Wednesday, December 9, 2009

West Sacramento: Drought Tolerant Landscaping

I recently gave a talk on drought tolerant landscaping for the City of West Sacramento and they filmed it! It’s available on their website:

Caring for Plants During the Cold Months

It’s cold!!

Quite quickly we went from mild fall temperatures to snow as low as Loomis! My roses are still blooming and have many new buds on them. But, the time has come to make adjustments to the irrigation clock and to cutback the roses.


What I have noticed is that once an irrigation timer is installed on a job site, there is a belief that the client will no longer have to worry about water issues... though this is not the case. In Sacramento our temperatures range from extreme highs to lows. Having 20 degrees days in early December and then reaching 112 degrees in the summer, it’s important to regulate landscape water.


When I know that we will be getting rain, I turn my irrigation system off. If it’s cold but not raining, I keep the water on a regular schedule - even if it’s just for 5 minutes a day. This is especially important when we get freezing temperatures. The plants MUST have water during a frost, or else they will die. The water keeps the roots supple and prevents them from drying out. It may take a sticky note on the door to remind you to adjust your clock, do whatever you need. It’s a terrible waste of water to have the irrigation system running during the rain!



Speaking of plant care during freezing temperatures: There are a few plants that will need protecting during heavy frosts. Most of our citrus here in Sacramento will do fine, although if the temperatures stay at freezing during the day, for many days at a time, I would recommend putting sheets over the trees and some plants. Do not use plastic! Water collects on the plastic and freezes. Use sheets or purchase special landscape cloth that is made specifically for frost, sold at nursery centers. Bird of Paradise, Banana trees and Cannas (which will turn brown and look dead in the winter with severe cold - it can be cut to the ground, and in the spring it will be back) will need either covering or little christmas lights woven around them. I find the christmas lights are easier (and it sort of fits for the time of year). I normally do not have Bougainvillea as part of my plant palette, but if you have it, wind christmas lights through it and cover it with a sheet to keep it warm. I have a Brugmansia (Angel Trumpet) that I love, and I currently have christmas lights around it and it’s is doing fine.

Time to Prune!

December and January are the months to prune roses. If you are unsure about the process, there are many workshops that demonstrate how to do it. Check the calendar in the Garden section of the Sacramento Bee, and also check with local nurseries like Capital Nursery and Windmill Nursery... they may have classes as well.


I heavily prune my climbing roses. They are vigorous growers, and if you don’t prune them hard, in the spring they will grow too heavy for their supports (with all of their buds and blossoms).


Crape Myrtles require major pruning as well, and they will produce better blooms in the summer after a good winter prune. This is one of the few non-fruiting trees that need pruning. For your fruiting trees, UC Davis has a wonderful website, the California Backyard Orchard that has information and classes on just about every type of fruit you can grow - and how to prune them! It’s worth browsing. Again - in a time of economic fluctuations growing fruit and vegetables makes sense; plus it’s fun and gratifying.

Sacramento Magazine will be Featuring one of my landscapes!


One of my garden’s will be featured in the February, 2010 issue Sacramento Magazine! In July of 2006 Charlie and Valerie Sumner hired me to design their backyard. They wanted an outdoor fireplace and cooking area. The result was a breathtaking outdoor room, really, an extension of their home. After three and half years the garden has filled in beautifully. Their new landscape no longer has a lawn, it’s colorful all year round and requires very little maintenance. I am so excited to be able to share their yard in such a public way!

A Dog that makes a wonderful pet...requiring NO care


I was recently up in Apple Hill buying apples when I came across the artist Mary Ellen Garcia. She creates animals and people out of stone! I loved this little dog who weighs a lot more than a real dog of it’s size. Garcia can create almost anything in stone for the garden. I will be featuring her work at the Home and Landscape Expo in January, on the 29th, 30th & 31st. (I will have more information on the show next month.) If you are interested in a whimsical piece for your garden, you can contact her at: (530) 644-2474.



Monday, November 23, 2009

Group Effort: Habitat for Humanity housing in Sacramento

Grand opening for Habitat Housing!

