Anger Management

A good sign from the London Underground Tube Diary. Anger the doors but be sure to mind the gap.

I Love This Baby

A selling exhibition at stately Chatsworth House in Derbyshire features this giant loveable baby. The exhibition, titled Beyond Limits, runs until early November. The baby's name is Planet and he was created by Mark Quinn, the sculptor whose pervious work, Alison Lapper Pregnant, created a stir when it was mounted on the fourth plinth at Trafalgar Square. His piece, Self, was a model of his head made of his own frozen blood. He also made a 'frozen garden' (pictures at Pruned).

Unhasty Invasion

From the Independent comes a story about an alien species of snail that have overrun part of England. Well, a very small part of England. The snails, called the Cliveden snails after the stately home where they were discovered apparently were introduced: "from an imported stone balustrade brought from Italy in the 1890s, to claim a piece of British territory up to the terrace of the house just 27m (88ft) away."

So no need to panic.

Topher Delaney

The San Francisco landscape designer is known for her healing gardens (at hospitals around the country). Her designs reflect a deep exploration of each garden's relationship to the people for whom it is intended and the surroundings in which it is found. Her site offers a portfolio of work without any editorializing (but you can read her philosophy there). This garden, described only as 'Narducci' features rusted steel panels set at angles on a gravel plain, surrounded by roses, creating a partial maze. A citrus tree is sunk into a hole in the ground. Somewhere there is a quince tree. Flat panels of turf and gravel are punctuated with light-textured trees. Is it desolate or soothing?

Slug hors d'oeuvres

A banana slug in Sooke, BC, making short work of a potted dahlia. That was just the appetizer.

Truth in Advertising

In June, I posted a picture of a new David Austin rose, Sir John Betjamin. I saw the almost-real thing at Hampton Court this year and took this photo. I say almost-real because it was in the display and not in my own garden. But I can't wait to try it. Look at all the shades of crimson, pink, cerise, and cherry on those little curvy scallop petals.

Another Lovely Rose

I wasn't at Chelsea this year, but if I had been there I'm sure this rose would have caught my eye. A new introduction from David Austin, Sir John Betjamin. Scrumptious.

Chubby Baby

Some things look cuter when they're chubby. Sadly, middle-aged women are not among them. But hedgehogs are. Read more about this big bundle of joy.

Vancouver Library

Built in 1995, the roof on the Vancouver Public Library was designed to echo the Fraser River and its surroundings. The roof is planted in 14 inches of growing medium laid over a drainage layer and a rubberized asphalt membrane (designed by American Hydrotech, from whose website this photo was taken). Plants include various blue fescues, to represent the river, and kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva ursi). The roof is visible from surrounding buildings and has some runoff mitigation benefits.

The building was designed by Moshe Safdie. The landscape architect was Cornelia Hahn Oberlander. More about her work soon.

Meticulous Gardening

I look out in dismay at the fact that my old friend oxalis is already invading the garden despite the fact that the temperature hovers close to freezing and only the brave snowdrops have emerged. Perhaps I need a new attitude toward weeding. Like this man, gardening with tweezers at the Portland Japanese Garden, making the moss as perfect as it can be.

Outdoor Boudoir

The famous grass bed, with sedges and sweet-smelling Acorus as a mattress, designed by John Greenlee in Pomona, California. Taken about 8 years ago.

Sleeping Beauty

Julian, fallen asleep to the tune of 'If I had a Million Dollars' by the Bakenaked Ladies. Now that's peaceful.