Gossip in the Garden

One of the many reasons why I love visiting public gardens is that each one tells a unique story:  why it was created, who was the driving force, the inspiration behind it, etc. Seattle’s Kubota Garden is no exception. Located in the middle of a quiet suburban neighborhood, it’s somewhat of a surprise to find this secret gem nestled among its residential neighbors. Immediately I was intrigued. In the garden is a memorial stone dedicated to the creator… [read more]

When the garden begins to shut down and take on its melancholy tones this time of year, I often think of my grandmother. I don’t know why, exactly, but one of the things I often remember is her empathy for fading flowers. Roses, in particular, that are just a bit past their prime and barely hanging on. ‘Oh, don’t prune that one quite yet – it’s still so pretty’ she’d say as I’d help her clean… [read more]

Without a doubt, one of my very favorite places in New York is the Conservatory Garden in Central Park. This was my first time visiting this garden, and I wasn't in much of a hurry to do so as I mistakenly thought it would be yet another formal garden filled with the predictable evergreens, fountains and acres of lawn.  Pretty, but probably not the most inspiring. Wow, was I ever wrong.While, yes, it is a formal garden (complete with… [read more]

I'm a sucker for good ol' American holidays, with the Fourth of July being right up there at the top of the list.  But with California's severe drought amplifying threats of wildfire you won't be seeing many firework shows this year. But that's okay.  This summer I've been organizing my zillions of garden photos and am seeing exploding fireworks everywhere.  Whether they're grasses, flowers, seedpods or succulents all seem to shout 'Happy Fourth of July!" So enjoy my version of… [read more]

  I'm spending some time in New York City this summer and am thrilled to have finally visited the High Line public garden. Ever since its grand opening in  2009, I've been dying to see the transformation of this abandoned, defunct elevated railway into one of the city's most inspiring and innovative public gardens. First, though, to help you fully appreciate the genius behind it here's a little background. (more…)… [read more]

  Here we are at the end of May and I'm happy to share with you the final phase of my front garden re-do! As you may recall, in January I finally decided to remove my little-used front lawn and replace it with a low-water garden (you can read about it here and here). After moving around my new little plants at least a half a dozen times each, most of them have finally found their permanent homes. Going back… [read more]

  I’ve just spent the past few days at Moss Mountain, (in Little Rock, Arkansas) at the beautiful home and farm of P. Allen Smith. Twenty three bloggers from around the country were invited to participate in this 3-day event, called Garden-to-Blog. The goal of this event was to help bloggers meet industry leaders, discuss new gardening trends, become inspired with new ideas, and to take a step back from what we do day-in and day-out. As P. Allen… [read more]

While walking around my garden the other day my friend excitedly commented 'I totally get what you're doing here - you write all about this in your book!'  Curious as to what she meant, I asked her to elaborate.  She then began to excitedly tell me how I combined this texture with that, placed this color to echo that color, put the upright form here, etc. It was definitely a pinch-me moment to have someone not only explain the … [read more]

 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 high up on one of Filoli's many garden archways.  I pondered its meaning as I slowly wandered through the garden on this cold and quiet… [read more]

There's no doubt about it, Debra Lee Baldwin certainly knows her succulents. But while visiting her Escondido, CA garden again a few months ago, I was struck by something else - the flowers! Not succulent flowers, but perennials, annuals, and native flowers that are planted throughout the garden. Sure, she's known as an expert and authoritative figure on everything succulent-related. But does that mean her garden has to be 100% succulents?  No! Debra takes a casual approach with her garden. … [read more]