tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63165813470765429062024-02-07T19:28:13.339-08:00Idora DesignA tea party of California native plants, gardening advice, green building, yummy recipes and inspiration.Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938196559124125578noreply@blogger.comBlogger252125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316581347076542906.post-26663299988336598852011-05-24T18:03:00.000-07:002011-05-24T18:03:41.422-07:00Tiny Monsters
It's the little things in the garden sometimes that excite me. Little things, like the seed pods from Baby Blue Eyes, or Nemophila menziesii Hungry Hungry Hippoeing their seeds off into the world. It's hard to tell if they're spitting something out or getting ready to take a big bite. Flashy Spring flowers abound (and I do have plans to highlight my favorites here), but today Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938196559124125578noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316581347076542906.post-83463420581576871912011-05-17T12:07:00.000-07:002011-05-17T12:07:24.947-07:00A Happy Reunion with Home
Since last I was here, I have since: -become Mrs. Martin-explored the rainforests and sampled the warm sands of Belize
After the whirlwind the of the last few months, I'm rediscovering the miracle of home, the joy of domesticity. The paradox of meditative calm and excited anticipation in the act of replacing the Winter vegetables with the small, green stems that promise the bounty Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938196559124125578noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316581347076542906.post-61072905780237375922011-03-25T14:06:00.000-07:002011-03-25T14:06:08.168-07:00SF Garden Show: Tiny Insights
I've got a head-ful of thoughts and impressions of the San Francisco Flower and Garden Show, but let's be honest: the children's miniature gardens were probably my favorite. That's not to say the professional gardens weren't spectacular, but how can anyone compete with the power of the googley eye?! Leave it to a bunch of third graders, I guess.
The eyebrows are a Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938196559124125578noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316581347076542906.post-75375618427935276702011-03-08T09:55:00.000-08:002011-03-08T09:55:24.398-08:00Ribes: For Those Impatient for Spring
While time ticks by slowly for most garden plants through the remaining months of Winter, California natives have emerged ready for Spring. Ribes sanguineum, Pink Currant, I'll admit looks rather lackluster at the end of Summer. Leaves turn rust-colored and sparse. But come February the garden becomes a fairyland of hanging pink ornaments. Delicate little earring dropletsChristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938196559124125578noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316581347076542906.post-34084787348941662022011-02-24T14:35:00.000-08:002011-02-24T14:35:52.817-08:00Light Up the Night
If you manage the temerity to dash outside this evening, I would highly recommend plugging in a set of non-LED Christmas lights to tuck around the tender plants. Not only will it protect them from our incoming snow (?!?), but it will also be a nice sparkly alternative to that old Strawberry Shortcake comforter. Perhaps a quick check to remove dry, flammable material would be a good Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938196559124125578noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316581347076542906.post-16440433324837352102011-02-14T08:42:00.000-08:002011-02-15T08:41:00.224-08:00Things to Love
Since today is about love, I can't end the day without sharing some photos I'm obsessed with at the moment. Plant fans, please don't despair- I've been installing a few things to show you, but the rain and sun will have to take its course before things get photogenic!
Armed with the knowledge Saturday that we should enjoy our early Springtime before the clouds rained on our parade, we Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938196559124125578noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316581347076542906.post-908745925333728912011-01-31T10:44:00.000-08:002011-01-31T10:44:26.073-08:00A Twiggy Trellis
Introducing my latest twig trellis! I love this design because it allows me to practice my joinery, but since there are only four joints I can accomplish this much faster than a more complicated pattern. It also allows me to recycle long plum branches from my neighbor's tree, pruned last Summer (thanks, Janet!)
I picture this being more of a room divider than a privacy screen Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938196559124125578noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316581347076542906.post-52069593586729827432011-01-21T09:11:00.000-08:002011-01-21T09:11:35.553-08:00Lovely Weather We're Having... Shoreline Edition
Funny how much time wedding planning takes! I decided to take a little break yesterday, and armed with a chocolate milkshake I traversed to the MLK Jr. Regional Shoreline, one of my new favorite parks for its lack of people and abundance of birds and native plantings. Imagine my surprise when I found the parking lot half full! Apparently at high tides, the endangered Clapper Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938196559124125578noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316581347076542906.post-58703379253308634212011-01-07T09:54:00.000-08:002011-01-07T09:54:43.645-08:00Where In The World Have You Been?!