These houses are not free - they are low-income and offered at a 0% interest rate but the homeowner still pays the mortgage, taxes and insurance. Many different groups volunteered to build these homes and each family had to put in 500 hours of work on the house, not mention all of the qualifications involved. On the day of the dedication, the Young Democrats were putting up the framing for the next house. The Peace Corps. and many others spend time on the project.


These four homes on Forrest Street, Sacramento, is Habitat's first multi-unit endeavor. I designed all of the yards, and they are all drought-tolerant with no lawn and very little maintenance.


These homes made Gold Standard in the LEED Certification (Leadershiop in Energy and Environmental Design). This project shows that homes can be built on a very small budget and also be energy efficient. It should be noted however that PG&E donated the solar collectors that run the A/C unit. These are extremely expensive, and without the donation, the houses would not have them.



One of the families

(After handing them a bouquet of flowers)



Sunday, November 8, 2009

Rosalind Creasy and Edible Gardens

Last Sunday I attended a lecture and slide show by Rosalind Creasy. Creasy is a landscape designer whose focus is on creating edible landscapes. She has written many books on the subject. Her earliest book, The Complete Book of Edible Landscaping was written about 27 years ago. I overheard one woman in the crowd saying that it can be had on Amazon for $600.00! (I saw that a new copy sold for $93 on Amazon though) Creasy has many books that are quite reasonably priced. She has published books on herb gardens, salad gardens, French gardens, Italian gardens, heirloom tomatoes, flowers, rainbow vegetables (as in “colorful”), peppers, Asian and Mexican style gardens (I purchased The Edible Mexican Garden).


I was very inspired by her presentation. It is important to be clear about the time and maintenance an edible garden requires... which is a lot. However it can be more than worth the time and effort to adopt Creasy's ideas and incorporate them into your own garden. Many of my clients have made room in their yard for small vegetable plots or vegetables planted in raised beds. It’s amazing how much you can grow in a small space. John Jeavons has written a book called, How to Grow More Vegetables that gives great advice on how to plant intensively and reap abundant harvests from small spaces.

Creasy pointed out that she grows peanuts and sesame bushes, paprika that she swears by (saying that [compared to the quality she gets from her plants] the brown powder you buy in the store is not worth the money or the packaging!) I took home a catalogue called the Seed Savers Exchange - that has a variety of organic seeds far beyond that of small nurseries or catalogues. Visit the site to order a catalogue.

Friday, November 6, 2009

My Garden



What I am doing with my garden:


After hearing Rosalind Creasy speak I was excited by all of the possible edibles I could plant. I decided to plant bok choy, a mix of lettuces, broccoli, purple cauliflower (from Peaceful Valley Farms), as well as cabbage and arugula for my winter garden. I’m still harvesting the last of my golden cherry tomatoes and eggplant. As a staple in the garden, I have artichokes and chard growing, along with marjoram, rosemary, thyme, oregano, pears, and mandarine oranges.


On another note, soon I will be pulling up my dahlias and transplanting them to my garden borders to create more room in my beds. I will also pull up and transplant my strawberries to containers where I can better regulate the slug population...it’s all out war over who gets my strawberries! I am going to go over to the nursery and pick up a couple of blueberry bushes (you generally need more than one to cross pollinate), because I love blueberries and the shrubs are lovely - although deciduous.


In a time when the economy is looking bleak and so many people are working fewer hours and therefore contributing less to household income it makes sense to become self-sustainable (at least more so). There is plenty that we can do: grow more of our own food, catch rain water to recycle in our gardens and garden to reduce stress! I love to be out in my garden, especially after long hours at my desk. I love to wander around the beds and check what’s growing...

Rain Water


Remember the children’s song “Rain, rain, go away, come back another day!”? Well, it looks like we have to change the lyrics to “rain, rain, come again!” California’s water supply is short.


We did get a rather large amount of rain over a two day period last month...said to have blown in from a bigger storm overseas. When I heard that rain was coming I decided that this time I would catch it and use it for my garden... why not?


