Friday, February 17, 2017

Visiting her Piece of Eden

Once I'd committed to accompanying Andrew on his work trip to Los Angeles then my brain started working overtime...what else could I see!? Hmmm...maybe I could visit Hoov's garden, you know...Piece of Eden? It's kind of nervy to just contact someone out of the blue and ask to stop by, but heck, I'd done it before and it worked out wonderfully (here, here and here...just to name three), so I did it again, and thankfully she was up for it. Further scheming ensued and it was planned that Denise and Kris would join us and it would be an official Blogger Meet-up! Sadly Denise wasn't able to make it after all, but Kris was there, yes it's true...I got to meet the elusive Kris behind Late to the Garden Party!

So to the garden. Wow. It's as impressive as you think it might be, and even more. Settle in kids — this is gonna be a long one...

One of the benefits of visiting a garden you know only from it's online depiction, is that you finally get to see, and understand, how it all fits together. I could not for the life of me figure out how this garden was laid out. Now I know! I tried to take a few photos that would help you all to understand too, but who knows if I succeeded. To take this photo I was standing at the extreme west of the property, looking (roughly) east.

We know this area, to the left of the driveway, as one of the recent project areas, Fall Project 2015 to be exact. That Dymondia margaretae carpet is even better in person. So lush and flat, perfection really. Well, and speaking of perfection, the Aloe 'Hercules' is just that.

Grevillea 'Superb', I believe...

Agave gypsophila 'Ivory Curls' (swoon!)...

Unknown Aloe (blooming even!) Aloe 'Roikoppie' with a super sexy Agave desmettiana 'Joe Hoak', at the street's edge.

Echeveria subrigida (I think)...isn't it just drop-dead beautiful?

I'm no good at simplifying things. I wanted to take a close up of every single one of these plants and share them with you. It took amazing restraint to only post 61 (you've been warned) images!

Kalanchoe orgyalis

Truth be told the next two images confuse me. I'm not sure if we're still on the left of the driveway or on the right. Sorry...

Agave 'Sun Glow' (!!!)...

Okay now I know we're to the right of the driveway and looking at the famous front slope, which has since became known as Winter Project 2017, or at least part of it has. I believe that big green number is Leucospermum 'High Gold' Leucospermum 'Yellow Bird'. The Agave at the rear is A. ovatifolia.

Leucospermum buds.

Aloe erinacea

On the left Agave titanota and the silvery, cloudy, mass is Leucophylum 'Thunder Cloud'. Behind it are Leucadendron linifolium and Calothamnus villosus, or rather were. If you follow Piece of Eden then you know they've been removed.

You've got to admire a gardener who decides it's time to move on, and just does it. Right?

Bye-bye...

If you're a follow of POE you also know this little creature has already broke free and flown away.

That's the mama plant of the small growing Agave titanota that I scored a pup of.

*sigh*...the beautiful slope we all know so well.

Multiple Agave lopantha 'Quadricolor', Agave Parryi, Yucca 'Bright Star' and a blooming Aloe to back them all up (Aloe cameronii).

Can you even imagine having these as a "ground-cover" in your garden? Id be in heaven...

Not to mention multiple Yucca 'Bright Star' with no blemishes.

I could get lost for hours just staring at this plant.

I believe that big guy is the one Hoov refers to as the "Proven Winners version of Agave marmorata."

Bloomed out Dasylirion flower stalk? (help me Hoov, I'm blanking on this one) *update* yes, Dasylirion longissimum.

Be still my heart! Agave 'Blue Glow' at the back, a super twisty brown glochid covered opuntia (Opuntia microdasys montrose?), and Drimia maritima (Giant White Squill) as seen through a pair of Agave desmettiana 'Joe Hoak'.

We're now at the end of Hoov's front slope and at the place here her property abuts the neighbors, at a rather drastic drop of too, I might add. That's Aloe vanbalenii, I believe.

I got kind of hung up here snapping photos, because there were just so many fabulous plants!

Hoov and Kris ventured a little further back along the edge of the property.

Sweet varigated Aloe, whose name I do not know. (*update it's Variegated Aloe noblis*)

Agave guiengola

And a couple of spotless Agave parryi.

One last look at the front slope...

As we head back around to the front of the house and the area behind the wall. Note the roses have been cut back, ready for their new growth. I'm sure this scene looks completely different when they're all leafed out.

