The potager – that ornamental version of the vegetable garden was always a bit precious. Too many people had visited Chateau Villandry on the Loire and thought they could do a mini-version. The results were all too often a neurotic assemblage of over-controlled vegetables that no-one dare harvest as it would spoil the picture. I [...]
As a child growing up in Southern CA, I spent golden summer afternoons climbing avocado trees; furnishing a fortress walled with living bamboo; and lazing in a lawn glider as sprinklers splashed its plastic cover and library books ushered me to OZ. Decades later, as a scout for newspapers and magazines, I occasionally encountered some [...]
The door has swung open on a new decade, so I’ve decided to swing open some garden gates. See if you don’t agree that each gate hints at the garden beyond and the owner’s personality and style. My dog’s silhouette is similar to that of a Scottie, so I’m starting with a gate I wish were mine. I like its color and watering-can door knocker, [...]