Huntington Conservatory

Demi-botanist

Garden Style

The scene open in the backyard of a suburban home. A young girl is rocking out and watering the tomatoes . . . [music of Aerosmith off in the distance] . . . neighbors start clapping in unison and mailman begins to moonwalk. An explosion and a mic stand with head scarf magically appears . . .

Olivia's crop

Our succulent empire is growing

Garden Daze

Elaborate 19th-century grotto uncovered in a Gwent garden

Wouldn't it be great to discover a grotto on your property . . . ?

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Tim Smit at Heligan in Cornwall showed how effective the "lost garden" tag could be when you want to draw in the punters. John Harris at Dewstow House near Chepstow, Gwent, has an even more extraordinary story to tell about the man who lived in his house in Victorian times and the garden he made there. What on earth was in Henry Oakley's mind when in the 1890s he commissioned the well-known firm of James Pulham and Son to burrow under the croquet lawn of his modest villa, with its long views over the Severn estuary? For his client, Pulham created an underground world of caverns and passages, grottoes and waterfalls, pools, stalactites and boulders, all spookily lit by concealed shafts of light coming through grilles let into the lawn above. Why did this unusual place so quickly and completely disappear from people's memories? And how did John Harris, the down-to-earth, practical farmer who now lives at Dewstow, get drawn into this weird fantasy world of Oakley's? More

Bumper crop

The plums are gone and the asian pears have arrived. Any takers?

Agave Junction

Rosemary, artemisia, oregano, sage, agave, senecio, lantana & lemon tree. A few columnar juniper trees will soon be added and a large section of the lawn will be replaced with hens & chicks and some to be determined ground covers.

Cactus Gardens, Part 2

Cactus Gardens, Part 1

Most photography by O. Glazier / Edited by A. Glazier

Virtual Flowers

My 5-year-old had the best time planting a few flowers here. [shockwave needed]

One less thing to water

Roses are blooming

More pictures from the Huntington

Topiaria

Topiary poodle in North Hills, CA

And, beyond . . .

Name That Fungus

This white material is growing on a tree in our yard. Can you identify this unwelcome guest and how we might treat it? Click on photo to enlarge.