Camellia japonica happily hugging a partly shady wall

I’m reading a book right now called the “Paradox of Choice.”  As you can probably guess, it’s premise is that we now have tremendous choice in our lives about virtually everything and this is not necessarily a good thing.  In landscape design it’s no different, there is an exploding array of new plants and materials to choose from.  It’s thrilling to discover a new variety of something, and instantly one thinks “hmm, where can I use this?”   But time and time again, I am reminded about how some “old timers” like the Camellia are still as relevant and appropriate as ever.  For some, the Camellia just seems like something out of grandma’s garden and it definitely does reside there next to the twisting juniper and overgrown jade plant.  Just because the Camellia is at home in the garden’s of yore doesn’t mean it’s not a super performer in today’s garden.  Let me count the ways…..Camellia’s bloom when not much else does (mainly winter), Camellia’s are generally easily espaliered saving ton’s of “floor space” and providing a nice wall of glossy green leaves and blooms,  Camellia’s have limited pest problems and once established are surprisingly thrifty on water and Camellia’s can brighten up a shady area like few other plants.  The right Camellia can fit in with many different garden styles…cottage, Mediterranean, Japanese, formal, etc…

For an excellent selection of Camellias check out Nuccio’s nursery in Alta Dena.  They sell retail and wholesale and are very helpful in getting you the perfect Camellia for your location and design.  Here are some helpful care tips for Camellias.

amazing Euphorbias

Like any self-respecting plant geek, hardly a day goes by when I don’t fall in love with a new plant or revisit an old favorite.  In fact, for me, the challenge of designing landscapes is more what plants to leave out than which ones to put in.  BUT… if you where to aim a garden hose at me and force me to decide I would say Euphorbia’s were my all time favorite.  They are a huge and varied genus ranging from ground hugging Euphorbia myrsinites to striking succulent forms E. canariensis.  There are euphorbia’s with very soft, textural qualities like E. dulcis ‘Chameleon’ and there are stiff, oddly beautiful forms like E. resinifera. I have placed the E. characias ‘Portuguese Velvet‘ in a cottage garden and used a E. tirucalli (sticks on fire) in a very clean-lined modern design.  And as far as blooms are concerned, well few last as long as the fused bracts (which form around the true flowers) of the E. characias wulfenii.  And with striking colored foliage like the blue of Euphorbia ‘Blue Haze’ or the copper wine of E. continifolia, euphorbia’s look good year round.

In general euphorbia’s are tough, pest resistant, water thrifty plants.  Their milky white sap is known to be irritating so take care when pruning.

Here’s a great article on Euphorbia’s if you want to know more about this amazing plant.

rill at Charco del Ingenio

returning to our cool courtyard for siesta

I took my husband to San Miguel de Allende in January to celebrate his 50th. We had been wanting to go for so long and finally we could justify leaving the kids at home and getting away for nearly a week. The beautiful Spanish colonial town in the mountains did not disappoint. Up until now, all of my Mexico experiences had been coastal towns with more new architecture than old. Since San Miguel de Allende is an UNESCO village, it is gorgeously preserved. We walked the narrow streets, peeking behind immense wooded doors into the shaded courtyards with huge potted plants, trickling fountains and cool stonework. Another treat we experienced was the Charco del Ingenio Botanical Garden, a 167 acre nature preserve. Besides the stunning specimens of Agave, Dasylirion and Euphorbia, I especially liked this naturalistic water feature cut into the hardscape.

a spring hike in Topanga reminded me that Mother Nature is the very best at design

I was on a spring hike in the amazing Santa Monica mountains when I snapped this photo.  I loved how the branch of the Manzanita was delicately arching over the pathway.  The smells of all the native plants at that moment were intoxicating as well. How many times have we all gazed upon a meadow, or mountain lagoon or anything that has naturally formed and thought “wow, that can’t be improved upon.”

This vision and other ones like it of nature remind me of a book I read by Piet Oudolf, a huge name in landscape design worldwide.  Anyway, the book was Designing with Plants and it really spoke to me because above all I’m very plant focused when I do designs.  One of the messages in the book was to focus on flower and plant form over color and to appreciate that form in all it’s phases.  Forms could be spires, buttons, umbels, etc… I like his idea of playing with the relationship of color and form (either related colors and forms or different shapes with related colors) to create a natural harmony in design.  Piet Oudolf goes into much deeper discussion but really it’s about creating something that looks natural — something you’d see in a big meadow at the height of it’s bloom or on a winters hike when things are dormant and waiting to burst forth in the spring.

Satori Garden Design Entry for Garden #3

Your vote really does count in the Santa Monica Demonstration Garden Contest…and I’m thrilled to announce that SATORI GARDEN DESIGN, is a finalist! There are three gardens that the city will build to demonstrate to visitors what a sustainable garden can look like. There will be sample plans and plant palettes provided as well.  The challenge of the contest was to create a garden that is (1) something a homeowner can replicate, (2) sustainable in the use of water and materials, (3) utilizes edibles.  But first things first…winners need to be determined. That’s were the public at large comes in. Online voting will continue throughout May 2010 so check it out and cast your votes. You can vote for your favorite garden for each of the three garden plots.

You’ll see my entry is in the garden #3 grouping. Thanks for your support.

Go to: http://www.smgov.net/departments/ose/categories/form.aspx?ekfrm=13896 to cast your vote.

