Tuesday, March 6th, 2012
“Really? We’re seriously going to Alcatraz?”
This was my asshole response when my boyfriend suggested we head to the City for some tourist-y activities. His brother was here for a few days to attend my drunk-fest birthday party over the weekend and stayed a couple extra days to check out SF. As an SF native, my initial reaction to doing the Pier 39-Fisherman’s Wharf-Lombard-bullshit is usually utter annoyance. It’s windy, there are annoying tourists and I’ve been schlepping to those places ever since I was in utero. Pre-utero. Ever since my parents were in utero… or something. You see, both sides of my family were born and raised in SF (North Beach, Butcher Town, Alemany) – a bunch of real hardcore Italian, Portuguese, Swedish SF-ers, who showed my sister and I how to do SF right. Osso bucco and Irish creams at The Gold Spike. Free Shirley Temple’s at almost any Italian restaurant in North Beach since my Grandma knew the owners. And eating the hell out of a “cable car sundae” for my birthday at Ghirardelli Square (I always ordered mint chip, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream. The sides are the chocolate cable cars, and I ate those cable cars until they melted in my kung-fu grip – never sharing).
So ya, I know San Fran… and have also inherited the been-there-done-that attitude that comes with a Bay Area upbringing.
But I hadn’t been to Alcatraz in a million years and wanted to mostly see the garden renovation that has been going on. Alcatraz has the coolest history, with some amazing past and present infamous inhabitants.
Al Capone. Frank Morris. John Paul Scott.
Agave attenuata. Blooming Muscari. Bearded Iris.
The wind must have blown the smug right off me because once there, I was enamored with the present day inmates… succulents like Sedum, Agave, and Echeveria thrive on that windy rock. The “prisoners gardens” were immaculate. Growing wild and full, but well tended and tidy. Beautiful and sprawling clusters of California poppies, Alyssum, red Pelargoniums and Kniphofia grew in abundance. Dripping off the terraced walls were hot pink ice plant and large sweeps of native ferns.
Touring the buildings and grounds was fascinating, and most of it I completely forgot about since the last time I was there. Here are some pics:
Go and check out “the rock”… even if you’ve been there before!
And to volunteer in the gardens, go here!
Tags: Alcatraz, Alcatraz gardens, dirty girl gardening, garden tours, gardens, Jenn Segale, Organic Gardening, SF, sf gardening, sf gardens, SF native, succulents
Posted in Gardening | 11 Comments »
Wednesday, November 16th, 2011
the last bit of yesterday was finished off at the farm, doing some general clean-up and a bit of planting. the guys weed whacked and planted clusters of jade in the succulent mother garden – i poked around taking pictures and organizing the accumulating detritus that the wind brings in on the field. on the driveway, a number of volunteers have established well in the compacted gravel. seed from Shasta Daisys, Nepeta, Stock and Feverfew – all have been brought in from my truck or the wind, and have settled nicely in various parts of the long driveway. it’s weird how you can try so hard to get something to grow in your garden, and it dies. but do nothing to cultivate a plant elsewhere, and it thrives. the mother garden is maintaining well, despite a lack of water and attention. some of the succulents are growing, but most are just maintaining, bright in color and healthy – but not exuding too much energy this time of year.
teeth i found in the field
i forget the name of this ground cover...
yarrow who planted itself in the driveway
discolored tree frog on the water tank pump...
Feverfew in the driveway
echeveria growing in the mother garden with concrete blocks
Aeonium growing in the mother garden
Tags: dirty girl garden, dirty girl gardening, farm, farm clean-up, farm work, garden, garden design, garden designer, gardener HMB, Gardening, growing plants, half moon bay, half moon bay farm, Jenn Segale, Jennifer Lee Segale, Jennifer Segale, landscape, Landscape Design, landscape designer, landscaping, mother garden, organic, Organic Gardening, succulent growing, succulents
Posted in Gardening | 5 Comments »
Saturday, September 3rd, 2011
KE’s job has been pretty much a dream. Great client, great property, and all the plants are happy! This has been the weirdest year of weather, and not every project I’ve worked on have grown in as much as they normally do by this time of year. I guess the constant blanket of fog in August was not conducive to fabulous growing. In any event, this job has been great. I love deigning projects for men.
Men = foliage color.
Men = succulents.
Men = dark colors and no pink!
