Author Archives: Denise

postcards from Santa Barbara gardens

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 , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

some upcoming dates October 2017

I was at the Huntington last Sunday to attend a talk by author Andrea Wulf (“The Invention of Nature“) on Alexander von Humboldt. If Ms. Wulf has scheduled speaking engagements in your area, I urge you to attend. She is … Continue reading

Posted in artists, clippings, plant sales, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

garden touring England in October

Palm house at Kew Gardens I started daydreaming out loud, oh, about three weeks ago, that it’d be so much fun to attend the Great Dixter Autumn Plant Fair, with vendors and speakers coming in from all over Europe on … Continue reading

Posted in garden travel, garden visit, journal | Tagged , , , , , | 11 Comments

fall planting: what happened to my phlomis?

It’s fall planting time in Southern California, and I’m planting phlomis. And it’s deja vu all over again. I like to think that the blog functions at least as a personal resource, a planting reference that at a minimum chronicles … Continue reading

Posted in plant nurseries, Plant Portraits | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

fantasy herbaria of Anne Ten Donkelaar

Gardens are inspiration engines, filled with mesmerizing sights, sounds, and scents. For an artist, it’s a bottomless treasure trove of ideas. Have a look at the “flower constructions” of Anne Ten Donkelaar. (from “Dearest Nature“) The “flower constructions” series of … Continue reading

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Bloom Day September 2017, fall-planting edition

Nothing much new to report for September Bloom Day, hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens. Anything new in bloom here is from fall planting. Okay, so technically I’m a little premature with fall planting, but patience has never been … Continue reading

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golden gardens

Doing some blog research for fall planting, I was surprised to find what a luminous phase the garden entered briefly around 2014. I’ve always been drawn to bright-colored leaves, but in this period the garden glowed as if irradiated. Chief … Continue reading

Posted in design, journal, Plant Portraits, pots and containers | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

dog days of August bite garden

My leaning Cussonia gamtoosensis took a serious dive earthward in late August. Like a watched pot that never boils, it’s difficult to discern when a chronically leaning tree is in imminent danger of failing, but clearly the cabbage palm was … Continue reading

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Sunday clippings 9/3/17

Did the Powerball mania descend on your home too a couple weeks back? Just because I never buy Powerball or lottery tickets, magical thinking really kicks in when news of the big jackpots reaches even my normally oblivious state of … Continue reading

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, climate, clippings, design, garden travel, garden visit, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Re-post: Amsterdam houseboat gardens

In the aftermath of the 500-year storm event in Texas and the horrendous suffering it has inflicted, offering lovely houseboat scenes may seem overly naive, if not downright cruel, but just try not to dwell on the design issues that … Continue reading

Posted in climate, design, MB Maher | Tagged , | 3 Comments