In Search of Wildflowers .. Anza-Borrego Desert Journey

Blooming Beavertail Cactus - Opuntia Basilaris
Photos ©  Alice Joyce

Dune Evening Primrose

The Anza-Borrego Desert has long been on my bucket list! This State Park has a reputation for spectacular wildflower displays when all the conditions of water, rain, wind and sun play out in harmony. I've begun to write about my recent sojourn on Alice's Garden Travel Buzz, where views of the spectacular landscape and canyons where I hiked are featured.

2011 is proving to be a good bloom year in Anza-Borrego. The timing of my trip was fine, if too early for most cacti.

All text and photos: Copyright Alice Joyce

Funastrum hirtellum   Photo © Alice Joyce

I came upon it only once in 8 days. A twining plant with tiny, star-shaped flower clusters.

(Many thanks, James of LostLandscape: plant indeed appears to be Funastrum hirtellum - hairy milkweed.)

The native California Fan Palm is the star here!

Justicia californica blooms in front of the stately tree.

Sandy expanses of the desert floor were covered with Sand Verbena: Abronia villosa

You may recognize Datura wrightii Regel: the poisonous Jimson Weed has quite a reputation. This member of the Solanaceae family is also known as Sacred Datura.

Marilyn Monroe and .. Me

Datura wrightii - Photo Copyright Alice Joyce

All text and photos Copyright Alice Joyce

Desert Sojourn: Part 1

My trip to the desert was rained out, but not before one week of hiking and exploring. Once upon a time ... Marilyn Monroe, Raymond Burr and equally illustrious movie stars stayed at this Mid-Century Modern hotel in the desert. Although a fire ravaged the property and its charming casitas, new owners have restored the classic lobby, pool, eight unadorned rooms, and 2 remaining casitas for visitors to Borrego Springs. The restaurants - Krazy Coyote & Red Ocotillo - are popular spots for grazing.

Creating an Oasis : Glorious Garden Fountains

Chicago's Millennium Park - Crown Fountain by Jaume Plensa

Currently atop my short list of favored fountains.
All text and photos: Copyright © Alice Joyce

Think... Summer!

Fountains elevate the atmosphere of a garden, creating an oasis with a play of water... pleasing sounds that refresh. On a grand scale, fountains function as focal points within an expansive landscape design:

in historic settings...

or contemporary estate gardens.

Text and photos: Copyright Alice Joyce

A vineyard vignette encompassing a sequestered space for relaxation.

A contemporary terrace at a friend's home, away from the town.

Always a pleasant diversion to discover a chic garden shop while traveling,

or to be in the embrace of a formal parkland on a surprisingly sunny winter's day.

Winter Blooms .. Spring Approaches!

One of my favorite gardens to photograph: This one-acre landscape will be included as part of an Australians Studying Abroad tour -- a one-day visit to private gardens that I'm now planning for the Spring of 2012.

Text and Photographs Copyright © Alice Joyce

It's been 10 years since I first wrote an article about the garden, which appeared as a cover story in the San Francisco Chronicle - Home & Garden. Photographing a garden over the span of a decade is a project that encourages an intimate connection with the site.

I'm looking forward to the months ahead, as the landscape's ornamental grasses, deciduous trees, and dormant perennials awaken. I'll be dropping by to capture the displays and seasonal changes in a continuing series of photographs.

Click here to read the original article: California Dreaming

Beverly Hills Beauty .. Greystone Park Gardens

A little-known gem of a public park in Beverly Hills....

Greystone Mansion is an impressive Gothic-style estate surrounded by picturesque gardens.

Although more minimal than the landscape originally created in the 1920s, and designed by Paul G. Thiene, the lovely parkland has been administered by the City of Beverly Hills since 1965.

A cultural and historic destination you'll want to explore when visiting Los Angeles, Greystone is the site of special events -- from weddings to home and garden shows. It's a popular location where filming often takes place for television and movies.

Visit www.beverlyhills.org for the park's current Open Hours: Admission is free.

