I will be the first to admit it (but I’m not alone!) that I’ve become a slave to my gardens. For years I added gardens to the landscape. There was always room for just one more plant, right? But I started noticing the joy I used to feel when puttering in my gardens had started [...]
Proven Winners
Talavera, Mexico’s Colorful Pottery
March 5, 2012 – Posted in: Garden AdventuresWhenever I see Talavera I’m transported to a sun-drenched climate and a culture unafraid of color. The hand-painted majolica-like pottery from Mexico comes in a vast array of platters, dinnerware and vessels for holding everything from casseroles to cacti. Of course, the challenge with any decorated pot is that it’ll call attention to itself at the expense of what [...]
Ushio’s Petunias
April 13, 2010 – Posted in: Garden AdventuresAs we sat beneath shade cloth on a warm spring day in Bonsall, CA, Ushio Sakazaki told me how he became the world’s premier breeder of petunias. The occasion was Pack Trials, and I was there to cover the event for the San Diego Union-Tribune. Milling about us were nursery owners and buyers for garden centers [...]