Thursday 6 December 2012

"Baby, its cold outside!" SoCal virtual warming

I have been meaning to get outside, do some clean-up, bring in some aloes (yikes... I still havn't done it!), set up some precautionary protective measures, and all the other things I should be doing this time of year. But brrrrr.... its cold!  So far all my summer loving, sunshine and happiness friends, I shall bring some virtual warmth with some more SoCal plant lust!

So in the spirit of sunshine, turn up the heat, strip down to your summer gear, drink something tropical, and soak in some warmth!! (Sun lamps and vitamin D3 are your best friends this time of year!).  An alternate plan could be to decorate your Christmas palms - or holiday palms.

When I was in SoCal, one thing was cemented into my brain. I don't just dislike cold, I loathe it. So in the miss-quoted words of Judy Garland: "If there's anything I hate, loathe, despise, and abominate, it's [cold]."   I could get used to evening sunshine warming my face.  I could get used to sights like this.

Or this.

What agave is this? I am now convinced that I need Greg Starr's "Agaves: Living Sculptures for Landscapes and Containers"


But back to cold hating ... errr ... virtual sun soaking.

This is so epic it hardly looks real.

I have been trying to think of gifts for friends that evoke sunshine and happiness.  It has to in some way reject all sense of winter.  This is the year of summer after all.  Maybe some giant bromeliads!?



Tropical plants can be festive too!!!

I think one of the redeeming parts of the holidays is all the red and green you see. I like red, and I LOVE green!!!!

but there is a tender soft spot in my heart for the green....

An even more special place for green and blue ....

And an ultimate happiness from green, blue and orange together! Ah! Epic! Happy sun soaking!


15 comments:

  1. Nice and warming, but I can top that!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Please do!!!! I loooove me some good virtual warming!

      Delete
  2. Remind me again why we live in the soggy and cold Pacific Northwest?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I ask myself that all the time. I often dream of moving to the costa blanca in Spain or something. I could live in a spanish mediterranean home with an epic sea view.... maybe build an infinity pool? Have an olive grove? Sound good to you?

      Delete
  3. I think that might be an Agave ocahui? Beautiful pictures which indeed helped me to forget my pain for at least 10 minutes.

    Just tonight while out on the PM dog walk I was thinking how much I hated being cold...and the really sad thing I'd that it isn't even really cold! (only 49 F...and I'm miserable!) How will I manage in Spokane over the holidays when it could easily be in the 20's? I need to move to Arizona. You could visit...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh its sooo sad but true! In about a month 49 degree evenings seem like the glory days. I don't know how you will handle Spokane! If you move to Arizona I will soo come visit!!! (Although I still would love to come down in the springtime and tour the garden/garden stock some good spots... Cistus?)

      Delete
  4. Let's face it we need to sell our homes here, buy one giant estate down south and set up the biggest botanical garden. Cause what would be cool about it is the gardens would be our front and back yard. Louis, you'll have to be in charge of the Palms.....

    ReplyDelete
  5. That would be soo fun. I think I could handle a botanical garden at my house. I would love to go plant shopping for that!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm in! On BSG's cunning plan, that is. Thank you, Louis, for the warming cozy, spiky pics: I totally need a winter getaway spot somewhere super warm, like Palm Springs!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh Jane, you should go to Palm Springs! Where do you think the ideal estate home/ botanical garden would be?!

      Delete
    2. Hmm, possibly Pasadena, CA, but it's spendy there!

      Delete
    3. Yes!!! That would work. I was thinking Santa Barbara or San Diego would be possible contenders :P

      Delete
  7. Sending you warmth from down south friend :) beautiful photography Louis!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Dubai always brings summer surprises to its visitors, it consists of various indoor activities likes Burj Khalifa, ski Dubai, shopping malls and modhesh world, Desert Safari Dubai.

    ReplyDelete