Encinitas Garden Adventure

L-R Nan Sterman with Lydia Plunk at the Festival

A driving-force behind the Encinitas Garden Festival and Tour, Nan Sterman is a garden goddess. What Johnny Appleseed was to his generation in encouraging man's interaction with nature, Nan is to ours. With her encyclopedic knowledge spread by her kindly voice, she is on a mission to plant seeds of love for plants that enjoy being on a water diet. 

Poppy by Gene Sasse

It is only natural that when Cool Springs Press put together a team of  leading gardening experts to write Water-wise Plants for the Southwest, she was there go-to gal.  Nan is as well-suited for her leading role as authoress on this project as California poppies planted in our sunny Southern California landscape plan.

So it was with great joy that Gerry and I ventured in our first official adventure since the end of The Great Illness. The day before we took the drive down the California coast it was 96 degrees in Diamond Bar. Nan has connections up high- she arranged for cool beach weather. The only thing we missed when we arrived in Encinitas were our sweaters. Those could have been handy under skies that ships dressed in battleship grey would have camouflaged. 

 Now I have about 800 images from the day to select from. 500 still to edit. Where to start in the varied visions of personal paradise to which we were invited to explore? Why not with a few scenes from the garden that undoubtedly would have been my mother's favorite. 

The deck- a subtle pathway washed in different colors upon the topside was planned from the get go to open around the palm tree which is planted like a living umbrella in the center of a custom table. 

The tropical setting: Unique and Unforgettable.  A "transportative" garden. One where whatever you were thinking of when you arrived- you are transported immediately to this other place and time that was once just a seed of someone's imagination. 

More. Much more, to come.