Monthly Archives: December 2011

walkies

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Denise

We’ve been pushing ourselves to take long walks, sometimes early morning, sometimes early evening, as much as 4 miles, mostly through Long Beach’s old downtown, which has seen many of its older buildings become frozen mid loft conversion. (Probably too … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, design, journal, Plant Portraits, The Hortorialist | Tagged 4th Street Retro Row, Agave desmettiana, Agave victoriae-reginae, Hugo, Long Beach historic downtown, Lyon Art Supply, mosaics, St. Anthony's Church, The Broadlind Hotel | Leave a comment

bowl of succulents

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Denise

Hoping to do some holiday shopping for the hikers in the family, I drove out to Patagonia’s store at The Camp in Costa Mesa. Also at The Camp is the little shop Organic Designs by Aggelige, where I studied this … Continue reading →

Posted in design, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged California, Echeveria 'Afterflow', Lepismium cruciforme, Orange County, Organic Designs by Aggelige, Portulacaria afra, The Camp Costa Mesa | 9 Comments

Covent Garden’s LEGO Greenhouse

Posted on December 9, 2011 by Denise

The LEGO greenhouse from London Design Week 2011 got lots of coverage from design blogs last fall. Image found here. But since LEGO at one time was practically synonymous with winter holidays in our house, it seems appropriate for a … Continue reading →

Posted in design | Tagged Covent Garden, Gypsophila elegans 'Covent Garden', Inigo Jones, LEGO, London Design Week 2011, market gardening, Sebastian Bergne | 5 Comments

Moroccan Toadflax

Posted on December 7, 2011 by Denise

Toadflax, Spurred Snapdragon. My Hortus Third says there are “Between 75 and 100 species of annual and perennial herbs of temperate Europe, Asia, North America, but mainly of the Mediterranean region.” Linaria reticulata, a hardy annual that thrives in zone … Continue reading →

Posted in plant nurseries, Plant Portraits | Tagged Annie's Annuals & Perennials, Hortus Third, Linarea aeruginea, Linaria purpurea, Linaria reticulata, Linaria triornithophora 'Three Birds Flying', toadflax | 3 Comments

Bulbs, Poppy Pots, and Echeveria imbricata

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Denise

By the first week of December, any activity that’s not directly holiday related can seem a bit, well, selfish. But it’s also the time when the bulbs that have been prechilling in a crisper drawer in the fridge since September, … Continue reading →

Posted in Bulbs, design, garden ornament, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged Campo de' Fiori pottery, Echeveria imbricata, Echeveria secunda, Potted gifts for the garden, prechilling bulbs, The Poppy pot | 4 Comments

Occasional Daily Weather Report 12/3/11

Posted on December 3, 2011 by Denise

Still very dry and breezy, but the violent Santa Ana winds have subsided. The Huntington Garden remains closed pending cleanup of fallen trees, and parts of Pasadena are still without power. The Los Angeles Times this morning has a photo … Continue reading →

Posted in Occasional Daily Weather Report | Tagged Chionanthus retusus, Cotinus 'Grace', Euphorbia cotinifolia, Georges Simenon, Inspector Maigret, Los Angeles, seasonal Santa Ana winds, storm-damaged trees | 4 Comments

metal basket

Posted on December 2, 2011 by Denise

The day I picked up my shelves at go2machinery, a salvage yard/building in Gardena, I also found this basket of expandable metal. Mad metal lust gripped my heart. And baskets are always useful, right? And then there was this little … Continue reading →

Posted in design | Tagged go2machinery.com, salvage | 4 Comments