Look for Greystone on AlicesGardenTravelBuzz.com

Internet Thieves .. Copyright Infringement!

The longer you blog, the more likely you'll discover

your content and photographs have been stolen.

The nature of the 'beast' that is the internet?

Ultimately, it makes no difference if you watermark photos or not,

or if you embed your photographs with copyright information.

Watermarks can be sliced off / embedded data is easily ignored.

I'm told savvy computer geek thieves know how to remove watermarks,

and they surely aren't concerned with embedded attribution.

I could spend all my days (and nights) searching AND finding obscure and not-so-obscure web sites and blogs where my words appear in my own voice yet on a totally foreign web address.

Splog = spam blog.

A friend's web site was hacked yesterday,

and she has reminded readers of the importance of backing up your web site and blog content.

Is the internet a sexy beast? One we find alluring despite its faults?

You may soon see a copyright notice in each and every Bay Area Tendrils post.

ALL TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHS COPYRIGHT: ALICE JOYCE

Little steps to lessen, if not alleviate, opportunities for sploggers.

Arched Blades of Furcraea foetida 'Mediopicta' - Irwin's Garden

Design by Robert Irwin

I love the contemporary aesthetic of Robert Irwin's design of the Palm Garden...
...now on view in Los Angeles at the LACMA campus, where

Architect Renzo Piano has created yet another stunning museum building:

The Resnick Pavilion.

Cor-ten steel - pictured - is one of Irwin's preferred materials, having used it to construct planters and long rectangular raised beds. In outdoor projects, this type of steel weathers to a naturally deep-toned rust color.

The color of these hard-edge containers complements the garden's plant palette, with structural foliage in shades of blue, creamy yellow and green. The layout seems to pop! amidst the grassy sward of the garden's horizontal plane.

Artist Robert Irwin burst on the horticultural scene as the creator of

a controversial garden at the Getty Center,

revisited on Bay Area Tendrils in 2009.

Stalwart and Spiny: Structural Succulents!

While visiting Malibu, I toured Serra Canyon Ranch Nursery. My good fortune included a chance to walk through the landscape with a group that included Gary Lyons, Curator of the Desert Garden at The Huntington. Gary offered enlightening details, such as the identification of strikingly exotic, structural specimens on the property. 

Rarest of the rare: a mature form of Cereus v. monstrose - Photo © Alice Joyce

The property had once been the location of another horticultural destination: Serra Gardens Nursery.

Ceiba speciosa (formerly Chorisia speciosa) .. the magnificent deciduous tree in background: Brilliant Aloes blooming in foreground.

(Photos Copyright © Alice Joyce)

Arrays of drought-tolerant succulents of various sizes; potted and ready to plant.

For more information about plant availability at the nursery's growing grounds, visit:

www.serracanyonranch.com

Wing House Landscape: Embraced by Nature

Wing House Detail - Architect, David Hertz

Above: Zauschneria & Below: Ceanothus (Photos: Wikipedia)

Countless indigenous wildflowers rise up in the Santa Monica Mountains. While exploring the Wing Ranch landscape with horticulturist Aaron Landworth, I spied a host of blue varieties of California Lilacs appearing alongside the pathways, and white-blooming species, as well.

Ceanothus crassifolius

Having talked with Patrick Blanc only last week about his inclusion of the hummingbird magnet, Zauschneria (Epilobium canum) for the design of the new Drew School Vertical Garden, it was exhilarating to find myself in a natural habitat where this and so many native species prosper.

Francie Rehwald's incredible Wing House is nearing completion. Driving up to the house's hilltop site, one is struck by the breathtaking 360-degree views: The use of a 747 jet in the construction sets these buildings apart. Such an amazing project! 

You're about to enter a totally unique setting with a noteworthy history, associated with the artist/designer, Tony Duquette.

Collection of tumbled glass fragments & abalone shells to be used in

decorative mosaic elements.

Stone boulders serve as impressive garden seating.

