Wishing you a Merry Christmas

Here we are, it's Christmas Day. We're not traveling to be with family this year, instead spending this one at home in Portland. Because of that, and some reading I've been doing, I've been thinking a lot about Christmas traditions. Since we don't have kids many of the usual traditions never figured into the mix for us. 

Growing up I was lucky to have some pretty fantastic family traditions though. Then later, in my 20's, I somehow managed to fall hard for the consumer-based Christmas enchantment of downtown Seattle's lights and glitter and the shopping magic, all while working as a store manager during the intense retail holiday season. I lived Christmas HARD and loved it. Somewhere along the way though I lost that special glow the holiday season could bring. I try to find it each year, doing something that stirs the old emotions, but the pull is not as strong as it used to be.

Which brings me to the #santacones. Somehow this has become one of my most loved Portland Christmas traditions. 

A local guy, Chris Willis, has been sitting up hundreds of illuminated plastic Santas every year since 2010. He posts clues on Instagram that lead you to their location. Visiting the Santas has become a tradition for me, one that does give that feeling of Christmas magic, especially since there are always other people gathered around the windows. Some are the faithful, others are just walking by and pulled in by the glow.

Old fashioned store window painting added another dimension this year.

There's always that one person Santa in the crowd...

Look, up in the sky! 

I hope you all felt a little of that old Christmas magic this season, and thank you Chris Willis for doing what you do and keeping that magic alive. It's so very appreciated.

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All material © 2009-2024 by Loree L Bohl. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

Flora Grubb Gardens, in Los Angeles

After visiting Rolling Greens and The Tropics, Inc, I headed to the (not so) new LA location of the San Francisco giant, Flora Grubb Gardens. This was my final stop during our mid-November trip.

I'll be honest, my expectations were low. The buzz I'd heard about this location wasn't all that positive. I think someone had also told me getting there wasn't easy. They were right. Left turn against traffic, another immediate turn that wasn't obvious, aye yi yi! I could see it, but how to get to it!? Thankfully I finally made the right combination of turns.

In addition to the traffic and street issues, the location also had a few interesting deep drainage ditches that broke up the flow. You can see one of them above, here's another. Lots of ice plant...

Odd location (and extreme wind that day) aside, I thought this location was (almost) as magical as the original. I mean let's face it, our standards are much higher now than when the original Flora Grubb opened in SF back in 2007.

There were many plants I would have loved to have taken home with me. Agave victoriae-reginae...

Agave 'Blue Glow'

Leucospermum gueinzii

Leucospermum 'Veldfire' 

Leucadendron salignum 'Winter Red'

Labeled as purslane tricolor jewel...

Jelly beans!

Over on Instagram I raved about the way Dustin Gimbel's totems made the space and I will do so here too. They were fantastic. 

Agave xylonocantha 'Swordfish'

Blue, powdery blue.

There were several gorgeous Cyathea cooperi in the mix of shade plants.

Tetrapanax! $79 for a 3 gal pot.

Lots of beautiful bromeliads, I really wanted to take a couple home, but didn't want to pay to check a bag, so they stayed.

This was interesting to see, after drooling over the many Deuterocohnia brevifolia at The Tropics, Inc. This little planting in a rock pot was selling for $149.

Euphorbia evansii (only $12.99)

Mammillaria spinosissima

Cleistocactus colademononis

Inside the small building that fronted the space I spotted these ceramic containers from Michelle Derviss. 

If this one had been green or brown it would have been very hard to leave it behind...

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All material © 2009-2024 by Loree L Bohl. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

Visiting Rolling Greens in Culver City, CA

Last month I visited the Culver City, CA, location of Rolling Greens for the second time, and it was just as fabulous as I remembered (first visit here). It was extra fun actually, since they had their holiday decor up—it felt a lot like a West Coast version of Terrain.

From their website: "3 levels, 6 greenhouses, over 1.5 acres of nursery overwhelm... Nestled on a hill overlooking Century City, this iconic location boasts the largest pottery + container collection in the Greater Los Angeles area."

I wandered the indoor area first...

These candle sticks! Oh how I wanted to take them home, at least one (the dark one), preferably three. They were not cheap but the main obstacle was how thin the glass was. I might have gotten away with shipping them (or packing them really well and checking them?). But instead I decided I'd try and find them locally. No success thus far.

This were pretty fantastic too.

And I loved the paper trees. My mom did something vaguely similar once that involved spray paint and folding the pages of a Reader's Digest magazine.

Naturally there were poinsettia...

And I lusted after that hourglass planter.

I'm outside now, where I admired this table with a planting pocket down the middle.

And a little moss to the side.

I walked the planter aisles...

And admired the view.

As well as the plants, of course.

Another table with a planting...

And more containers.

I don't think I made it down to the lowest level (house plants) on my last visit, and I was tempted by a few of them. Instead my only purchase was the tote bag I shared in this post.

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All material © 2009-2024 by Loree L Bohl. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.