Category Archives: Other People’s Gardens

Famous and not so famous gardens, landscapes

February Blossoms

Posted on February 15, 2020 by

Supposedly Washington will escape snow this winter.  We’re having a cold snap with temps in the mid-30’s F.  Lots of things are in bloom.  The witch hazels are coming out.  This one, at Dumbarton Oaks, was magical in the afternoon … Continue reading →

Posted in Community, Local Pleasures, Other People's Gardens | Tagged , , | 52 Comments

Magical Flowering Quince

Posted on February 1, 2020 by

Last week, I saw these blossoms leaving work one day. I had noticed the buds earlier, but there’s that pink glow trees get in February when buds start to swell and I passed by hurrying in until one evening I … Continue reading →

Posted in Local Pleasures, Other People's Gardens | Tagged , | 40 Comments

Heading Into August

Posted on July 28, 2019 by

You may have heard that it’s been hot here.  Even for me, it’s been hot.  Just walking outside, not even exerting myself, I started sweating.  But it’s already broken, thank goodness.  The plants are looking a bit tired of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Community, Other People's Gardens | Tagged , , | 36 Comments

Winter and Spring Tussle

Posted on March 5, 2017 by

Yesterday I opened the blinds to a beautiful winter day. After letting myself absorb the clear sky and the brightness of it all, my first thought was Dumbarton Oaks. There is nothing like a trip to the fabled garden to … Continue reading →

Posted in Community, Local Pleasures, Other People's Gardens | Tagged , , , , | 42 Comments

Sorry I Haven’t Written

Posted on October 28, 2016 by

Goodness, what a month! I jetted off to California on the first and had a great time with my former college roommate and her husband, who live at the end of the BART line in Walnut Creek. When I returned, … Continue reading →

Posted in Community, Other People's Gardens | Tagged , , , , | 35 Comments

A Full Spring Weekend

Posted on April 18, 2016 by

Last weekend, we finally got some spring weather. I met Sarah, one of the 10th and Barton Plot Against Hunger volunteers in the morning and we cleared out the large garden and prepped it for planting. A fellow gardener from … Continue reading →

Posted in Community, Crafts, Local Pleasures, Other People's Gardens | Tagged , , , , , | 32 Comments

A Post from the Midwest

Posted on July 14, 2015 by

I have been visiting my mother in Illinois the past few days.  Last fall, I was here when farmers were harvesting corn.  This summer, all the corn has grown up and this is what many country roads look like: Here … Continue reading →

Posted in Other People's Gardens | Tagged , , , , | 35 Comments

Blossoms, Pollen, and Other Extravagances of Spring

Posted on April 19, 2015 by

Arlington is in the midst of its full, extravagant spring blossom. With an eighty degree day on Saturday, every tree has burst into leaf. The Bradford pears were shedding petals like snow in today’s breeze and the dogwoods have burst … Continue reading →

Posted in Community, Local Food, Other People's Gardens | Tagged , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Dumbarton Oaks: the View from Winter

Posted on January 29, 2015 by

What would winter be without a visit to Dumbarton Oaks? As I’ve written before, this is an astonishing place, and when I come in winter, I see the bones of the garden, not its horticultural plenty. The fact that it’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Local Pleasures, Other People's Gardens | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Denver: Gardens Big and Small

Posted on October 19, 2014 by

Last week I was in Denver at a conference. In between sessions, I wandered around and found … you got it—gardens. My first day there, I had arranged to see a friend, who took me to Denver’s Botanical Gardens. Turns … Continue reading →

Posted in Local Food, Other People's Gardens | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment