Lani’s Garden

– Posted in: Garden Adventures

  I hadn’t been to Lani Freymiller’s garden for nearly a decade—not since I covered homes, gardens, architecture and interior design for the San Diego Union-Tribune. Would it be as incredible as I remembered? So few gardens stand the test of time. The occasion was a visit from Bay Area designer Rebecca Sweet, and we[...]

The Exquisite, Elusive Spiral Aloe

– Posted in: Garden Adventures

Alan Beverly was fresh out of college and a Peace Corps volunteer when he discovered a plant that became a lifelong passion. Hiking the rugged mountains of Lesotho in central Africa, guided by “friendly, hardy Basotho people” (whose children shrieked with fear when they saw him, their first white man), he “found Aloe polyphylla perched[...]

Oh, My, Aeoniums!

– Posted in: Garden Adventures

When in Orange County recently, I stopped by a nursery I’d heard about—the Dana Point Nursery on Pacific Coast Highway in Dana Point. I experienced it through my camera, and lost track of time. I shot a lot of cool plants and container combos, but the aeoniums were my favorites. Aeoniums are native to the[...]

Santa Fe Inspirations

– Posted in: Garden Adventures

Recently in Santa Fe, New Mexico, I saw outdoor design ideas that were clever, entertaining and a little quirky. (A little Albuquerque, too—more about that later.) Like this vignette at a Canyon Road gallery: a painting paired with annuals. Don’t want to hang your outdoor oil painting on the wall? Prop it on an easel.[...]