Chardonnay and Herbs Meet in Sonoma Wine County

My fellow blogger recommend that my mail should to be like quick jabs — get in , score your point , and get out . A few words and a picture .

[ Dang ! I just used 109 graphic symbol recount you that I should n’t take so long getting to the peak . Shoot ! ! That was another 79 ! Yipes ! ! ! Another 22 . ]

So , here ’s the percentage point : On Wednesday , August 31 , laurels - winning , landscape - loving , nicest - bozo - you’d - ever - want - to - contact garden photographer Saxon Holt will be holding a book party at the coolest , most beautiful , all - sustainable vineyard and winery , peck in the heart of Sonoma wine country .

Saxon will be joined by author and herbalist Tammi Hartung to sing about their book , Homegrown herbaceous plant : A Complete Guide to Growing , Using and Enjoying More Than 100 Herbs(Storey Publishing , $ 19.95 ) . The talented duet will be come out from 2 to 4 p.m. atLynmar Estateat 3909 Frei Road in Sebastopol . attending is devoid but throttle to the first 60 guests . For more information , call 707 - 829 - 3374 , ext . 102 , or email[email protected ] .

As web log post go , that was efficient , but not much sport . I like merriment .

I promise I ’ll circulate back to tell you more about the impressively sustainable vineyard and winery take to the woods by married man and wife squad Anisya and Lynn Fritz , located in the rolling mound of California ’s Russian River Valley . Meantime , call me you ’ll keep reading while I detour for “ a few ” paragraph . If you do , you ’ll see luscious image and perhaps take away some inspiration for your own garden .

I was in the Bay Area in July devote a duad of talks . I ride out with my friend Mara and Davey in Mill Valley , a straightaway drive across the Golden Gate Bridge from the urban center , but a community intimately carved into a towering sequoia forest . Mara ’s quite a gardener and is the person who putFlora Grubb Gardenson my radar a few years ago . ( Ca n’t give thanks her enough ! ) Here ’s a shot of her garden from my Edgar Guest elbow room .

Criminal Behaviour

My first talk was at the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers . It was a hoot . I gift crime Against Horticulture : When Bad Taste meet Power Tools . Here ’s a shot of my breaking one of THE cardinal rules of good public speaking : forgetting to dig my laser pointer out of my electronic computer udder , turning my back to the hearing and pointing to the screen with my finger’s breadth .

In an adjacent annex of the hothouse was an display inspired by Amy Stewart ’s book , Wicked Plants . Saxon Holt is on the Conservatory ’s board . He figured , “ Amy tell us about Wicked Plants ; Billy will tell us about the wicked thing people do TO plant . ” The fun , risible stuff come first , then evolved into my 10 - point pronunciamento regarding unspoiled stewardship , crystallize design , and tread softly on our planet .

Annie ’s Annuals Astounds

Friday was play , so Mara and I decided on a day filled with chlorophyl . We grabbed a hot cuppa and motor eastward to Richmond , just northward of Berkeley . Annie ’s Annuals and Perennialsis a mecca for West Coast Gardeners , but also pull in internal shoppers , thanks to their robust mail order business .

The best word to discover an in - soul visit to Annie ’s is “ featherbrained ” . The experience starts as you pull into the parking lot after passing through an extremely not - upscale neighborhood . It ’s like that scene in the Wizard of Oz when everything goes from black and white to vivid Technicolor . As we entered the nursery , disingenuously crafted postage stamp stamp demonstration gardens ( and a full - size cow manikin ) greeted us . So did my acquaintance , Elayne Takemoto , Director of Marketing .

C of mesa sit down in the bayside sun , laden with flats of four - inch pots of botanic wonderment , taking up most of the 2.5 - acre site . Elayne told that in a given year , Annie ’s offer between 2500 and 3000 dissimilar potpourri of ornamentals and pabulum . I pride myself in knowing a lot of industrial plant , but I was humble , reading recording label , jot down bank note , and cypher out how to get these footling gems into my clients ’ garden .

Funky bits of artwork are everywhere , but the masterpiece is Tina Amidon’sThe Allegorical Reliquary Mosaic Chapel Fountain , made from panels of roll concrete and embellish with cast - off tea sets , doll , colourful bottles , and other artifacts . The whole corps de ballet is plumb to shower water supply down the bulwark . Here ’s a delightfulvideoof the unveiling at Annie ’s , thoroughgoing with dancers from the local high schooling .