I went over to The Home Depot and purchased two 55 gallon plastic trash bins with lids ($13.89 each), and two 20’x 4” ABS (plastic) drains. I removed the downspout from my gutters and attached the ABS drain (using wire to hold it in place), and then positioned the trash bins under the spout with the drains leading into them. The rain started somewhere after midnight. By 8:00 a.m. the next morning my trash bins were overflowing, I could have filled 10 of them!


I learned something important: I could catch enough water during the winter months to water my entire garden all summer. That’s the idea. Implementing a system that makes it worthwhile however seems to be a little more complicated, namely, hooking up a pressurized irrigation system to the water tanks. The trash bins that I used were fine to catch the water, but now I have to use a bucket to move the water from the bin to my watering can. I use the water only for my potted plants which are close to the source...otherwise I would have to haul it to the back of the yard and that’s a lot of work.


Emigh Hardware sells an 80 gallon holding tank with a screen on the top and a hose spigot on the bottom. Attaching a hose makes it much easier to water plants, a more ideal solution. Still, any type of irrigation system requires water pressure to force the water out of the ends of the pipe. This pressure normally comes from the water main and therefore would have to be supplanted by a pump in my water barrel system.

A client of mine contacted Gutterglove Company who installs special gutters that filter water caught in gutters and then dumps it into a holding tank. The tank sizes vary depending on how much you pay. Unfortunately, the representative from Gutterglove had no idea how to hook up a pressurized irrigation system with a hose. My client is contacting another company, and hopefully they will know how to do it.


Many people are starting to implement their own gray water systems. A system of using use the recycled household water (showers and sinks) to water their garden. The water also goes into a tank (instead of the sewer system) and gets some filtration, and then is pumped out to the garden. These systems are used for particular areas of the garden.


All of these methods are worth checking into. Next month I’ll post the findings on hooking up a system to irrigate, using pressure, from caught water. For now, consider buying a holding tank from the hardware store that will allow you to catch water and hook up a hose. It’s very satisfying to water your garden from water that came naturally, and not from the usual source that you paid for!


Sunday, October 4, 2009

Fall Part 1: Masks

Fall is Here!


The Autumn equinox came and went (september 22nd this year) and still Sacramento continued to bake at around 100° temperatures. Then suddenly we had a blissful 70° day and the hint of a breeze - fall is around the corner! While digging through my old files I came across an article from Martha Stewart’s Living magazine that I tore out back in 1997:




The article was on Halloween and gave a quick how-to on creating masks using leaves and petals. My daughter and I were completely smitten with the project - we thought, what a great way to display the fall colors! My daughter and her friend made the masks for Halloween and they came out beautiful. We purchased one of those half-face, unadorned masks as a template and then glued the leaves right on. Honestly, when they were finished they were art pieces. We sprayed them with a clear varnish (get this at a craft store) to protect them and after they had served their purpose as costume pieces we put them in a keep-sake frame. My daughter still has hers, it has held up amazingly well over the past twelve years.



Fall Part 2: Butterflies!


On another rather surprising autumn note, in late September my Passion Vine was the birth place of over 100 vibrant butterflies. I was concerned to see so many of them so I went online to see if there was someone who could tell me more about them. I found a website that identifies butterflies so I emailed a picture of my butterfly colony and the caterpillar. That same day a man named Ken Davenport responded telling me that my butterflies were called Gulf Fritillaries (Agraulis vanillae). He said that they are from the tropical family and they generally live in Southern California. He also mentioned that they migrate from “permanent populations in the San Joaquin Valley and Bay Area [to Sacramento]” and that are sometimes brought into the area via imported nursery stock. When Ken lived here in Sacramento years ago he never saw a Gulf Fritillary himself. They can be pests to some gardeners, but mainly they are a delight to butterfly enthusiasts. Aside from chewing off every leaf on my passion vine (which doesn’t worry me a bit because it will come back), they haven’t touched anything else so I fit into the delighted category and am feeling fortunate to play host to the butterflies. Watching them is like seeing little fairies dressed up in bright orange dresses flitting around the garden!

Fall, part 3: Speaking Events and pruning

I have also begun to think about the season’s growth in the garden and what will need pruning. It is still early to cut back the ornamental grasses, not until they go dormant or straw-colored will they need a clipping. Fall is the time to plant bulbs so I will have to make some decisions on what I want to see come spring. My tomatoes are still producing fruit as are my eggplants and salad greens. By the way, don’t forget to plant more salad greens for the fall and winter. I found six-packs at Emigh Hardware.


Speaking of Emigh Hardware, I will be giving two presentations there on October 17th at 10:00 a.m. and another at 12:00 noon . This time we will be indoors in their Casual Living building, so there will be plenty of room and a large screen to view the presentation. Along with me will be a representative from Rainbird, bringing drip irrigation components. He will explain how and what to use for a drip system as well as have a table for hands-on working. Emigh prefers to have people RSVP so that they can accommodate for everyone, so if you’re planning on coming, give them a call: (916) 482-1900


On that same day that I will be speaking at Emigh is the UCDavis Arboetum’s plant sale: Saturday, October 17th from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. This is a great opportunity to buy plants that you may not have seen before. They have a lot of natives and drought tolerant species - it’s worth checking out... I’d love to, but I’ll be presenting! On the website you will find a list of what plants will be sold, directions and a map.


Finally a quick note on the bulbs you will start seeing in nurseries about now: Daffodils, Tulips, Narcissus, Crocus and more. Interesting fact:

The Crocus - the Crocus Sativa, are the flowers that produce the tiny yellow/orange stigmas - not the stamen - that are hand-picked and dried to make Saffron. An estimated 75,000 blossoms are needed (225,000 stigmas) to produce one pound of saffron! Saffron has been used by many ancient cultures including the Sumerians, Phoenicians, Minoans, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, and Persians. The saffron powder is used in medicines, perfumes, flavoring and as a dye.http://waynesword.palomar.edu/ecoph3.htm#saffron



Enjoy the cooler weather and changing colors of October!

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Vines in the Garden

Hey look!

…Thumbing through the new September Sunset Western Garden magazine I read an article (page 54) addressing readers’ questions regarding vines that can be planted near the house, and lo and behold, a picture of my very own rose arching over my front door was pictured!


I have a few thoughts on vines:

First of all, the rose over my front door is a Cecil Brunner. It is lovely when it blooms, really showy, but it only blooms once a year in the spring. During the rest of the year I have to prune back the new wandering branches and stocks as they will completely obstruct my entry if I let them! But this rose is merely child’s play when it comes to vines. For instance - Wisteria, Trumpet Vine (Campsis Radicans), Passion Flower (see picture), Ipomea (Morning Glory) and the Lady Banks Rose can all grow 30 feet high or wide! Be careful not to plant them close to other trees because they will climb and overtake their foliage.

Wisteria will eventually grow a trunk the size of a tree, as will the Trumpet vine. Make sure that you have strong supports, and preferably metal (any wood support will eventually rot, not to mention it’s practically impossible to manage with vines growing on it).

Ipomea, or Morning Glory, is beautiful in bloom but it will go dormant in the winter, looking weedy and dead. Also once you have it watch out - it’s hard to get rid of!

Great all ‘round vines are: Solanum jasminoides (potato vine), Hardenbergia and many of the Jasmines. Carolina jasmine too, but keep in mind that this vine gets very big and full – make sure you have enough space.


Clematis
HardenbergiaTrumpet VineLadybanks RoseWisteria




Planting for the Fall



The other day one of my friends emailed me asking what she should plant for the fall and where she could by seedlings.

Some of the local Sacramento nurseries will carry cool-weather vegetable seedlings, but large stores like Home Depot and Lowe’s will not. A great source for organic vegetable seedlings and seeds is Peaceful Valley Farms. They have a store in Grass Valley, take a little drive and visit them.

Some cool weather vegetables are: Garlic, shallots, Oriental Greens, Mustard Greens, Mâche (European variety – delicious!), Spinach and some herbs such as Cilantro and Dill.

Fall is also the time for planting cover crops. I like to plant Crimson Clover (also available in bulk from Peaceful Valley Farms). In the spring the clover produces bright red flowers, and when it’s done blooming I turn the crop under and the clover brings oxygen to the soil. Fall is also time to plant wildflowers and bulbs. You’ll see bulbs available at most of the big stores and nurseries.

