Wednesday, December 2, 2009

The Pina Colada Garden gets a visit.

The Pina Colada had a couple of really nice visitors today.
In anticipation of their arrival a few tastey treats were set out for all to enjoy.

I was particularly giddy with delight to use the antique Fiestaware ‘berrybowls’ that I had just received from Patrick .
Aren’t they stunning. I just Love them !

From Pina Colada


The centerpiece is a 4 inch pot of Campanula surrounded by mini oranges. Cute !

It’s almost impossible to see in this photo but there is a simple metal chandelier above the table festooned with tillandsias.
From Pina Colada


From Pina Colada


A day bed to take a nap on.
From Pina Colada


And another small sitting area to rest in
From Pina Colada


Not much resting or napping done today. The visitors who came today were checking out the garden for a potential upcoming article for a magazine.
I hope the garden makes the cut.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

March of the Penguins - Sonoma

Every year at Cornerstone Festival of Gardens in Sonoma I look forward to their humorous holiday exhibition extravaganza.

This year they have added marching penguins to their hilarity.
From New Album 6/20/09 5:20 PM


I wasn’t able to catch a photo of the catapulting snowmen, but I plan on returning because the image is just too funny.

Imagine hundreds of 4 foot tall plastic snowmen marching over a hillside and lining up in back of a giant , I mean huge, bright red rubber band fashioned as a catapult.
Several of the snow men have taken flight OVER and ACROSS the hiway and have landed in the vineyard.
These snowmen have very keen acrobatic skills.
From New Album 6/20/09 5:20 PM


Usually the traffic whizzes by at 50 miles and hour but the snowmen have slowed traffic down to a crawl as people roll down their windows, point their shaking fingers and laugh out loud.

If you do visit Cornerstone this holiday season you will be pleased with the many wonderful home and garden gifts galore.
From New Album 6/20/09 5:20 PM


From New Album 6/20/09 5:20 PM

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Getting into the Season of Celebration

Buddha overlooks the falling leaves as they are plucked off of the succulents and are piled around the bases of my more tender subtropicals such as the bananas and heliconias.
I find that this aids in adding a little bit of insulation to the tender subtropical plants especially when a deep long frost is predicted.

From Pina Colada


From Pina Colada


A wreath made of succulents welcomes guests at the front entry gate.
From Pina Colada


From Pina Colada


Tomorrow I plan to wrap the two spiral topiary juniper trees with twinkle lights.

Getting into the season of celebration.

Friday, November 27, 2009

Guzmania - Bromeliads

For a splash of color by the front door a trio of Guzmanias
( Bromeliads ) bring it on.
From Pina Colada


From Pina Colada

Monday, November 23, 2009

The Pina Colada Garden heading into winter.

Signs that the night time temperatures are dipping in Northern California are evident.
The Agave attenuattas are starting to get that white puckering polka dot look on their leaves and the Aeoniums are starting to put out lots of new lush grow due to our long awaited winter rains.
From Pina Colada


Most of the cannas have long gone dormant and the Alocasia and Colocasia are just starting to whither and shirk back into the ground.
From Pina Colada


The foxtail ferns , Asparagus spengerii are sending up tons of new lush green fronds and the Abutilons , Iochroma and Brugmansias are all still in big bloom.
The Cymbidium orchids are also spiking up nicely.
From Pina Colada


The succulents in pots are holding up well , though some of the spring and summer bloomers really need to be cleaned up.
From Pina Colada


The front yard winter color border is just starting to put on some color with purple Cineraria, blue Brachyscome ‘Toucan Tango’ and orange Osteospermum ‘Orange Symphony’.
From Pina Colada

Sunday, November 22, 2009

What makes a good garden magazine ?

The magazine industry is dropping like maple leaves on a cold autumn day.

So what can a good garden magazine do to keep its dedicated readers and attract a new following ?

Well first and foremost, ‘Content.’ New, exciting, inspiring, innovative, entertaining and educationally informative content produced aesthetically and profoundly presented.

It goes without saying that quality writing is extremely important but lets admit facts, it has everything to do with presentation.

When standing infront of a shelf of garden magazines at your favorite bookstore and you page through a half dozen magazines, it is going to be the magazine with exceptional graphic layout , eye candy photography and inspiring innovative content that piques your interest enough to reach for your wallet and step up to the cash register.

Another boring article on the unique qualities of boxwood is not going to do it, at least for the modestly experienced gardener.

I love Garden Design Magazine because of its diversity in content and excellent graphic presentation.
There is something for everyone at any stage in their gardening hobby or career.
It stays along with and at times ahead of the cutting edge end of garden design.
From Publications


Gardens Illustrated has by far the best garden writers. I look forward to their gardener biography stories that always comes complete with a beautifully rendered portrait photograph.
I am also in love with their horticultural biased crossword puzzle.
And their photography is sublime.
From New Album 11/8/09 6:41 PM


Fine Gardening Magazine is another magazine that continues to deliver nicely presented and well researched inspiring content.
Sure , there ris some ‘’how to” content but it doesn’t overwhelm the issue and they balance the ‘how to’ content to beginners to the experienced gardener.
From Publications


Alfresco gardening magazine out of New Zealand is for the cutting edge , top of their game gardeners who are excited by new plants and plant design.
The editor is fearless. She take chances and she has a wicked sense of humor.
How many editors of garden magazines would show themselves in a bikini and talk about great gardens to overly enjoy a bottle of wine in ?
Alfresco is fearless and it is fantastic.

From Publications


And it goes without saying, that to keep up with the changing climate of content delivery that a magazine MUST have an online content presence. That presence MUST be just as good as the magazine itself , and by that I mean excellent editorial, excellent graphics, exceptional writing and innovative content. It has to be as good as or in many senses BETTER than the magazine itself. This is how it is going to attract new readership.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Zantedeschia aethiopica

From Blogger Pictures


Yesterday I visited a garden that we constructed and planted last winter.
My client/ friend asked me over to survey the recent damage that the deer and gophers had done.
I had designed the garden knowing that there were hordes of deer browsing the area but did not make any contingencies for an emerging gopher population.

The gophers were in full assault position. We could see tunnels and mounds everywhere and an entire border of campanula muralis was wiped out.

One bed had not been assaulted.
As I surveyed the unviolated plants I was reminded of my early gardening years up on the Mendocino coast where the gophers and deer population out numbered the local human being population.

It was in Mendocino that I began to hone my deer and gopher plant tolerant list.

At the top of my list were calla lilies : Zantedeschia aethiopica. These herbaceous tuberous plants grew in huge swaths along the coast right along side of the deer and the gophers.
They are my go to plant when there is a large population of deer and gophers.
Calla lilies grow to enormous sizes here in Northern California.
I’ve had regular old unnamed naturalised Zantedeschia plants that reached the height of 5 feet tall.
I adore the large tropicalesque looking foliage and the beautiful white chalice shaped flowers are simply stunning.
These plants also respond extremely well to bog conditions and heavy clay soil.
They can also take our dry Mediterranean summers, though they tend to go dormant but spring back to life with the first sign of the winter rains.
If you’re looking for a good deer and gopher proof plant, This is an excellent choice for a temperate climate garden.