GardenBook

 Way back in June I made a Mendocino county loop that featured three Garden Conservacy open days , among them was  Digging Dog Nursery. Though they are open for visitors often throughout the summer, in my experience their private garden has only been open in conjunction with the Open Days program. I try not to miss the opportunity, and this garden as a whole remains my favorite California garden.  As with any garden that is frequently visited, changes are noted and pending changes are looked forward to. This summer, an area that had long been enticingly viewed in the distance  over a barrier  of caution tape for the last few years was open at last.  The abundant borders were in their summer best- the tail end of the 'green times' here in summer-dry Northern California. The nursery is in our coastal Redwood belt, and only a couple of miles inland from the Pacific, so summer temperatures are moderate.  Sanguisorba (which one ?) hangs out with N...

 I'm confident that most of us horti-philes have found ourselves smitten with one particular area of a garden we have visited, returning multiple times for just a few more shots (not a bar reference) or to bask in the presence of a design that has spoken to us ....  I can't really explain why this area at Coastal Maine Botanic Gardens was so compelling to me. Maybe because the combinations seemed slightly unusual, featuring a few plants I don't see out here in the west , and it seemed accessible..something I might actually be able to do , even if it has to be on a smaller scale with left coast friendly substitutions. . This is a distant view of 'my' section ..it sits at the base of this structure , not looking like much from this perspective.  As I moved closer, the grouping started to take form. the  ..and look at this ! Arundo donax 'Golden Chain' with one of those very bold Pennisetums that are seldom seen here, and all the hot pink Salv...

  Travel on business to Boston put me in close proximity to my New England Idyll friends, so it was clearly imperative to squeeze out a couple of days to visit at least one of them. A rental car and an easy one hour drive on Saturday afternoon and I was in garden nirvanah .. Deannes wonderful garden in New Hampshire , with great food, great wine and sterling company. I'm still in recovery. The Tropical Border. I often speculate about the reactions of people who innocently wander on to Deannes street and are confronted with this..  I wonder how many private gardens in New Hampshire have Bromiliad Trees ? Two views of this one. Deannes collection of Bromiliads will be the subject of a future post. She seems to be making no attempt to control her addiction to this genus.. More from the tropical border The driveway garden...a personal favorite. This area has changed quite a bit since I first saw it; Deanne is transforming this into a s...

 Celebrating the return of my camera from the the hospital , and jumping on board with Loree ... I do love her fave plant posts and what a great way to ensure weekly blogging. Win-win !  I am thrilled with the Persicaria amplexicaulis 'Rosea' , purchased last year from Digging Dog on our Mendocino Coast. These large imposing Persicarias are not seen much around here, and I was triumphant to find this one when I visited the nursery last summer. It's comforting to have something that isn't bloomed out and flopping in the garden this time of year.  The foliage can get a tad ratty late in the season, but looks great right now, and after the ratty period, (which mostly involves the leaves near ground level) I get some nice fall color. Pleasantly architectural.