Category Archives: inspire me

planning the perfect getaway

Intermittent photo contributor MB Maher is off to Turkey — some of us make it a habit to travel frequently; for others (raises hand), it’s a rare event. With the PNW continuing to unspool cool, rainy days in May, all … Continue reading

Posted in inspire me, MB Maher | 4 Comments

Laurel Stutsman Design

I found this photo in a 2015 folder on my old photobucket account. The photo was tagged “wildlife-road-malibu2” with no accompanying description. I don’t normally keep unidentified garden photos, but something about it obviously grabbed me in 2015, and it … Continue reading

Posted in artists, design, driveby gardens, garden visit, inspire me | 5 Comments

absolute flower shop in Shanghai

It looks like California’s stay-at-home orders might soon be eased a bit, not that I’ll be venturing too far afield just yet. So just when I really need to step into the exotic, the unfamiliar for half a minute, a … Continue reading

Posted in cut flowers, design, inspire me | 6 Comments

Fearless Gardening by Loree Bohl; a review/giveaway

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 | 12 Comments

visit to Sculptura Botanica part 2

what: in-situ installation showcasing botanical-themed ceramic work of Dustin Gimbel where: Sherman Library & Gardens when: May 15 through September 15, 2020 lunch and lecture: June 26, 2020, 11:30 a.m. and tour of the exhibit by Dustin Gimbel other venues: … Continue reading

Posted in artists, garden ornament, garden travel, garden visit, inspire me | 5 Comments

the thoroughly modern tilly

Mitch has been tagging along with Josh Rosen (the airplantman) to check out some of his custom installation work to get a sense of how Josh’s tillandsia-specific designs work in situ. In this home in the Pacific Palisades, the classic … Continue reading

Posted in artists, design, inspire me, MB Maher, pots and containers | 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

coloring outside the lines; Hot Color, Dry Garden

In her new book “Hot Color, Dry Garden,” botanist/biologist/educator Nan Sterman aims to reassure readers that in these uncertain, climactically challenging times for gardens in the drought-afflicted western U.S., there’s no need to scrimp on what compels us to make … Continue reading

Posted in books, design, inspire me | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

agricultural shade cloth is taken seriously in Ho Chi Minh City

Neighbors have taken note of our traditional summer shade cloth improvisations (what Nishizawa Architects calls “vernacular uses”) and are now deploying their own shade cloth configurations in strategic locations over the sunniest areas of their deck. Along with shading work … Continue reading

Posted in climate, design, inspire me | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Digital Nature; Artist Talk at LA Arboretum 7/28/18

Digital Nature Artist Talk at LA Arboretum 301 North Baldwin Ave, Arcadia, CA 91007 4 pm, Saturday, July 28, 2018 free with Arboretum entry The Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden and Natural Discourse present Artist Talk with Mia … Continue reading

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