A little soil can change everything. “Ask anyone who knew me in my early twenties if they could have imaged I’d grow up to be a champion of the great outdoors,” writes Celestine Maddy in the introduction to A Wilder Life. “Not one would say yes....
Happy summer, everyone! We spent the solstice hanging out with the peacocks and torch lilies at the LA Arboretum — tour to come. Here in our yard, things are getting interesting in these last days of June Gloom. All three species of our Passiflora in bloom: P....
The scent of soil, the feel of damp roots between your fingers, the taste of a guava flower as it dissolves on your tongue — on every level, gardening is pure therapy. Is there an emotional experience purer than the thrill of a first tomato or the...
You might remember the interview we did two summers ago with a design hero of ours, the luminous Jennifer Gilbert Asher. She's the artist and co-owner of TerraSculpture studio; she creates modern abstract sculpture and also designs functional sculpture for studio offshoot TerraTrellis. We love Jennifer's work because...
Guava season has officially begun! Although none of the egg-shaped green fruits have conked us on the head yet (a sign of good luck anyway), our Acca sellowiana tree has been dropping goodies left and right since late July. In previous years, this level of...
Is there anything more summer-ific (if that’s a word) than biting into an outrageously juicy peach? Or finding a plum the color of a backlit amethyst? Stone fruits are synonymous with long hot days and jacket-optional nights. Lately we’ve been eating nectarines, peaches and plums by the...
It’s back! The show that puts the “culture” in horticulture, Art Alive is taking place this weekend at San Diego Museum of Art. The exhibition will feature 120 inventive, seriously sublime floral interpretations paired with famous works of art. You might remember our recap of last year’s festivities....
Trendiness aside, our love for the macaron can be traced to its fulfillment of the three Cs: crispiness, cream and color. Delicate shells piped with flavorful fillings, these iconic French cookies are in the middle of a revival, and we’re along for the ride. We were...
The recent obsession with our tangerine tree got us to thinking about all the farmland wisdom we've received over the last year. In particular, we’ve been reliving our visit to the edible Shangri-La that is Kauai Fresh Farms. Located on the 500-acre Wai Koa Plantation on Kauai’s North...
“Nice weather for ducks, as they say,” Lee Roversi remarks, apropos of this rainy Hawaiian morning, and apropos of the actual ducks we're about to meet. Unlike the chickens that would wreak havoc in the garden, she says, “We can keep them free range —...