Tag Archives: mediterranean climate

postcards from Santa Barbara gardens

Posted on November 1, 2017 by Denise

Ever since the area became accessible by car and rail in the early part of the 20th century, it has been a favored location for estates and marvelous gardens, among them El Fureidis, Val Verde, and Lotusland. — The Lightest … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, climate, garden ornament, garden travel, pots and containers | Tagged "A Genius for Place: American Landscapes of the Country Place Era", American Country Place Era, Austin Val Verde, Casa del Herrero, Dichorisandra thyrsiflora, Isabelle Greene, Jeff Chemnick, Lockwood de Forest, Lotusland, mediterranean climate, Mediterranean Garden Society, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden | 6 Comments

hillside with Schwentker Watts Design

Posted on September 14, 2013 by Denise

I was in a wonderful garden the other night, but was caught flat-footed as far as having any photos to show for it. Although only 7:30ish, twilight doesn’t last long in this Los Angeles neighborhood but is quickly swallowed up … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, artists, climate, design, garden visit, MB Maher, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged Bocconia arborea, Cupressus macrocarpa 'Citriodora', Franco-Giacomo Carbone, Harvey Watts, James Schwentker, landscape architecture, Los Angeles, MB Maher, mediterranean climate, Schwentker Watts Design, Silverlake, The Los Angeles Times | 5 Comments

warm thoughts on formal gardens

Posted on September 7, 2013 by Denise

Have I mentioned how hot it’s been lately? It’s the kind of heat that gives a boho plant nut a deeper appreciation of the cool, austere lines of a formal garden. A garden built not on the scaffolding of flowers … Continue reading →

Posted in climate, design, garden ornament, garden visit | Tagged Acacia podalyriifolia, California, formal gardens, Katherine Spitz, Katherine Spitz Associates, Mar Vista, mediterranean climate, pittosporum, Southern California | 2 Comments

the disappearance of summer lawns

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Denise

Lawns are vanishing all over town. The chief ringleader and instigator is the Long Beach Water Department, with their irresistible Lawn-to-Garden Turf Replacement Program. Quite a few of my neighbors have already taken advantage of this program the past couple … Continue reading →

Posted in climate, design, driveby gardens, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged Achillea "Moonshine', Anigozanthos, architects Abramsom Teiger, Baja spurge, Calandrinia spectabilis, California, Euphorbia xanti, Gomphrena decumbens, Joni Mitchell's Hissing of Summer Lawns, Lawn-to-Garden garden tour 2013, Lawn-to-Garden Turf Replacement Program, Long Beach, Long Beach Water Department, mediterranean climate, nepeta, Pittosporum tenuifolium, Russelia equisetiformis, Salvia chamaedryoides, Senecio mandraliscae, Senecio vitalis, Stipa tenuissima, Teucrium azureum, Verbena 'Homestead Purple', Verbena lilacina | 12 Comments

Villa Mundo Nuevo

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Denise

This fall photographer MB Maher revisited this Northern Californian residential garden designed by landscape architect Jarrod Baumann of Zeterre Landscape Architecture and built by contractor Jim Everett of EvLand LLC that won the 2010 California Landscape Contractors Association Trophy Award. … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, design, edibles, garden ornament, garden visit, MB Maher, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged 2010 CLCA Trophy Award, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Evland LLC, formal gardens, Interleafing, Jarrod Baumann, Jim Everett, landscape architecture, Laura Livengood Schaub, mediterranean climate, Northern California, Villa Mundo Nuevo, Zeterre Landscape Architecture | 9 Comments

Wake-Up Call

Posted on September 19, 2011 by Denise

This morning the eaves were dripping and a foghorn blew for the first time in months. In other words, the season for succulents has begun. Summer’s siege is over. If you’re an aeonium in Southern California, or any other mediterranean … Continue reading →

Posted in succulents | Tagged Aeonium 'Zwartkop', mediterranean climate | 1 Comment

The Gospel According to San Marcos

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Denise

The devoted gathered to hear Mr. Baldwin of the premiere West Coast nursery San Marcos Growers give a talk at Roger’s Gardens last Saturday on new plant introductions. Be warned that this post will be plant-wonkish in the extreme.

Posted in garden travel, Plant Portraits | Tagged Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Adenanthos cuneatus 'Coral Drift', Agave 'Mateo', Agonis flexuosa 'Jedda's Dream', Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Australian Native Plants, Beaucarnea 'Gold Star', Berzelia lanuginose, Bouteloua gracilis, Cordyline 'Design-a-line Burgundy', Dianella caerulea 'King Alfred', Lomandra longifolia 'Nyalla', Lygeum spartum, mediterranean climate, Phylica arborea, Phylica plumosa, Randy Baldwin, Roger's Gardens, San Marcos Growers, Sherman Library & Gardens, Solanum xanti, Thomasia solanacea 'Velvet Star', UCSC Koala Blooms plant introductions, Westringia fruticosa 'Mundi', Wollemia nobilis | 11 Comments

Grace Under Pressure

Posted on December 7, 2009 by Denise

This is about as basic as it gets, squirting water out of a garden hose. Very inefficient and ineffective, yet I grab a hose practically every day, however briefly, to at least water the pots and new plantings. And as … Continue reading →

Posted in essay, MB Maher | Tagged Cotinus 'Grace', Euphorbia ceratocarpa, irrigation, mediterranean climate | Leave a comment

Horticultural Mash Notes from the Middle of the World

Posted on December 1, 2009 by Denise

Zone 10, 32 degrees latitude, to be exact. Have been reading this fall many blogs of brave gardeners in cold climes putting a cheerful face on the impending winter, asserting that gardens and gardeners need a rest anyway. This may … Continue reading →

Posted in climate, essay, MB Maher | Tagged Diane Lynch, mediterranean climate | Leave a comment