It’s heaven. The pic above are simple spanish lavender, agave attenuata, black smoke bush and a ‘lime light’ viburnum. The soil in this part of HMB is a gorgeous clay, loam which (minus the gophers) makes for perfect growing conditions. I’m not a huge fan of bark (shown – cedar chips) as a mulch, but it was insisted upon, and at the least smells great when you walk on it.
Wide, long bands of spanish lavender, carex grass and black iris (among others) – run along side the vast lawn. The quick growing perennials and grasses will fill in fast, creating a giant, textured sweep throughout the entire back garden. I am not a huge fan of lawn for many reasons – but if one insists upon lawn (and one did!) than No-Mow is the only way to go. Mow it once a year and it looks fabulous. Little water, even less fertilizer and it grows long and lush rapidly. It truly is the prefect lawn for a picnic or naked lounging (so I’ve been told). The pic below was after it was just installed, so it’s much shorter and yellower than it will be in a few weeks.
The dudleyas line the hand-cut, blue tumbled stone pathway beautifully. I’m excited to see them grow in and mix about with the layers of thyme and echeveria.
Tags: bay area landscape design, carex grass, dirty girl garden, dirty girl gardening, garden, garden blog, garden blogger, HMB gardener, HMB gardeners, HMB gardens, hmb landscaping, KE job, Landscape Design, No-Mow lawn, Organic Gardening, smoke bush, spanish lavender, succulents, Wildflower Farms
Posted in Gardening | 3 Comments »
Thursday, September 1st, 2011
I visited Robin’s nursery about 2 weeks ago… soon after found out I had strep throat. Strep is not conducive to creative posting, so I held off. Albeit a bit late, here are some pics and info from my adventure:
We left early for Succulent Gardens, located in Moss Landing… a sleepy little coast town that has always held my attention. Anything that involves the ocean, nurseries, and fish tacos – holds my attention. If you have never been to SG, you should – like – right now. Imagine greenhouses of perfectly fabulous little succulent ninjas – all ready to be bought and to kick-ass in your garden! I went there to pick out plants for a client and a personal project. It’s my 9th year of shopping there, but each time I go it’s like a kid in a candy store, writing a really big check!
The drive down is lovely, especially accompanied by your sweetie and your favorite podcast. You can’t beat driving down the HYW 1 coast line, with Swanton Berry Farm on your left, ocean on your right, and a smattering of other local farms stands along the way. You also pass the Moss Landing slough which really is beautiful. I wasn’t feeling up to hike about, but it’s on my to-do list for next time.
Succulents always seem so abundant to me… the tiniest cutting can create such a gorgeous mass of growth. Above is a picture of echeverias drying out a bit before propagation…ready for the garden in a few months.
OH! SG is having an event… check it out! Looks like all kinds of fun…
Tags: dirty girl, dirty girl garden, dirty girl gardening, moss landing, nurseries, nursery trip, propagation, succulent gardens, succulents
Posted in Gardening | 4 Comments »
Thursday, August 18th, 2011
Alena Jean Nursery & Flower Shop
I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to post about Alena’s shop! Other than being friends with her forev’s, Alena’s shop is one of my weekly addictions:
Cracked out from green tea at the sushi lounge - check.
Veggies & fruit (and those crazy good malt balls) from G. Berta farm stand - check.
Flowers from Alena’s – check!
Alena opened her adorable shop on 340 Purissima (x street Mill) in Half Moon Bay, in 2005. Nestled in the amazing barn her dad (Jerry Whiting) owns and operates his landscape construction company out of. Jerry has been doing coastal landscapes since the 70′s, and has created gorgeous gardens all over HMB and beyond. She started small, just using a corner of the barn, sharing the rest with her dad. As business grew Alena booted him out and e x p a n d e d, creating a fabulous flower shop and nursery. There you will find flats and flats of gorgeous Annie’s Annuals, and other hard to find gems. Alena’s style leans towards (grabs and smacks about) the eccentric… always interesting and architectural. You will find your basic and beautiful rose and lily flower arrangement – but you’ll also find arrangements with artichokes, pods of all sorts, tillandsia, moss dripping, wild branches… in all sorts of cool vessels. However, my favorite part of the shop, is the shop itself. It’s worth a trip just putzing around and eying all of the gorgeous wood architecture and interesting fixtures. Wide plank barn wood. Irrigation key handles. Driftwood. Yep, it’s rustic heaven!
Next time you are in HMB – or need some fabulous flowers – check out Alena Jean Nursery & Flower Shop!
