Spending time in the Pacific Northwest provides an important contrast to my Southern California Wild Suburbia. Wild Suburbia is sunny, hot, and dry. It is aromatic, gray and tan. The sun is strong and bright, even harsh. The Pacific Northwest has its own magic. It is a land of tall trees, ferns, and mosses. Sunlight
Pacific Northwest Nature Garden
Pacific Northwest Cottage Garden
It has been foggy here on Orcas Island in the San Juans. I woke to thick mist, the sound of fog dripping from conifer trees, and the low, melancholy song of fog horns. Once I woke up, I remembered that following the flurry of blog posts on drip irrigation in June (Irrigation basics, Controllers, Drip
Winter
Twenty winters have passed since we moved to Southern California, and my blood – thin to start with – has only gotten runnier. I know this because we are spending a few weeks this December in the Pacific Northwest. We packed our winter coats, sweaters, long-sleeved shirts, gloves, hats, and scarves. Temperatures here have been in
Oregon white oak
Oregon white oak restoration project on Orcas Island
Starting a new garden
Starting a new garden is big. It fills me with enthusiasm, excitement, and joy. However, this act of optimism has another side. In a time when Facebook highlights only the positive moments and feelings of our lives, let’s be honest, the enthusiasm, excitement, and joy we post about is usually accompanied by nervousness, weariness, and
Orcas Island Garden Tour
Garden tour of five special gardens featured by Orcas Island Garden Club
New beginnings
Missed this week’s brutal heatwave. Instead, my husband and I are spending our first days and nights on Orcas Island in our new vacation home. We took possession last Wednesday and will be returning to So Cal next Wednesday. It has been very exciting but beneath it all I have the nagging feeling that I am