A Garden Landmark: Mexico City

via Wikimedia Commons

Wordless Wednesday

Photographer: Anna Maj Michelson - Portland

Cactus fence at the House of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, Mexico City

Perennial 'Pamina' Puts on a Show

Another iPhone Photo

Anemone 'Pamina' at the peak of its Fall bloom. 

Now that the garden is being tidied in anticipation of winter, the long-blooming anemones have finally been cut back. Pink is not a color that appears much in Alice's Garden, but when Spring and Summer have passed, I welcome these deep rose-pink flowers that have spread to fill an entire bed. 

By the way, I failed to mention that my new phone is Apple's 3G, not the latest version with a spiffy camera. I really can't expect great photos, but it does provide an option when I haven't brought my 'real' camera along. 

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to comment on taking photos with their phones. Seems like using or not using a phone camera is on the minds of many bloggers. Meanwhile, if you noticed my signature avatar has become an '!' ... exclamation point, it's because I've been reconfiguring things. Hope to correct that soon. 

On another note,

I reviewed a terrific new book, Wildflower Wonders, by Bob Gibbons.

Photo Copyright Bob Gibbons: Mazama Ridge - Mount Rainier

Published by Princeton University Press, the book overflows with Bob's heavenly images of the world's most magnificent sites for wild species blanket vast areas. 

To read the review and to see more photos, visit Alice's Garden Travel Buzz

Wood Line: Land Art by Andy Goldsworthy

I wonder whether many of my blogging friends upload photos from their phones?

This process is new to me, having just acquired an iPhone recently. When I stopped to do a bit of exploring at The Presidio of San Francisco, I made my way to the latest Andy Goldsworthy installation: Wood Line - Perhaps you can get a sense of the connected cut log segments snaking through the opening in the trees. The quality of the photo is nothing like what I have come to expect from my Canon camera.

The image was posted as a Twit Pic: http://twitpic.com/73qgto - An app I'm using to stay connected to my Twitter peeps! 

An amazing work by Goldsworthy is permanently on view at the Hess Collection Winery. Click below to see the post:

 Andy Goldsworthy:  Surface Tension

Glittering Gardens Designed by Andy Cao

Two new installations have emerged at Cornerstone Sonoma ..

...both designed by Andy Cao of Cao:Perrot Studio

Red Lantern

is a work in progress, to be completed within the next month: In time for a reception with Andy on November 20th and a no-host dinner co-sponsored by The Garden Conservancy.

Bai Yun / White Cloud

represents a transformation of Andy's initial work installed at Cornerstone - the Lullaby Garden.

I found it enchanting to get lost in the austere landscape of Bai Yun,

an atmosphere that effectively contrasts with the glittering clouds overhead. 

Vertical Garden Virtuoso!

The design of the garden is now quite apparent as the plants have produced lush growth 6 months after the installation. Many species are continuing to bloom as we enter the Bay Area's Fall season.

Drew School Vertical Garden October 2011 ... San Francisco 

Photos @ Alice Joyce

Look carefully in the upper bay window and you'll catch a glimpse of Patrick Blanc gesturing to a journalist before the reception and presentation.

The afternoon winds had picked up and the light was fading when I photographed this lupine bloom, waving about some 18 inches or so from the green wall. Patrick expressed delight in the progress of the plantings!

Read more about Patrick's visit on ... Alice's Garden Travel Buzz

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Patrick Blanc .. Tonight at Drew School

Tonight in San Francisco,

Patrick Blanc, aka His Greenness, will be speaking at Drew School, where he designed a vertical garden of native plants. I'll be reporting back after hearing his presentation.

It's always exciting to have a chance to talk with Patrick about his latest projects spanning the globe.

I'll allow time to photograph the garden before the cocktail party, having been able to document its progress since the installation in Spring. Photo below shows how it looked in July of this year. Quite a few plants were blooming.

Read more: Green Roofs ... Vertical Gardens Revisited ....

Elegant Amethyst .. Tricyrtis lasiocarpa

Statuesque Tricyrtis lasiocarpa...

[Photo © Alice Joyce]

has spread widely to fill a large bed with its delightful display, a show that goes on and on for many weeks. Looking ever so much like orchid flowers, this 'toad lily' has taken over much of the space where another variety, Tricyrtis hirta 'Variegata' had been growing and thriving. Clearly T. lasiocarpa is proving to be the more vigorous species.

Growing in Alice's Garden...

Lurie Garden Lyrical

Piet Oudolf plantings: September at Chicago's Lurie Garden - Millennium Park

Echinacea seedheads cosseted by grasses.

It's official: I've transitioned to the new Blogger interface and can attest to the enhanced features.

Like any change, it simply takes some getting used to, but I'd say it's definitely a step up from the old.

Late-Summer Gardens .. Chicago River Cruise

It seems I'm always looking forward to visiting my home town.

 Chicago is vibrant in its approach to arts and culture, a dream destination for anyone who appreciates historic and contemporary architecture. The brilliant river cruise I took last week was a high point! 


Visit  ... www.architecture.org to get the full details on the city's most informative architecture cruise:

 Chicago Architecture Foundation River Cruise aboard Chicago’s First Lady Cruises 

  Leaving from the Riverside Gardens Dock – look for the blue awnings – on the lower level of the Michigan Avenue bridge at Wacker Drive.

Garden lovers must be sure to take a stroll down north Michigan Avenue toward Water Tower to see what's been planted. Lush, eye-catching displays are enlarged upon each year by temporary installations.

As the sign indicates, a new, upcoming event - Chicago Ideas Week will be held from October 10-16, to feature a host of speakers and innovative workshops taking place all around town. The event exemplifies the kind of energetic approach Chicago is known for.

A Most Beautiful Blue: Interlude at the Lurie Garden

Arrived home tired but enthused after from my annual pilgrimage to the Lurie Garden in Chicago's Millennium Park.

 My visits often coincide with the bloom of Bottle Gentian / Gentiana andrewsii 

[Photo © Alice Joyce]

Would anyone care to provide an I.D. for the tiny white sparkly blooms in the background?