For English and American travellers on the “Grand Tour” of Europe in the 19th century, Italy and most especially Florence, was the desirous destination of choice. The flower of the Renaissance, Florence offered not only intellectual pursuits in art and architecture, but also the promise of “la dolce far niente” (carefree idleness). Life was considerably less expensive in Florence for […]
One the the most beautiful and evocative private gardens in the United States has to be the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller gardens in Seal Harbor, Maine. Established after a visit to Asia in 1921, The Rockefellers brought back a treasure hoard in which to enrich their garden including a collection of imperial yellow roof tiles from the […]
Last Sunday, on a foggy morning in August, I took a walk through Crissy Field in the Presidio National Park. This year is the tenth anniversary of this parks restoration from abandoned airfield to the ecological treasure it is today. I knew before I went that the spectacular burst of spring wildflowers had long passed, and that […]
Planted smack dab in the middle of San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza is a demonstration garden of edible and ornamental plants that has the potential to not only create a radical shift in our food production, but a re-imagining of the garden itself. “Utopian ideas with real world applications” is the way that artist and designer Amy […]
Growing up on the Monterey Bay, we and most people we knew, referred to San Francisco simply as “The City”. A visit here was an exciting prospect; a time to get dressed up, to go shopping, to visit a museum or see a show. And of course, a chance to enjoy a delicious meal in […]
This morning I asked a few friends this question: ” What do you think of when I say the words wild strawberries?“ ”Pat and Pam both thought of the Ingmar Bergman film of the same name. ”It sounds like the name for a girl band”, said John. Josip and Ulla said it reminded them of their […]
In comparing the portrait of Marisot by Manet and the artist’s own self portrait, important differences can be discerned. Manet (not to be confused with Monet) depicts a woman of direct charm and beauty; a woman whose compelling qualities are set off by her costume all in black. There is an underlying eroticism at play here. […]
Le harem dans le Kiosque Jean-Léon Gérôme, 1870 In the vast estates and gardens of the European nobility, “follies” of Turkish tents and pavilions studded the landscape. Bal masques and tableaux vivants with Europeans in “Tatar” costume were among the lavish garden entertainments. Academic painters of the 19th century found a fascinated public who reveled […]
Connected to San Francisco by the Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito is protected from the marine winds of the Pacific by the Marin headlands. Tendrils of fog never quite reach the tumbling gardens overlooking the bay. Recently while strolling Sausalito’s many pedestrian footpaths, a resident affirmed the area has seven different micro-climates. In a section of Sausalito with verdant, old […]
Irises are a bulbous or rhyzomatous native to northern temperate regions all over the world. Their distinctive flowers consist of three inner petals or “standards” nested inside three outer petals or “falls”. But other than these characteristics, iris flowers vary enormously in terms of size and color. Irises are usually propagated through division. Divide every […]