Yes, yes- that was quite a blogging sabbatical. I'm sure you haven't been worried sick about me, but I thought I might explain what I've been up to lately.
Foremost, leaves. Oh, so many leaves. Thank goodness for that last storm, battling them off their perches so we won't have to fight them again until next year.
Enjoying the views, from a picnic in Lake Merritt...
...to Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938196559124125578noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316581347076542906.post-44403636862940330312010-11-17T09:10:00.000-08:002010-11-17T09:10:00.500-08:00A Study in Texture
Tufts of grass undulate and hopefully hold tasty morsels for a hungry coyote. I love how this looks soft yet scratchy at the same time. This building facade in downtown San Rafael seems superfluous, but I find myself fascinated. How wonderful that the architect decided to add these aerodynamic rock-studded panels. The repeating pattern sets an imposing tone by visually Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938196559124125578noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316581347076542906.post-81895592774267637642010-11-16T08:35:00.000-08:002010-11-16T08:35:48.143-08:00Contemporary Admidst the Chaos
While most of the East Bay is awash in Arts and Crafts style homes, more contemporary spots peek through the dark wood shingles and redwood lintels that dominate our area. This '60s style home needed a garden to match its architecture. Out go the roses, boxwoods and Japanese Maples (poor things- Japanese Maples in a West-facing garden seems so cruel). The chaos of the Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938196559124125578noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316581347076542906.post-91778427855434881842010-11-04T18:40:00.000-07:002010-11-04T18:40:50.061-07:00Updates and New Things to Click On!
Well aren't I just full of news today? Not only did Idora HQ experience the first Monarch sighting in the front garden (seen here sucking on a Malacothamnus flower), but the website's been updated with pretty new pictures and Facebook folks can now visit a brand new spiffy Facebook page. (You can also "like" any of the posts you see here with the button dealie at the bottom.)
I Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938196559124125578noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316581347076542906.post-62162022726513144972010-11-01T11:54:00.000-07:002010-11-01T11:54:27.887-07:00Oh My Gosh, Oh My Gosh, Oh My Gosh!!!!!!!
The title of this post is the soundtrack anyone within a mile radius was treated to as I experienced my first tarantula sighting on Mt. Olympia in Mt. Diablo State Park yesterday!!!!! We walked along the North Peak Trail/Road, hoping for spectacular views on a clear day and maybe, just maybe a chance meeting with a fuzzy-legged spider. How perfect that we encountered both!
Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938196559124125578noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316581347076542906.post-42365523106087293492010-10-29T10:43:00.000-07:002010-10-29T10:43:26.130-07:00Garden Clean-up Becomes Halloween Decor
The rains last weekend decimated most of the Eriogonum flowers (that's California Buckwheat for those not Latin-inclined). A quick snip of the spent heads revealed a neat mound of green underneath. Pretty amazing for a plant that looked completely dead two weeks ago. I saved an armful of the dried flower stalks, however to aid in the Halloweenization of the house. They'reChristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938196559124125578noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316581347076542906.post-32476615866432790352010-10-22T09:15:00.000-07:002010-10-22T09:15:05.307-07:00Bee House Bundles!
Don't you just want to shimmy inside one of these cozy little bee residences? After harvesting an armful of Festuca stems topped with airy seed hulls, I saved the trimmed stems which looked like little straws and decided to bundle them up into tiny native bee condos.
After attending the "Gardening for Wildlife" class at Tilden Park a few weeks ago with the Meeses, I've been steppingChristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938196559124125578noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316581347076542906.post-8068788909299665922010-10-18T14:56:00.000-07:002010-10-18T14:56:53.144-07:00Adding Greenery to the Green Fair
Turnout might have been light, but my booth rocked the green fair! I planted a couple of my vintage ballot boxes with the hot colors of Autumn- 'Tuxedo' Ceanothus, California fuchsia, and Dudleya pulverulenta surrounded by tumbled porcelain. I had quite the convergence of rusty things, graciously lent out by Aunt Joyce as well as a sidewalk chalk area rug.
I'm especially Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938196559124125578noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316581347076542906.post-28271039251561054592010-10-13T09:06:00.000-07:002010-10-13T09:06:35.149-07:00Did She Say 'Plant Sale'?!
