Desert Beauties .. Anza-Borrego Wildflowers

It's that time time of year....

The deserts are bursting into bloom rather early, it seems. What a strange winter it has been, and continues to be. One can never be certain when or if it will be a good year for wildflower displays. I've had word that the landscape is blooming already in Anza-Borrego.

I'm conjuring up images and savoring memories of my sojourn last March, from Palm Springs to the Salton Sea to Anza-Borrego and onward to Joshua Tree.

 Eremalche rotundifolia - Desert Five-Spot

A diminutive beauty that captured my heart, just in time for Valentine's Day.

Another sweetheart ...  Camissonia claviformis  -  Brown-eyed primrose 

 Photos © Alice Joyce

In a remote area of Anza-Borrego, the Dune Evening Primrose thrives. 

Oenothera deltoides

 Sand Verbena - Abronia villosa - scrambles over the parched earth.

Garden Sojourns - London

The memories we bring back from our travels....

....are an essential part of the journey. Long after returning home, the beauty of a setting, and the sense of discovery remain to be savored on a winter's evening. A richly rewarding surprise on a recent trip to London: Kensington Roof Gardens - adjacent to Sir Richard Branson's Babylon Restaurant. 

Spring was an excellent time to see the wisteria blooming above an ornate arched portal. Sadly, the Roof Gardens are no longer open.

Celebrate Truffles! Napa Truffle Festival

January 13 - 16, 2012 / Napa Truffle Festival

My knowledge of truffles has its limits, despite the delight I take in savoring cuisine boasting the flavor of the extraordinarily renowned fungus.

The Second Annual Napa Truffle Festival promises to add to my familiarity of all aspects of the strangely beguiling yet homely truffle, be it the black Perigord winter truffle or the summer species known as Burgundy: 

In botanical nomenclature, that's Tuber melanosporum or Tuber aestivum/uncinatum.

The Westin Verasa, Napa hosts the festivities that bring together expert scientists and shining stars of the culinary realm. Participants will have opportunities to partake in the culinary bliss of gourmet meals and in stimulating seminars out and about at Robert Mondavi Winery, Raymond Vineyards and Robert Sinskey Vineyards.

Michelin Chefs working their own magic at lunch & dinner events are certain to draw serious food aficionados and wine lovers to reserve a place at the table to they'll in elegant menus prepared by Ken Frank of La Toque; Suzette Gresham-Tognettini, Chef/Proprietor of San Francisco's Acquerello; Michael Cimarusti of Providence, Los Angles; Italy's Marco Gubbiotti of La Bastiglia; and Andrew Zimmerman of Sepia, Chicago.

Images, Courtesy Napa Truffle Festival / American Truffle Company

Glorious Great Dixter ..

Spring Display .. Great Dixter

The Legacy of Christopher Lloyd 

Celebrated garden writer, the Dean of British Gardening passed away in 2006.

I will always remember these magnificent gardens on a tour led by CL himself.

Though I returned whenever travel to England allowed, 

it was that rainy day in May that stands out in my memory.

Springtime Array of Containers ... Maximum Visual Impact!

More to see and read on Alice's Garden Travel Buzz:

https://www.alicesgardentravelbuzz.com/great-dixter-christopher-lloyd/

A Most Romantic Garden...

Romantic gardens abound in the English countryside...

One garden visit that remains etched in my mind's eye is the beautifully serene, lush landscape
of   Cothay Manor.

Opulent Epoch .. Wordless in Italy

Hadrian's Villa

Dreaming of Italy....

Citron Cachet! AIC Ptrizker Garden

Modern Wing of the Chicago Art Institute

I love the sharp tang of citron, or maybe I should say, chartreuse - the color of the chairs

in Chicago's Pritzker Garden.

It's the structure and evergreen forms of the landscape architecture that I'm drawn to when I visit this downtown setting.....

A Quiet Spell in my California Garden

The holiday season has arrived, with a Happy Hour time-out at a local restaurant.

This is a quiet period in my garden, although there are a few treasures in bloom. A remarkable plant, commonly called Australian Fuchsia, Correa 'Carmine Bells' blooms on and off for months on end.

The spreading shrubby specimen grows in our enclosed front patio outside my office window, its flowers visible when I shift my head just a bit to the left of the computer. In late Fall and during the Winter, this evergreen plant is visited by hummingbirds, much to my delight.

During this reflective time of year, I'm taking an opportunity to reprise memorable garden sojourns.

My visits to Portland never cease to amaze. Such a vibrant city, with an avid population of gardeners.

 Here's a link to a post from my travels in Portland, musing on... 'what is a garden?'

For my U.S. friends, I hope you enjoyed Thanksgiving Day!

Malibu Musings .. Getty Villa

Monday Musings on Malibu

Looking back on my most enduring garden travels ... The Getty Villa

Morning Dew on Grasses: Kenzo Winery

In a reflective mood....

...as I look back on my 2011 sojourns. I pore over thousands of photographs taken this year and think about the highlights of my gardenwalks. In touring California wine country, a visit to the elegant landscape of Kenzo Winery, Napa stands out.

Arriving in late-morning, the sight of dew on a grass meadow caught my eye immediately. Here, the landscape has been designed to encompass just such sublime vignettes. Shortly after being greeted, I learned that Kenzo Winery's lovely white wine...  Asatsuya Sauvignon Blanc is named for the dew's sparkling display.

Longwood Gardens' Indoor Living Walls

A Series of 2011 Round-up Posts .. Stories & Photos

Longwood Gardens indoor living walls installed by Ambius, winner of the Hall of Fame Judges Award for creativity and execution at the 19th annual Plantscape Industry Expo 2011. 

Landscape architecture - Conservatory Plaza: Kim Wilkie 

These lush walls comprise more than 47,000 plants covering some 3500 square feet, including many fern species: Holly, Rabbit's Foot, Button, Asparagus and Maidenhair ferns. 

Longwood Gardens Blog - New East Conservatory Plaza

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.