Sunday, February 23, 2014

Magnolias .. Spring in the Bay Area

Magnolia sighting while strolling a lovely side street north of the Golden Gate Bridge:                                                                                 
A sure sign of Springtime in the San Francisco Bay Area!

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Point Lobos Vista


A day of hiking in California ... Point Lobos State Nature Reserve

Life is good.

"Walk Gently, Breathe Deeply, Reflect"

Monday, January 14, 2013

Adieu, My Sweet California Garden

Greetings my friends, 
today marks the 4th Year Anniversary of Bay Area Tendrils ...

It's a celebratory day, yet one that is bittersweet as I'm preparing to say farewell to my garden.
Perhaps the dearth of posts has hinted at a major life change on the horizon. 

And so, for the second time I am parting from a garden I've nurtured from the ground up, having worked for nearly 15 years to create a sanctuary space from scratch in Northern California. The Bay Area Tendrils archives tell the tale of my move from Chicago, where I left behind a beloved small-space town garden.
The Midwestern winters had taken their toll after decades of shoveling snow, together with the endless challenges of icy winters and a flat-roof building. The temperate climate of California held the promise of a kinder environment: Year-round gardening with a breathtaking palette of plant material.
In the past I've posted photos to illustrate the transition: The process of designing an outdoor room for relaxation, to share meals, and bask in the company of birds, bees and butterflies. But first, I would spend the better part of two years extricating brambles and shoveling out loads of rubble in preparation for planting. Digging deep, then mounding up a series of beds and borders filled with compost and fresh soil amendment. All toted back and forth, bag-by-bag in my Honda hatchback, along with pavers and plants to transform the blank slate into my own lush botanical wonderland. 

When I leave here I'll take a small selection of container plants: 
 Indispensable herbs like rosemary and lavender;
Cupheas to invite hummingbirds to my new balcony; 
Succulent beauties like Aeonium 'Schwarzkopf' & 'Sunburst.'

"The most noteworthy thing about gardeners is that they are always optimistic, always enterprising, and never satisfied.  The more one gardens, the more one learns; And the more one learns, the more one realizes how little one knows."   ~  Vita Sackville-West