Category Archives: garden visit

San Marcos Growers Celebrates 40 Years

On Friday, October 4, 2019, San Marcos Growers opened up its wholesale nursery gates to celebrate 40 years in horticulture. On this Field Day event, the first since 2010, the gardens throughout the nursery were seemingly shouting their own full-throated … Continue reading

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, garden travel, garden visit, plant nurseries, plant sales, pots and containers | 8 Comments

the garden stories we tell

It always amazes me how what was just hours before a scene of mayhem in the garden can look so calm and serene just a few moments after the mulch settles. Right where those little Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Beach Ball’ now … Continue reading

Posted in design, garden visit, journal, Plant Portraits, pots and containers, succulents | 5 Comments

escape from the heat

Ecstatic, delighted, defeated, miserable? I probably cycle through all of those emotions in a single September day. I think a hot day’s super power is in how all-encompassing and omnipresent it can feel, blotting out memory and awareness of anything … Continue reading

Posted in clippings, garden visit, inspire me, MB Maher, Occasional Daily Photo, photography | 3 Comments

formal wear for the summer garden

I toured this garden designed by Judy Horton back in May as part of the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days for Los Angeles and recently uncovered just a few photos, not really enough for a proper blog post as far as … Continue reading

Posted in climate, design, garden travel, garden visit | 3 Comments

hungry eyes, busy hands; Colorado garden of Dan Johnson & Tony Miles

“The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom…You never know what is enough until you know what is more than enough.” — William Blake What I really enjoyed about one of the gardens I visited recently in Colorado … Continue reading

Posted in climate, garden visit | 8 Comments

a quick visit with garden designer Kelly Kilpatrick of Floradora Garden Design

Mitch’s note to me: These are the images from Kelly’s house call — she’s such a delight — thank you for producing this! I was super early and drove by her place on my way to Market Hall for coffee … Continue reading

Posted in artists, design, garden visit, MB Maher, pots and containers, succulents | 7 Comments

Ray Valentine’s neighborhood botanical garden

In early April, as I was leaving a garden on the Theodore Payne Native Plant Garden tour, I noted a hand-lettered “plant sale” sign in the neighborhood and swung around to have a look. I posted a photo of the … Continue reading

Posted in driveby gardens, garden visit, MB Maher, photography, succulents | 12 Comments

some recent driveby gardens

Documenting my enthusiasm for gardens seen on foot or driving through Los Angeles neighborhoods has migrated to Instagram, which seems more suited to a quick visual blast without background information on how such landscapes came to be. But I’m making … Continue reading

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, design, driveby gardens, garden visit, succulents | 7 Comments

White Point Nature Preserve; landscape interrupted

White Point Nature Preserve in San Pedro, CA is a remarkable gift of public open space nestled into 100 acres of bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It’s a landscape that visibly bears the marks of tumultuous human endeavors spanning at … Continue reading

Posted in garden visit, journal, plant sales | 6 Comments

resort style

The Garden Conservancy’s Open Days for Los Angeles was held last Sunday, and its five gardens fairly well covered the breadth of idiosyncratic ambitions people have for the land immediately surrounding their homes — from verdant gardens supporting lush plant … Continue reading

Posted in garden travel, garden visit | 10 Comments