Delectable, Organic Vegetarian .. London!

One of the final days of our trip, strolling Portobello Road - not during market day, but the following afternoon, when Notting Hill is a bit quieter. Luscombe's organic juice - simply the tastiest blend of Carrot and Sicilian Orange with a bit of lemon to add zest; concocted in Buckfastleigh (great name!), Devon.

Lunch was at Gail's Bread; an open-face vegetable tart with flaky crust - picture does not do it justice - along with a red rice salad. And yes, the sun finally broke through, streaming in through the window.

Foodie heaven.

And a celebrity sighting, too: Looked like actor Barnaby Kay walking by, after we had seen him appear the previous day in a revival of Tom Stoppard's 'The Real Thing' at The Old Vic!

Beautiful yet Noxious .. Tamarisk

A follow-up to Monday's post showing a gorgeous Tamarisk holding center stage at London's

Chelsea Physic Garden. As gardening/blogging compatriot, Helen, aka Toronto Gardens recently pointed out, Tamarix ramosissima is considered to be an invasive plant.

I have vivid memories of seeing a beauty such as the one pictured here in a private garden in Provence a few years ago. Yet, as responsible stewards of our own bits of the earth, we must respect the fact that while we might be swayed to plant this tree, it would be a mistake to do so.

Perhaps you'd like to visit another London garden with nary a Tamarisk in sight!

For your pleasure ... a 1.5 acre rooftop landscape cultivated in the very heart of London's Kensington District!

Click on the link to the feature on Alice's Garden Travel Buzz: Kensington Roof Gardens

LONDON Calling .. Gardens Galore in the Weeks Ahead

A rare peony growing alongside the pond at Chelsea Physic Garden.

So much to share: Here, a few sights/sites to revisit.

I've returned from the U.K. with stories to tell and garden gossip. After experiencing two weeks of cold weather, the sun appeared, blazing among the aisles of London's Chelsea Physic Garden; preening with Paeonia and poppies.

A scene-stealer... the brilliant Tamarisk.

Physician, entrepreneur, plant collector: Sir Hans Sloane stands watch over the Physic Garden's amazing flora. Imagine! I returned today just as the Chelsea Flower Show was about to kick off. And though I've attended this fabulous show in previous years, I had other plans to occupy my days on this sojourn.

Detail of a rare, wonderful Echium - E. wildpretii

Along Portobello Road, cascading golden panicles of Laburnum trees draped the sidewalks.

Look for garden touring from London to Wales, continuing in the weeks ahead here on

Bay Area Tendrils

& on Alice's Garden Travel Buzz

Jet lag notwithstanding.

Solitary Survivor .. Dendrobium Orchid

Hundreds of species and cultivars grow in Alice's garden ... but there is only one orchid:

Dendrobium x delicatum 'Extra Fine'

is blooming rather late this year. A single stem sends out flowers, unlike previous seasons, when sprays emerged from multiple stems. A dear friend passed this plant along, a savvy plantsman and native San Franciscan with impressive expertise in the sphere of orchid cultivation. I've managed to keep the plant alive, although a more tender specimen - Masdevallia coccinea 'Leywoods' did not survive. I'm appalled to report that I failed to provide winter protection for the tender Masdevallia orchid and it perished.

The Dendrobium receives a bit of coddling during the rainy season, when it's placed outside the french doors on the back porch. There, it avoids the worst of my micro-climate's winter frosts that drape the floor of the garden, and the onslaught of drenching rainfall, resulting in soggy conditions. Only .. one .. orchid.

Pendulant, Promiscuous Cerinthe!

Cerinthe major purpurescens

Although slow to colonize here in Alice's Garden, the richly graduated shades of blue, purple and green of Cerinthe are now rampant, bolstering the planting in the garden's central bed. I extended an invitation to this self-sowing annual years ago, but its promiscuous nature has only recently taken hold in the loamy soil. I find the flower color to be reminiscent of Han Purple, an ancient pigment found in the decoration of China's terra cotta army figures. Oe perhaps the color is more akin to the Royal Purple associated with Medieval Europe. In general, I am put off by the color purple for clothing or decor. But in the garden, I revel in the contrast between the bracts' blue-purple hues and the rounded, pale blue-green leaves.