If you don’t want to bother with a winter garden, you can cover your beds with the fallen leaves and put the garden “to sleep”. In the spring, turn the leaves under, as many of them will have composted.

Late fall and early winter is the time to cut back your ornamental grasses. They will turn a straw color. Make sure to cut them back before the spring and the new growth comes in.

And finally…it’s cooling down so enjoy your garden! We are fortunate to have mild weather all the way through October and into November, and it’s lovely to have meals in the garden.

On a trip to Germany, roughly ten years ago, we saw this stunning show of Boston Ivy covering a building...


As a side note - check out these vertical gardens. They are not exactly vines, but plants planted on the vertical faces of buildings. While I was in Paris last summer I saw a building done by this particular designer and I was thrilled!

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Herbs in the Garden

Did you know that many of the plants in your landscape are actually herbs and have medicinal qualities? Most of them make delicious teas…

Let’s start with the common landscape/drought tolerant plant:


Lavender: Lavender is good for women’s and children’s health, nervous system conditions, pain relief and it is also a great herb for the skin. Many companies are now selling lavender seed heads to scent the laundry while drying; packets to throw in the bath and many organic cleansers use pure lavender oil. According to the book Growing 101 Herbs That Heal, lavender can be used for a myriad of things: an infusion, tincture, cider vinegar tincture, syrup, compress, poultice, elixir, ointment, salve, cream, balm foot soak, sleep pillow, bath herb, infused oil, honey, butter, suppository liniment, and insect repellent.


Passion Flower: This is a vine: This vine will take off, reaching heights of 30 feet! Be careful where you plant it because it will invade and climb trees. Passion Flower is a strong sedative and a nervine. It can be used an infusion (tea), to make a syrup, a compress, foot soak or for the bath. Use flowers, fruit and top leaves, fresh or dried.


Lemon Verbena: This shrubby plant smells like lemon candy and makes a delicious tea! It is frost tender, so make sure it gets some protection during the winter. Mine is in the back corner of the garden and has made it through the winters so far. You can use it as a calming digestive tea and as a calming sleep herb. It is also a common ingredient in herbal insect repellents. Use the leaves and flowers fresh or dried.


Dandelion: I know, they’re weeds! However…it is considered a whole-body tonic and medicinal action in nearly every body system! It is especially recognized for it’s benefit to the liver, urinary tract, and skin. If you don’t want their weediness in your garden though, you can buy bunches of dandelion greens at the market.


Feverfew: This is not traditionally a landscape plant. Mine came as a gift from some bird or the wind (?) But when it’s in bloom, it’s full of little daisy-like flowers, white with yellow middles. I like using them in flower arrangements. Medicinally, Feverfew is used primarily to treat headaches – especially migraines. You can make a tea with it, an apple-cider vinegar tincture, syrup, medicinal food or a balm.



Purple Cone Flower: Not only is this perennial lovely in the garden with it’s big purple flowers and dark centers, but it’s also great for colds and flu, immune support, and respiratory and skin conditions. Look for it in tinctures or combined with other supplements at Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods.


A few more common garden herbs:

Rosemary – an antioxidant

Oregano – an antiseptic for the skin

Nepeta – Catmint (your cat will love it) but is also considered a sedative and is good for colds and flu.




Here are some of my favorite herb references and guides:

Growing 101 Herbs That Heal: Gardening Techniques, Recipes and Remedies, by Tammi Hartung

Wise Concoctions: Natural Elixirs and Tonics for Health and Energy, by Bonnie Trust Dahan

Rosemary Gladstar’s Family Herbal: A guide to living life with Energy, Health and Vitality, by Rosemary Gladstar

A couple of recipes



“Hot Ginger-Echinacea Lemonade”

A recipe from Growing 101 Herbs That Heal

This tea is a great expectorant and a sore throat soother. Also, it tastes good.


