Category Archives: The Hortorialist

streetside; your own personal prairie

When my job canceled today, I knew exactly where I wanted to go before breakfast, before even the first cup of coffee. The local neighborhood prairie. It’s something you don’t see everyday in my coastal neighborhood in Los Angeles County, … Continue reading

Posted in climate, design, driveby gardens, The Hortorialist | Tagged , , , , | 16 Comments

driveby garden 11/2/12

Bicycling past this house a couple days ago, I made a hard U-turn to check out the swath of silvery groundcover running alongside the sidewalk underplanting a couple shrubs. It’s probably a variety of Gazania rigens. As an inveterate plant … Continue reading

Posted in design, driveby gardens, succulents, The Hortorialist | Tagged , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Rolling Greens opens in Orange County

I’m so very glad that owner Greg Salmeri and creative director Angela Hicks have opened another location where they can express their unique “global nomad” outlook on indoor/outdoor rooms and gardens, bringing the total to three locations in Southern California: … Continue reading

Posted in design, garden ornament, plant nurseries, pots and containers, succulents, The Hortorialist | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

scenes from San Pedro, Calif.

I want to show you a house and garden I found earlier today, but first you’ll need to look at the Pacific Ocean, just as I did before I found the house. No, this wasn’t a vacation. I had a … Continue reading

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, garden visit, succulents, The Hortorialist | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

No. 9 on the Venice Garden & Home Tour

“Design gem by artist/architect homeowners; live, work, home studio & gardens. Architect: Molly Reid Studio. Garden Dry Design & Cliff Garten Studio.” Blurbs like these on a one-page map were the only guides to selecting which homes and gardens to … Continue reading

Posted in design, garden travel, garden visit, MB Maher, The Hortorialist | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Venice Garden & Home Tour 2012 (street view)

A little prelude to upcoming posts on this tour held last Saturday in Venice, California. None of these homes were on the tour. They just happened to be located in the neighborhoods we toured through. Venice oozes a love of … Continue reading

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, design, garden visit, MB Maher, succulents, The Hortorialist | Tagged , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Preview: San Francisco Flower & Garden Show 2012

Only the first day of spring, yet garden show season has already arrived in many parts of the country. MB Maher was in attendance today at the preview to this year’s San Francisco Flower & Garden Show. Just a couple … Continue reading

Posted in design, garden ornament, garden travel, MB Maher, Plant Portraits, The Hortorialist | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

winter walkabout

Les of A Tidewater Gardener frequently posts some of the most beautiful landscape photography to be found on garden blogs. On his blog you may be introduced, as I was, to John Irving-esque names of natural phenomena like The Great … Continue reading

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, garden visit, Plant Portraits, succulents, The Hortorialist | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

poinsettia hangover

I was up early with the possums this morning after Christmas. Seconds before we startled each other, my attentions had been directed at the Euphorbia milii, or Crown of Thorns, on the other side of the hedge. A couple neighbors … Continue reading

Posted in Plant Portraits, pots and containers, The Hortorialist | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

fountain with fishnet and text

The matted, black material at the base of this fountain merited closer inspection. Was it trash? Or perhaps something had gone terribly wrong with the water chemistry. Not at all, just fishing net. A wonderful touch which brought a smile … Continue reading

Posted in design, The Hortorialist | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments