Category Archives: journal

houseboat

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Denise

Life aboard an old, creaky 1919 bungalow often feels like living on a boat to me. Many years ago we were actually this close to buying an old wooden boat to live on and sail, called the “Anteak.” I’m still … Continue reading →

Posted in design, journal, Occasional Daily Weather Report | Tagged bungalows, houseboats | 4 Comments

phoenix plants

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Denise

First bloom on little Pelargonium echinatum, which I wrote about last January here. That its gnarled, dessicated branches somehow put on this performance every January is like getting a sneak preview of spring in a 6-inch pot. And oh, happy … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, journal, plant nurseries, Plant Portraits, pots and containers | Tagged Coronilla valentina subsp. glauca, Euphorbia ceratocarpa, Pelargonium echinatum | 9 Comments

walkies

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Denise

We’ve been pushing ourselves to take long walks, sometimes early morning, sometimes early evening, as much as 4 miles, mostly through Long Beach’s old downtown, which has seen many of its older buildings become frozen mid loft conversion. (Probably too … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, design, journal, Plant Portraits, The Hortorialist | Tagged 4th Street Retro Row, Agave desmettiana, Agave victoriae-reginae, Hugo, Long Beach historic downtown, Lyon Art Supply, mosaics, St. Anthony's Church, The Broadlind Hotel | Leave a comment

“Gardens: An Essay” by Robert Pogue Harrison

Posted on October 7, 2011 by Denise

Strange how, even in the most unlikely places, thoughts can still turn to gardens. Jury duty last week had me confined for a good part of Friday in a large, drab room full of strangers, all of us potential jurors … Continue reading →

Posted in artists, essay, journal | Tagged gardens, Gardens: An Essay, Harold Bloom, Mark of Cura, paradise, Robert Pogue Harrison | 6 Comments

Journal July 6, 2011

Posted on July 6, 2011 by Denise

The garden saw some frenetic activity over the long holiday weekend. Over the long, extremely hot holiday weekend. Not since Nixon has a face dripped such copious amounts of sweat. Under these sticky, squalid conditions, one reverts to a feral … Continue reading →

Posted in journal, Plant Portraits | Tagged Allium senescens, Coprosma 'Beatson's Gold', Derry Watkins, eucomis, Fuchsia magellanica 'Hawkshead', kniphofias, Melianthus 'Purple Haze', Monrovia, Persicaria amplexicaule, Ricinus communis, Saxifraga umbrosa 'Variegata' | 5 Comments

Horticulture’s Continuing PR Problems

Posted on April 26, 2011 by Denise

In a March 12, 2011 issue of The New York Times, in a column by Maureen Dowd entitled “In Search of Monsters,” Ms. Dowd comments on the suitability of Donald Rumsfeld giving current foreign policy advice: “You would think that … Continue reading →

Posted in journal | Tagged Donald Rumsfeld, Maureen Dowd, The New York Times | 5 Comments

Journal February 1, 2011

Posted on February 1, 2011 by Denise

February is about the time of year when the little reminder notes really start to pile up, when sending a barrage of e-mails to myself seems an inefficient system compared to the search capabilities on my blog, a feature I … Continue reading →

Posted in journal | Tagged Ammi visagna, Anigozanthos, Atriplex hortensis, cannas, Gloriosa rothschildiana, Helleborus argutifolius, Melianthus 'Purple Haze', Salvia iodantha, Sedum 'Frosty Morn' | 3 Comments