We happen upon gardening inspiration all the time–an exciting new plant combo spotted on an apartment balcony here, a master gardener’s open garden tour there. We love to share the latest sights that have us seeing new plants and old plants in new ways.
Everything looks fresh and fabulous--like miracles before our very eyes. A walk around the neighborhood brings no end of spring thrills. There's a Sambucus a few doors down from Red Buds, likewise brilliantly pruned. I didn't get a good photo, but when the light...
One way to make a garden look pulled together is by echoing colors. Take this inspired work in progress. Forgive the current state of the ground. Despite the forecast, it's still winter for a couple more days. Clearly they've got plans. And a fab sense of color. While...
I love the texture. I love the movement. I love how they seed around. For quite a spell (that's what my dad, Clovis, would say it,) I never left a nursery without at least three grass-like plants in hand. I slowed down a bit in my last garden because it...
Magnolias are a romantic bunch, thought of like southern belles with a blousy bloom, a fleeting moment of floral perfection. Whenever I confess to love them madly, I’m met with a questioning glance. This does not equate. She of the spikes, desert plants and love of...
This is my first full season in our Flamingo Park Gardens, and I can’t wait to get reacquainted with the plants. Oh sure, I put a lot of them in myself, and I have a spreadsheet, but I haven’t entirely keep track of what is where. At my Alameda (RIP) Gardens, I named...
Just in from a day of working in the garden (you know: “working”) and I got to wondering, is pruning the new planting? Nothing will ever compare to the thrill of an open expanse of soil and corresponding trip to the nursery, but there’s a joy to be had in having...
If ever there was a must have plant, this is it. I found my Nolina 'La Siberica' at Cistus Nursery. Nolina (isn't that a great name) lived happily in our Alameda hellstrip garden for two years. When we moved last April, we transplanted her to Flamingo Park; she has...
A few years ago, at a party for “plant people,” I was introduced to a friend’s new beau. His first question, “favorite genus?” I didn’t hesitate, not even for a second, before answering…agave! As I may have written here previously, my being a part of this plant lust...
So close, and yet... I was in Berkeley last week, mere minutes away from so many places I wanted to visit. 15 minutes away from Annie's Annuals, where I wanted to grab a few Musschia wollastonii, among other things. 30 minutes away from The Ruth Bancroft Garden, which...
It's hard to imagine there was a time I didn't lust for specific trees. Not that far back, I could identify maples and conifers, and that's about it. Now my list explodes with possibility. If you love tropical-looking, big gorgeous fragrant flowers, and quick...