted in artists, design, garden ornament, garden visit, MB Maher, pots and containers | Tagged , , , , , | 13 Comments

elephant season

Posted on September 23, 2013 by Denise

A few tropicals in pots can be a fine sendoff to summer. Here about a mile from the ocean, the big-leaved tropicals like colocasia, the “elephant ears,” bide their time until the temperatures start to really feel uncomfortable. By the … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, design, journal, pots and containers, shop talk, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments