Category Archives: pots and containers

Bloom Day September 2017, fall-planting edition

Posted on September 15, 2017 by Denise

Nothing much new to report for September Bloom Day, hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens. Anything new in bloom here is from fall planting. Okay, so technically I’m a little premature with fall planting, but patience has never been … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, Bloom Day, pots and containers | Tagged Berlandiera lyrata, Miscanthus 'Little Kitten', Muhlenbergia 'Fast Forward', Pedilanthus bracteatus, Protea 'Pink Ice', Salvia chiapensis, Tecoma 'Bells of Fire', Tecomaria 'Hammer's Rose' | 13 Comments

golden gardens

Posted on September 13, 2017 by Denise

Doing some blog research for fall planting, I was surprised to find what a luminous phase the garden entered briefly around 2014. I’ve always been drawn to bright-colored leaves, but in this period the garden glowed as if irradiated. Chief … Continue reading →

Posted in design, journal, Plant Portraits, pots and containers | Tagged Arundo donax 'Golden Chain, Cupressus macrocarpa 'Citriodora', Jasminum officinalis 'Frojas' (Fiona Sunrise Jasmine), Prostranthera ovalifolia 'Variegata, Yucca 'Bright Star', Yucca 'Margarita' | 6 Comments

to the kids, with love

Posted on August 30, 2017 by Denise

Remember this photo from a few posts ago? The “east wing” was getting readied for my son Duncan’s engagement party. Add lights, paper lanterns, friends, family and cake, and voila! Duncan and Kristy’s engagement party last Sunday. A trip to … Continue reading →

Posted in cut flowers, journal, MB Maher, pots and containers | 9 Comments

cooling down the house with a garden; a modest proposal

Posted on August 11, 2017 by Denise

I know I mostly talk about plants with a micro focus trained on their singularly gorgeous attributes, like Echium wildpretii above, but with this post I’m going to pull out of that narrow focus a bit and go wider. Normally … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, climate, design, Occasional Daily Weather Report, pots and containers | Tagged climate change strategies, Curbed: “How Houses Were Cooled Before Air Conditioning.”, Cussonia natalensis, pergolas, shade | 10 Comments

the August urge for going

Posted on August 8, 2017 by Denise

Gardeners are by definition rooted and bound to their gardens. Leaving home can mean missing out, and we don’t want to miss a thing, especially in summer. Like this Puya mirabilis’ first bloom in my garden. Why, hello, you beautiful, … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, clippings, garden travel, plant sales, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged Aloe elgonica, Bergamo, Inter-City Cactus Show & Sale, International Mtg of the Landscap and Garden, Italy, Madrid's Desert City, Perennial Plant Conference 2017, Puya laxa, Puya mirabilis, Rainforest Flora, South Bay Bromeliad Associates, Tillandsia capitata 'Roja' | 8 Comments

friday clippings 7/28/17

Posted on July 28, 2017 by Denise

I’ve been in an insatiable mood for plant shopping lately. I found this variegated form of Salvia ‘Berggarten’ yesterday at Roger’s Gardens and am putting up its portrait immediately because it may be its last. This salvia and my soil … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, clippings, plant nurseries, Plant Portraits, plant sales, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged "Maybe This Time", Aristida purpurea, Dahlia 'Twyning's after 8', Gymnocalycium ragonesei, Native Sons plant nursery, Pelargonium 'Vancouver Centennial', Pelargonium gibbosum, Salvia officinalis 'Berggarten Variegata', sideritis | 9 Comments

a restored Lautner house

Posted on July 18, 2017 by Denise

It’s summer, so I’ve become fixated again on windows, views through windows, breezes through windows. In my inbox recently from Dwell, this house in Desert Hot Springs caught my eye, built by architect John Lautner, a protege of Frank Lloyd … Continue reading →

Posted in artists, garden travel, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged boutique hotels, desert gardens, Dwell, John Lautner, mid century modern | 7 Comments

clippings 6/14/17

Posted on June 14, 2017 by Denise

Some quick odds and ends. This is an old photo from the Theodore Payne tour a couple months back, of Artemisia ‘David’s Choice’ and clarkia, one of those fleeting moments in spring that indelibly sears the visual cortex. Last weekend … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, clippings, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged Aechmea bromeliifolia var. rubra, Kenton J. Seth "I Need A Cup of Tea", Leucadendron 'Jester', Lysimachia atropurpurea 'Beaujolais', Matt Maggio, Neomarica caerulea, Sherman Library & Gardens | 14 Comments

Rancho Reubidoux up close

Posted on May 30, 2017 by Denise

Continuing the documentation of Rancho Reubidoux now that Reuben and Paul are moving on from their widely loved home and garden, as promised, here’s a companion piece to the previous post, a parting look at how Reuben styles the sitting … Continue reading →

Posted in artists, climate, design, garden ornament, garden visit, MB Maher, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged Rancho Reubidoux, Reuben Munoz | 7 Comments

the light is left on at Rancho Reubidoux

Posted on May 24, 2017 by Denise

I’ve been dreading completing this post, but since Reuben and Paul have officially decamped from their house and garden at Rancho Reubidoux as of last week and moved into their new home, it’s time to unpack these last images and … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, artists, climate, design, garden ornament, garden visit, MB Maher, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged Rancho Reubidoux | 9 Comments