This wall is my favorite thing in my garden, maybe my favorite thing ever. I traded for it - I designed a garden for my friend, artist Jorge Pardo, and after I saw his tile intallation in the bookstore of the former DIA Center for the Arts in Chelsea, I was obsessed with having my own tile wall. He used this particular tile on the floor of his bar in LA's Chinatown, and here they are adorning the side of my garage in Eagle Rock (a little neighborhood squished between LA and Pasadena) Am I crazy, or don't plants look extra extra with these ceramic triangles dancing around behind them? I want to encourage those of you who have walls to play with, outside as well as in, to tile away... I know you may hesitate because it's more of a commitment than paint, but being a commitment-phobe is so 1985.
How can anyone resist, considering the amount of beautiful tiles you can find? The bounty at Ann Sacks(www.annsacks.com) alone will make your head spin. And if your home is an apartment, and your garden a balcony or windowsill, you can invest in some really amazing tile and create a one of a kind planter. It's as easy as mastic, tile, (let it dry) and grout - in that order. I suggest using a square or rectangular container if you are using square tiles (rounded or curved shapes are hard to lay a clean, straight line of square tile on), and if you have the patience 1"x1" tiles will be ever so cool. It is very new century to create a thing of beauty while getting your craft on. And it's too hot to knit.

ivette,
2 things:
i love that soft lavender and that spiky agave together. can you recommend a combination like that for agave-killing east coast winters?
also just planted echinacea and cannot believe the butterflies everywhere! where had they all been??
Frances

Hi there Frances,
I love that agave/lavender contrast, too - it's so satisfying. As far as finding a similar partnership for those mean winters up where you live, you're in luck. If you site the planting in the right space, maybe with the protection of eaves or an overhang, or maybe cuddled in the intersection of a wall and a fence, you will create a microclimate - a magic, protected place that allows gardeners to fudge the hardiness zones a bit. Another bit of good news is that there are quite a few HARDY AGAVES - check them out at www.plantdelights.com (a great online plant catalog). My favorite is Agave parryi truncata, which looks like an giant artichoke, but I also love the statuesque Agave americana 'Big Blue'. If you want to be super safe and substitute, try a yucca. Yucca filamentosa 'Bright Edge' would be hot surrounded by lavender ... And it so happens that you can plant my favorite one, Lavandula x intermedia 'Grosso' - a favorite of French perfume makers. It isn't the absolute hardiest variety, but it is so beautiful and fragrant that I say try it ....
Planting this combo will bring even more butterflies to your garden! But you started off with caviar - the plants they love to get nectar from the most just happen to be butterfly bushes (Buddleas), mexican sunflowers(Tithonias) - and echinaceas. By planting those purple coneflowers, you laid out a buffet and sent out invitations.

By the way, I'll be sneaking more images of my garden into the photo mix - but I want to keep you wanting more ...

Ta-ta, and thanks for writing in!

I had the weirdest experience the other day! I was meeting with a potential client, talking my talk, trying to generate enthusiasm for the project, so I said " ...and you won't believe how many butterflies and hummingbirds will visit your gardens!", in a very upbeat way - I mean, that is obviously a good thing, right? Well, not so much. This woman wanted nothing to do with butterflies and hummingbirds! She wrinkled her nose and looked at me as if I had suggested attracting skunks and crows. I was shocked! Who doesn't love floaty, delicate butterflies fluttering about? And hummingbirds are practically the ambassadors of the garden world!
Can anyone explain to me why someone would be against these innocent, beautiful creatures? I think maybe this woman is secretly evil. As long as we're not talking pests, why not encourage life in the garden?
I don't know if I can be her designer, because so many of my favorite plants are also loved by hummingbirds and butterflies. I'm in a quandry. But I am in no quandry about supplying food and habitat for our winged friends. Use the following list of plants in your garden, and they will come.

The Germinatrix says No Lifeless Gardens!

Until we meet again...

Dear Germinatrix,
I live in Northern California in high elevation where there is lots of deer which love to eat my flowers and plants. Do you have any suggestions for some flowers and plants that aren't so appealing for the neighborhood animals?
Thanks,
Jennifer P.