340 Purissima, HMB. 650.726.3662
Hours – Tues – Sat/ 10 – 5pm. Sun/ 11 – 3pm.
www.alenasdesigns.com
Tags: Alena Jean Nursery & Flower Shop, alena whiting, alena's shop, annies annuals, coastal gardens, dirty girl garden, dirty girl gardening, flower shop half moon bay, flower shops on the coast, garden blog, Gardening, half moon bay, Jenn Segale, Jennifer Lee Segale, Jennifer Segale, Jerry Whiting, nursery, nursery half moon bay, organic garden blog, succulents
Posted in Fun | 5 Comments »
Tuesday, March 15th, 2011
I’m not talking about the always effusive ‘Altissimo’ climbing rose or an over zealous Jasmine vine. I’m talking about social climbing in the garden world, mostly seen in plant descriptions on website and online nurseries. Here’s an example of what I mean:
“Clematis are the aristocrat of climbers; their rich hues and varied bloom times enable the gardener to have masses of bloom from late winter to late fall. “
I’m assuming they mean that clematis is hobnobbing with nobility, spending “old money” and purchasing vast acres of land? The latter being why they sprawl out so much?
In any event, this got me thinking about my own social class and where I would fit in. Is my gardening style and plant preference indicative of French Revolution or kombucha-pushing Berkeley farmer? Am I a lady who lunches kind of gardener, or an antiquated clodhopper?
I’ve tried to get in with the Boronia crowd. A few years back I had a brief but thrilling affair with one in my old garden, but since never have really tried to rekindle anything. It’s a botanical social circle I just don’t seem to fit into – they have uptight drainage needs, and I have an unacceptable amount of clay soil. Rhododendrons are another class I just can’t get with. We’ve both actively tried to spend some time together, rubbing shoulders at landscape design events and garden parties – I’ve even made the gesture of planting some for a few clients. But neither one of us feels at home with the other, keeping our guards up and realizing things could end badly.
I’d like to think it’s not my style to climb a social class, but rather to sprout a new one. Cultivating one part cover crops, one part annies annuals, another part heirloom veggie seed with a smattering of vertical succulent growing. Oh, and mushroom compost.
A flute of cuvée de prestige doesn’t hurt either.
Tags: annies annuals, arostocracy, boronia, botanical, dirty girl gardening, heirloom seed, jasmine, social climbing, succulents, veggie seeds
Posted in Gardening | 20 Comments »
Friday, October 1st, 2010
Yum. I love echeveria. So yummy.
The one above I’ve showed you all a few times, but just recently Dustin showed me the new babies he found on it, while pulling off the spent leaves. I was so thrilled to see it has finally started to reproduce, since I’ve had this plant for about 5 years! It was a gift from Robin (who owns Succulent Gardens… the best place to buy succulents ever! And if you shop somewhere else for succulents, chances are Robin grew them) back in the day, and I’ve cherished it ever since. It’s a rare type of echeveria that can get about 6′ by 6′ in diameter. Nuts, right?
It’s planted next to a fabulous sedum, penstemon and another plant I forget. You can see the little babes just starting to form. I love the coloring, too. The “bark” on the thick stem is a wonderful coral in the sun, and the leaves a gorgeous cooling blue that turn reddish once it starts getting to be scarf & glove weather. Echeveria’s generally propagate very easily but cuttings or plugs of any size. Little water or care is needed and they love ample sun. They don’t mind a little organic all-purpose fertilizer either, especially if in containers.
Is this sounding like too much like those other garden blogs that actually give you boring gardening info you already know?
Ok. Let’s try this:
OMG! How cute is this moth? How much cuter are my nails?
OPI’s “Under my trench coat” and “Only gold for me”. They gray base coat shows how dark and mysterious I am, and the gold flake top coat screams, “Bartender where’s my bourbon!!?”.
Ehh, it’s friday night this is the best I can do.
Tags: dirty girl gardening, echeveria, garden blog, succulent plants, succulents
Posted in Gardening | 14 Comments »
Saturday, June 12th, 2010
I’ve just moved into a fabulous new house in HMB.
My sister is giving birth… pretty much right now.
And work has exploded….. better posts to come shortly!
Kisses, Jenn
Tags: echeveria, moving, roots, succulents
Posted in Gardening | 8 Comments »
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…
Tags: echeveria, Flowers, garden blog, organic, potted plants, succulents
Posted in Gardening | 8 Comments »