Echeveria 'Ruby Slippers'

Seriously! (wow)

Echeveria 'Imbricata' (maybe?)

A little bird's nest which was allowed to stay in place as the roses were cut back.

I'd forgotten about the little nooks on each side of the front door, but when I caught sight of them out of the corner of my eye I had to go check them out. Even better in person!

Graptoveria 'Fred Ives' (?)

Oh the Koi! We've now walked all the way around the front of the house and up the east side. This area is right off the house and visible through huge windows, all the better for keeping an eye on these little personalities.

Food tossed their way kept them interested in us.

These two! Earlier in our visit I got to share some treats with Boris and Natasha (I snuck a few of Lila's favorites in my suitcase when she wasn't looking...what she doesn't know won't hurt her!) and give them a little love, up close and personal. I stupidly wasn't thinking about my camera then, so this is the best photo you get. So sad. They were so soft, and very well behaved.

Bismarckia nobilis

Is't this Aeonium amazing?

Yay! It wouldn't have been a proper Piece of Eden visit without getting to see, and smell, at least one rose.

Agave attenuata, variegated and flawless.

I don't remember the name of this little cactus...but really, the most important thing is how well the plant and pot were matched!

Part of the potted plant collection next to the Koi "pond" (my pictures have gotten a little disorganized here, we are still on the east side of the house).

I have admired and coveted this hanging vase. I'm so glad I got to see it during my visit.

Okay, now we're behind the home, the side opposite the street. We're in a raised area that borders the hardscape in front of the garage (too big to call a driveway, you can see just a small bit of it)...

This row of blooming Agave desmetiana borders the west side of the property, across from the garage.

Extreme variegation! One of the pups from a first A. desmetiana to bloom (the ones above are it's siblings...if I've got that right).

Beautiful variegation with enough green that growth isn't too stunted.

Grevillea 'Peaches and Cream' (I believe)

So beautiful!

Protea some something 'Pink Ice'...(Yes, I am overwhelmed by the beautiful plant possibilities).

Agave vilmoriniana 'Stained Glass', with orange friend tucked away for a snack later.

Agave x pumila

And finally, Phylica pubescens with a backer of Leucadendron 'Ebony'.

Thank you Hoov for letting me crash your gorgeous garden! Thank you Kris for making the journey so we could meet up. It was an amazing day, I enjoyed every minute of it. This (and many other visits like it) is part of what makes garden blogging so rewarding. I am a lucky lady.

Weather Diary, February 16: Hi 49, Low 41/ Precip 1.82"

All material © 2009-2017 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

41 comments:

  1. The plants, the house, Boris and Natasha, the koi...It really is a piece of Eden, isn't it? Seeing all of those plants thriving in the ground makes me almost want to pack up all of my agaves, cacti, aloes, etc. and send them to California where they could be as happy as these. I drooled over every single picture - didn't seem like that many. You can't get too much of a good thing, right? What makes it even better is having met Hoov and knowing what a great person is behind this creation. (Do you suppose they'd adopt us?)

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    1. It really is! And the best part is that Hoov is so happy there. She's created her Eden.

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  2. Wow. What an overwhelming experience. It was great seeing POE through your eyes. I do have a much better idea now of how the property is laid out. The sheer number of plants is astounding. Where I have room for one of each, Hoov has room for three or five. That's what makes her garden so impressive. Truly, one of my favorite gardens--and I haven't even seen it in person.

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    1. I hope you will get the chance to see it in person one day, no blog post compares to that!

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  3. Excellent to see all the results of those numerous projects! Looks like the weather was good, too.

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    1. It was, just cloudy enough for no harsh shadows in the photos, but no rain!

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  4. That is one fabulous garden especially with all those slopes to deal with. I am going to have to go back and look at some of her project photos.

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    1. Enjoy! There's a lot to appreciate, even with your different climate.

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  5. Such gorgeous plants in such a well designed setting -- WOW! The more I see the more I realize that it's even more impressive than I had imagined, if that is possible.

    Thank you!

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    1. It is possible! That's exactly how I felt.

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  6. Thank you for this tour! How gracious of her to let you visit. I think I learned of her blog from your blog - you know how it goes. I also enjoy Late to the Garden Party, so I'm glad Kris was able to join you. I'm amazed by how pristine her plants are. Lots of love has gone into that property.

