Monthly Archives: July 2011

Blue Bottle & Finial

Posted on July 31, 2011 by Denise

I cleaned out my garden shed the other day and found this blue bottle buried under twine and dirty garden gloves dried into angry fist shapes. There was apparently attraction enough at one time for me to squirrel the bottle … Continue reading →

Posted in design, garden ornament, succulents | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Occasional Daily Photo 7/29/11

Posted on July 29, 2011 by Denise

Echeveria ‘Afterglow’ and Allium senescens. This little mid summer-flowering onion is sweet consolation for an allium-less garden up to this point. Unlike me, the early-blooming, flamboyant drumstick alliums don’t enjoy a zone 10 garden and prefer chillier winters. And although … Continue reading →

Posted in design, Occasional Daily Photo, Plant Portraits, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged , | 2 Comments

San Marzano Tomato Taste Test

Posted on July 26, 2011 by Denise

After maligning the San Marzano tomato in my last post, an update seems in order. Following a thorough and deep watering, the vine may not have tomato blight or cucumber mosaic virus or whatever ailments a tomato succumbs to. My … Continue reading →

Posted in edibles, MB Maher | Tagged , | 7 Comments

Summer’s Bounty

Posted on July 24, 2011 by Denise

Man cannot live by tomatoes alone. (The first dahlia opened today.) There’s no way I’m going to keep the garden moist enough simply for a few dahlias to thrive, but I’d hate to face August and September without them. So … Continue reading →

Posted in Bulbs, edibles, pots and containers | Tagged , | 9 Comments

Sherman Gardens & Library

Posted on July 22, 2011 by Denise

I took the day off yesterday to check out some local nurseries for dahlias and eucomis in flower. (All my eucomis were bought as bulbs, some with leaves purportedly of varieties as dark or darker than ‘Oakhurst,’ but all instead … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, design, garden travel, garden visit, Plant Portraits, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Ennis House

Posted on July 20, 2011 by Denise

All Bladerunner fans, relax. Deckard’s house is safe. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Ennis house in Los Angeles was used as a set for some of the scenes in Bladerunner. The Ennis House was released from a Wright family conservatorship in 2009 … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema Botanica, design | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Agave bovicornuta

Posted on July 19, 2011 by Denise

The Cow Horn Agave. I can’t think of another agave with this translucent quality to its leaves. And the little “steer horns” (teeth) fire up in morning sun like burning coals heating a branding iron. Do I really know anything … Continue reading →

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

Sean Hogan at Flora Grubb Gardens

Posted on July 18, 2011 by Denise

On Sunday, July 17, 2011, Sean Hogan of Cistus Nursery, Portland, Oregon, gave a talk at Flora Grubb Gardens in San Francisco, California, entitled “The Art of the Rosette.” I’ve visited Cistus Nursery twice, so I know first-hand that it’s … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, Bulbs, MB Maher, pots and containers, succulents, The Hortorialist | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Bloom Day July 2011

Posted on July 16, 2011 by Denise

We’re a tad overexposed and on the run… a day late for Bloom Day, the 15th of every month, hosted by Carol of May Dreams Gardens. More photos after the jump.

Posted in Bloom Day, Plant Portraits | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Succulent Experiments

Posted on July 13, 2011 by Denise

Crassula expansa subsp. fragilis was planted this past May in these car jack stands, using window screening to hold the soil in, first pictured here near the bottom of the post. Unlike my mossy experiments, this crassula is growing much … Continue reading →

Posted in design, garden ornament, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments