Author Archives: Denise

Australian Native Plants Nursery

Posted on March 7, 2014 by Denise

For just a two-hour drive up the coast, we ended up covering a lot of continents on Tuesday, botanically speaking, of course. Australia and especially South Africa were well represented. This was a much-anticipated trip to Jo O’Connell’s Australian Native … Continue reading →

Posted in garden travel, garden visit, plant nurseries | Tagged Australian Native Plants Nursery, Australian plants, Eucalyptus 'Moon Lagoon', Gastrolobium sericeum 'Black Form', Jo O'Connell, Lechenaultia biloba, proteas, Scadoxus natalensis, South African plants, Xanthorrhoea | 10 Comments

Agave geminiflora

Posted on March 4, 2014 by Denise

Agave geminiflora spangled in morning dew is one of my favorite sights these mornings. Slow growing, doesn’t offset, rare denizen of open oak woodland in Mexico, and just about everybody agrees the best thing in a container since Nutella. The … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, Occasional Daily Photo, pots and containers | Tagged Agave geminiflora, The Ruth Bancroft Garden | 2 Comments

Verbena bonariensis unchained

Posted on March 3, 2014 by Denise

Maybe you’ve already bumped into these photos on Pinterest or tumblr, which surfaced in May 2013, of some startlingly robust Verbena bonariensis bursting skyward from an enviable geodesic concrete container. The image is from the garden and blog of Svante … Continue reading →

Posted in Plant Portraits, pots and containers | Tagged Elle Decoration, Verbena bonariensis | 5 Comments

reprising a visit to the Huntington Desert Garden

Posted on March 1, 2014 by Denise

The recent storm surprisingly coaxed a bloom from my 6-inch Euphorbia atropurpurea, whose acquaintance I first made at the Huntington in 2011. That visit prompted a frustrating summer of scouring plant sales and nurseries for this rare, ruddy-bracted Canary Islander, … Continue reading →

Posted in garden visit, MB Maher, plant nurseries, Plant Portraits, succulents | Tagged Annie's Annuals & Perennials, Canary Islands, dyckias, Euphorbia atropurpurea, Golden Barrel Cactus Echinocactus grusonii, Huntington Botanical Gardens, Huntington Desert Garden, Nolina interrata | 5 Comments

Shirley Watts in “Curbed”

Posted on February 27, 2014 by Denise

The Garden Bloggers Fling hostess for the 2013 meetup, garden designer Shirley Watts, got a nice writeup in the Bay Area’s Curbed today. Very gratifying to see a primarily real estate magazine throw some love at landscapes and gardens too. … Continue reading →

Posted in artists, design, garden travel, MB Maher | Tagged Curbed, Garden Bloggers Fling 2013 San Francisco, MB Maher, San Francisco Flower & Garden Show, Shirley Watts | Leave a comment

community garden 2/26/14

Posted on February 27, 2014 by Denise

After sowing some borlotti beans late afternoon in anticipation of rain, I tracked down all the sweet peas in bloom in neighboring plots. The results of my sweet pea safari: And I always stop to admire how Scarlet Flax has … Continue reading →

Posted in cut flowers, edibles | Tagged community garden, Floret, Helianthus annuus, Linum grandiflorum 'Rubrum', reseeding plants, Scarlet Flax, sunflowers, Sweet peas | 3 Comments

agaves love company

Posted on February 26, 2014 by Denise

At least I think they do, because I’m forcing them to get along. It might be closer to the truth to admit that it’s me that loves the company of agaves. Because if that’s love Mr. Ripple is showing the … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, succulents | Tagged Agave 'Mr. Ripple', Agave parrasana 'Fireball', Agave potatorum, Agave schidigera 'Black Widow', Echeveria agavoides | 4 Comments

What to do with your lawn when there’s a drought

Posted on February 26, 2014 by Denise

Just lose the lawn and don’t look back. And if and when rainfall in California ever gets back to normal levels, which isn’t much anyway, you just might realize you want your lawn back about as much as you want … Continue reading →

Posted in climate, design, MB Maher | Tagged Beth Mullins, drought-tolerant gardens, Garden Bloggers Fling, Julie Chai, lawn removal, MB Maher, Northern California, Rebecca Sweet, The San Francisco Chronicle | 1 Comment

parklets

Posted on February 25, 2014 by Denise

“The more successfully a city mingles everyday diversity of uses and users in its everyday streets, the more successfully, casually (and economically) its people thereby enliven and support well-located parks that can thus give back grace and delight to their … Continue reading →

Posted in design, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged California, Jane Jacobs, Long Beach, parklets, phormiums, Senecio mandraliscae, sidewalk bulb-outs, Studio One Eleven, urban planning | 4 Comments

back at the ranch

Posted on February 21, 2014 by Denise

All day long this past work- and appointment-filled Wednesday I clung to the idea of fitting in a short visit to Rancho Los Alamitos. I’d heard there were some changes with the barns, and there was a new foal, all … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, design, garden ornament, garden travel, garden visit, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged Agave franzosinii, Alexander Cassatt, Beaumontia grandiflora, California rancho period, Ficus macrophylla, Florence Bixby, Florence Yoch, Frederick Law Olmstead, historical preservation, Huntington Desert Garden, Mary Cassatt, Moreton Bay Fig tree, Penn Station, Rancho Los Alamitos, Rosa banksiae 'Lutea', Shire draught horses, Solandra maxima, William Hertrich | 7 Comments