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    1. Lots of love, and labor! Glad you enjoyed.

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  7. S?YB! (Sexy? You bet!) Wow. From one specimen to the next, from one combination to the next, stunning.

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    1. Ha! I'm going to use that in the future (S?YB!).

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  8. You make a great ambassador to far-flung gardens. Hoov takes gorgeous photos but has never (at least while I've been following) done a comprehensive overview like this.

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    1. It is hard, to know just how much to share. I want to bring you all along with me, but I don't want to make it a documentary with no romance.

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  9. It's all just taken my breath away ! Thanks for sharing .

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  10. Wow, wow and wow again. Hoov's front slope garden has always amazed me. You've given it a new dimension. Absolutely fabulous!

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    1. Or maybe just more exposure? It is definitely fabulous.

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  11. So bummed I missed you guys, so I'm really enjoying this post. I'm seeing so many Agave pumilas lately, that it's time I make one my own.

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    1. I am still bummed that you weren't part of the outing. As for the Agave pumila, do it!

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  12. Was I yapping away while you were snapping all those photos?! Seriously, you captured HB's garden much better than I did. Thanks for reminding me how beautiful it is - every single specimen so pristine! *Sigh*

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    1. Ha! I don't think I would call it yapping. We were all chatting up a storm, and my camera finger has a way of going a little crazy when there's so much beauty all around.

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  13. I love seeing gardens that I'm a little familiar with through the eyes of visitors, as they show what the owner often doesn't. Just to be clear: all of the front gardens are visible only from the street? (Is there a sidewalk?)

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    1. Our neighborhood does not have sidewalks--hilly and roads are narrow.

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    2. Yes, the front gardens are visible from the street, and the neighboring homes, and from Hoov's home too.

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  14. The little blooming Aloe is 'Roikoppie', E. subridgida, yes. The big Leucospermum is 'Yellow Bird'. 'High Gold' is the smaller one. Aloe erinacea, yes. Dasylirion longissimum. Variegated Aloe noblis. 'Imbricata', yes. Natasha yapped non-stop the whole time. I was mortified. Protea 'Pink Ice'. The extreme variegated Agave desmetiana illustrates perfectly how variegation slows growth by a lot, no?

    So glad you liked the garden, because it was such a long drive for you through So Cal's endless traffic. K's is even better, I hope you blog that one also. I'm not so good at layout, no wonder my garden looks rather haphazard! So fun to see it through you lens. It is familiar, but different at the same time.

    All the comments are so kind. Thanks to all.

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    1. Natasha's "yapping" was sweet, not at all like Lila's "help I'm being skinned alive" howls when she feels ignored. Traffic really wasn't that bad getting down to see you, of course our trip up to Thousand Oaks later that evening was a bit of long one. K's garden...yes definitely! I took a lot of photos there too, under fear of a dying battery. As for you not being good at layout, ha! I'm not buying that one, you're a master.

      Thank you for the plant ID's, I'll go back and make note. Thank you most of all for your kindness in letting me visit, take photos and the gift plants...oh and lunch too! Such a fun day. Hope the rains aren't too crazy today, I'm hearing reports of a crazy storm.

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  15. It didn't seem like that many photos. Time flies when you're drooling over gorgeous plants. What a treat!

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    1. Glad to hear it, when I was uploading them I worried people would consider it a little excessive.

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  16. It was great seeing Hoov's garden through your lens. I love how long it was, thanks for including so many pictures. I bet you thought you'd gone to heaven with all those big Agaves. I really enjoyed this post.

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    1. Glad you enjoyed it Alison, and yes Hoov's garden is my Alternative Eden! (get it, I worked in another blog there....)

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  17. Chock full of inspiration tempered by plant lust...! Can't believe that's 61 photos - loved every one of them. Thanks for posting! :)

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    1. Would you believe I took over a hundred other photos...

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  18. Most amazing garden I've ever seen! What incredible plants and design. I'm going to check out some "new to me" plants to see if I can grow them. Just lovely!

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    1. And if you ever want to do a story away from home I'll hook you two up!

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  19. This was so fun to see Loree. I'm glad you posted so many photos with the differing POV's from what we have seen in Hoovs posts.

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    1. Glad you enjoyed ks! I assume you've seen it in person?

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  20. How thrilling to see this in person. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Indeed, such a well designed and loved garden.

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