Poor Jennifer, you have one of the worst problems a gardener can have. I know that sounds disheartening, but I have to give it to you straight. Deer eat EVERYTHING! Deer are HOGS! You'll find lists upon lists of plants 'Deer Don't Eat' all over the place. The problem is, deer don't read. I have seen evidence of their chomping and chewing on ornamental onions, daffodils, sunflowers, and many, many other traditionally 'deer resistant' plants. The idea is supposed to be that they won't eat anything that is stinky, sappy, prickly, or toxic. However, when they are hungry and their ever shrinking habitat is stripped of food, they will eat whatever they can find wherever they can find it ... And if your garden is accessible to them, all your carefully designed plantings become lunch. Therefore, the most effective means of controlling deer is high fencing that has an electrical current running through it. Don't even try any homespun deer repelling tips or you may find yourself peeing around your garden at midnight during the full moon. I wish I had better news for you.
BUT - I will recommend something that might make me seem like an airy-fairy tree hugger ... well, I kind of am those things... why not try making friends with your deer? A client, Robin, has a beautiful home and garden in the Hollywood Hills, as well as a terrible deer problem. We tried everything, every single kooky and unkooky thing to no avail. Finally, she admitted that as much as she loves her garden, she also can't help but be in awe when she looks out the window and sees a full grown stag standing under her oak tree, or a doe and her fawns nibbling, even if they are nibbling on her favorite plants. So she decided to make friends - and strangely, they stopped their ravenous ways. There's still a munch here and a few bites there, but the deer seem to have called a truce also. Maybe they finally admitted that they love the sight of Robin, relaxing in her garden, staring back at them.

Until next time,
The Germinatrix with the mostess

I am a very competitive person by nature... I think it comes from being a Texan. I love being spurred on by talented, like - minded people, and my friend and co worker Michael Kirchman, Jr. is one of those. We argue over everything about gardening, and right here, right now I'm going to admit that I am insanely jealous of his lovely, tough, well-edited garden! Michael has something I lack - restraint. I am so unrestrained, I can frighten children. This works when creating big, exuberant moments in a landscape, when a dramatic focal point is needed, and when singing karaoke - but sometimes I forget that it is also important to be able to pull back and be simple. Simple can be dull, but isn't in Michael's garden because he makes very smart use of color and texture.
The picture above is of his very small back dining area. There are relatively few plants, but what impact it has! Notice how the tall shrubs with purple leaves (Euphorbia cotinifolia) work to define the space, and how much mileage Michael gets out of one silver leaved lavender (Lavandula 'Grosso'). There are only three blooming plants in this picture (a green-flowering Euphorbia wulfenii, and two different colors of kangaroo paw, Anigozanthus 'Harmony' and Anigozanthus 'Orange Cross'), but it is still a vibrant and exciting space - who misses roses, daisies, and petunias? Not me... And check out the Echeveria 'Afterglow' sitting on the ground in all their frosty, mauvey pink glory, taking the planting to another level entirely. Michael uses feathery leaves, strappy leaves, and succulent leaves to keep the scene from becoming too 'blurry'. Your eyes rest on the larger leaves of the agaves and the echeverias - their outlines are so defined, they help to sharpen the picture. I love this garden! I want Michael to plant this exact garden at my house, but he says all he'll plant for me is pink petunias in a pot shaped like a bunny. Talk about competitive...

Your Germinatrix!

It is so hot in Southern California right now! Yuk! There are wildfires everywhere, which changes the quality of the light - an eerie, ruddy diffusion replaces the overzealous sunshine that usually beats down on Los Angeles. For a while, there is a kind of golden hour, and even though the summer has taken its toll, my garden looks great. But then the water dropping helicopters do their thing, the smoke and ash gives way to the relentless sun - and my garden looks like crap again.
Thank heavens for succulents. If it wasn't for these incredibly tough, practically maintenance - free beauties the landscaping around my house would be a midsummer bummer. I count on Agaves to provide structure and rhythm to borders recovering from a show stopping spring, and since it's too hot for most flowering perennials to do their thing, the colorful world of Echeverias comes to my rescue. Echeveria 'Afterglow' is such a stunner- it's the exact shade of pink that happens when the sun sets in the desert.

