Monthly Archives: February 2014

Patrick Blanc in “Contemporary Designers’ Own Gardens”

Posted on February 9, 2014 by Denise

I’ve been scanning this book by Barbara Baker since December and haven’t come near to finishing it. There are two reasons to stop reading a book; either because you find it uninteresting or because you find it too interesting. Too … Continue reading →

Posted in artists, books, design | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

aloe, unidentified

Posted on February 7, 2014 by Denise

I foolishly took down a listing on the blog of “Recently Purchased Plants,” because its length was getting embarrassing. Now I find I’ve simply traded one annoying sensation for another, and that is chagrin at not knowing the name of … Continue reading →

Posted in succulents | Tagged | 3 Comments

riad means garden

Posted on February 6, 2014 by Denise

It’s February, so thoughts naturally turn to travel, escape, adventure. But I’m not going anywhere at the moment, so I look harder, stare longer, at local scenes, hoping to squeeze something new and startling out of familiar sights. But walking … Continue reading →

Posted in climate, design, Occasional Daily Photo | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

shelves again

Posted on February 6, 2014 by Denise

It’s true, I’m fixated on shelves. I love how they can lend a veneer of intention to one’s magpie tendencies. With the spring plant sales not far off, I’m getting ready to make some new shelving to hang on the … Continue reading →

Posted in design, pots and containers | Tagged | Leave a comment

Hardenbergia violaceae, the Happy Wanderer

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Denise

This smallish evergreen vine, also known as the Happy Wanderer, is in bloom around town, always a surprising sight for February. It’s a tough little number in the pea family from eastern Australia that lays low all year, unnoticed, in … Continue reading →

Posted in plant nurseries, Plant Portraits | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

the new courthouse

Posted on February 2, 2014 by Denise

Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse, Long Beach, California The old, crumbling, brutalist-era courthouse where I did a lot of jury duty time was finally, mercifully shuttered, its broken escalators never to confound us again, and the new courthouse went up a … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, climate, design, driveby gardens, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments