Tag: Winter

Kubota Garden – lessons in form and shape Kubota Garden

Kubota Garden – lessons in form and shape

Visiting Seattle’s Kubota Garden is like taking a masterclass in the study of form and shape.  Located in the middle of a quiet suburban neighborhood, it’s somewhat of a surprise to find this secret gem of a garden nestled among its residential neighbors.  In the garden is a memorial stone dedicated to the creator of […]

Winter berries in the garden

Winter berries in the garden

Winter berries in the garden are a treat for gardeners craving color during these cold and rainy months, but more importantly for hungry birds.    Winter berries are filled with sugar and fat for birds, helping them to withstand freezing temperatures and sustain them during their migration. Even as I write this, the shrubs and […]

Chihuly Garden and Glass in Winter chihuly garden and glass

Chihuly Garden and Glass in Winter

Today I’m excited to share with you the beauty of the Chihuly Garden and Glass in winter. It’s been a whopper of a winter, and while I’m not complaining,  I must say, I’m feeling pretty starved for garden tours right now.   Name a gardener that isn’t feeling this way, right?  But finding a garden that’s glorious in the […]

My February Garden

My February Garden

Thanks to the El Nino weather pattern we’ve been experiencing here along the West Coast (lots of rain followed by unseasonably warm temperatures) my garden is exploding with blooms much earlier that it ever has before. I’m a bit worried that my poor plants are being tricked into thinking spring has arrived, only to be […]

Scent in my late winter garden – my favorite top 5

Scent in my late winter garden – my favorite top 5

Here we are in the early days of February, and my zone 9 garden is filled with heavenly fragrance. There’s still a few leaves hanging on to deciduous branches for dear life, but with each gentle breeze the leaves quickly lose their grip, leaving behind one skeletal shrub after another. Thank heavens for the evergreen […]

Festina Lente – Filoli’s winter garden

Festina Lente – Filoli’s winter garden

 Festina Lente.  Powerful words used since ancient times by the likes of emperors, military commanders, authors, artists and even Shakespeare himself. Translated, festina lente means ‘hurry slowly’.  Personally, I think  my neighbor’s bumper sticker says it best –  ‘Hurry up and slow down‘. Out of the corner of my eye I discovered this plaque placed […]

Five ways to warm a winter garden

Five ways to warm a winter garden

A few days ago I spoke to my friend who lives in Boston, and when I complained that my garden was taking a beating during a recent week of unrelenting 28-degree temperatures, he was shocked – in California? Yes, even in the land of sunshine it often dips below freezing on a cold winter night, […]

Creating harmony in the fall garden

Creating harmony in the fall garden

There’s something magical about fall colors in the garden, isn’t there? My favorite time of year is the moment I open my front door and see my Japanese maples and Crepe Myrtle trees have turned their fiery shades of yellow, red and orange. These colors signal the calm before the storm (the storms from both […]

Captivating Coprosmas

Captivating Coprosmas

When spotting the smooth and shiny foliage of a colorful coprosma, it’s only a matter of seconds before my client asks ‘What IS that plant?’ Commonly known as a ‘Mirror Plant’, coprosma’s foliage looks like someone meticulously shellacked each perfectly shaped oval leaf.  Yes, they’re that shiny. Finding foliage with smooth and reflective surfaces isn’t always easy, which […]

Wake your Winter Garden – Inspiration from the Washington Park Arboretum

Wake your Winter Garden – Inspiration from the Washington Park Arboretum

There’s something magical about a winter garden, and I never pass up an opportunity to visit one. Especially one that’s known for looking it’s best during the bleakest months of the year. While in Seattle this past weekend, I had the pleasure of visiting the J. Witt Winter Garden in the Washington Park Arboretum. I […]

Meet Frankenstein, my wind-damaged orange tree washington naval orange tree

Meet Frankenstein, my wind-damaged orange tree

Meet Frankenstein, my wind-damaged ‘Washington Naval’ orange tree! It’s January here in Northern California and today I ate the first  orange off my beloved orange tree. I love that first, sweet-with-a-hint-of-sour-taste from the season’s first fruit.   I look forward to it all year, beginning in late spring when my garden is blanketed with the […]

Help your garden survive an unexpected freeze

I woke up this morning to a whopping 26 degrees.  Yes, I know – I can already hear those of you in other parts of the country laughing at my wimpyness.  But don’t forget, I live in mild-climate California!  My poor little plants aren’t accustomed to this weather and are fairly miserable right now. If […]