Charming garden essays about life in a legendary vertical garden in Laguna Beach, CA. This garden features more than 1200 species on less than 3 acres, and is well known to garden experts. Subjects include the effects of drastic fire on a garden, the intricate relations of animals to a garden, historical attitudes to plants, often treated with humor. Accompanied by 16 pages of stunning photographs by Steven A. Gunther, and a biographical essay about Hortense Miller, now 93 years old. Large format, 7 by 10.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
"The book is a gem of elegance and simplicity... a book of knowledge and insight." -- Los Angeles Times, Jan. 6, 2002
"a beautiful book of her essays, covering more than three decades... as idiosyncratic as the garden she created." -- Coastline News, Dec. 21, 2001
"a beautiful book of her essays, covering more than three decades... as idiosyncratic as the garden she created." -- Coastline News, Dec. 21, 2001
About the Author
Born in 1908 in St. Louis, trained as a historian and an artist, Hortense Miller did not begin her acclaimed garden until she was 50. She is a born naturalist who is both modest and fierce in her defense of the wild. In any debate on man vs. nature, she comes down on the side of nature. As the Green Woman of Laguna Beach, she has been an inspiration to generations of California naturalists. This is the first hardcover edition of the essays she's written over 40 years. She has deeded her garden to the city of Laguna Beach.
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Format:Library Binding
Did you know that Julius Caesar brought the bedbug to Britain? And that the pilgrims in turn brought it to the Native Americans? Were you aware that permanent boarders called mitochondria - which you couldn't lift a hand without- are half your dry weight? Or that the French poet Rimbaud used to smoke his pipe upside down? And would you expect to learn any of this in a book about a garden?
If not, you haven't encountered Hortense Miller. With artist-botanist Miller, always expect the unexpected. Possessing an intelligence as broad in scope as her garden, she has turned an aware eye and an open mind on the life around her. The resulting A Garden in Laguna, like her 2.5 acre garden at the top of Boat Canyon, has a viewpoint all its own.
If you want a book on what to plant, when to plant it and how to make it survive in an alien environment, this book isn't it. Hortense thinks plants know best. Not only that, but that they will do as they please when they please no matter what you may have had in mind. There are no "high maintenance" citizens in her garden. The more than 1,200 species of plants are almost exclusively native to Mediterranean climates and grouped by shade needs and watering schedule: once a week, once a month and by nature only.
Exceptions have been made for two Northern California natives, one now well-established and entwined with Hortnse's beloved vines, and a relative less than 3 feet tall sitting by her porch. "Do you know what this is?" asks 93-year-old Hortense? "A Sequoia." With a quick sidelong glance to see if the botanical name has been recognized, she adds," I'm taking my time planting it since it has some growth left in it." The tree is a California Redwood and could well grow for the next 3,000 years, reaching a diameter large enough to drive a car through. It's a big decision.
Learn how plants sulk and how the Laguna Beach fires both destroyed and rebirthed the garden. Meet the survivor plants and discover what is happening to our native animals and insects. Learn how age helps a garden. (Hortense asserts it hasn't done much for her, so next time she wants to come back as a daisy.)
After experiencing 40 years of this internationally famous garden through the book, you will be delighted to know that you can also visit in person. To arrange a tour, call the offices of the City of Laguna Beach, CA. And be sure not to miss either the gardener or her exquisite artwork.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
It's a good guess that the garden began when Miss Obert, Kindergarten teacher, took us to look over a picket fence into the neglected front yard of an empty house. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
red trumpet vine, coastal sagebrush, bush mallows, tree dahlias, bush sunflower, chinese jasmine, lemonade berry, tree daisies, matilija poppies, chaparral plants, matilija poppy, sagebrush scrub, deer fence, blue morning glory, monkey flower, ice plant Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Boat Canyon, Santa Ana, Hortense Miller, Southern California, United States, Laguna Beach, Mark Twain, South African, Hortense Millet, Rancho San Joaquin New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
It's a good guess that the garden began when Miss Obert, Kindergarten teacher, took us to look over a picket fence into the neglected front yard of an empty house. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
red trumpet vine, coastal sagebrush, bush mallows, tree dahlias, bush sunflower, chinese jasmine, lemonade berry, tree daisies, matilija poppies, chaparral plants, matilija poppy, sagebrush scrub, deer fence, blue morning glory, monkey flower, ice plant Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Boat Canyon, Santa Ana, Hortense Miller, Southern California, United States, Laguna Beach, Mark Twain, South African, Hortense Millet, Rancho San Joaquin New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 4
books:
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cites this book:
- Jude the Obscure (Signet Classics) by Thomas Hardy in Front Matter
- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Pb by Lewis arroll on page 19
- San Gabriel Valley by Automobile Club of Southern California on page 91
- The Tree of Life by H. J. Massingham in Back Matter
- Western Garden Annual by Sunset Magazine and Sunset Books on page 104
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