For the stylish garden...

For those who require a bit more "style" in their garden lighting, designer Alain Monnens has created the "Flower"

This would fit in nicely with the more modern garden styles while still being very organic in thier design.

Discovered on MoCoLoco

Rose coming back/Lavender moving in

After we got some of our irrigation issues resolved, at least temporarily, the Bewitched roses in the front garden are showing signs of life again. I hadn't realized how little water they were getting. I am now seeing new leaf growth and several of them have burst into bloom. It is good to see things come back after they struggled so much.

I think I am seeing a de facto migration of the front garden from azaleas to lavendar. Rosanne has been in the mood for lavender since we visited the Lavender Fields last year. There are currently 4 plants in the ground and we see lots of opportunities to add even more.

The juniper bushes that were interplanted with the azaleas have died out over the years, leaving holes in the once geometric design. In the hardest hit beds, we are slowly removing/tranplanting the azaleas elsewhere and converting them to geometric lavender beds.

I like lavender, too, so I am in total agreement on the change. It offers a plan that I had not been able to develop on my own. Funny how you sort of fall into things in your garden sometimes.

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Fine Gardening Latin Pronunciation Guide

Fine Gardening Pronunciation Guide

I can usually get close on Latin pronunciations, but sometimes I am waaaaaay off. This handy web page looks like a great place to brush up, though. While it certainly isn't an exhaustive list, it should provide enough info to keep you busy for a while. It even includes audio files, so you can hear how the names sound.

Aggressive Gardening

We visited the Getty Center on Sunday as we regularly do. One of the things that strikes me is the agressive nature of their gardening. While the beautiful gardens have naturalized somewhat, they are scrupulously maintained in the style of their design. This can sometime lead to odd effects for regular visitors.

I am searching my photo archive for some past pictures, but words will have to suffice for now. In one area, to the right of the main plaza, there is a fountain that bubbles into a channel and this channel flows into an open hole that is the top of another fountains 10-20 feet below in the garden. When first opened, this channel was shaded by a series of pepper trees. Over the years, these trees had become fairly large. Imagine my surprise when I found all of these trees gone and replaced with small, willow-like trees. The replacment had been done in such a fashion that it appeared that those trees had been there all along. There was no sign of turned earth or other disruptions, just new trees.

I have seen this same effect in the main garden itself. Entire beds are replanted. thinned or moved, returning the garden to almost its original state. While I can see a variety of reasons for the maintenance of the gardens, it does strike an odd tone for those of us who live nearby and visit frequently.