SATC 2… ehhh, better than poison oak, not better than a truck load of salvia.

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010

So. Ok. I’ve been there.

The cult-like agenda of having “the gurls” over to watch Sex and the City every time either :

A. an episode aired

B. someone got dumped by their rat-bastard boyfriend

C. someone was about to dump their rat-bastard boyfriend

So, of course I went to see the movie!

But I was a tad hesitant to go in the first place, since I has just finished a long day of salvia planting and wasn’t feeling my most glamorous, complete with dirt stained hands and arms. I had a bit of time to shop for my garden the day before, and decided the salvias were too good to pass up. So I loaded them in my already packed-with-plants truck and headed for home. I gardened just up until dinner and realized I needed to actually shower in order to be seen in public. Upon that realization, I was downtrodden, knowing what a feat it would be in my garden obsessed state..  But I went to the movie anyway and, in fact,  was momentarily entertained… right up until they started in with the menopausal jokes and whore-endous karaoke jam. It just wasn’t my cup of champagne tea.

Ahhh, but there were:

These sweet ass Mykita & Bernhard gold aviator sunglasses! Ohhhhwee!

I’d garden in these. In fact… I will garden in these.

And hopefully by the time the salvias need dead-heading.

Stay Tuned!

The Latest…

Tuesday, June 15th, 2010

Ok… hmmmmm, where to begin. Let’s start with…

I found a little blue egg, freshly laid on my lawn sunday afternoon… coincidentally right after I got home from visiting my sister who had just given birth to the most gorgeous baby girl ever! I thought it fitting for what the weekend had bought us, and placed it on my Echeveria plant my the back door. I love the icy blue with the veins of purplish-red.

Next, is a fabulous Nigella amongst the Nasturtium. I have never been a big fan of this plant, as the weedy looking foliage kind of annoys me, but I’m diggin’ this one. Love the dark stamens and pistil… very flower noir.

Ok.. onward in the garden we come to my pride and joy! A fabulous  Canterbury Bells cluster I have been babying growing for three years! Each year I will it to bloom, to no avail… well, except for this Spring. I am very proud to say they are gorgeous and super healthy. Lots more blooms to come, too. Oh, and my chipped up, dirty, street-walker nail polish was not planned to match…. I just got lucky!

This is a Van Gogh cultivated sunflower, just about in full bloom. Grows super easy from seed (what sunflower doesn’t?) (and if you have thought of one, believe me – it’s you, not the sunflower) and holds it bloom for quite some time. I meant to plant more, but with everything going on, didn’t get them in the ground. I may try this weekend for a fall bloom.. we’ll see. You can buy these…Here.

Lest I forget this little gem!

Poppies. I love poppies.

There’s not much else to say.

I should do an all poppy section of my new garden.. Hmm. Project!

BFF with Honey Bees!

Saturday, May 29th, 2010

It’s been long standing that I am besties with honey bees. This is unlike my sister some people who freak the fuck out when ever honey bees buzz around. So, in an effort to over come any fear you may have with our flying farmers, here are a few tips on how to help save the bees:

1. Don’t freak the fuck out Embrace the Bees!

Bees truly don’t want to bother you, in fact, they don’t even want to be around you! If encountered by a bee, let it do it’s thing and they will fly away.

2. Plant More Flowers!

Well, duh! That’s an easy one! But really… if you have an unruly part of your garden that you have no clue what to do with, broadcast some wildflower seeds for the bees.

3. Leave More Flowers…

It’s hard for me not to dead-head right away, but it really does help to let your flowers fully bloom out before cutting them off. That way the bees get a few more days of pollen… which can lead to pounds and pounds of extra honey.

Forward Foliage

Saturday, May 29th, 2010

This could quite possibly be the most gorgeous cabbage in the world. I found her growing in my client, Janet’s garden, and fell in love immediately. It’s hard when you fall in love with things that are not people, since most of the time, you are the one having to pay for all the drinks and dinners. Sigh.

And now, for a little oriental poppy for your viewing pleasure!

This little gem sprouted up in an overly full pot of lineria and some how managed to grow into a huge, thorny, orange poppy. Not really my cup of tea, but pretty nonetheless. …Though the foliage was amazing.

Clipped to perfection! Loving this boxwood among the wild poppies, lavender and nepeta growing at Nancy’s house. There are few plants there that get really groomed, this boxwood being one of them. The juxtaposition between the few boxwood topiary’s and the messy, almost over blooming flowers that sprawl all over the landscape are fabulous.

I Heart Echeveria

Thursday, May 13th, 2010

This little picture is of my echeveria in full bloom. I love how the little flowers dangle into the perfect drop… and the color is incredible. My apologies for the picture… if it wasn’t so shitty small you would be able to see the fabulous coral coloring. As it is, I’m in the middle of moving, and as you can imagine my camera, books, notes on what to write, etc. are all floating around in the unknown.

Moving on… I Heart Echeveria. It’s so easy, gorgeous and interesting… and did I mention easy!? The blue ones are my favorite, but the dusty gray echeveria are nice too. In clusters the form the nicest ground cover under trees like crabapples, arbutus or even olive trees.

Looking for that perfect echeveria for your garden? Check out the resource page under annies annuals for some fun varieties…

Akebia

Tuesday, May 11th, 2010

Akebia quinata is a fabulous vine. It grows similar to a honeysuckle, but without the fragrance. It has lovely little chocolate flowers that cluster in bells at the top of the new growth. It’s perfect for growing and mixing with clematis or roses. You can find this at most nurseries (even the dreaded homeless depot) and they grow like crazy. I buy them in one gallons since they grow so fast, and plant them against anything they can grasp.


Love my Buddha

Saturday, May 1st, 2010

I’ve had a pot by my front door for about a year and a half now. When I first moved to this house, I planted it with a fabulous little daphne, some nepeta and I think a couple annuals. Well, everything has filled in nicely – except growing towards the back, of course towards the sun. So I filled the empty void with Buddha. This isn’t so much a philosophical statement, as it is a literal one. I bought an amazing gold tinted Buddha head from a statuary store in HMB and I love it!

2 wet 2 work

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010

It’s too wet to work today. Plus, yesterday I picked up some wet burlap and my back decided to take a vacation from holding up the rest of my body. It’s works out ok, as it’s raining out and there is plenty of trashy tv to watch paper work to be done.

Including some designing…..

So, I’ll work on that until the wisteria drys off…

The plants on my deck

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009

The plants on my deck are dwindling down into hibernation mode. A couple months ago I haphazardly planted sweet pea seeds in almost very pot. They just now have started to bloom, but don’t really have the characteristically spicy scent since it’s getting colder. The only things really blooming still are my salvias, sweet peas, heliotrope and a few scattered roses here and there. Most things are just leafing out and setting roots, tucking in for the upcoming rain.