~ A somewhat autobiographical look at how plants have impacted my life ~
Chasing Waterfalls
I finally made it to Niagara Falls!
But we also visited many more waterfalls in the Finger Lakes area of New York State. But our primary goal was to visit Watkins Glen State park where there are 19 waterfalls in a 1.5 mile hike with over 900 steps. We also checked out other waterfalls near Ithaca and even paid a visit to the Cornell Botanic Gardens, marveling at the area’s natural wonders. The trip ended with touring gardens at the annual Garden Fling in Buffalo.
Three Tree Aloes
Kristin Law, a long-time friend on Facebook, sent me a message. Kristin specializes in landscape design and maintenance and owns “Law of Nature Garden Design.” Although we had never met in person, I was familiar with her through her numerous
Perth- Kings Park
I was eager to return to Western Australia ever since my visit in 2016, and one of the top places on my list was Kings Park. It boasts the largest collection of Western Australian plants globally, featuring over 3,000 native
Wireless Park- Western Australia
For years after a road trip that Scott and I did in Western Australia back in 2016, I’d wanted to return. I was totally blown away by the plants, scenery, animals and open spaces. This time since the planning and
Over the Moon
I don’t remember when I first noticed moon gates in gardens. However, viewing old photos from garden tours, I discovered a few. The earliest photo was on a Pacific Horticulture Society tour of gardens in the New York area in
Garden Fling 2025 – Memphis
In June, I attended my second Garden Fling of the year in Memphis, Tennessee. Last year’s event was in Seattle, and you can read my blog about it here Puget Sound Garden Fling 2024. Since 2008, the Fling has been
San Diego’s New Official Flower
It’s official. Blue-eyed grass is now the official flower of San Diego. From the April 22, 2025, San Diego Union Tribune: San Diego has a new city flower for the first time in 61 years. The City Council voted unanimously …
The Giant’s House – New Zealand
In November of 2024, my partner Scott and I spent 14 days with the Oregon Hardy Plant Society touring the gardens of New Zealand’s South Island. In my last blog, I wrote about the last garden on our tour, The
The Wild Dream Garden- New Zealand
This November, my partner Scott and I spent 14 days with the Oregon Hardy Plant Society touring the gardens of New Zealand’s South Island. We saw some incredible places and gardens, so many that it was nearly impossible to choose
Front Garden Refresh
In 1998, when we moved into our 1939 Spanish Colonial Revival house in Mission Hills, we found that despite having an acre of land, there was little space available for landscaping and planting. The only area suitable for this purpose
Garden Fling 2024 – Puget Sound
“What is The Fling? It sounds intriguing,” I’m glad you asked. Since 2008, The Fling has been an annual event organized by local bloggers, taking place in a different city each year and gathering garden writers and bloggers. It provides
Eclipse of the Bluebonnets
We were fortunate enough to be invited to a high school and college friend’s home near Austin to view the April 2024 total eclipse. Situated in the hills above Lake Travis and west of town, it was near the center
Baja California Norte
In April, Scott and I embarked on an unforgettable botanical expedition that took us on a 1000-mile journey from Tijuana to Cabo San Lucas to view the rare plant life in Baja, Mexico. Our group was composed of seven guests,