Daily Dose Blogger Bios
Destination Carpinteria
In the sleepy little oceanside town of Carpinteria, California, close to the beach and protected by a row of giant petrified pine trees there is a wonderland for plant lovers, Seaside Gardens. My friend Michael told me it was amazing, and so one slow day at the office we snuck out and made our way up the coast, listening to The Smiths and k.d. lang (we were in that kind of mood).
I love the drive up the 101 - it's just so ... California, you know? We pulled into the parking lot and things looked pretty normal - like a good retail nursery - and then we passed under a vine covered arch and into my new gardening Mecca. Wow! The thing about Seaside Gardens is that most of the space is taken up by absolutely out-of-this-world display gardens, and less than 1/4 is devoted to retail space. So you can wander endlessly around the winding paths through the Japanese Garden, the Mediterranean Garden, the Australian Garden, the South African Garden, the Tropical Garden ... AND MORE! I saw Australian plants bigger than I'd ever seen them! I am now totally devoted to Australian and South African plant species. You'll see, I'm already planning to re-arrange things in my yard/ laboratory.
This little nursery did what I've always thought would be the perfect nursery ... install amazing display gardens that excite and inspire people, tuck a little cafe in a corner, set up your retail plants in neat, accessible rows so people don't have to search forever, and set up a pavilion for demonstrations, classes, and talks. A good nursery can create a garden revolution in it's area - I've seen it happen. Seaside Gardens has certainly created a revolution in me! I haven't been this thrilled about new plants since I don't know when!
I love Carpenteria! An old friend of mine took me there about 18 years ago to visit her grandma who had a house with glass walls that was right on the beach. I remember how lush it was. These photos make me want to, well, move to California!
Doll, I think you're destined to be bi-coastal. You'll have your pied-a-terre in NYC and a Pacific retreat nestled in the green hills overlooking the beaches of Carpinteria. It will be funded by the gi-normous advance given to you for publishing your book on Living the Scrappy Lifestyle.