Tuesday, February 23, 2010

The Perfect Storm


It was a perfect culmination of friendship, exploration and rainy weather in Napa Valley today when 3 women who had only known each other from the world wide web took to the rain soaked road to explore wine country.


Our first three visits were to Cornerstone Gardens, Artessa Winery and The Hess Collection and Winery, respectfully, and were wonderfully inspirational and aesthetically evocative, but it was our last visit to Bardessono Hotel in Yountville that won the hearts of these designing women.


Bardessono (http://bardessono.com/) is a hotel that was designed to meet the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ) point system and was awarded a Platinum certification status.

It was also designed with a very discerning artist’s eye by a wonderful group of artisans

http://bardessono.com/overview/artisans/index.php


Below are a few photos taken of the exterior courtyards.


From Napa Valley Day Trip


From Napa Valley Day Trip


From Napa Valley Day Trip


From Napa Valley Day Trip


From Napa Valley Day Trip


From Napa Valley Day Trip


From Napa Valley Day Trip


From Napa Valley Day Trip


From Napa Valley Day Trip


From Napa Valley Day Trip


From Napa Valley Day Trip


From Napa Valley Day Trip


Inside the lobby a fireworks of Tillandsias ( a genus within the Bromeliad family)

From Napa Valley Day Trip



Tillandsia xerographica under a very large cloche.

From Napa Valley Day Trip

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Foliage


Sculpturally rich in architectural shape & form.

Replete with decadent and ostentatious coloration.


Gardeners with an eye towards detail are captivated

with wild infactuation with foliage plants

and overindulge in their tactile exuberance.


Who could resist pairing the vividly striped spiky red foliage of

Phormium The Guardsman with the big bold yellow and

green zebra striped leaves of Canna Bengal Tiger ?


From Pina Colada


Photo by Marion Brenner for Garden Design Magazine

Derviss Design

From Container Plantings


A container planting supports a variety of textures, shapes and forms of foliage.

Derviss Design

From New Album 6/2/09 4:27 PM


Contrasting colors and forms united together poolside.

Pennisetum rubra, lysimachia, glechoma and variegated strawberry

Derviss Design

From Container Plantings


Textural low maintenance entry :

Tree fern, agave attenuatta, lysimachia, succulents, alocasia + heuchera

Derviss Design

From Container Plantings


The west coast master of Sexy Savory Foliage Gardens : David Feix

From Bromeliad Society Tour 2008


David Feix Design

From Bromeliad Society Tour 2008


David Feix Design

From Bromeliad Society Tour 2008


David Feix Design

From Bromeliad Society Tour 2008


Simplicity of upright reeds. Equisetum

Derviss Design

From Container Plantings


Carex, choysia, lamium ,black mondo , chondropetalum and phormium :

Derviss Design

From portfolioMay08.jpg


From Paths


My garden, preparing for a tour on a rainy spring day:

From Outdoor Room


Succulents at front entry , Photo by Lee Anne white for Fine Gardening magazine

Derviss Design

From Pina Colada


Pagoda style succulent

From Bromeliad Society Tour 2008


A spikey tillandsia growing out of an Ensete ventricosum Maurelii

with a plectranthus caressing the trunk of the red banana.

Derviss Design

From Pina Colada



San Francisco garden show 2008 - Best in Show ,Golden Gate Cup, APLD , Gold medal awards .

Foreground planter :succulents and carex, Midground - bromeliad surrounded by oxalis and succulents, Background bamboo

Derviss Design

From San Francisco Garden Show 2008


* This essay was originally written for inclusion with the Gardeners Roundtable Colloquim,

but upon reflection I have decided to withdraw my inclusion with the group.

An educated woman should be able to speak on what ever subject she chooses whether it be

politics , religion or poo dunk garden design.


Censorship is the antithesis to expressionism in art.



Sunday, February 14, 2010

Road Rage - British Style

From north bay british car run 2010


From north bay british car run 2010



On Valentines day 2010 the North Bay British Car Club : http://www.nobbc.com/ celebrated in style by taking to the winding country side roads for an awe inspiring trip through the California redwoods.

It was a curvaceous and at times a bumpy ride that ended with lots of bubbles, champagne bubbles that is.

For when the club orchestrates a road trip you can be sure that it is done in and with style.


We met early in the morning for a croissant breakfast and a chance to view each others works of mechanical art


From north bay british car run 2010


From north bay british car run 2010


From north bay british car run 2010

Doesn't it look like these cars are smiling ? .... cartoon characters !

From north bay british car run 2010


Then we hit the road

From north bay british car run 2010


Our first stop was at Armstrong Redwoods Park

From north bay british car run 2010


Where I just happened to bump into the former recent past president of the APLD, Cynthia Sumner

( Association of Professional Landscape Designers ) - so the day wasn’t completely void of

landscape architecture !


Then onto Korbel Champagne Cellars for a tour , tasting and lunch.

From north bay british car run 2010


Tour of the cellars

From north bay british car run 2010

Tastings - yum !

From north bay british car run 2010


There were some interesting gardens on site but the gates to the old historic estate rose garden was locked

From north bay british car run 2010


After lunch we took the coast road home. These are photos of the Sonoma coast line


From north bay british car run 2010


From north bay british car run 2010


From north bay british car run 2010


Half way down the coast we were being honked at from a car behind us.

We didn’t know what was the matter so we stopped.

The man in the car followed us until we stopped.

He just wanted to let us know how much he loved my partners car and that he was thinking of buying one to restore himself.


I thought it was really strange, but my partner who has had his 57 MG for 30 years is used to men jumping out of their cars just to tell him that they too once owned a car like this and thinks of it often and fondly.


I guess its a guy thing.




Thursday, February 11, 2010

Container Planting in Marin

It’s that time of year again here in Northern California to take stock of your garden containers

to see which plants need to be repotted, given the boot ( in polite terms : ‘edited out’ ) and

or given a whole new fresh look.

From Container Plantings


I’m completely taking out the papyrus in the blue pots that sit on either side of my front door.

I’m afraid these big mature plants might crack the pots this summer so OUT they go.

They’ll be recycled into the back yard garden.

From Container Plantings


Other containers will be refreshed with rich new potting mix and some of the old plants

will be divided and replanted so that the plants will continue the perform their best.

All of the irrigation emitters will be checked too.

From Container Plantings


From Container Plantings


Some large containers are going to need a complete overhaul due to the soil

settling too low in the pot.

This is going to be a big job repotting this Guardsman Phormium, but it has to be done.

From Container Plantings


Most of my terra cotta planters will be moved back into place for the upcoming season.

Some were placed in the greenhouse while others were moved to the front porch

for frost protection.

From New Album 6/2/09 4:27 PM

From New Album 6/2/09 4:27 PM


Several of my ‘Pot Head’ containers will be outfitted with new succulents and bromeliads

From portfolioMay08.jpg


While some customer containers will be refreshed with new mulch ,

such as shiny mexican pebbles or colored tumbled glass pebbles.

From portfolioMay08.jpg