Category Archives: garden travel

in a hothouse

Posted on March 25, 2016 by Denise

…or a greenhouse, hoop house. Located on Long Island, NY, visited in June 2013. What I remember most was the all-engulfing moistness of the environment. Evapotranspiration so intense as to make one giddy. Which is undoubtedly why I lingered for … Continue reading →

Posted in garden travel, Plant Portraits, pots and containers | Tagged greenhouse, tender perennials | 6 Comments

notes on spring planting

Posted on January 19, 2016 by Denise

Though it may not be readily apparent, there really is something positive to say about the garden in January. I’ve been cutting back the grasses, and even allowing for the dozens of poppy seedlings that are emerging and staking a … Continue reading →

Posted in garden travel, plant nurseries, Plant Portraits | Tagged Agave shawii, Arctostaphylos cruzensis, Aristida purpurea, Calamintha nepeta 'Montrose White', Constancea nevinii, Digging Dog Nursery, Dudleya densiflora, Eriogonum crocatum, Lyonothamnus floribundus ssp. asplenifolius, Nancy Godwin, Perovskia 'Lacey Blue', Pinus sabiniana, Theodore Payne Nursery | 15 Comments

blogger meetup at the Huntington

Posted on January 5, 2016 by Denise

I should have talked less and picked up the camera more at the meetup this past Saturday at the Huntington Botanical Garden, but that wouldn’t have been as much fun as our nonstop gabfest. The occasion for the meetup was … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, garden travel, garden visit, Plant Portraits, succulents | Tagged Aloe 'David Verity', Aloe rubroviolacea, Aloe sinkatana, Eucalyptus 'Moon Lagoon', Kniphofia 'Christmas Cheer', Muhlenbergia dubia, Muhlenbergia rigens, Pennisetum 'Fairy Tails' | 8 Comments

the case of the disappearing hebes

Posted on September 24, 2015 by Denise

I was in San Francisco recently for several days cat-sitting a charming fraidycat in the Mission district named Banksy. It was during this trip that I solved the case of the disappearing hebes, those lovely little shrubs from New Zealand. … Continue reading →

Posted in garden travel, plant nurseries, Plant Portraits | Tagged "On a Sonoma Hilltop", American Conifer Society, Annie's Annuals & Perennials Nursery, Circle Oak Ranch, Flora Grubb Gardens, Fusarium oxysporum v. hebei, Gardens Illustrated, hebes, Lew and Mary Reid's garden, Monterey Bay Nursery, Noel Kingsbury, Northern California, Pacific Horticulture, Salvia 'Purple Majesty', Sara Malone, Sonoma County | 6 Comments

Natural Discourse: Flora & Fauna; A Day at the Natural History Museum 10/17/15

Posted on September 20, 2015 by Denise

From the Natural Discourse event registration page: “Natural Discourse has been invited to explore the Natural History Museum! The Museum opens its doors for a day-long conversation about gardens, art, science, and collections. Natural Discourse is an ongoing series of … Continue reading →

Posted in artists, Department of Instruction, garden travel, science | Tagged Director of the Huntington Botanical Gardens, Exposition Park, garden designer Shirley Watts, James Griffith's La Brea Tar Paintings, Jim Folsom, JoAnne Northrup, Los Angeles County Natural History Museum, Maura C. Flannery, Mia Lehrer, Natania Meeker & Antonia Szabari, Natural Discourse; Flora & Fauna 10/17/15, Rosamond Purcell | 4 Comments

Lotusland, garden provocateur

Posted on September 5, 2015 by Denise

More from that June visit to Lotusland, Ganna Walska’s 37-acre estate near Santa Barbara, California. In the comments to this post, Emily kindly provided a link to an English series “Around the World in 80 Gardens,” in which a visit … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, climate, garden travel, garden visit, succulents | Tagged Around the World in 80 Gardens, Cactus and Succulent Society of America, cactus gardens, California gardens, Donald Culross Peattie, Geoff Stein, James Van Sweden, Lotusland, Madame Ganna Walska, March-April 2015 Cactus and Succulent Journal, Monty Don, Pauleen Sullivan, writer Catherine Phillips, Ysabel Wright's cactus garden Quien Sabe | 16 Comments

scenes from Lotusland; the Lemon Arbor

Posted on July 29, 2015 by Denise

Since I snapped hundreds, I’ll probably be trickling out photos of my June visit to Lotusland for months to come. The Eureka lemon tree arbor, planted in 1988, is probably one of the more sedate and traditional features of Lotusland. … Continue reading →

Posted in edibles, garden travel, garden visit | Tagged California, Lotusland, Madame Ganna Walska, Montecito | 3 Comments

Seaside Gardens, Carpinteria, Calif.

Posted on June 19, 2015 by Denise

By now it’s fairly obvious that visiting plant nurseries and gardens are two of my favorite pursuits. The ultimate in garden touring is possible when occasionally, though all too rarely, both pursuits can be accomplished at one location. The list … Continue reading →

Posted in garden travel, garden visit, plant nurseries | Tagged Alstroemeria 'The Third Harmonic', Leucadendron salignum ‘Summer Red’, Lysiloma thornberi, Salvia cacaliifolia, Seaside Gardens | 10 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

notes on some spring plant sales

Posted on May 9, 2015 by Denise

Is that a water pistol in your pocket or are you just happy to see me? I’ve been hearing from friends in the retail nursery business that the new water restrictions have them very worried. Indeed, I’ve been told retail … Continue reading →

Posted in Bulbs, climate, design, garden travel, journal, pots and containers | Tagged botanical garden plant sales, Dierama pendulum var. robustum, Flora Grubb Gardens, Fullerton Arboretum Green Scene, Huntington Botanical Garden 2015 Plant Sale, Leucadendron argenteum, Leucadendron laxum, Plectranthus zuluensis, Protea neriifolia, Rudbeckia maxima, San Francisco Botanical Garden plant sale | 11 Comments