Category Archives: climate

swept away

Posted on January 22, 2021 by Denise

Busy week, weather-wise, democracy-wise. There was a sweet piney scent to the air the morning of the 19th, which meant the wind had shifted and was coming from the east. I smelled it before checking the weather vane, which confirmed … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, climate, design, journal, Occasional Daily Weather Report, succulents | 5 Comments

Fearless Gardening by Loree Bohl; a review/giveaway

Posted on January 9, 2021 by Denise

I’ve been following Pacific Northwest gardens and nurseries for decades and often fantasize about having a garden in a modified-mediterranean, 40 inches-of-rain-a-year zone 8. There’s lots of plants I’d be able to grow for the first time, but there’d have … Continue reading →

Posted in artists, books, climate, design, inspire me, pots and containers | Tagged Fearless Gardening | 12 Comments

clippings 6/22/20

Posted on June 22, 2020 by Denise

Hope you find lots of interesting and diverting things to do this week. I’m tending new seedlings and waiting for another seed order to arrive — there’s got to be more empty pots around here somewhere…

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, Bulbs, climate, clippings, Plant Portraits, pots and containers | 6 Comments

sweat it out

Posted on November 4, 2019 by Denise

It’s great to see the garden “sweat” again. Whether glistening from morning dew or transpiration, it’s a sight for sore (dry) eyes. The leaves of the tree aloe ‘Goliath’ were a grimy, sooty mess just a few days ago. Hosespray … Continue reading →

Posted in climate, Occasional Daily Weather Report, science, succulents | 4 Comments

James Griffith @Craig Krull Gallery

Posted on October 31, 2019 by Denise

Never mind Halloween, it’s been a scary week, and overnight more fires erupted, many much closer to home. Checking the Los Angeles Times for the grim wildfire updates brought some unexpected and sorely needed happy news: “La Brea tar is … Continue reading →

Posted in artists, climate, science | 3 Comments

low humidity, high winds, pink houses

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Denise

“The Santa Ana winds were blasting through the streets, bristling and smelling of desert, of white sunlight, of sharp, wiry plants and white rock…A hot madness was enclosing the city.” Kate Braverman, Lithium for Medea (February 5, 1949 – October … Continue reading →

Posted in climate, MB Maher, science | 6 Comments

so many salvias

Posted on October 21, 2019 by Denise

I love the buzz of excitement of trying out new plants. In my garden, a good share of the newcomers always seems to include a few salvias, which isn’t surprising considering these multivarious members of the mint family number almost … Continue reading →

Posted in climate, plant nurseries, Plant Portraits | 7 Comments

letter from sagehen creek field station

Posted on October 18, 2019 by MB Maher

(Shirley Watts’ series of symposia entitled Natural Discourse, bringing scientists and artists into botanical gardens to make site-specific work, has taken on an even fiercer urgency seven years after its inception in 2012, as scientists and artists grapple with the … Continue reading →

Posted in artists, climate, essay, MB Maher, photography, science | 4 Comments

the kids are all right

Posted on September 20, 2019 by Denise

The kids know what’s at risk. Only the essentials — water, soil, the atmosphere, sea levels and acidification, desertification, mass extinctions, food supply chains. Perhaps widening income inequality is making kids immune to the economic scaremongering arguments of their elders … Continue reading →

Posted in climate, science | 5 Comments

early September at Red Butte Garden

Posted on September 8, 2019 by Denise

A short, unplanned, very hot visit to Salt Lake City’s Red Butte Garden last week brought an unexpected amount of pleasure and inspiration. Due to a flight delay back to Long Beach, we had a few extra hours to kill … Continue reading →