Joseph's Coat Climbing Roses

For years I’ve been suspicious that I could get more out of my already great climbing roses.  They are the “Joseph’s Coat” climbers and they reward us every summer with two big waves of blooms.  The roses start out a truly stunning coral/red then change to more of an orange and then to a yellow, thus the name “Joseph’s Coat”.  I was quite comfortable pruning my other roses but the climbers intimidated me.  Finally, this February I was feeling particularly empowered and did a test of sorts.  I did the pruning of the roses on the left as instructed in Fine Gardening’s Guide to Pruning Climbing Roses and let my gardener do his thing on the right.  Soon as the warm weather hit I noticed a much thicker, tighter growth on the roses I pruned.  My pruning had encouraged more blooms exactly at the height I wanted (just above my other plants in that bed).  Yippee!  When I did the pruning I had paid special attention to securing the remaining canes on the wall either horizontal or sometimes even bending down.  As mentioned in the guide, this suppresses the hormones that would normally allow the uppermost bud to become dominant, instead they all bloom.  Plants are so cool.

the little Euphorbia tirucalli now sits protected, hopefully its bad luck days are over

The answer to what you might ask. Well, yesterday was Saturday and I felt out of sorts. Not so much sick but more worn out. Everywhere I looked seemed to call out for my focus and attention and I felt I had really given it my all by the end of Friday. My backyard was calling my name too – there were things that I had both put off and acknowledged for weeks if not months. There was the citrus in a broken pot – the result of an over zealous water balloon fight. There was an Euphorbia tirucalli that must be a magnet for errant lacrosse balls because it’s always knock out of it’s (now broken) pot. And then there were those poor sweet pea seedlings that were grown as part of a science fair project just languishing without a place to anchor themselves.

I plowed straight ahead methodically moving from one area to another not really thinking what needed to be done but rather what I was doing which was enjoying a gorgeous day in the garden with my own little chatterbox to accompany me (that would be my daughter). Halfway into my tasks a nice calm set in and I realized I can’t approach my garden “tasks” with the same attitude I do with some of the household ones. First of all they aren’t things to just tick off and “get ‘er done” they are moments to savor and they are opportunities to take note of where my garden is heading and what it’s telling me. Of course what my garden had to say is “you better hurry up and get those vegetables in” and “I thought you wanted Dahlia’s this year, get a move on sister.” Okay, so maybe I haven’t reached a zen-like state yet in my garden but I did feel a huge calm when I looked out my window this morning and saw those sweet peas in a new home at last.

nearly white and velvety leaves of Salvia apiana

I was so very lucky to get a chance to go to a talk that Bob Perry was giving to landscape design and horticulture students at Pierce College.  I’ve met him before many, many years ago when I was doing the Master Gardener program in Santa Barbara.  For those of you who don’t know, Bob Perry is a teacher (plant identification, ecology and landscape design at Cal Poly Pomona, UCLA and USC), and accomplished writer on the subject of native and climate appropriate plants and landscapes in California.  His previous books have achieved cult status among the hort set.  Well now we can all add another amazing (and enormous) compendium called “Landscape Plants for California Gardens”.  I thought nothing would ever rival my Sunset Western Garden Book and California Native Plants for the Garden (by Carol Bornstein) but this one does.  I find sometimes books can have a ton of information but the way they are organized is just not in sync with the way I’m thinking.  Perry’s “Landscape Plants for California Gardens” is organized in the most thoughtful and logical manner with lists of plants for nearly all situations.  This weighty book has even inspired me to look for a rolling book cart that can make it and my other “bibles” more accessible in my office.

Now about that talk Bob Perry delivered.  I was halfway expecting a heavy plant discussion with lots of latin names flying around – he is a plant expert after all.  Anyway, I was so pleasantly surprised to get a thoughtful insight into his design process.  He discussed balance, harmony, variety, simplicity, proportion, rhythm, and emphasis as it relates to landscape design and plant choice.  The right plant in the right place is a wonderful place to start with design but taking it to the next level by incorporating overall design concepts will create a lasting beautiful garden.  I left his talk so inspired and ready to create.  If you want to get inspired you can still catch him at the upcoming L.A. Garden Show.

catching salamanders in the creek

I had the wonderful pleasure of visiting an old school buddy in February (we met in first grade).  Those are her kids and mine catching salamanders out in the creek that runs in front of her house.  She and her husband and their combined brood live in the foothills in an area called Tollhouse.

Being a country girl, I’ve always had a soft spot for the foothills.  My mom and dad used to take me up to the foothills to pick wild watercress.  I loved hoping from one rock to the other across the river. It was rainy that weekend and everything was green and moss covered.

We didn’t get to explore much because of the downpours but what I did see was a fun little garden filled with Tracy’s flea market finds and other treasures.  It reminded me that we can all use a little more light-heartedness when we adorn our outdoor spaces.

moss covered everything

I love it when people put found objects or little treasures of some type in their garden – why not?  We accessorize inside our home with photos and objects d’art.  Someone who is a master of this is Thomas Hobbs, the amazing landscape designer from Vancouver Washington.  His book The Jewel Box Garden (listed in The Books I Love) is all about creating drama in small spaces with not only plants but with objects of all kinds.

rusty iron, chickens and a pig statue used for great effect

Hedge Ideas