Monday, November 22, 2010

Curving.. Flowing.. Sinuous Design - Wave Garden Part II



Another look at the Wave Garden: Hardscape, artwork and plantings. Kellee Adams, the plant-scape designer selected species from the 5 Mediterranean regions of the world to enliven a drought-tolerant landscape.

The rosettes of Aeonium 'Sunburst' effectively repeat the harmonious lines appearing throughout the garden, where Victor Amador, the garden's third-generation concrete contractor/designer worked intuitively, applying an organic approach to the creation of walls, stairs, walkways, and special focal points.



The curving planes of a wall embrace a bevy of drought tolerant plants.


The alluring, sinuous lines of hand-crafted iron work are outstanding.


Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Red Conebush .. The Wave Garden - A Sneak Peek





UNDER CONSTRUCTION...







The glory of South African plants .. bringing color to Bay Area gardens in Winter!

Here's a sneak peek of an amazing landscape created in the East Bay over the previous decade:
-- The Wave Garden --
filled with an incredible palette of plants and an exceptional hardscape.
Leucadendron salignum .. aka Summer Red Conebush is looking especially beautiful right now.

The garden takes in vistas of San Francisco Bay, Richmond Bridge, and Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County.
An in-depth feature on the Wave Garden appears on: Alice's Garden Travel Buzz.
To all my garden blogging amigos, Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!
Thank you May Dreams Gardens : Now following @IndyGardener on Twitter!

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Last Bouquet of Fall?


Will this be the final blowsy bouquet of the year?


Colorful fall foliage is a cutting from Weigela florida 'Eyecatcher' ... growing in my garden.
But I'm so pleased to have a cutting garden at T's plot! In spite of the rain of the past month or so, T's allotment/community garden is drenched in sunshine most days. 




With each bouquet picked these past few weeks, he's told me it would be the last. Not so, as you can see: The Zinnias from Renee's Garden Seeds - 'Berry Basket' - are continuing to produce abundant blooms. So, too, new Buddleia 'Miss Ruby' is proving to be a winning variety (appropriately perhaps, a plant from Proven Winners).
Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to photograph the bouquet when it was freshly picked, so it's already fading a bit as pictured.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Plant Hunting! 'Blue Heaven' .. VanDusen Botanical Garden


(Photo courtesy VanDusen Botanical Garden)
Wish I could attend this upcoming event at VanDusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver, BC.
Bill Terry will be presenting at 7:30 pm in the Garden's Floral Hall on November 11, sharing vignettes of his plant-hunting sojourn at 2700 km while traveling through Sichuan and Tibet.

Bill's tales include sightings of lovely alpine plants, including Meconopsis, the mythic blue poppy known to provoke plant lust in many a gardener. Author of 'Blue Heaven - Encounters with the Blue Poppy' (book will be available), and a grower of the genus, Bill can boast the most diverse collection of Asiatic poppies in North America. Visiting the collection is going on my bucket list!
Tickets in advance or at the door subject to availability.
If you're on FaceBook .. check out this link:

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Rain Did Not Dampen the Delights .. DeLoach Vineyards


It may be rainy season in Northern California Wine Country, but that did not stop an international coterie of journalists, authors, bloggers & permaculture professionals from enjoying a day of garden touring, wine tasting, and a delectable locavore lunch at DeLoach Vineyards.


At De Loach the entire approach to the land, from the vineyards to the culinary and insectary gardens, is fully organic and biodynamic: Awarded CCOF certification.

Our host, Jean-Charles Boisset applies sustainable principles, biodynamic farming, and organic methods to every aspect of the Boisset estates in California, France, Italy & Québec.
On the local level, in partnership with the Redwood Empire Food Bank, 100% of the proceeds from one of the excellent wines we tasted -- DeLoach Vinthropic Chardonnay -- are donated to the Food Bank.
Winegrower Eric Pooler spearheaded our tour, and allowed an up-close and personal look at the innovative bio-reactor - one of the first in the industry - that relies on micro-organisms to purify all the water used in the winemaking process so it can be called upon for landscaping and irrigation use.
Maria Mobilia is shown behind the camera, filming the tour for 
Your Garden Show.

In-depth coverage of my day at DeLoach Vineyards ...
Biodynamic Gardens & Wine Tasting on: