Category Archives: design

Dustin Gimbel’s garden in May

Posted on May 24, 2018 by Denise

I’ve talked about Dustin’s ceramics a lot lately, but how’s his garden growing this very grey-skied May? Last week Shirley Watts was in town for talks on the next installment of Natural Discourse’s installation at the LA Arboretum in spring … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, artists, design, garden visit, MB Maher, pots and containers | Tagged Acacia pendula, Agave mitis var. albidior, Anthericum saundersiae 'Variegata', Bilbergia 'Hallelujah', Dustin Gimbel Second Nature Garden Design, garden designer Shirley Watts, Natural Discourse 2018, Russelia equisetiformis, Trachelospermum asiaticum 'Ogon Nishiki' | 9 Comments

the Nino garden gnome

Posted on May 23, 2018 by Denise

You either embrace kitsch or you don’t (i.e. run away screaming). Or, in the case of Rome-based Plato Designs, you turn kitsch on its red-hooded head and recast it in cubist contours. “Garden gnomes: love them or hate them, there … Continue reading →

Posted in design, garden ornament | Tagged garden gnomes, Nino garden gnome, Plato Designs | 2 Comments

multifaceted Mirador house, Austin TX

Posted on May 21, 2018 by Denise

Heroic in scale, the agaves and Cor-Ten steel undulating walls wet with rain, topped by a grove of Yucca rostrata at the rear entrance to the property. I was so intrigued by this garden I visited in Austin earlier this … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, artists, design, garden travel, garden visit | Tagged Agave ovatifolia, Austin, COR-TEN steel, Curt Arnette, Garden Bloggers Fling 2018, LaRue Architects, Yucca rostrata | 13 Comments

wrap-up; Garden Bloggers Fling Austin 2018

Posted on May 9, 2018 by Denise

the last night’s post-tour dinner in a field of larkspur Austin opened its friendly arms wide, Texas-style, in a full-circle welcome to garden bloggers from all over the world. These annual soirees and orgies of garden touring and plant talk … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, design, garden travel, garden visit, pots and containers | Tagged Agave ovatifolia, Articulture Designs, Austin, Garden Bloggers Fling 2018, hesperaloe, Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center | 11 Comments

wednesday vignettes 5/2/18

Posted on May 2, 2018 by Denise

More Palm Springs-style landscape architecture from the recent Pasadena Garden Conservancy Open Days, in this case overlooking a deep arroyo, with some of the foothills’ iconic bridges in the distance. The landscape design zealously protects views and is as much … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, climate, design, garden visit, succulents | Tagged Garden Conservancy Open Days, landscape architecture, Nord Eriksson, Pasadena | 3 Comments

Eric Trine’s Column Pedestal Planter Holder

Posted on May 1, 2018 by Denise

A bit of a switch-up from my rusty flea market finds, but here’s proof that elevation is also on the minds of commercial designers and artists, albeit in much sleeker, powder-coated forms, suitable for indoors or outdoors. Photo courtesy of … Continue reading →

Posted in artists, design, pots and containers | Tagged Column Pedestal Planter Holder, Dwell, Eric Trine, Long Beach | 1 Comment

monday clippings 4/30/18

Posted on April 30, 2018 by Denise

Have you checked on your dudleyas lately? (“Stolen succulents: California hipster plants at center of smuggling crisis; Demand in China and Korea has led to thousands of dudleya being stolen from California as officials lament ‘plant poaching.”) Lots of pruning … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, clippings, cut flowers, design, pots and containers | Tagged Acacia craspedocarpa, Adenanthos sericeus, Centaurea ragusina, Centranthus lecoqii, Senecio candicans 'Angel Wings' | 4 Comments

Garden Conservancy Open Days season (Pasadena)

Posted on April 23, 2018 by Denise

The Garden Conservancy Open Days season is upon us, and I want to go to every single open garden, from here to Maine. Be sure to check the schedule for when gardens reasonably close to you will be included on … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, artists, climate, design, garden travel, garden visit, pots and containers | Tagged Garden Conservancy Open Days, landscape architecture, Nord Eriksson, Pasadena | 7 Comments

scenes from the popup (big thank you!)

Posted on April 17, 2018 by Denise

photos by MB Maher Here’s a look at the tables as they were first set up, before the sale. Dustin Gimbel’s footed “log” pots were a big hit and sold out. (Luckily, you can find the “Gimbel Marbelized Trunk Planter” … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, artists, commerce, design, garden ornament, MB Maher, photography, plant nurseries, plant sales, pop-up, pots and containers, shop talk, succulents | Tagged Albuca spiralis, ceramics, Dustin Gimbel Designs, Eric Trine, Grigsby Cactus Gardens, Hazel Jewelry, Heal the Bay, Kevin Sheby Half Light Bindery, Phylica pubescens, Potted gifts for the garden, Rhipsalis crispata, River LA, Surfrider Foundation, Theodore Payne Foundation, Urban Americana, Wilder California | 7 Comments

15th Annual Theodore Payne Native Plant Garden Tour April 14 & 15 — a giveaway

Posted on April 10, 2018 by Denise

This weekend is the 15th Annual Theodore Payne Native Plant Garden Tour, Saturday and Sunday, April 14 and 15, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and if you’ve been paying attention (thank you!) Saturday, April 14, is also the day we’re … Continue reading →

Posted in design, garden travel, garden visit, pop-up | Tagged 15th ANNUAL THEODORE PAYNE NATIVE PLANT GARDEN TOUR, California native plants, Cross-Pollination pop-up, Urban Americana | 1 Comment