A Cool Garden on a Hot Day
So I found another couple of gardens from the Garden Bloggers Fling in San Francisco that I never did write about. One was the Palo Alto garden of Andrea and Andy Testa-Vought, designed by Bernard Trainor. Though very different from the kind of Midwest gardens I am used to, I admired how this garden created an outdoor living space for people with creative hardscape and a collection of plants native to California and other Mediterranean climates. Though please don’t ask me their names.
OK, let me by honest – what I (and I expect many others) appreciated most was the opportunity to take off our shoes and put our hot, suffering feet into the water. We arrived there at the end of a long day of visiting gardens in record heat and under a strong summer sun.
But even without this blessed relief, there was no denying that this was a beautiful garden.
I’m still not a huge fan of succulents, but they obviously are a good fit here, and in this setting I can see the appeal.
Not everything was a succulent. I liked this Cotinus and the grasses.
It’s California, so there was citrus.
There were many spots, some in the open and others hidden away, for sitting and appreciating the outdoors.
There was a gorgeous tree with blue flowers that reminded me of lilac or butterfly bush. Anybody know what this is?
If you want to know more about this garden, here’s an article from Pacific Horticulture magazine.
I should mention that the owners were extremely hospitable (thank God for the water and other cold drinks) and very engaging. Their cat, on the other hand, didn’t seem too excited to see us.
gardeninacity 
Haha…oh man…I think I felt a trickle of sweat go down my back just reading this again…yikes, it was blazing that day…luckily the owners were so very sweet, as you mentioned. I wanted to hug them for providing refreshments! I agree about the garden…it’s undeniably lovely and stylish…but really my cup of tea. I think your mystery blue plant is Vitex…a.k.a. Chaste Tree.
I was awed by this garden but I think I was able to relate better to the one by Rebecca Sweet, as it was closer to what I was used to.
Ooops…that was supposed to be “NOT my cup of tea”…doh!
Scott’s right, the blue-flowered tree is a Vitex. Lovely pool and garden!
I loved the colors of this tree.
Scott beat me to it–I agree that the mystery tree is a Vitex. They really are pretty.
Yup, wish I could grow them here.
A perfect cure for the winter blahs! Lots of cool plants in this garden!
Absolutely.
Like you I’m not all that fond of succulents; they’re called ‘piante grasse’ (fat plants) in Italian which doesn’t add to their appeal. But in the right situation they look great – Right plant, right place say it all!
They’re not fat plants, they’re just plants with big bones.
It’s nice to see a hot and sunny garden in the middle of winter! I quite like succulents, but they have to suit their location and they clearly belong in that garden.
Yes, everything seemed to fit together and look “right” in that garden.
Hi Jason, lovely post and gorgeous garden, its grey and dreary here, so a perfect tonic. I like succulents too, I think its the reminder that nature is brilliant and diverse.
I wonder if it is ever grey and dreary in Palo Alto.
I love all those succulents and bold foliage plants. You can feel the heat sizzling in your photos.
Makes me want to put my feet back in the water.
I agree with Julie; this post is a wonderful antidote to the fog and mud of this morning. I used to share your distaste for succulents but I have changed my tune: There are so many fantastic textures and sculptural shapes that can be employed using these plants. In the right setting, they are perfection. I love how, in one of the photos above, a succulent (Aeonium?) is peeking around the masonry wall.
I like that picture with the Aeonium also. You can imagine it saying, “The coast is clear”! I do have Sedum, that’s a succulent I guess.
There were some great plants in this garden, but I was rather mystified by the strange curving standalone concrete walls. That was such a hot day.
Actually I liked those walls, I think they helped create some of the garden rooms and also were such a good foil for all the bold foliage.
I can feel the heat from here! Wow….I love the garden, it’s gorgeous. I love succulents too. I bet it was awesome dangling your feet in the water!xxx
The water felt incredibly good.
I ‘ve always liked succulents and cacti because they are so different and used to have quite a collection of them.
Inside, I assume.
Love that pool with all the plants creeping right on up to the edge, and nice to have such welcoming hosts. I’m not a huge fan of hot weather garden visits though. Once I heat up I’m done.
I agree, but once you fly out to another city, you gotta go see what you came to see. Or it seems that way to me.
You have to excuse the cat, Jason. As the day was very hot poor animal was hot in his fur coat! I love the photo with big ceramic vase and succulents, it’s really southern garden. Have a nice week!
Good point, Nadezda, but I’m not sure the cat would have been any friendlier even in good weather!
It certainly was hot and bright that day, but I really liked this garden and thought it was very liveable — various “rooms” and activity areas, all opening up from the house in a natural, organic way. And yes, the owners were very hospitable.
Oh, I remember that heat. I never expected the trip to be so warm.
Ah…it’s snowing here and seriously cold. Looking at these photos has made my morning – all that heat and sunshine! Citrus and succulents – gorgeous!