GardenBook

 Fall is a fine time to visit the Northern California wine country, and what better reason than to attend the weekend long PHS weekend Summit 2016, "Shaping a New Garden in a Challenging Environment". The event will take place on the weekend of October 15th and 16th in and around beautiful Sonoma County , featuring a line up of nationally renowned speakers and tours of important public and private gardens in the area, with an emphasis on the exploration of the connection between gardens and nature. Image used by permission© Saxon Holt www.photobotanic.com On Saturday, the Luther Burbank Center for the Performing Arts will be the base of operations where we will hear inspiring presentations by the likes of Thomas Ranier, Bob Hyland and  Michelle Sullivan. Tom Fischer of the venerable Timber Press will lead a discussion among the days speakers, and next up a chartered bus will transport us to Quarryhill Botanical garden in Glen Ellen, home of one of the premier collec...

 The north coast of California can be a gloomy damp and cold place in summertime. It's hard to predict how the weather might be on any given road trip, and since fall is more reliable for seeing the sun I typically travel out that way in October . This year I needed to get the hell out of town and away from the office  for a few days in July and so I rolled the temperature  dice and headed to Mendocino.  Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden has been a blog subject here and here , both customary fall trips. The differences between seasons are subtle; this coast is frost free but winters are wet and stormy. I appreciate the relativity of the term 'cold' but for this wimpy LA girl Mendo can be cold. I was fortunate with the weather on this trip, days broke 65, the sun came out and the only downside was the fog rolling in about 4pm thus eliminating sunset views from my oceanfront inn.   Summer flowers grow tall and flopless in this open garden, Heleniums, Lobelia t...