Fine Art In the Fields

I could have stay all morning , but we pulled the hype to touch up with Saxon at his menage in Novato . Aside from his mastery of garden photography , Saxon is caput - over - heels in love with his own garden . After a tour of his wide-ranging flora collection and beautifully excogitation garden blank space , we manoeuvre for Cornerstone Sonoma , a sprawling collection of exhibition garden create by the country ’s top designers . I wrote extensively aboutCornerstone in June , but require to highlight a Modern installing that was unveil a few hebdomad after my visit . Andy Cao is an artist working in the medium of landscape . His Bai Yun ( White Cloud ) installation is a breathtaking combining of wire mesh storm clouds glistening with crystal “ rain drops ” , an undulating terra firma sheet come on with broken oyster shells , and dotted with cacti .

The gist is otherworldly and visitors are welcome to saunter through the blank space . Cao was at the same time work on another installment , Red Lantern , an court to the Chinese immigrants who built much of our railway system . you could see more images of his work atCao ’s website .

Over the River

By now , it was mid - good afternoon and we had two more stopsplanned . Over the river , through the oak tree timber we cruised , toMatanzas Creek Wineryin the Bennett Valley . We stopped just long enough for Saxon to head us to a broad serial publication of terraces where their lavender W. C. Fields grow , bring out quixotic survey to the circumvent oak tree - disperse hills .

This is the site where Saxon snap the cover shot of Nancy Ondra ’s mythologic Holy Writ , Grasses : Versatile Partners for Uncommon Garden Designs , a great imagination that ’s always within reach when I project .

Homegrown herbs book cover

Tammi Hartung and Saxon Holt joined forces in this complete guide to growing, using, and enjoying herbs.

We still had some statute mile to cover and fearing that Lynmar might be closing their gate soon , Saxon called ahead , getting the all well-defined .

Chardonnay and StewardshipBy belated afternoon , it was close-fitting to “ sorcerous promiscuous ” time , when gardens ( and vinery ) soften and photographs take on a special character . We were greeted at the 100 - Accho belongings by the beaming smile of Aniysa Fritz , then escort to the garden occupying the molding between the wine-colored tasting and sale surface area and the vineyards that roller - coaster over the hillsides .

Eytan Navah , garden supervisor , walked us through rows of organically uprise edibles and efflorescence plants selected to animate the garden with a rainbow of color , as well as provide food and home ground for beneficial insect , birds , and other desirable visitors .

Waking up to Mara’s garden was my sunrise treat.

Lynmar is not just a farm that uprise grape . It ’s an ecologically balanced symphony that embodies the rich precept of sustainability . Their management ism is to depart the property better than it was found . Rather than tug the estate into maximal grapevine output , areas have been left with natural stands of redwoods , and diversified with apple orchards and buzz nettle rash of bees . Gardens constellate the property , producing herbs , flower , fruits , and vegetables , including fava beans , scallion , eight types of garlic , and more than 100 heirloom tomato varieties . Much of this bounty finds its way to the winery ’s professional kitchen for match tasting that compliment the wines .

The deterrent example here is that people , agriculture , and a philosophy that respects ecological system can co - exist and compensate regard to the domain ’s active ethnical and natural history . If you ’re going to be in the area , check their website for a schedule of their complimentary garden tours .

And if you ’ve got an urge to forgather Saxon Holt and hear about his effort behind the lens , head back to paragraph three of this War and Peace - sizing blog position and treat yourself to an good afternoon of fine food , wine-coloured , and some great approximation for provoke herbs in your own garden , courtesy of Tammi Hartung .

take more about Saxon , Tammi , and the event atPJ Breimer ’s columnat theMarin Independent Journal .

Saturday was my lecture at Flora Grubb Gardens . A packed mansion of 100 - plus father a combining of garden design basic principle and spiffy stand - up one - ocean liner . Ya shoulda been there .

Not too unsound … I exceeded the recommended 200 - discussion blog post by a bare 1000 or so run-in . Thanks for hanging in there .

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