Wish. Me. Luck. :)

This week could hardly be more complicated... or exciting! Next Saturday is my daughter Lisa's wedding! And Friday, the rehearsal dinner is chez nous, in the garden. If you read my last post, you know that the pool failed a few weeks ago, which triggered a complete re-do of the entire backyard. Here we are six days out, and it looks like this:

I thought the guys left their things arranged very

nicely into a kind of "Still Life with Mortar" arrangement!

once not too long ago this was my little

"potager", or kitchen garden, planted with

herbs such as chocolate mint and lemongrass!

But we must keep a sense of wonder and humor about all this... what else can we do? At least the garden, traumatized though it is as it watches the horrors unfold before it's very eyes, is obliging with blooms in spite of being covered with stone dust and being trampled by large boots!

the dahlias are darling

the fuchsia is flourishing

the wisteria is waiting

the montbrescia is marvelous

(if a little dusty!)

I'll certainly be very busy for a few more days now... and will post beautiful photos after the miraculous transformation is completed!

***

thanks for visiting!... Kit

Perimeter Check: Mandarin Oranges & Strawberries!

Doing the "perimeter check" early this morning (walking around the garden with a cup of coffee in my hand before work :-) ...look what I found!

Strawberries had miraculously appeared despite my utter neglect of the little plants all summer, and suddenly the mandarine oranges are ready! And the pyracantha berries are already "Thanksgiving Orange"! And does anyone else love white anemones as much as I do?

Enjoy! Have a great last day of September!

{from Kit}

Monday in Montecito

I must admit it is a real joy to be the client for a change! I am looking for a site for a very special family event..and yesterday, in the hands of my good friend, freelance event planner Dani Farler, I saw what is quite possibly the perfect spot for our celebration in Montecito, near Santa Barbara, California.

Come along on our perfect Monday morning quest and see for yourself!

First stop, San Ysidro Ranch, an incomparably gorgeous place on this planet. Dani knows how much I adore the south of France, and she said this place reminds her of our last trip there together. She thought I would love it. She was right!

could anything be more charming than this little

bench in its Provencal setting?

one of the several restaurants we viewed for

a sit down dinner

the wedding meadow, with rose-covered arches

at each end and a view up the mountains

another utterly charming bench in the garden

one of the living passageways found on the

500 acre resort

with Japanese Magnolia trees blooming

and heaters, we are ready for cool

spring evenings

a view down onto the restaurant I loved the most

all images above taken by me

at San Ysidro Ranch, Montecito, California

"heaven on earth"

If you think that this is a breathtakingly beautiful spot to have the family gather for a celebration, you are in very good company. Vivien Leigh and Sir Laurence Olivier exchanged vows here, and John and Jacqueline Kennedy honeymooned here. I am quite certain lots more of the rich and famous find their way here, named America's Best Hotel by Forbes Traveler in 2009.

If you think that I can afford to have the whole gang come and stay here, and party for a couple of days, you would be quite incorrect! :) I might have a small dinner for ten in the Old Adobe 1825, but the rest of our partying will probably be down at the local crab shack!

***

Next, leaving the Ranch, we headed down to the flower shop Dani likes: SR Hogue & Co. We were hoping preparations might be underway there for a glamorous local event (dinner party at Oprah's, just up the hill?) but found things a little lovely and quiet.

a very lucky Buddha enjoying the garden's bounty

beautiful green pot that Dani loved

flower girls Hogue designed..from their website

stunning lilies

***

Finally, the perfect place to wind up the morning: Jeannine's in "downtown" Montecito. There you can have cafes au lait so big you could take a bath in the bowl! and brunch is anything you can dream of: french toast, steel cut oatmeal, eggs crab benedict, brioche, croissants, tropical fruits. Do you get the picture? Get to Jeannine's, quickly!

just seeing Jeannine's makes me feel..relaxed!

***

what Dani wore (she's really into the nautical thing right now)!

what I wore; hey, we are only a mile from the beach!

nonchalant ease and elegance

all clothes found at

the one and only

Wendy Foster

Montecito Village

get in there, now!!

.........................................

in 2010, it's:

Kit Golson Design

for elegant, sustainable and pragmatic

Chic Provence Interior Design

For "une petite pause": Early Spring at Filoli

Not just another pretty springtime bouquet, this country estate-turned National Trust for Historic Preservation landmark is a must-see if you love formal gardens and beautiful old homes. A trip there will transport you to a quieter, more serene time when the cultivation of exquisite gardens and the keeping of mansions was a gracious way of living daily life. In other words, a peek at how the other half lived in 1925!

Situated on 654 acres with gardens to wander, a Gardener's Resource Shop to peruse, a cafe for lunch and amazing 18th & 19th century furnishings to admire in the House, an afternoon at Filoli is a designer's feast. What better place to meet a favorite client for a few hours? That's just what we did this week.

potted flowers in the ballroom

Chinoiserie in the Asian Room

flowering tree at Filoli

doorway at the Garden Shop

approaching the Orangerie

pathway leaving the Orangerie

the swimming pool flanked by potted lemon trees

pots of tulips at the rear of the House

one of the two Camperdown Elm trees

flanking the pool house

fuschia tulips underplanted with tiny forget-me-nots

inside the Orangerie

Chinese figure inside the House in the Asian Room

piano player in the ballroom

map of Filoli Gardens and House

So if you are lucky enough to find yourself in San Francisco this time of year, take a little time out to visit these gorgeous formal gardens and the exquisite mansion. Since I live about five miles away, let me know if you are in the area.

We'll have a wonderful walk through and might even take home a plant or two for our gardens. We'll definitely leave inspired.

Visit the website for information on visiting and the history. www.filoli.org

all photos by Kit Golson

download if you like!

.........................................

in 2010, it's:

Kit Golson Design

for elegant, sustainable and pragmatic

Chic Provence Interior Design

The Garden Won This Week

the arch should fill in with scarlet trumpet vines this summer!

The garden begged this interior designer to leave the computer, the drawing table, the eternal email and iPhone and just come outside this week. 

the fence before

And this is where I've been.  All that wonderful recyclable redwood fencing beckoned, I knew it was time to get replace that fence. If I waited much longer, Aida's garden next door would soon be roaming & digging territory for Ollie, our terrier.

So a new fence went up. It hasn't been painted yet. But when we know the rains have ended (this is California, and the rains will end soon!), we'll finish the job. And those redwood boards? They're stacked neatly in the shed waiting for a new life as something different. 

the fence after being replaced but before its painting

the old greenhouse has been standing for 35 years now

The greenhouse needs a LOT of work this year. Hmmmm...time to replace it with a small poolhouse?

Then the plum trees obliged with a snowy show.

I couldn't bear to come back inside until today.

Hello again!

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