Check it out (and much, much more) at www.cactuscenter.com, my favorite place to shop for plants, hands down. I love the strange, underwater quality of succulents when they are planted out together - they are weird and beautiful; somehow precious - when people get bitten by the bug to collect these babies, they go wild. I've seen people pay huge amounts of money for choice specimens ... I envy them!
For those of you in colder climates (right now, that means nobody - we're all sweaty - but come winter...), please, don't fear the freeze factor! Get over it. Plant your succulents in beautiful pots that you can either bring indoors or cover up when it gets frosty. Or you can cheat. Buy whatever succulent catches your eye - an incredible aloe, or a spectacular echeveria, or maybe an extraordinary agave, and pop it right into the ground, plastic pot and all. Enjoy it all season long, then when weather threatens, just pull it out and put the whole thing in a warm place (your garage, your basement, on top of a radiator) until all chance of frost has passed. And if you buy another, and another, and another - be careful. This is an addiction. It will get expensive. And AA doesn't do succulents... Yet!

Germinatrix!

Germinatrix!
I have two horrible little kitties at home who eat all the flowers and plants I bring home. Are there certain plants they'll avoid?
Cathy, Brooklyn

Cathy, Cathy,
Face it, sweetness, your cats own your home. You are there to provide food and an occasional scratch behind the ears. Isn't it weird that cats will always decide to nap on whatever paperwork you are involved with at the moment? Kitties will do whatever kitties want to do, and kitties LOVE to chomp on indoor plants. If they aren't using your carefully chosen antique Thai urns as litter boxes, you are ahead of the game.
So I say cater to the little omnivores - make sure they have a good number of plants that are theirs to chew on. Most health food stores sell kitty grass in little terra cotta pots- buy multiples and line them up on your coffee table, or your credenza; any place the little horrors can have easy access. Not only will they have something that is more to their liking than your Monstera (my new puppy Sadie's favorite indoor plant to munch), the lineup of kitty grass will look tres chic.
You can also grow catnip (Nepeta cataria) on a sunny windowsill, and keep your hairy little companions in a state of ecstasy, but please, don't blame me if you come home one night to roomful of neighborhood cats grooving to jungle beats.
As far as getting them to avoid the plants you love, have you ever thought of hanging baskets? They can add a slick seventies vibe to your decor, and if you use spider plants you have the added benefit of better air quality in your home. There is also a product called SSSCAT (available at www.mightypets.com), a motion sensor activated spray that you can place near your pots - they start nibbling and they'll get a whiskered face full of icky.
And remember, kitties are full of crazy energy and criminal mastermind-like mischief. Before you know it, they'll be cats- ambling around like teenage supermodels; napping, being languorous, lazy, and aloof... and your plants will be safe.

Ta-ta,
The Germinatrix

Dear Ms. Germinatrix,

I like plants, especially those with green leaves, not too many flowers. But the only thing is they all die on me. Too much water, or too little or too much sun or too little. I even killled a cactus. My interest is having few plants around not, a "Versailles" kind of garden. Help?

Veronica T.
Oakland Park, Fla

Veronica,

You are already on the right track. I smell gardening success in your future. First of all, not thinking about Versailles is a good thing for a beginning gardener.

Start small - buy a few beautiful containers; what ever kind or colors gets you going, but be sure they have drainage holes or you'll have to drill them yourself. It is important that whatever pots you choose aren't too small - they should be at least 20 inches wide. Little pots dry out so fast that unless you're standing by with a watering can, plant death is pretty much guaranteed.

Now arrange your containers in an area of your patio that isn't too sunny or too shady - for the kind of plants you like it's better to err on the side of too shady, because tons of sun can burn large green leaves. Fill your pots with good potting soil and plant them with things that really work in your climate; in Florida, that means tropicalissimo - and don't worry about anything being too common - the idea here is to learn how to keep plants alive. Look for Birds of Paradise (both regular and giant), Philodendron, Cannas, Sanseveria, Coleus, and needlepoint ivy to drip languidly over the sides of your containers. Don't plant just one plant in one pot - go crazy! Plant three or more - make sure you have something tall, something medium, maybe a couple of small choices, and don't forget your dripper to spill over the sides.