A Landmark Living Wall of Native Plants

Photo, Courtesy Patrick Blanc

The Bay Area is abuzz, and I'm exhilarated! The very thought of innovative botanist, Patrick Blanc creating a large-scale project in San Francisco - my back yard so to speak - has the entire horticultural community in a state of excitement! And the general public, too, especially the Lower Pacific Heights neighborhood. Imagine going out for a stroll and discovering a living wall taking shape before your eyes: It's the largest project Blanc has undertaken to-date in the United States.

Patrick Blanc at the February 10th press briefing.

(photo: Alice Joyce)

The placards flanking Patrick show: to the left in the photo - a selection of the native California species being planted; and on the right, Patrick's sketch of the design with the plant names indicated.

A detailed post about the project taking place at The Drew School is now posted on:

Alice's Garden Travel Buzz

You might like to read about Patrick's...

Verdantly Vertical Living Wall at London's Athenaeum Hotel

BIG RED SUN .. Landscape Design

Big Red Sun

Venice, California!

I stopped here on the way to L.A.X. Airport.

Luckily, I could open the gate and stroll around the courtyard, although the business is closed on Sunday. The large-scale planters overflowing with the bold rosette forms of drought-tolerant succulents are admirable. The Big Red Sun approach is full-service, as the signs indicate; including the creation of unique vessels in a variety of shapes from saucer-like to tall, narrow containers, and dramatic rectangular planting containers that function as stunning focal points - be it for an indoor or outdoor environment.

Big Red Sun provides garden design each step of the way.

Next trip, I'll be certain to catch them on an open day.

(Thank you Selena, for your comment and the invitation. The horticultural panoply on display in the courtyard along with the streetside plantings... it's quite the visual feast! I'll make a note that Sunday is your day of rest:)

Left my heart in the Santa Monica Mountains!

Anigozanthos 'Big Red' Photos Copyright © Alice Joyce

Red Kangaroo Paw from Western Australia blooming in Santa Monica Place gardenscape.

Look for an endless parade of Southern California gardens & mountain landscapes in the weeks ahead on Bay Area Tendrils

& Alice's Garden Travel Buzz

I'll be reporting on my sojourn to the Los Angeles area,

where the Malibu Garden Club invited me to speak on...

21st Century Gardens: Movements, Projects, Trends

The Leaf & Petal Co. is located

across the street from the brilliantly renovated dreamscape for shoppers - Santa Monica Place,

opposite downtown's pedestrian-friendly Third Street Promenade.

Amber.. chrome yellow.. Chartreuse! Canvas of Color

The winter garden is asleep.

Photos Copyright © Alice Joyce

Yet a few specimens bolster the scene of deciduous perennials and shrubs, like Cestrum elegans, with its dense clusters of blooms. Over the years I've learned a valuable lesson: to remove plants that are not performing and replace those unhappy campers that fail to die but never thrive. It's a decade since I created my Zone 9-10 sanctuary space, where I celebrate species that cavort in the specific conditions of my microclimate, adding color at quiet times like January and February, while furnishing a habitat for little critters; beneficial insects, butterflies, and birds.

Many of the earliest selections were actually chosen to boost plant combinations with their bright bursts of vivid hues. Above: Nandina domestica 'Firepower' is a compact variety that looks good in every season. And now that the garden is increasingly shady due to the growth of neighboring trees that tower over the space, plants with brilliant chartreuse foliage, or a spectrum of reds are appreciated that much more.

Choisya 'Sundance'

Photo © Alice Joyce

The downy, palmate leaves of variegated Abutilon p. Thomsonii - Winter 2011

Photo © Alice Joyce

Chartreuse Pelargonium - Winter 2011

Each of these plant genera are extremely well-suited to my garden, and so the garden as an outdoor room teems with many varieties and specimen plantings of Pelargonium & Abutilon, Cestrum & Choisya. No longer do I spend time or waste energy trying to meet the needs of fussy cultivars that are struggling to survive.

Long live the appropriate plants!