Monardella micrantha 'Marion Sampson'
Just in case you haven't left the cave recently, the East Bay California Native Plant Society plant sale is this weekend! I'll be volunteering on Sunday in the loading area. It's such a festive atmosphere with so many happy people- I highly recommend stopping by! Make a day of it by strolling through the Tilden Botanical Garden (which I Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938196559124125578noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316581347076542906.post-52969729111384559532010-10-08T10:16:00.000-07:002010-10-08T10:16:48.650-07:00Come to the Fair, the Green Fair!
You haven't heard a peep from me lately as I'm preparing a table at the Greening Oakland Homes Fair next Saturday the 16th at Ashby Lumber (the one on Ashby). I'm so excited about the event that I'm constructing a new trellis design and will be putting together fun containers of splashy-looking native plants!
If you're wondering about doing some remodeling or just want to be a Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938196559124125578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316581347076542906.post-22796336481200320042010-10-04T10:57:00.000-07:002010-10-04T10:57:49.555-07:00Obsessive Squirrel Mode Begins Tomorrow
Brodaiea californica
So the fact that I'm expecting a box today that contains 39 pounds of bulbs isn't excessive or anything, right? I mean... right?!?
(Most of them aren't for me, I swear!) Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938196559124125578noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316581347076542906.post-66466026590356940142010-10-01T13:29:00.000-07:002010-10-01T13:29:42.204-07:00Best Aphid Control Ever
I've been working in the shop of late on a new trellis design, but I had to share the magical experience of standing on the front porch yesterday afternoon. Soaking in the late afternoon sun and dusting off errant flecks of redwood, I observed in wonder a gang of Bushtits who one by one zipped to the Malacothamnus and delicately picked off the aphids that had taken up residence. I Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938196559124125578noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316581347076542906.post-41072640161884972852010-09-27T17:43:00.000-07:002010-09-27T17:43:47.613-07:00I've Caught Fall-Fever
Many folks don't realize that us Californians have the advantage of two "Springs." The conventional one that begins in March and the California Spring which begins when the rains come. Manzanitas, Silk Tassel trees, Gooseberries and Currants begin blooming as soon as December and leaves begin to emerge after the sleepy late Summer heat has left us. What does that mean forChristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938196559124125578noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316581347076542906.post-57408099018981941122010-09-24T09:01:00.000-07:002010-09-24T09:01:54.872-07:00Field Tripping Through Google Images: Veggie Edition
I'm preparing myself for the Winter veggie season and by preparing I mean obsess over my Seed Savers book and dream of having a neat, orderly set of plantings (really this time! I mean it!) I keep picturing a little knot garden, but I would substitute boxwood for lettuces or radishes as the delineating boundries and filling the remaining spaces with squares of perky Carrots, Golden Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938196559124125578noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316581347076542906.post-77407457235313442952010-09-21T08:49:00.000-07:002010-09-21T08:49:02.081-07:00A Breath of Fresh... Fog
Saturday presented a magical day in the garden; a fine and unexpected mist gradually descended on the leaves, on me, on the sidewalk of which a fresh rain scent refracted back in thanks. I'm not the first to note (by "note" I mean complain bitterly) the erratic weather patterns of this year (I found it oddly fitting to tear out the last of the still-blooming sweet peas on the first of Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938196559124125578noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316581347076542906.post-57420749119022148122010-09-15T08:50:00.000-07:002010-09-15T08:50:04.592-07:00Field Trip: MLK Regional Shoreline
Can you imagine taking yourself next door to the airport to look for some peace and quiet? Well, per Lisa's recommendation I did. Improbably situated, the MLK Regional Shoreline ringing the San Leandro Bay is the eye of the storm, surrounded by the Oakland Airport, industrial complexes, and Downtown Oakland. Take a stroll up the ramp of the Observation Tower above and Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938196559124125578noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6316581347076542906.post-39583524424491666902010-09-09T11:45:00.000-07:002010-09-09T11:45:07.526-07:00The Philosophy of Bees
Just when I thought I was soo cool and knew all about the little visitors in my garden, this little green bee popped up and turned me into a gaping novice. Oh. My. Stars! A Metallic Green Sweat Bee! In my garden! Frantic snapping of photos insued, hence the blurry photo below. Note also the white insect egg cases in the flower pom-pom in the background Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07938196559124125578noreply@blogger.com6