In Southern California, Rogers Gardens is famous, the largest independent nursery on the West Coast. But this post is about a different Roger’s garden, one cultivated by Roger Martin for 40 years. When I visited him and wife Gerry, Roger pressed plants on me—anything I admired or asked about was added to a box of [...]
Is it any wonder I’m such a fan of succulents? In addition to being easy care, low-water and having architectural shapes, they send forth spectacular flowers. Some of the most amazing are those of aloes, most of which bloom in midwinter (in temperate climates). Shown above is Aloe x ‘David Verity’, in Patrick Anderson’s Fallbrook, [...]
Leave it to LA. Designers in that city are using crushed glass to snazz potted plants. The glass, tumbled so the edges are smooth (it’s often from recycled bottles) lends a splash of glamor.Landscape designer Laura Morton married a pink-edged phormium with an Italian terracotta pot, using a topdressing of peachy-pink glass that also draws [...]
Your front porch is the first room of your home guests see. It sets the stage, reveals how tidy you are, and how much the aesthetics of your environment matter to you. A porch also can be a semi-public sitting area, combining elements of indoors and out. A red aeonium in the garden echoes the [...]
One of the challenges of being a professional writer is to think metaphorically—to describe an item in terms of something else, so that readers make an association that clarifies, enlightens and perhaps also entertains. Metaphorical thinking can be learned and is a great memory aid. Food metaphors often occur to me when describing plants. For example, matilija poppies, which have white, crepe-paper petals surrounding yellow centers, [...]