Plant places to go and plant things to see in our big beautiful world!
Any garden with a large wooden squid swimming through a field of grass is my kind of place. I’ve always had a fascination for these slippery cephalopods. It began with those stories of the giant squid that lurked in the depths of the oceans. As a kid I imagined huge monsters, as big as my bedroom with large glowing eyes and night black ink. I … Continue reading Swimming With the Squid at VanDusen Gardens
Today I had the privilege of visiting the beautiful VanDusen Botanical gardens in Vancouver, British Columbia. It’s only a few hours north of my home in Washington and what a great collection of plants! Here are a few preliminary pictures from this wonderful garden, including our botanical hero, Carl Linneaus, Calamagrostis and flying squid, and something I’ve wanted to see for a long time, the … Continue reading VanDusen Botanical Gardens
Visiting my family this week in St. George, Utah has been a lot of fun. The landscape is one hundred eighty degrees different than the Washington view. Here it’s red and dust, there it’s green and moist. Here it’s sparse and prickly, there it’s lush and mossy. The hot sun blazes too brightly in Southern Utah and in the Pacific Northwest it’s a soft warm … Continue reading Desert Arboretum
The Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibit in Seattle is beautiful and rare. The colors, the delicate lines and the immense size of some sculptures captivated me from the beginning. Dale Chihuly is a Northwest native and has created pieces of art on display worldwide. I especially liked the outdoor garden, with the complementary plantings and design. It showcased creative pairings of sculptures and plants. Who … Continue reading Chihuly Garden and Glass
I always enjoy visiting Molbak’s Nursery in Woodinville, and over the holidays the poinsettia display was exceptional. Who would have guessed that the first United States ambassador to Mexico would bring back this lovely plant in 1828? None other than Joel Roberts Poinsett, who brought cuttings back to his greenhouse in South Carolina. I really liked these displays, especially the pairings with other plants. … Continue reading Poinsettias
Rainyleaf 