Wildflowers in Southeastern Alaska

Alex and I spent the past week with our dear friends Vicki & Jeff and Helen & Dick exploring new territory for all of us – Southeastern Alaska and specifically the Tongass National Forest. Two years ago, we signed up with The Boat Company and had been so looking forward to our trip! This week-long voyage on water took us from Juneau […]

Trying avocados in the Bay Area

One of the many things my daughter-in-law Maggie and I share is our absolute LOVE of avocados. That’s why I was so excited when she told me about her discovery of avocado trees at Golden Gate Palms & Exotics, located in Port Richmond. We immediately booked a date to check out the possibility of growing avocado trees […]

Today’s lunch

Want a simple idea for today’s lunch? Look no further than your fresh garden tomatoes, your basil, some burrata, your favorite olive oil, salt & pepper and perhaps a dollop of pesto. There is no salad that better defines summer than the Caprese salad!

Secret Gardens of Telegraph Hill

The Garden Conservancy hosted a morning visit to three spectacular private gardens on Telegraph Hill in San Francisco. Carolyn and I both participated. It was a gorgeous morning in the city. The first garden we visited was at a property with extraordinary views of the Bay Bridge and the San Francisco Bay. The juxtaposition of […]

International Rose Test Garden

What’s the perfect thing to do with your 16 year old niece while visiting Portland together? Go to a botanical garden! It turns out that it’s all about roses in Portland and we hit the jackpot. We discovered the International Rose Test Garden and all of the roses were in full bloom throughout this astonishing rose garden. […]

Dunn Gardens

During our recent Garden Conservancy trip to Seattle, we visited Dunn Gardens, located in the Broadway neighborhood of Seattle. In 1914, Arthur Dunn purchased this 10 acre parcel to create a family country home far removed from the city of Seattle. Today Dunn Gardens is a garden oasis in the middle of urban Seattle and the owners are committed to maintaining […]

My Favorite Dressings

I picked the last of my lettuce last weekend. When lettuce comes right from the garden to the table, a simple salad dressing is all you need. The following are my two favorites. Mustard Vinegarette 1 shallot, minced 2 Tablespoons white wine vinegard 2 Heaping teaspoons Dijon mustard 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black […]

Heronswood

Daniel Hinkley and Robert Jones took possession of the Kingston house and property that is now called Heronswood Nursery and Garden, in 1987. This garden showcased a vast inventory of rare and unusual trees, shrubs, vines and perennials that had been largely collected by Hinkley on his travels throughout Asia, Central and South America, New […]

Elisabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden

Looking for a sweet and intimate botanical garden while in the Seattle area? Look no further that the Elisabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden. This garden is the former residence of Pendleton and Elisabeth Carey Miller. They purchased five acres of land in 1948 with beautiful views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Peninsula. They extensively traveled […]

Bloedel Reserve

I think the highlight of our Seattle Garden Conservancy trip was our morning at Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island. WOW. We spent two hours on the reserve and I could have enjoyed even more time in this beautiful place. Viginia and Prentice Bloedel purchased 150 acres in 1951 and approximately half of this acreage is available to […]

It’s all about trees

One thing I was reminded of while in Seattle on our Garden Conservancy trip is how important trees are in a garden – especially mature trees. They contribute to the feeling of serenity in a garden, not to mention shade during warm summer months. And there are so many beautiful trees to enjoy! This was Alex’s […]

GC Trip to Seattle

Kudos to Connie Collins, Jenny DuPont and the entire team at the Garden Conservancy for their incredible trip to Seattle this past week! This was my first experience participating in a trip with the GC and I was really impressed with the entire experience. Alex and I joined about 35 other garden enthusiasts with varying levels of […]

Pike Place Market

We arrived in Seattle on Monday for our Garden Conservancy trip to see the lovely gardens in the Seattle area. We hit the jackpot on weather – it’s sunny and warm! Alex and I strolled down to the famous Pike Place Market to see all of the action we’d always heard about. It’s famous for […]

End of Broccoli season

This year I planted 8 Marathon broccoli starts in February and we finally enjoyed eating our broccoli over the past two weeks. The broccoli was fantastic! So much more tender than any broccoli I’ve tasted from a farmers market or store. So today, I pulled out the plants as they are done for the year. […]

Spring 2016 Planting

I have been traveling for most of the month of April and just returned to Napa for the weekend to take stock of what I planted April 2nd. As I had only one day to get my spring garden planted, I left San Francisco at 6 AM to drive up to Napa (about one hour […]