“When I moved onto the farm, it was me and my wife trying to find a change of life,” says David Solomon, manager of Stone Farms in Escondido. “I was in advertising. She was doing international sales. I couldn’t handle being in front of a...
As herb/fruit/ornamental folk, Ryan and I are prone to bouts of vegetable envy. It flares up at the peak of sweet corn season — oh Instagram, why must you tease us so? — and returns around this time of year, when cold frames are being compared and...
You could say that it's one of the very first important decisions we ever make in our lives, a high-stakes, “choose wisely” kind of childhood moment. We’re talking of course about picking out pumpkins every October: so much hinges on choosing a squash of the right...
We met our neighbor Kimberly’s roses before we met Kimberly herself. They’re bright and big and perfumey, her roses, when they’re in bloom: flashes of apricot and salmon winding around the black fence that lines her yard. “Welcome home!” they’d cheer when we turned the...
Moments after arriving at the delicious ecosystem that is Christy Wilhelmi’s Los Angeles backyard, we’re startled by the sound of the screen door snapping open. With a deadpan and luxurious air, a small tuxedo cat slinks through the doorway and heads in our direction. “Hi, Pumpkin!”...
Earlier this summer — after our dogwood layover and stalking of rad rhododendron — we explored the famed modern/classical mashup of Snug Harbor Farm in Kennebunk, Maine. The three-acre property was established in 1991. Snug Harbor’s specialty is its world-class topiary, which it sells year-round from its greenhouses: joyous cubes, cones,...
“We’ve all done pots, right? But baskets kind of allow you to use another space,” Kalim Owens (above) said during our recent trip to Weidner’s Gardens. “Many of us now have these small patio gardens, so your square footage on the ground is only so much....
Great news, garden tourists! You no longer have to be a wedding guest (or wedding crasher) to see one of the most startlingly diverse landscapes in Fallbrook, California. Grand Tradition Estate and Gardens has opened its property to the general public, which can now tour...
Two weekends ago, we traded the cacti of California for the Douglas firs (and snappy wildflowers!) of the Pacific Northwest. This mini-vacation included an enlightening trek to The Herbfarm, the James Beard Award-winning restaurant and dining tour-de-force in Woodinville, Washington. We also visited its five-acre...
Last weekend we went up to Carlsbad, California, to bask in the legions of shaggy-faced ranunculus that grow at the Flower Fields. Scroll through for the action. The day also included an antique tractor ride, a confounding sweetpea maze, a rose garden, a chorus of snapdragons,...