Now comes the big commitment - watering. Twice a week, water until the soil is nice and soaked. Don't skip a watering. Never let your pots dry out, and don't water them more than twice a week. Even if a heat wave tempts you - resist the urge to overwater. Clients never want to believe me when I tell them that the surest way to kill most plants is to overwater them; they usually have to learn the hard way. I don't want that for you, Veronica!

But... and this is the MOST IMPORTANT THING - if a plant dies, try again. The difference between a green thumb and a black thumb is that we green ones don't take plants dying personally. We keep on planting, and things start living!

Best of luck, doll,

Your Germinatrix

Help me, Please!

I was inspired by the graphics of the April garden and the lush green May garden shown in Domino. I'm in the same situtation, a dilapidated concrete ridden back living area. Unfortunately, we probably can't afford landscape designer, and we blew most of our budget renovating the inside. Any ideas on creating a ecomomical beautiful outdoor retreat, even if its just a temporary fix!!!

Thanks,
Heather
Brooklyn, NY

Well, Heather, the cheapest, easiest, best- all- around insta patio fix is this:

Step 1 - Rip out that old broken concrete and throw down some nice fresh gravel. Gravel isn't just grey anymore - check out the subtle gold, blue, and green tones in different mixes.

Step 2 - Get yourself a firepit. A low, wide concrete pot will work if you line the inside with sand and refrain from spit roasting pigs in it.

Step 3 - Focus on seating. Flea market finds would be great, or you can go to Ikea and load up on their low wicker poufs.

Step 4 - Buy pots. The bigger the better - you'd rather have 3 grand containers than 20 itty bitty ones. The beauty of a container garden is that you can always buy more when the mood strikes you and the money is flowing.

Step 5 - GO! Plant yourself silly. For instant summer lushness use bananas, pelargoniums, canna lilies, and calibrachoas (little petunia like annuals that look awesome cascading over the side of a pot). Let desire be your guide; in your area, most fast growers will just be with you until the first frost, so you aren't planting for permanence. Then next summer, you can create a totally different planting scheme.

This is how beautiful gardens ( and lifelong gardeners ) are made.

Your friend,

The Germinatrix

Germinatrix - please help!
I have been receiving your magazine for a few months and love the way your designers use old/new things to decorate the home. I believe I am challenged in the decorating department and would LOVE some home and back yard guidance.

Thanks,
Tracy A.

Hello Tracy,

I am here to help you become permanently un-challenged in the decorating department. My advice might even help give you a little boost in other departments - wink wink.

The outdoor areas of your home are natural places to experiment with mixing up the old with the new and begin refining your personal brand of chic eclecticism. Why not start by creating a relaxed seating area on your back patio, under the canopy of a tree, or on your balcony if you live in an apartment? Scour flea markets for vintage metal outdoor loveseats - you can have them spiffed up and even powder coated in your favorite colors. Wicker is also an option - Main Cottage (www.maincottage.com) has painted wicker couches in several styles - or your aunt might just have one she's willing to part with! Use the Sunbrella line of outdoor fabric to create custom seat cushions - they won't fade, they resist weather, and there are enough colors and patterns to tickle everybody's fancy. Fluffy pillows in contrasting fabric makes the look less "backyard", more comfy. Next, invest in at least three large jewel-toned glazed ceramic pots and plant them architecturally, with Giant Birds of Paradise and Pygmy Date Palms (if you live where it freezes, you can bring them inside once it gets cold for winter drama). Now cluster your pots, which instantly turns your seating area into a cozy nook. To keep the look from being too retro, buy sleek modular side tables that can either be massed together as a coffee table, or spread out individually - Plain Air (www.plainair.com) makes them in powder coated metal with colorful tile tops. You're almost there - but don't forget lighting! It is essential when it comes to creating an inviting mood. Mexican glass stars, pierced tin globes (check out www.directfrommexico.com)- even Japanese paper lanterns can be wired for electricity and hung from a tree or an arbor ... But use an amber light bulb or every moth in the neighborhood will be cuddling up with you. All that is left now are the small details; votive candles, a cozy throw blanket, a bottle of shiraz and someone to appreciate your exquisite taste.

Your friend,

The Germinatrix