Category Archives: books

keep on planting

Posted on August 14, 2017 by Denise

image of Iris reticulata from Wikipedia Commons Collections of Virginia Woolf’s copious letters and diaries have sustained me through some dreary, uninspiring times. By turns bitchy and transcendent, but always dependably filled with trenchant and unflinching observations of her life … Continue reading →

Posted in artists, books, Bulbs, clippings | Tagged Iris reticulata, Leonard and Virginia Woolf, Vox | 10 Comments

summer read: The Bold Dry Garden

Posted on June 30, 2017 by Denise

Yes, this book on the making of The Ruth Bancroft Garden came out and was purchased by me last fall, but I’ve only recently sat down to read it cover to cover. The Bold Dry Garden; Lessons from The Ruth … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, books, photography, succulents | Tagged Johanna Silver, Marion Brenner, The Bold Dry Garden, The Ruth Bancroft Garden, Timber Press | 8 Comments

reprising a 2010 visit to the Ruth Bancroft Garden

Posted on September 12, 2016 by Denise

(Ms. Bancroft is celebrating her 108th birthday this month — yes, that’s not a typo — and we’re all awaiting the upcoming launch later this fall of the book chronicling the making of her garden The Bold Dry Garden.) If … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, books, garden visit, succulents | Tagged The Bold Dry Garden, The Ruth Bancroft Garden | 7 Comments

planting details at the Reid garden

Posted on September 29, 2015 by Denise

I went through my Reid garden photos again, looking for clear examples of the subtly layered plant communities that rose up around my feet as I followed the paths, scanning the garden like a hungry predator, looking down then quickly … Continue reading →

Posted in books, climate, design, garden visit | Tagged "A Passionate Pursuit", American Conifer Society, Claudia West, dry garden planting, Leonotis leonurus, marthastewart.com, Mary and Lew Reid, Northern California, Pacific Horticulture, Planting in a Post-Wild World, Stipa gigantea, terraced gardens, Thomas Rainer, Tibouchina heteromala, Western Hills Nursery and Garden | 9 Comments

visiting Ms. Fish’s garden

Posted on May 10, 2015 by Denise

In 1993, when my boys were 5 and 10, we took our first vacation without them. It was a big emotional deal for all of us to be apart some 10 days, but I needed to see if there really … Continue reading →

Posted in books, garden travel, garden visit, journal | Tagged East Lambrook Manor, Her Brilliant Career: Ten Extraordinary Women of the Fifties, Margery Fish, Rachel Cooke | 4 Comments

Wednesday clippings 4/15/15 (water on the brain)

Posted on April 15, 2015 by Denise

Finally, a chance to spend some time with the blog again. There’s been lots of reading to catch up on, after the guv dropped that bombshell. (Pass the almonds.*) One of the best sources of information I’ve found was right … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, books, Bulbs, climate, clippings, Plant Portraits, pots and containers | Tagged Agave franzosinii, and Bart O’Brien, Australia, Berkheya purpurea, Beth Chatto's The Dry Garden, Bob Perry, Caesalpinia gilliesii, California drought, Carol Bornstein, Cistus Nursery, David Fross, dry garden, Dustin Gimbel Second Nature Garden Design, Emily Green Chance of Rain, Emily Green's After the Lawn, Hymenolepis parviflora, KCET In-Ground Gardens, Lambley Nursery, Landscape Plants for California Gardens, lawn rebate programs, Long Beach City College Dept of Horticulture, Mark Bittman, Pacific Horticulture, Reimagining the California Lawn, Sphaeralcea 'Newleaze Coral', Verbascum undulatum | 7 Comments

weeds find a way

Posted on April 8, 2014 by Denise

This charming children’s book I was sent to review months ago has reacquainted me with the transformative power of weeds. This is a wonderful subject for a children’s book. Weeds are often a child’s first gateway to the natural world. … Continue reading →

Posted in books, science | Tagged Beach Lane Books, Pictures by Carolyn Fisher, Weeds Find A Way by Cindy Jenson-Elliott | 6 Comments

Patrick Blanc in “Contemporary Designers’ Own Gardens”

Posted on February 9, 2014 by Denise

I’ve been scanning this book by Barbara Baker since December and haven’t come near to finishing it. There are two reasons to stop reading a book; either because you find it uninteresting or because you find it too interesting. Too … Continue reading →

Posted in artists, books, design | Tagged "Contemporary Designers' Own Gardens" by Barbara Baker, Patrick Blanc, vertical gardens | 2 Comments

“Gardens: An Essay” by Robert Pogue Harrison (reposted from 10/7/11)

Posted on September 22, 2013 by Denise

I’m more than a little overexcited at the prospect of hearing Professor Harrison speak at the latest iteration of Natural Discourse entitled “Culture & Cultivation,” to be held October 10, 2013, in Berkeley, California. The previous Natural Discourse programs were … Continue reading →

Posted in artists, books, Department of Instruction, design, garden travel | Tagged "Gardens: An Essay on the Human Condition", "Natural Discourse", architect Julia Morgan, art, gardens, historic hotels, Natural Discourse: Culture & Cultivation 10/10/13, Robert Pogue Harrison, science, Shirley Watts, The Berkeley City Club, The New York Review of Books, UC Berkeley Botanical Garden, University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley | 5 Comments

gardenbrain

Posted on July 11, 2012 by Denise

I will be forever indebted to *Eric Liu and Nick Hannauer for coining the word “Gardenbrain” in their op-ed in the 7/10/12 edition of The New York Times “The Machine and the Garden.” I’ve always had one. Turns out our … Continue reading →

Posted in books, essay, pots and containers | Tagged "The Gardens of Democracy: A New American Story of Citizenship, "The Machine and the Garden", 7/10/12, ERIC LIU and NICK HANAUER, the Economy and the Role of Government.â€, The New York Times | 3 Comments