2 cups boiling water

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger root

1 teaspoon dried echinacea flowers or roots

(find these at herbs stores or online)

Juice of 1 freshly squeezed lemon

1 teaspoon honey


In a bowl or teapot, pour the boiling water over the echinacea and ginger root. Cover and steep for 10-15 minutes. Add the lemon juice and boney and stir. Serve warm.




Zucchini-Banana Bread

As a side note, I thought I would add a recipe to help take care of all of those monstrous zucchinis growing in your garden. This is adapted from a few different recipes.


1 cup sugar

2 eggs

3 cups flour

2-3 cups grated zucchini

3 ripe, mashed bananas

2 tablespoons oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon cinnamon and nutmeg

1 tablespoon vanilla



Preheat the oven to 350 F. Mix the butter, sugar, and vanilla in a bowl. Beat in the eggs, oil, then the bananas and shredded zucchini and spices. Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. Combine dry ingredients with the wet. Place in a well greased glass pan. Cook for 45 minutes to an hour. Because of the bananas and zucchini, this bread will be moist verging on pudding. Let cool before eating.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Summer Pleasures

Having lived in Sacramento for nearly thirty years now, Roberta has learned to survive the grueling summers by way of air-conditioning, cool bodies of water and innumerable glasses of lemonade. This summer she has decided to elaborate on her heat escaping schemes here on this blog. We have compiled a very short list of Sacramento eateries that can provide a shady spot in the garden to enjoy a meal or a coffee. Over the next couple of months you will find a smattering of these garden related articles to match the season. It is an experiment, so bare with us. We would love to hear your feedback and suggestions. Enjoy!

the Tower Cafe





Tower Café:

www.towercafe.com


1518 Broadway

Sacramento

Sun-Thurs: 8am - 11pm

(desserts and drinks from 10pm-11pm)

Fri- Sat 8am - 12am

(desserts and drinks from 11pm-12am)



The Tower Café is a local treasure, something to keep in ones pocket when friends ask what to do in the city. Between the consistently tasty food to the titillating décor to the rare and head turning garden, the Tower café has no equal within one hundred miles. As soon as we get close Roberta starts to make note of the garden, like an emerald mirage floating in heat waves and concrete. There is always something to have piqued her attention anew – a particularly full Acer, yet another gigantic cerulean pot, more topiary junipers… We marvel at the lushness of this little oasis and the genius that has gone into it.

The Tower Café, opened in 1990, is named after the Tower Drugs store that once occupied the space that the cafe took over. The Tower franchise of the Solomon family: Tower Books, Tower Records, etc., was born from this same Tower Drugs store. The Tower café and the adjacent theater are both memorial to and singular survivors of the Tower legacy. The theater was built during a moment of the uninhibited and curvaceous lines of Art Deco - making it the oldest theater still functioning in Sacramento, né 1938. Today the Tower theater plays independent flicks and it was there that I first saw and fell in love with Amélie. At ten o’clock pm when the movie finished, the café was still open for coffee and dessert - the décor of the café offering an appropriate follow up to the fantasy of a movie.

There is not a corner of the Tower Cafe that is not host to a gaggle of competing sculptures. the devotees of innumerable creeds, cast in concrete and wood, pray and genuflect amid ficus trees, orchids and busts of Frida Kahlo. The ceiling is hung with lanterns and streamers, wall hangings, tapestries and vases with four foot sprays of gladiolas - a cavern of chlorophyl stalagmites and woven stalactites. The motif is undeniably South American with a twist of the indiscriminate antiquarian. There is an air of the English study brimming with stolen goods and appropriated culture – it’s rich, decadent. The idea is for the cafe to be “Sacramento’s own little global village”. The cuisine is also a mélange of tender appropriation and imagination: Mexican hot chocolate in a four-inch saucer, “Eggs Tower” - a version of the classic Benedict, the “Greek” breakfast, Chile Relleno, Chinese chicken or Brazilian Chicken salads.

