GardenBook

 Cornerstone Sonoma is located on  busy highway 121, a well traveled back road that brings visitors into the wine country and connects Sonoma and Napa County . Cornerstone is a  unique venue, featuring upscale shops with an emphasis on outdoor living, restaurants, wine tasting, art installations, display gardens and event spaces. This year the iconic west coast publication Sunset Magazine moved its' outdoor test kitchen and display gardens to Cornerstone from their campus in Menlo park, a 7 acre site they have occupied since 1951. Though Sunsets' magazine  content has dwindled over the last several years, I still subscribe as I have since the 70's. I could do a whole post on Sunset and its decades long  influence on west coast gardeners .  Several of the gardens at Cornerstone were removed to make way for both the Sunset test gardens, the large outdoor kitchen space and the event area which has enlarged significantly since the last time I was there. Some ...

 I was driving somewhat aimlessly around Sonoma County in search of a fall vineyard  photo opp, and it was pretty clear that the light was bad and I should have gone out an hour or two earlier. We are  expecting  some weather next week, so I have hopes for next weekend . Nevertheless , it can be fun to motor around wine country back roads early Sunday morning before the tourist traffic commences, making note of potential photo spots for another day. By 9am  was within a couple of miles of Sonoma Mission Gardens , a nursery I had not visited in a couple of years- besides I was at the end of a one week vacation and the awful truth was I had not visited a single garden center or bought a single plant . My god, how could  this be ? What was I thinking ? And I had left home without my plant list. Never  under any circumstances leave home without your plant list, for a garden center could be stumbled upon at any moment.  It had been so long since I'd ...

  Last weekend I attended the 2016 Pacific Horticultural Society Summit in neighboring Sonoma County. I've been a PHS member for many years , decades in fact, but have never attended the annual Summit. What was I waiting for ? Granted this years event was close to home , required only 1 hour of car travel and no lodging. The speakers were first rate , and I would be hard pressed to pick a favorite. Every one of them were passionate and knowledgeable  about their topics - I wish I'd taken more notes ! Exploring the PHS website will lead you to content relevant to the theme of the summit 'Changing Times, Changing Gardens' . Climate , drought and the appropriate regional plant palette is something many west coast gardeners are struggling to adjust to while still giving ourselves permission to push the zone envelope and plant what we love .  Sunday was garden tour day and carpooling with Gerhard of Succulents and More ,  3 gardens were visited  before the 4pm close...