Category Archives: climate
low humidity, high winds, pink houses
“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
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
(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
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
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
Posted in climate, garden travel, MB Maher, Plant Portraits
Tagged Ericameria nauseosa rubber rabbitbrush, Red Butte Garden
8 Comments
plants and rocks; the basics
If your idea of a good life means being surrounded by plants, chances are you love having a few rocks around too, even if only in a haphazard, barely intentional way. Perhaps small rock mementos from travels naturally seem to … Continue reading
Posted in agaves, woody lilies, climate, creatures, design, essay, MB Maher, succulents
5 Comments
suburbitat
“Formed in 2001, HPEC has grown into a multifaceted organization that works to create sustainable landscapes, restore native plant communities and provide habitats for birds, butterflies, and other wildlife amid development.” Back in June a bunch of garden bloggers visited … Continue reading
Posted in climate, creatures, design, garden travel, plant nurseries, science
Tagged High Plains Environmental Center
9 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
Nigel Dunnett’s Low-Input, High-Impact Landscapes
A few days before he was scheduled to speak at the Huntington on March 19, Nigel Dunnett took a short side trip to experience Southern California’s superbloom. The APLD Greater Los Angeles and Pacific Horticulture Society had invited the Professor … Continue reading
Posted in climate, design, MB Maher, science
10 Comments