Drought-tolerant and happy to be in Alice's Garden.

Hidden in Russian Hill: Fay Park

San Francisco's crookedest ... Lombard Street, Russian Hill -- A serious photo op for tourists.

Photo: Wikipedia

Fay Park: Open Daily 10am to 4pm

Continue down Lombard Street a bit to Leavenworth and you'll discover a tiny, albeit, delightful city park designed by the Mid-Century Modern landscape architect, Thomas Church.

California Garden & Landscape History Society Web Site Photo: Copyright Susan Chamberlin

Thomas Church is surely best known for his design of an iconic American landscape: El Novillero, the Donnell Garden. Although I live nearby, I've yet to be free on a day when the private garden has opened for special events.

Fay Park also holds a unique place in American landscape architecture, as it's believed to be the only residential garden designed by Church that is now regularly open to the community and visitors, alike.

San Francisco Parks & Recreation Department worked to restored Fay Park. A neighborhood group, the Friends of Fay Park helps to keep the garden looking lovely year-round. The city has been enriched by the very special bequest of Mrs. Mary Fay Berrigan, who gifted her home and garden to San Francisco. Should you visit the city by the bay, hop off the cable car, or walk up from North Beach: You'll want to take some time to relax in the serene oasis of this park, where beds of roses bloom for months on end.

**Fay Park is a popular setting for weddings, so you may find a celebration in progress.**

Locavore Heaven! Ferry Plaza Farmers Market - San Francisco

Pomegranate luv! at the San Francisco Farmers Market

San Francisco's beautifully restored Ferry Building at the Embarcadero: Gourmet shops and the Farmers Market offer the finest local foods: breads & pastry, seafood & meat,

herbs, olive oil & flowers.

Tourists flock to the area for the engaging ambience, not to mention chocolates & gelato.

Buddha's Hand : Citrus medica

Saturday was reserved for a winter day in the sunshine.

During my graduate studies, I lived in the city for two years, but I still can't get over the dress code in San Francisco -- Flip-flops throughout the year, no matter what the temperature!

Although the peel of this citrus variety is quite thick, it is an extremely fragrant fruit that grows on a small tree or shrub. I have no personal experience growing it, and wonder....

have you ever grown this tender plant indoors or in your garden?

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Beaux Arts-style Ferry Building was constructed in 1898, with a clock tower some 245 feet tall situated at the foot of Market Street. Restoration was completed in 2003. You must see the building's stunning interior if you visit. It's a breathtakingly beautiful architectural space, with a 660-foot long sky lit Nave and marble mosaic floor.

Visitor Information

Amazed by the Beauty! A Winter Day at Quixote Winery

The Stags Leap palisades create a dramatic backdrop, while seedheads of ornamental grasses soften the surroundings on a winter's day at ...



UNDER CONSTRUCTION....

Quixote Winery, located in the Stags Leap AVA - American Viticultural Area - of Napa Valley.

Former owner Carl Doumani, an avid art lover, once said: "The minute I saw [Hundertwasser's design) I knew it was what I wanted."

Playfully colorful, flowing and undulating, Quixote's design represents a rare example in the U.S. of a site (buildings and grounds) created by the artist, Hundertwasser. Always aware and concerned about the environment, Hundertwasser often added green roofs to structures.

Hundertwasser's paintings and architectural work incorporate an organic aesthetic meant to enrich one's everyday experience, in sharp contrast to the stark, geometric architecture that he loathed.

Ornamental grasses planted throughout add a naturalism to a landscape

designed by Landscape Architect Jack Chandler.

The Quixote vineyards are organically farmed.

"The kind of day that makes you want to live forever."

I basked in the warmth of the Irish: In this instance, the above greeting by Quixote's Wine Club Concierge, Ireland-born Anne White.

Anne's hospitality will enhance your visit to the winery: open by appointment only.

A note: In 2000, Hundertwasser died on a voyage on the RMS Queen Elizabeth, and is buried in New Zealand.

Quixote produces finely crafted Petite Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon.