Category Archives: design

small garden, tough choices

Posted on May 25, 2015 by Denise

“I reckon there are 5 seasons. There’s an early spring, which I call Sprinter…a Sprummer which comes after that for 2 months…There’s a long summer…a short autumn, a short winter – both just two months long, and then you’re back … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, clippings, design, journal, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

orange and blue

Posted on May 11, 2015 by Denise

I love garden surprises. Sure, there is some planning involved, but because the garden supports a collecting habit, the big picture is usually uncertain and often a mixed bag. What the collecting id of my psyche is up to all … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, design, Plant Portraits, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

notes on some spring plant sales

Posted on May 9, 2015 by Denise

Is that a water pistol in your pocket or are you just happy to see me? I’ve been hearing from friends in the retail nursery business that the new water restrictions have them very worried. Indeed, I’ve been told retail … Continue reading →

Posted in Bulbs, climate, design, garden travel, journal, pots and containers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

friday clippings 4/24/15 (SoCal Spring Garden Show weekend)

Posted on April 25, 2015 by Denise

Southern California’s Spring Garden Show started yesterday, 4/23/15, and continues through Sunday, 4/26/15. It’s always held in the enclosed “Home Store Wing” of the South Coast Plaza. This wing includes, among many other stores, Anthropologie, West Elm, Z Gallerie, Crate … Continue reading →

Posted in clippings, design, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

a Shirley Watts’ garden

Posted on March 9, 2015 by Denise

Monday features two long-time friends (and family) of AGO. Oldest son Mitch took these photos of a Shirley Watts-designed garden a few years back and kindly agreed to let me share them here. The garden had a lot of formal, … Continue reading →

Posted in artists, design, MB Maher, photography | Tagged , , | 12 Comments

streetside; rainy day house & gardens

Posted on March 3, 2015 by Denise

(alluding to Joni Mitchell’s Rainy Night House) I recently read that Taylor Swift wanted the part in a movie on Mitchell. I see Swift’s photo all over the Internet, but it wasn’t until Sunday that I finally heard one of … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, Bulbs, design, driveby gardens, garden ornament, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

san francisco door project

Posted on March 2, 2015 by Denise

“Ah! There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort.” — Emma, Jane Austen I can be a bit of a homebody and go days without leaving the house. The best thing about some days is coming home to … Continue reading →

Posted in design, pots and containers | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

high style, close quarters

Posted on February 18, 2015 by Denise

The Australian/Canadian hybrid blog Desire to Inspire is one of my favorite sources for dependable, daily inspiration. (Jo and Kim do take Sundays off.) DTI celebrates design front and center, sometimes minimal, sometimes maximal. I can never make up my … Continue reading →

Posted in design, pots and containers | Tagged , | 2 Comments

“The Artful Garden” featuring Shirley Watts, Portland, Oregon 2/15/15

Posted on February 9, 2015 by Denise

Detail of mural in the new reception hall at Rancho Los Alamitos. I don’t suppose there’s the smallest chance we’ll ever see a “bullet train” built that runs to Portland, Oregon, since the voter-approved Los Angeles-to-San Francisco high-speed train has … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, artists, design, garden travel, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

thinning dyckias

Posted on November 24, 2014 by Denise

If you asked me what I planned on doing when I woke up that morning a couple Saturdays ago, tackling the enormously overgrown clump of dyckias in the front garden was as remote a contender as washing the windows, which … Continue reading →

Posted in design, journal, Occasional Daily Weather Report, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged , , | 11 Comments