Secret Garden in Granada, Spain

Early 20th Century Modernism: Studio and gardens of artist Jose Maria Rodriguez-Acosta

....down the road from the Alhambra Palace yet hidden from view!

Visit  Alice's Garden Travel Buzz to read more...

Spring Fling! ... Filoli

In the knot garden, Celtic patterns are woven with emerald germander, violet-hued Japanese barberry, soft lavender, and silvery santolina with its perky yellow flowers.

Filoli ... glorious in Spring!

Historic site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation

Photos: Filoli

Spring Fling takes place on Saturday, March 20, 2010, an event especially for families!

You'll have a rare chance to see historic greenhouses sheltering plants that have been in Filoli’s collection from 1920 to the present: Carnivorous species, unusual bromeliads, orchids, and edible tropical plants, among them. 

There'll be activities for children, garden docents on-hand to answer questions, music, puppet shows and more! 

Link to Filoli on:  Garden Travel Buzz  

- column on the right -

Contemporary Design Shines Through

Artist, Richard Hestekind

Relentless rain could not dampen our spirits! The contemporary, 

environmentally-conscious architecture landscaping of Bardessono Hotel, Yountville: 

Click on Link below - redirect to:

Alice's Garden Travel Buzz

Steep Learning Curve .. Designing a Web Site!

The new web site is under construction but the design is moving forward! 

Redirecting to... Alice's Garden Travel Buzz

p.s. Anyone who may have signed up for an RSS feed before this afternoon - Saturday,

will need to sign up again. 

The old feed setting had to be deleted - I spent 7 hours on the phone today straightening out the problem. 

Sorry for any inconvenience.

La Cocina Que Canta .. Organic Kitchen Gardens

Link to La Cocina que Canta on...

Alice's Garden Travel Buzz

...my new site!

La Cocina que Canta Cooking School and 6-acre Tres Estrellas Organic Gardens

Drought-Tolerant Plants - San Francisco Botanical Garden Plant Sales

SAN FRANCISCO BOTANICAL GARDEN 

... A great source for drought-tolerant plants ...

Trees, Ferns, Rhododendrons, Native Plants Succulents, Perennials, Salvias, Shrubs, Shade Plants: The San Francisco Botanical Garden's Annual Plant Sales are  a great resource.

An impressive, botanical extravaganza, with more than 4,000 different kinds of plants on offer; emphasis on drought tolerant plants for water-wise gardening and food plants perfectly suited for Bay Area vegetable gardens.

San Francisco Botanical Garden - Golden Gate Park - 9th Avenue at Lincoln Way ....

A large selection of California natives will be available at their seasonal peak during the Native Plant Sale. Species you can be  counted upon to feature seeds and nectar to sustain native wildlife, and bring authentic beauty to California gardens. Some 300 to 400 varieties of natives will be for sale.

Eucomis bicolor / Eric Hunt Photo

Beguiling selections of uncommon and unusual plants will delight avid gardeners, while colorful succulents, flowering vines, herbaceous perennials, rock garden plants, salvias, shrubs and rhododendrons should draw plant lovers of every persuasion.

Public Information:  415/661-1316 -- www.sfbotanicalgarden.org

Bardessono Culinary Garden ... Yountville

Alice Joyce Photo: Bardessono Resort & Spa - Culinary Garden, Napa 

Click on link below to visit the new web site ... under construction!

Alice's Garden Travel Buzz

Lilac Vine on Blue Wall .. Hardenbergia violacea

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Are you in the neighborhood?  If you're planning to visit, I generally describe my home in reference to the blue wall surrounding the front patio. Drop by today and you'll see the 'Happy Wanderer' or lilac vine scrambling over the corner of the wall by the driveway. The plant was well-established when I moved into the house a decade ago:

And since I've been 'in charge,' it is rarely given a drink during the Bay Area's 6-month dry period.  While the garden I created outside the french doors at the rear of the house is hand-watered, the plants in front must be able to withstand benign neglect!

When this early bloomer is making a spectacle of itself,

I'm reminded why I pulled up roots and moved West.

The long months of ice and snow were taking their toll in more ways than one.

Today, I'm grateful for the rain,

and for the exuberance of this drought-tolerant, carefree evergreen climber:

An Australian native that tolerates temperatures as 

low as 15 to 20 degrees fahrenheit, especially with a bit of protection (like a wall).

I'll soon be launching a new web site:

Alice's Garden Travel Buzz

Very excited about this project, however daunting it is to undertake!

Artful Surroundings .. Enrich and Invigorate

Rancho La Puerta - Part III

A profusion of drought-tolerant rosemary - shrubbery and swathes of the prostrate form,

blooms endlessly during the winter months.

At times, as I explored the grounds in silent meditation,

I would stop abruptly, enveloped by the fragrance of sweet alyssum!

Rounding a bend along a walkway, or gazing out at a serene landscape,

one finds life-size bronzes by acclaimed Mexican artist, Víctor Hugo Castañeda,

which appear as eye-catching focal points

throughout the property.

Conjoined eyebrows are key to revealing a work as a depiction of the artist, Frida Kahlo.

Perhaps the sculpture pictured below is associated with Kahlo more often.

A scrambling cape honeysuckle (Tecomaria capensis) 

weaves through the lively ironwork design 

of the entryway gate.

Stained glass casts glowing patterns,

 encountered as one approaches the reception area at check-in.

Mosaics embellish a spot where I stopped to read this quote from H. G. Bohr:

"The soul is not where it lives, But where it loves."

Among a grouping of sculptures of Frida Kahlo displayed in the main building;

this piece stands as a powerful reminder of the artist's self-portraits.

Aficionados of Kahlo's paintings will be intrigued by the collection on-view.

 (Madonna and I apparently share this fascination!)

Link to Part II - Rancho La Puerta 

 Landscape / Hardscape

Link to Julie Gallaher's .. thingsyoushoulddo

to find out more about the bloggers in my group.

Landscape / Hardscape - Rancho La Puerta

Sunlight through stained glass ... interior wall, Las Piedras Environmental Center

The prevalence of natural rock formations influenced the design of...

Las Piedras Environmental Education Center at Parque del Professor 

Tecate, Mexico .. a project of Fundación La Puerta

Landscape architect Ron Lovinger designed the parkland (we'll be returning here soon!),

while more recently, landscape architect Enrique Ceballos of Rancho La Puerta

contributed to the design of the education building that school children adore.

Sunset ...  foothills of Mount Kuchumaa.

 Walking the grounds of Rancho La Puerta with landscape architect Enrique Ceballos,

we came upon a casita with not one, 

but two of these beautifully constructed benches adorning the patio.

Imagine resting on such a bench, 

watching the advance of rose-flushed clouds as the skies darken.

One picture... worth a thousand words: Typical of the Rancho's fine stonework. 

Tecomaria capensis .. a habitat plant that qualifies as a hummingbird magnet!

Our group delighted in the Rancho's friendly felines.

Gaillardia .. a brilliant bloomer native to Mexico.

Stay tuned... much more to follow!

Link to Part I:  A Passion for Life .. Deborah Szekely