The Nasher Sculpture Center

Our Garden Conservancy group visited the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas last week, founded in 2003 by Raymond and Patsy Nasher. It’s a beautiful example of the synergistic intersection of art and garden design. The center has more than 300 masterpieces by Calder, deKooning, di Suvero, Giacometti, Hepworth, Kelly, Matisse, Miro, Moore, Picasso, Rodin, Serra and […]

GC Dallas Trip

I just returned from a fabulous Garden Conservancy trip to Dallas and Ft. Worth meeting some of the most hospitable people I’ve ever met and seeing beautiful homes, gardens, trees and plants in the Lone Star State. You’ve heard Vicki and me talk about our fabulous experiences on these trips that the GC organizes for […]

Jorge Sanchez

I recently met the extraordinarily talented Jorge Sanchez from Palm Beach, Florida. His firm,  SMI Landscape Architecture is known for its “estate masterplanning, its public gardens and streetscapes, and its thoughtful private gardens for clients across the United States and in the Bahamas. The firm’s philosophy incorporates a ‘botanical garden’ approach with exotic planning and elements […]

Farmer’s Almanac

For the last couple of years my son has given me The Old Farmer’s Almanac as a gift. The Old Farmer’s Almanac was founded in 1792 and is the oldest continuously published periodical in North American. It is a reference book containing weather forecasts, planting charts, astrological data and articles about gardening, astronomy, folklore, recipes and technology. […]

Garden Conservancy: April Newsletter

Do you belong to our favorite organization, the Garden Conservancy? If not, become a member and/or subscribe to their newsletter! It’s a great group of people doing important work to save and share gardens. Vicki and I are active members of this great organization (as are many of you reading this). We love the Garden Conservancy! April’s newsletter just […]

Hot off the press: FLOWER

My friend Tessa learned about a brand new publication from her mother, who I’ve heard is an avid gardener, and then Tessa shared it with me. It’s called FLOWER and its founder and editor-in-Chief is Margot Shaw. I immediately subscribed and received my first publication a couple of weeks ago. I have to tell you, […]

Floral Birthday Cards

It’s that time of year again – my birthday! And nothing brings me more joy that flowers on my day. I especially loved my floral cards this year. Here are a few of my favorites! And this one looks like it’s right out of my spring garden. LOVE foxglove! Thanks to my friends for thinking […]

Daffodils

I have always loved daffodils! Growing up in Northern Minnesota, I remember my mother planting bulbs in early spring and then digging them up in the fall for storing, to be replanted in the spring. In California, I plant about 500 daffodil bulbs each fall and they duplicate on their own in the ground. Each […]

Hyacinths in bloom

We have the most  beautiful hyacinths in terracotta pots by our back door, which are just beginning to droop from the weight of their full-flowered stems. I had never fully appreciated the beauty and fragrance of hyacinths until this year when I had the chance to walk by them several times a day. They are just gorgeous […]

Stop and smell the roses

My great friend Jan Sargent sends me the most wonderful emails about gardens and animals. The one she sent me this morning is just terrific and I had to share it with you. Apparently, humans aren’t the only ones who stop and smell the roses. Enjoy!

Bouquets to Art

Last night Alex and I attended Bouquets to Art, the 34th annual fundraiser for the San Francisco DeYoung Museum. Fun to see our Garden Conservancy friend Jeanne Anderson there, who flew up from Los Angeles to attend! For an entire week, florists from the Bay Area to Japan to Europe create floral arrangements that are inspired by art […]

For Plant Lovers…

“Millennials and companies turn to indoor plants to cut stress, brighten spaces and even grow food.” There is a fantastic article by Caroline Biggs in Sunday’s New York Times Business section entitled For Plant Lovers, It’s a Jungle in There. Caroline says that more and more young people are seeking greenery in their living spaces, whether it […]

Flowering Daphne

I ran into my great new next door neighbor Tessa this week as we were getting out of our cars. She pointed out the daphne on both sides of our homes that are in full bloom with that glorious fragrance that only daphne has this time of year. The Daphne that we both have is […]

RIP Toni Breck

A dear friend passed away recently who was a cherished wife, mother, sister, aunt, grandmother and friend to so many. Her name was Toni Breck and she left us far too soon. She and I shared time on the Summer Search, Garden Conservancy boards and the West Coast Council of the Garden Conservancy. She was […]

Mushrooming Popularity

Check out the March 2018 edition of National Geographic for a wonderful overview of mushrooms and their health benefits. According to author Daniel Stone, mushrooms are poorly understood and medicinal mushrooms even less understood. During a recent breakfast with Kew’s head of US Development, Alessio deCapua, I learned that Kew is undertaking significant research in the […]