Handsome and Sculpted

I couldn't be more excited to see the Desert Steel Co. featured in the April issue of Garden Design magazine.

I happened to meet steel sculptor Eric Carroll last summer at the annual outdoor arts fair in Hermosa Beach where he was promoting his gorgeous life-sized cactus and agave sculptures. I couldn't take my eyes off of them! The promise of patina, the artist's obvious grasp of the original plant's allure. Dare I say better than the real thing?

Memento

Imagine my proud surprise when I received this photo from my friend Eric in the Bay Area along with this message: "Your child is blooming again! Perhaps it will have four flowers next year."

The Amaryllis in the photo (or Hippeastrum, as they are correctly called) is one I had sprouted from seed over five years ago by pollinating a lovely pair I had on a sunny windowsill one winter. It was great fun to see the base of the blossom swell and, eventually, develop into well-packed seed pods.

Ladies Who Lunch

Admittedly, playing hostess for weeks at a time can be exhausting for even the most gracious among us. However, there is a cadre of guests that I welcome back year after year, the more the merrier and, please, stay as long as you like! My garden has the auspicious honor of serving as the local Fairmount to a voracious party of Coccinella septempunctata, or Lady Bugs, as they are known.

The Dirt on Grubb

Well, let's talk. First, is it considered gossip if it's flattering? Because I have nothing but great things to say about the accomplished Flora Grubb, Belle of the Bay Area (garden) Ball! I love it when the newsletter from Flora Grubb Gardens, her handsome nursery in San Francisco's Hunter's Point area, arrives in my in-box. There's always something fresh and fun in the new offerings she brings in for those lucky ducks up north.

Welcome!

Welcome to The Garden Party, where garden news is shared like Bearded Iris traded over a neighbor's fence, and where dirt under your fingernails will be graciously overlooked if you arrive with something fresh from your own plot.


Whether you choose a seat under the Magnolia (dare I say ancient and handsomely branched?) or nearer to the Gardenias (always healthy, always in bloom) there's a place waiting for you. I'll be chatting about my (sometimes fickle) affection for new plants, old gardens and everything in between. Pour yourself a glass of something that sparkles and join in!