Author Archives: Denise
how to declutter your garden
Since the new year, I keep coming across the word “declutter.” I find the phenomenon of cultural obsessions fascinating, more so than the obsession du jour itself. How does everybody get on board with any one idea in such a … Continue reading
Posted in pots and containers, succulents
11 Comments
desert bloom 2019
Let me just say up front, to avoid any confusion, that these are all photos from a December visit to the Desert Garden at the Huntington Botanical Garden. While I love a visit to this glorious garden any time of … Continue reading
Posted in garden travel
8 Comments
friday clippings 1/18/19
I find this brickwork for the studio of photographer Graciela Iturbide utterly mesmerizing, taking a pedestrian building unit like the brick to new heights — three-story heights, in fact. The architects Mauricio Rocha (Iturbide’s son) and Gabriela Carrillo (of the … Continue reading
Posted in artists, clippings, design
3 Comments
garden clippings 1/15/19
I feel like I’m posting on my little garden all the time, but that’s predominantly on Instagram these days and less so on the blog. So since the 15th of each month traditionally calls for a Bloom Day report among … Continue reading
Posted in Bloom Day, clippings
3 Comments
walking by the driveby agave garden
Oh, yes, I do keep a sharp eye on developments at the “driveby agave garden,” a local garden I stumbled on in 2012, even if I don’t blog about it. Maybe I’ve become a little squeamish about privacy concerns since … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
9 Comments
architecture vs. landscape architecture
In December 2018 the Los Angeles Times triumphantly announced “L.A. architects, designers named among the ‘best of the best’: The 2019 AD100 list.” How exciting to make Architectural Digest’s “list recognizing 100 top talents worldwide in the field of design, … Continue reading
homage to the banana
Of Ensete, Musa, and Musella, the three genera of bananas, I’ve grown just one. Above is Musa ‘Siam Ruby’ in more plentiful irrigation times in my garden around 2010 — just like the Dude’s rug, those big leaves really pull … Continue reading
Posted in design, edibles, science
6 Comments
garden clippings 12/18/18
I noted Solanum pyracanthum on sale at nurseries in late summer, which makes sense for this heat-loving tropical from Madagascar. (Except when it’s not a heat lover, like at this moment in December when it’s thriving in my garden. What’s … Continue reading
Posted in clippings
3 Comments
Gardenlust at the Huntington
One of the items on my wish list this holiday is the recently published book Gardenlust by Christopher Woods. And what better way to vet a book than to hear the author himself describe it, which I was able to … Continue reading
Posted in books, design, garden travel
5 Comments
holiday backyard boutique 12/1/18
You’re motivated and ready to tackle this holiday business head on and get an early jump on shopping, but you’re shying away from all that mousey click, click, clicking and maybe more interested in combining shopping with some fresh air, … Continue reading
Posted in artists, commerce, design, MB Maher, pop-up, pots and containers
3 Comments