I saw many strange plants on recent visit to Grigsby Cactus Gardens in Vista, CA. This one seems to be greeting a fellow citizen of another planet.
Perhaps they’re from a galaxy far, far away. Continue Reading →
Tag Archives | succulents
Roger’s Garden
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 cuttings and potted plants Gerry thoughtfully packed up for me.
Roger, you see, can’t bring himself to throw away a cutting when he’s pruning back his succulents. So he pots them up. He sells them, too, for the cost of the pots and soil plus a little extra for his time. If you live in the San Diego area, do look him up (gmartin@san.rr.com). He has some treasures, not to mention a garden only a mountain goat could love.
Roger “down” in his garden. I’ll say. Continue Reading →
What You Didn’t Know About Debra Lee Baldwin: Reflections on Her Childhood
I asked each of our GGW Contributors– Debra, Saxon, and Noel– to write some thoughts about their childhood that left an imprint on them—–and how it led them to where they are today. It will give you a glimpse into the backgrounds of three extraordinary individuals whose passion for what they do comes through in their outstanding contributions to the gardening world. Fran Sorin
In Debra’s words:
“It’s a preverbal memory of bright sun, intense color and a tubular moving object ringed with black and white. I was 2, watching a kingsnake undulate amid geraniums. The flowering shrubs grew outside the picture window of my parents’ home, located in the foothills 30 miles north of San Diego.
Sometime later, my father expressed indignation than anyone would kill a kingsnake. Despite its impressive length (4 feet isn’t unusual) it’s a harmless rodent- and rattler-eater. He also felt sorry for hapless tarantulas, invented recipes for excess guavas, knew a cirrus cloud from a stratus, and could smell rain on the way.
As a child I took his knowledge of the natural world for granted, but now it seems marvelous. He had earned a masters in business from Stanford, but chose to work part time as an accountant and full time as a rancher. I tagged along with him through groves and garden.
Talavera, Mexico’s Colorful Pottery
Whenever I see Talavera I’m transported to a sun-drenched climate and a culture unafraid of color. The hand-painted majolica-like pottery from Mexico comes in a vast array of platters, dinnerware and vessels for holding everything from casseroles to cacti. Of course, the challenge with any decorated pot is that it’ll call attention to itself at the expense of what it contains. So, what do you think? Do these pot-plant combos work? Is there one you like best? I’ll let the “winner” know.
#1 Design by Danielle Romero, Los Angeles, CA Continue Reading →
Hard Light – Back Light
There was a time when I would never shoot in harsh, hard light. Bright, strong, contrasty light tends to have deep, black shadows and no color subtlety. As a garden photographer, when the sun came into the garden I would retreat to the shadows where the light was soft.
But I am also a California garden photographer and the sun is an important element of many a garden’s story. People expect to see sunny California gardens, and when a photo can manage to show some bright sun somewhere in the picture, the scene will glow. Continue Reading →
