interview with a gardener - kristy & john

finally! i am posting this! kristy and john are dear friends and they invited me a little while ago to visit their gorgeous garden. i love their space! at the heart of the garden is a vegi plot that features tomatoes, arugula, berries and more! i tasted a couple of the berries. delish! i am so inspired by their bold and abundant use of color and their collection of cactus and succulents. it is so great how in so cal you can have a desert scene growing next door to an edible garden.
their garden is a total reflection of their personalities, vibrant, inviting and loved. they have a tree loaded with housing and food for local birds and squirrels. i have the great pleasure of working with kristy from time to time. she is one of my favorite people. she always makes me laugh and we never get tiered of sharing our nerdy cat mother stories with each other. once she even gifted me underwear for squirrels! love.

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kristy was kind enough to answer some of my question on her gardening experience...

what is your earliest memory of working with plants?
when i was little we lived on old farm property in sherman oaks. we had apricots, peaches, almonds and a plum that hung over from the next back yard. oh, and a guava bush in the front yard. i used to walk around the driveway pretending i was starving in the desert, then i would find those lovely guavas and be saved!


when did your interest in plants / gardening begin?
did anyone in particular or a specific moment inspire you?
the girls who lived next door to us in granada hills had a garden, so i did, too. it was pretty much a failure as the granite soil there was really bad. but i kept trying!

how do you work with plants in your life now?
as john has said, i care for them. and i share our bounty.

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what is the best part about working with plants? and what is the biggest challenge? 
i love working in the dirt. i love watching the plants grow. i love the bees!! some other bugs are a big challenge! o hate them, but i hate to kill them. except the earwigs. don't hate killing those nasty little buggers!

what is your process for designing your garden?
design? c'mon.

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where do you seek references, research, inspiration or ideas?
i loved the nursery Hortus in pasadena. i think much of my inspiration and ideas came from them. i still work with one of the main guys from Hortus at TOMATOMANIA!

what are your gardening tool essentials from concept to finish (they can range from pencils to music to hoes)?
good amendment and a hose without a spray attachment.


what plant(s) is an essential in your garden and why?
they're all essential.

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favorites...
what are your favorite indoor plants?
orchids

what are you favorite outdoor plants?
jasmine, roses, tomatoes

what are you favorite edible plants?
tomatoes, boysenberries, arugula


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what are you favorite nurseries and / or public gardens?
i love the huntington garden, sego nursery and sheridan gardens.

favorite spot in your garden?
right smack dab in the middle.

favorite thing about YOUR garden?
it's small but mighty!

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3 comments:

  1. great interview and photos! i like the answer to the garden designing process ;)

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  2. this is a garden that dreams are made of. the succulents and the fruit are gorgeous and the interview is really inspiring too.

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