Wednesday, January 20, 2010

The Streets of Venice, CA

Part of my continuing series on our October trip to California…

Days on end of grey Portland skies and rain…I’m ready to head back down to sunny California, how about you? Considering the rainy weather in parts of California right now perhaps you Californians could use an escape too? I’m praying that the rain you‘re receiving does no harm and much good, replenishing empty reservoirs and removing any hint of fire season this year.I love Venice! (Italy & California) In this case the California version. The small (ok sometimes BIG) cottages and homes all have such personality and truly inspired gardens. Here are a few pictures of ones I spied during our walk around Venice. Tomorrow and Friday I’ll share a couple of the interesting shops we stepped into.
The man in the white shirt (below) is about to step through a door concealed in the horizontal wooden slats. I wanted to run up to him and beg and plead to be allowed to go up and check out the garden terrace. Doesn’t it just look wonderful?!
Across the street was this fabulous planting...
This translucent wall was about 8ft tall (if my memory serves). That would make the Papyrus what? Like 10-12ft tall? Amazing.
Check out the size of these Agave attenuata!
I just don’t get the wooden “bridge”. I’m sorry but this garden would be so much better without it.I wish Blue Senecio would grow in my garden. Doesn’t it just tie everything together so well?
Zone envy rears its ugly head again.

11 comments:

  1. Loree,
    I'm looking forward to your next few installments about your visit to Venice.
    I'm hoping to make it down for the annual Venice Open Garden Tour this year and would like to visit a few other interesting garden related shops while down there.

    Thanks for the inspirational post. Zone Envy Again!

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  2. I'm not sure what I admire more - the plants, most of which are house plants for us, or the way cool architecture. Perhaps it is how the two work together.

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  3. Loree! You look at ALL the right things!

    But I hope all these fab gardens haven't floated away ... it is an absolute DELUGE down here!
    Venice is the home base of one of my all-time garden heros, Jay Griffith, and the Austin based design firm Big Red Sun has an outpost there, so it is a HOTBED of incredible garden activity. I wish you could plant Senecio serpens, too! I LOVE it as a groundcover - it just puddles and makes everything around it look better. But that DRACENA in the shot made me drool! Mine is so wimpy in comparison!
    I have recently become obsessed with Cyperus. It makes such a great companion to our favorite dangerous plants, doesn't it? I am about to plant it everywhere...
    You have a Southern California soul, my friend!!!

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  4. Fabulous pics - wish my succulents look like that.

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  5. DD, Michelle...lucky you! I've checked that tour out online a few times and would love to go. Please promise to take lots of pictures! As Germi mentions below there is a Big Red Sun retail shop in Venice, I won't be posting about it until next week, I've got a couple of smaller shops to talk about today and tomorrow.

    Les, agreed! What a life.

    Germi, how is your garden holding up in the rain? I hope those lovely aloe blossoms aren't being washed away! We did make it to Big Red Sun, what a fun place and lovely people too. I just Googled Jay Griffith, wow! I'm going to have fun exploring his website, thanks! Ya agreed on the Dracena...amazing! If only...

    Evelyn, mine too!

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  6. Very cool! I've never seen a roof top garden in person but I always imagine them being rather romantic!

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  7. I always look forward to these hefty doses of escapism you hand out. Thanks!

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  8. Beautiful pics! Love the different uses of blue senecio. I feel kind of guilty, but it grows like a weed in my garden. A very cool weed :)

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  9. I will now console myself with our ability to find and grow papyrus as annuals. Sniff.

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  10. Aw, DG - your camera eye and your love of these plants always gladdens me.

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  11. Impressive. Urban gardening is really going to another level. :)

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