My sister Banu who lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has a lovely home and a beautiful garden. A lush and emerald green garden, it’s the greenest garden I’ve ever seen.
Continue reading Banu’s Emerald Green Philadelphia GardenTag Archives: Gardening
Swati & Tarak’s Italian Inspired Hillside Garden Retreat
Our friends Swati and Tarak have a beautiful home with an amazing Italian inspired hillside garden right here in the South Bay. This graceful terraced back yard is a wonderful representation of how you can transform a steep hill into a lovely lush green landscape filled with flowers, greenery, trees, and a fruit orchard.
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Edible Flower and Herb Embellished Goat Cheese
For her birthday Rani wanted to hang out with her friends in our garden. The timing was perfect, as I had just attended a book-signing event from authors Stefani Bittner & Alethea Harampolis on their new book Harvest. I was eager to try something from the book and Rani’s birthday picnic became the perfect opportunity to make a goat cheese recipe with edible flowers and herbs for this soiree.
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A Handful of Herbs by Barbara Segall, Louise Pickford and Rose Hammick
Sometimes you just want a pretty book you can get lost in. A book that is not heavy on writing but gives us just enough information to make us want to read more about the topic, maybe in another in-depth book or article.
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The Joy of Herb Gardening
Growing herbs at home is one of the most satisfying gardening tasks there is, and it’s extremely easy too. As beneficial as herbs are for all of us, what is many times overlooked is the joy that herb gardening brings even before we harvest these herbs for all their healthful uses. Within the large realm of gardening, herb gardening has its own therapeutic effects.
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Succulents
Aaah succulents… For years I never gave them a second look. I was too spellbound by flowering plants to bother with succulents. They were just green looking plants, what’s so special about these? I thought.
And then a serious drought hit California a few years ago. Drought resistant plants and all types of low-water requiring plants were available at the nurseries, and guess what? I kept seeing more and more succulents as an option for drought tolerant plants for our gardens. Gardening magazines were enticing gardeners with succulent gardens.
I started seeing succulents in beautiful floral arrangements and in gorgeous potted plant ensembles. Succulents were getting their just dues, they were being spotlighted everywhere. I had to pay attention now. They were looking pretty darn good, now that they were being used in lovely creative ways. I got intrigued. I started giving them a second glance. Continue reading Succulents
The Cheery Nasturtium
Looking for flowers that come in gorgeous shades of the sunset? Flowers that look like beautiful rays of sunshine? Try planting nasturtiums in your garden. Nasturtiums are the most cheerful looking flowers imaginable. With their vibrant bright yellow, orange, red, pink, and pale coral colored flowers, they brighten up any garden.
Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden. Old Palo Alto, California
Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden is a historic home and garden located in old Palo Alto, California. The story of how this lovely home became a historic home and garden can be credited to Ms. Elizabeth Gamble who lived in Palo Alto with her family. Continue reading Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden. Old Palo Alto, California
A Craving for Flowers. Fun Few Books on Flowers
I love flowers. Love, love, love them. If I could, I would eat flowers for dessert and live in a greenhouse surrounded by them. Sometimes I actually crave flowers. A craving for their lovely colors, textures, fragrance, and myriad flowerfull beauty. I especially crave flowers in the winter and early spring when my garden is still half-dormant. When I get a flower craving what I turn to are my books on flowers and gardening. Continue reading A Craving for Flowers. Fun Few Books on Flowers
Homegrown Potatoes
Growing potatoes at home is so easy, that I have to admit I was surprised at how a novice vegetable gardener like myself could grow potatoes from sprouts that had formed on my potatoes in my potato basket. Continue reading Homegrown Potatoes