Monthly Archives: August 2012

High Line jeremiad

Some interesting Sunday reading to be found in another nuanced, contrarian view of the High Line Park in New York City. I know, not another post on the High Line! I can’t help it, I’m utterly fascinated by this subject. … Continue reading

Posted in design, essay, garden travel, garden visit | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

sit

Dear Chair, oh, how I love thee! I scored a couple garden chairs on sale recently, which pitched my low simmer of constant chair love back into a full boil. These are mostly photos of chairs and benches previously posted … Continue reading

Posted in design, garden visit, MB Maher | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

summer 2012 award for best-looking agave

Though they may give the appearance of being unchanging and monumental, agaves are ever in flux, whether it’s bad-leaf days from snail damage or a clean outline marred by a congestion of pups. So when an agave somehow pulls it … Continue reading

Posted in agaves, woody lilies | Tagged | 7 Comments

UCBG’s Natural Discourse; an epilogue

I was reminded by some recent network news stories on UCBG’s “Natural Discourse” that I’ve yet to post photos from opening night back on July 14, 2012. Did you have to read that sentence twice for full comprehension? “Recent network … Continue reading

Posted in garden travel, garden visit, MB Maher, science | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

friday clippings 8/17/12

August is not a month to be trifled with. Spring comes so early here, with winter more a brief, rainy intermission than a season, that by August I really need to 1) loosen compacted clay soil that refuses to absorb … Continue reading

Posted in Bulbs, clippings, plant nurseries, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Bloom Day August 2012

Some quick photos to make it on August’s roster for Bloom Day hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens. It feels slightly hypocritical to include this ceratostigma in a Bloom Day post, since last spring I single-mindedly pursued its complete … Continue reading

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, Bloom Day, succulents | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments

something different in an alstroemeria

The Alstromeria isabellana that I brought home from Far Reaches Farm in Port Townsend, Washington, opened its first bloom in my garden in Southern California a couple days ago. Sean Hogan had pointed it out to me in a display … Continue reading

Posted in plant crushes, plant nurseries, Plant Portraits | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

snapshot of August 2012

August is always a truth-telling time in the life of a garden and a good month to take a snapshot of it. The hoses have been deployed this week to deep water the trees and soak the now bone-dry soil. … Continue reading

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, creatures, garden visit, journal, Plant Portraits, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

melianthus at the getty and other controversies

The incomparable Herb Ritts and Titian were also at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, and some of Marie Antoinette’s hand-me-down furniture too. I think it can be safely said that gardeners are connoisseurs of the perfect moment, and last … Continue reading

Posted in design, garden visit, photography, Plant Portraits, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

bringing it home

Visiting first-rate plant nurseries necessarily involves purchasing plants, or so I’ve always believed — even if the purchaser is thousands of miles from home and has to shove the pots into an already bursting suitcase and then into the cramped … Continue reading

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, creatures, garden travel, garden visit, journal, plant crushes, plant nurseries, Plant Portraits, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments