Author Archives: Denise
My So-Called Spiral Aloe
You can tell by the leaf litter that this guy is in the ground now, not in a pot anymore. In zone 10, planting in the ground is an option, since there’s no fear of frost damage. But there are … Continue reading
Senecio stellata (Cineraria)
The cineraria I blogged about in early March has been blooming and gaining strength, topping now over 4 feet in height, coarse and sprawly. These two plants came from Annie’s Annuals, from the seed strain ‘Giovanni’s Select.’ One is a … Continue reading
The Face of the Earth Remains the Same
I found this interesting take on the seasons in the 2/11/10 New York Review of Books, from Christian Carryl’s review of Robert Walser’s The Assistant. Carryl quotes this excerpt from the book: “And the world, was it changing? No. A … Continue reading
Posted in Ephemera, MB Maher
Tagged gunnera, New York Review of Books, Robert Walser
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Mauve
The paths of the garden at Western Hills, which I visited a couple weeks back, were crowded with the mauve blossoms of self-seeding honesty, the biennial Lunaria annua. Because it was ubiquitous, I took no photos but of course now … Continue reading
Posted in MB Maher, Plant Portraits
Tagged biennials, chemical dye, Lunaria annua, mauve, MB Maher, Western Hills, William Henry Perkin
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Eschscholtzia Day
Fine. California Poppy Day. But there’s a lot more Far Side of the World in the name Eschscholtzia. No, Paul Bettany hasn’t played the role of Johann Friedrich von Eschscholtz, at least that I’m aware of. That’s Bettany portraying the … Continue reading
Salvage
“Captain, your ship is salvage!” Possibly the most chilling words any ship’s captain will ever hear. Maritime law dating back to Byzantine times allows a ship and its cargo to be claimed by anyone, acting voluntarily (not in an official … Continue reading
Posted in garden ornament
Tagged Building REsources, salvage, San Francisco Flower & Garden Show
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The Cat and the Fringe Tree
Joseph the cat in his current favorite spot, the grasslands, his personal Serengeti just outside the kitchen door. Comfort creature that he is, he prefers his grasslands have nice dry pavers to sit or lie on, or on which to … Continue reading
Unidentified Giant Composite
If you saw 8-foot tall daisies planted to the very edges of the geometric template that usually holds a suburban front yard lawn, in an upscale community in San Francisco, wouldn’t you assume the owners of the house were a … Continue reading
Posted in MB Maher, The Hortorialist
Tagged Elements Hotel, garden show, Lithodora diffusa, San Francisco, Senecio glastifolius
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Calandrinia spectabilis
On the Agave Walk this cerise Chilean showoff opens its first flower of spring. Zone 8-10. The calandrinia sprawls onto the Agave Walk and is cut back by half to allow foot traffic. Even with this heavy-handed treatment it flowers … Continue reading
Western Hills
The story of Western Hills can’t be fully told by an outsider, of course, so this will in no way be an attempt at a complete history. The former nursery and now endangered 3-acre garden have woven through Northern Californian … Continue reading