Great Gardens Make Good Neighbors, Part 2

Change of plans: this post will not be about Brent and Becky’s Bulbs catalog, but I will get to them in the near future. Instead I want to write about the garden of Linda Ernst, who has developed an inspiring garden that is linked, front and back, with that of her close friend and neighbor …

Great Gardens Make Good Neighbors

On the last day of the Garden Bloggers Fling we visited adjoining gardens planted by two close friends and neighbors, Joni Ernst and Linda Fuller. This was back in July, you may recall, in Portland OR. I like my own neighbors, but it would be a special kind of heaven to have the next lot …

The Getty Center

On the day after Christmas we visited the Getty Center, which includes an art museum, research institute, and conservation institute. However, we went primarily to see what was going on outside the buildings, not inside. The Getty Center is a popular destination in LA, which means that it draws massive hordes of people and long …

LA’s Historic Downtown

We spent the Tuesday before Christmas in historic downtown Los Angeles. It wasn’t what I expected. In downtown LA I expected tall gleaming modern buildings, like in the opening scenes from “LA Law” (remember that show?). Actually, downtown LA feels more retro than futuristic. Daniel explained to me that Los Angeles is “polycentric” – practically …

More from the Huntington Library

I just didn’t get to spend enough time at the Huntington Library. We were probably there for only three to four hours total. The place is HUGE. Most of our time we spent at the Desert Garden. However, the grounds have 12 distinct gardens spread over 120 acres. Not everything was fabulous. This scene with …

Desert Garden at the Huntington Library

Some time ago I wrote a post about why I don’t plant succulents in my own garden. Ever since then, I have felt the presence of an invisible host waiting to pounce and shout, “Aha! Now you admit the error of your ways!” We saw the Desert Garden at the Huntington Library on the Monday …

A Vision Made Real: Watts Towers

We visited the Watts Towers on the Sunday before Christmas. Watts Towers are the remarkable creation of an immigrant tile setter named Simon Rodia, who worked on them from 1921 to about 1954. There are seventeen towers and other structures on the property, the largest being about 90′ tall. The towers were created entirely by …

What We Had for Christmas Dinner

When we take our family Christmas trips, we try to cook a Christmas dinner that reflects to some degree the region we are visiting. Since we rent a house, it’s no problem to cook for ourselves. We do a little research to figure out the menu. In the case of Los Angeles, we decided on …

Hollywood Farmer’s Market

So on our first day in Los Angeles we went to the Hollywood Farmers’ Market. I’ve been told that farmers’ markets are part of the LA lifestyle, and this was the closest to where we were staying. I admit to being a little jealous of people who can go to to outdoor farmers’ markets throughout …

Greetings from the Huntington’s Desert Garden

We’re heading back to Chicago tomorrow, today we’re going to the Getty Center. The Huntington Library gardens were a highlight of the trip. More after we return, of course.