Naturally Roberta and I sit outside whenever possible, even if it means asking for a heat lamp to be turned on in the early morning. The patio, or garden area, is brick. The tables totter in the middle of this patio, surrounded by a dense planting that shields the patrons from the road. A fence of Italian Cypress towering thirty feet high, Acers (Japanese Maples), Thujas, Elephant Ear, Yucca, tree ferns and a giant Cedar comprise the verdant wall, all of which is belted by a delicate metal fence covered in Morning Glories. Sitting amid this hand forged jungle it is easy to forget that one is practically swimming upstream a Sacramento thoroughfare at the corner of Broadway and sixteenth street. The Tower café is a magical urban grotto of lush indulgence, local history and sumptuous food. Take comfort in their ambience that transcends, as if by magic, the harsh seasons.

the Coffee Garden


Coffee Garden:

www.thecoffeegarden.com

(916) 457-5507


2904 Franklin Blvd.

Sacramento

Mon- Sat 6am-11pm

Sun 7am-10pm


You may have overlooked the stucco façade of the Coffee Garden on first pass. It is camouflaged by a lack of décor common in most Sacramento strip-malls. A string of lights and a few potted palms have been placed outside the front door, something like balloons tacked to a mailbox, signaling that there is more going on inside than meets the eye.

Beyond the deceptive exterior there is indeed more to be had. Inside the Coffee Garden there is a jumble of small tables, comfy chairs and artwork all higgledy-piggledy about the room. The jolly staff is helpful - quick to make drinks and answer questions.

Roberta and I visited on a mild Wednesday afternoon. We ordered and took our enormous cups, overflowing with foam, to the back garden. We found a table in the courtyard which is carpeted by decomposed granite and skirted by a vine-covered fence. The foliage is mainly comprised of plants in pots – tropical ferns, palms, orchids, and hibiscus. The owner and gardener had been an exotic plant dealer before opening the Coffee Garden.

We sipped our coffee, contentedly swaddled in the back-yard atmosphere. The muffled crunch of footsteps on decomposed granite, a low murmur from the patrons and a diverse family of flora to keep our eyes moving over the landscape made for a lovely setting. The Coffee Garden made our list of public gardens to escape to during the summer.

High-Hand Nursery





High-Hand Nursery

(916) 652-2065

www.highhand.com


3750 Taylor Rd.

Loomis, CA 95650

Open: Mon-Sat 9am-5pm

Sun 9am-4pm


This is undoubtedly the Disney Land of nurseries. We went to High-Hand – the name references a high-hand in cards - for lunch on a Sunday afternoon and found it bursting with people. The restaurant structure resembles a barn converted to a solarium. The walls on two sides are open to the nursery and the entire thing is topped in glass. Bright yellow and orange umbrellas dapple a completely outdoor section of seating and inside old world charm competes with new world functionality - rolling metal doors lock down the facility when it is shut. Upon arriving we were handed a beeper as the host told us that we should expect a twenty minute wait. Neither of us was upset, we were looking forward to exploring the nursery.

The grounds, departing from the restaurant to cover a broad expanse of land, looks more like Pleasantville on steroids than a plant nursery. There are fully grown trees with black Mondo grass and Sedum Ogon tumbling from their planters. Shrubs are stacked like presents in a tantalizing array of colors and shapes - like a Bengal Tiger rooming with a King Penguin these specimens share living quarters for the sake of the show, in blatant disregard of natural order. We were startled by a life-size bronze boy pushing a cart through a patch of petunias. Even someone with no interest in plants could appreciate this show. We explored the isles of Echinacea and Acorus grass, bright red Roses and yellow Peonies. Across the yard we came to another barn-like structure that contained mountains of ceramic pots in glistening umbers and navy blues. By the time our buzzer went off we were dizzy from all of the marveling we had done.

The food however, was not to be upstaged. I was prepared to bet that the ambience had taken precedence over the cuisine, likely relegated to a third rate chef and iceberg lettuce. Me of little faith – our lunch, much of it grown on location – was delicious. My green-bean salad in pesto was delicate and well thought out. Roberta’s prawn salad was equally fresh and interesting. It is rare to be able to interact with nature and a garden while dining out. High Hand offers a uniquely intimate experience - eating in the midst of a nursery, flanked by the grounds growing supplying our meal. I was pleasantly surprised by the whole experience.