David Austin’s Obit
I ran across David Austin’s obituary in the New York Times this morning and wanted to make sure you caught it. It’s a wonderful write up about a wonderful man. By Richard Sandomir, December 28, 2019 David Austin, a self-taught horticulturist who upended the rose market by creating more than 200 hybrids that were distinguished […]
RIP David Austin (1926-2018)
I received this Family Announcement in my inbox today. DAVID C. H. AUSTIN OBE VMH (1926-2018) Issue date: December 21, 2018 It is with a heavy heart that I write to inform you of the passing of my father, David C. H. Austin, during the early hours of Tuesday 18th December, 2018. He died peacefully […]
Bunny Mellon
I finally got around to reading Meryl Gordon’s biography of Bunny Mellon after Vicki raved about it earlier this year. I couldn’t put it down! Vicki already did a great job of describing Bunny Mellon and some of the books Vicki received about Oak Springs last Christmas, in her January 8m 2018 post, but I had to […]
Roger’s Gardens
One of my favorite things to do when I’m out of town is visit local nurseries and I hit the jackpot during my recent trip to Newport Beach. Rogers Gardens is a local treasure and I think it is singularly the most impressive nursery I’ve ever seen. Rogers Gardens literally has EVERYTHING – and more. […]
Happy Thanksgiving
As our friend Laura said in her email to a group of us today, “It’s not happiness that brings us gratitude. It’s gratitude that brings us happiness.” What a wonderful sentiment on Thanksgiving – and so true! Vicki and I are grateful that you join us on our gardening journey throughout the year and we […]
Getting some vegetable help
This year has been an insane travel year and as a result, I never got into sync with my vegetable garden. By that I mean that I didn’t plant new vegetables in a timely way, I didn’t re-plant vegetables such as radishes, once I’d harvested, I missed the winter and spring planting season altogether, and […]
Monticello Vegetable Garden
“I have lived temperately, eating little animal food, and that…as a condiment for the vegetables, which constitute my principal diet.” Thomas Jefferson, 1819 Yesterday, I had the thrill of visiting Monticello with my husband for the first time (his second). The Thomas Jefferson Foundation (and incredible board members and friends of the Foundation) have done an […]
Leafy spoons
During our recent trip to Dar Ahlam in Skoura, Morocco, we were served a beautiful bowl of homemade lemon sorbet, accompanied by these lovely leafy spoons. The manager was nice enough to send me a picture, as well as the source so I could buy them for our Napa Valley home. I just love them, […]
Villa Oasis and Jardin Marjorelle
During our recent trip to Marrakech, we were fortunate to visit Villa Oasis, the private former home and gardens of Yves St. Laurent and his partner in life and business, Peter Bergé. It is surrounded by its public and well-known Jardin Marjorelle, named after the French painter and plant collector Jacques Majorelle who was the […]
La Mamounia Gardens
La Mamounia is a lovely old hotel in the heart of Marrakech. If you go to their site, it says they have the distinction of being the #1 hotel in Africa in 2018, #1 hotel in the world in 2018 and the best urban hotel in the world in 2018. I’m not sure how they arrive […]
An Icelandic Greenhouse
Recently, Alex and I visited Friðheimar in Reykholt, Iceland, located within the Golden Circle outside of Reykjavik. Friðheimar literally means “Glass House” in their native Islandic language. Friðheimar is the second largest producer of tomatoes in Iceland, producing over 1 ton of tomatoes PER DAY! Each plant produces 25 kilos over a 9 month period, […]
An oasis in Skoura
We recently visited a very special place in Morocco, thanks to Helen Spalding’s great research – Dar Ahlam in Skoura, about 5 hours southeast of Marrakech by car. This kasbah (defined in this context as a structure with multiple buildings behind a protective wall) has been converted to a luxury hotel, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Dar […]
Cool plant markers
I recently ran across what I think are the CUTEST plant markers ever: Magnolia’s chalkboard plant markers. Their dimensions are: Chalkboard Dimensions: 7″ X 4 1/4″ Stand Height: 9″ Total Height: 16″ You can either use chalk (not supplied by the seller) or use some sort of permanent marker if you tend to plant some […]
A garden in Halifax
Alex and I traveled to Halifax recently so we could see the famed Bay of Fundy, where one can see the largest tidal variation in North America – as much as a 55 feet differential every 12 hours! While we were there, we had the opportunity to visit the Halifax Public Gardens. These beautiful gardens […]
The amazing ways to use cucumbers
Thanks to our friend Jan Sargent for sending this really interesting and comprehensive list of all of the ways we can use cucumbers. Who knew?!? Enjoy! 1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, folic acid, vitamin C, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and zinc. […]