Sherman Library & Gardens, Corona del Mar, CA

Sherman Library & Gardens is a  2.2 acre site located in Corona del Mar, CA.



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The library holds a collection of research materials which focus on the "dramatic growth and transformation of the Pacific Southwest over the past one hundred and fifty years." The gardens are meant to be an educational experience for its visitors. There is wide variety of plant material from all over the world on display, many of which have labels, all packed together in this 2.2 acre lot located in the heart of the downtown area. If you blink, you will miss the site, but it makes for a nice visit if you are in the area and wanting to get out and enjoy the sun.

Here are 4 snapshots of some of the expansive views available at the gardens:

Entry View

Featuring a densely planted bed of colorful annuals which wrap around a fountain

View towards the Central Garden
Again, densely planted beds which line the walkways and showcase the use of tropical and shade-loving plants

The Central Garden

See the trend? It's called repetition. More flower beds used to showcase seasonal color

Succulent and Cactus Garden

 Colorful mix of succulents and cactus tucked around a dry river bed

This was my favorite area, and because of this, here are a few more shots of some really beautiful specimens the garden had on display. These photos have not been modified; nature's beauty needs no modification!

Agave 'Blue Glow'

Agave 'Blue Glow' is compact Agave which grows to about 1-2' tall and 2-3' wide. It has chalky, blue-green leaves and red/yellow margins (the trim around the leaf). Under the right light the leaves have a beautiful glow.

Agave americana var. medio-picta 'Alba' (White-Striped Century Plant)

The White-Striped Century Plant is a beauty if you are lucky enough to stumble upon it. This Agave grows to a height of 3-4' tall and 4-6' wide. It has a creamy central stripe surrounded by a cool, blue-green margin. This plant definitely has a presence, and it also has pretty gnarly spines along the margins. These are best planted off in the distance, out of the way. Great to use as a focal/specimen piece, as this Agave is quite the show-stopper!

Echeveria elegans (Hens & Chicks) hugging Echeveria

The Echeveria elegans is an attractive, low-growing succulent which forms tight rosettes which spread to a width and height of about 1'. If planted properly (as done above) you can use this compact succulent in a rock garden, a green roof/wall and also as a water-efficient groundcover. The other plant is also an Echeveria; the variety I'm not sure about... E. diffractens would be my best guess. These plants (which you will notice with many, if not most succulents/agave/cactus) thrive in coastal settings and a little protection from direct sun, but it is possible to grow them more inland. They also love well-draining soil and very little watering. 

Step Enhancement

This was my favorite moment in the garden, aside from the entire succulent and cactus display (although, I didn't really notice any cactus...). Not to say that the rest of the garden bored me to tears... it's just not my aesthetic as it is very much so my idea of  "traditional" landscaping, and I tend to have a preference towards the extreme, bold and experimental/non-traditional designs.

Here is my honest opinion: This garden felt very formulated, pretty symmetrical, and honestly, quite safe. It does its job as an attractive outdoor space that makes a lovely backdrop while you are sipping on your evening cup of tea, but I find this type of landscaping a little pedestrian because of this. The steps were refreshing. A very simple treatment that made a big impact and tied the entire succulent and cactus garden together very well. It was a nice sending off point. 

Other items that I did not include in the photo sample are: the conservatory, rose garden, the discovery garden and the tea garden.

For more information on Sherman Library & Gardens, please visit their website.
Additional photos from the trip are here on my Flickr page.

Back in business [for now]

It's been a year?!
What a difference a year makes.

My apologies in advance for not keeping the blog going. Blogging is a lot of work (especially if you aren't getting paid to do it!). That being said, keep posted for updates which will happen within the next few weeks!

Interests...

As you might now...
I'm an aspiring Landscape Architect.

But what you may not know... is that I'm also very interested in planning, be it city, urban, or regional scale. I'm currently researching schools that offer a Master's in these particular programs. I'm not necessarily saying that I will be going back to school for a Master's... but as we all know... the recession isn't leaving many of us much in terms of options. A 'Plan B' is always necessary.

Here are a few of my other interests:
Urban Planning and Design
Community Design
Sustainable Design and Development
Historical Preservation
Reclamation and Restoration
Parks and Public Spaces

The other question you might ask [I ask myself this all the time] is why am I interested in these things... and if I am able to do them... what would I really do with these types of interests?

If you can answer that... well, you would be far ahead of me by MILES.
All I can say is that I know what I "think" I might like, and the only way I will know for sure is if I am blessed enough to find an internship doing these things. I can surely cut my list down by telling you what I don't like based on past jobs. That list is very specific.

If nothing else, in it's most basic form, I just want to design and create beautiful, memorable, livable, people-friendly/people-oriented spaces. Why? Well... why the hell not.

There is so much garbage out there distracting us from seeing the bigger picture; the forest for the trees. The term 'getting back to basics' keeps getting tossed around almost as frequently as highly trendy and commercialized terms like 'eco-friendly', 'organic', 'all natural', 'green' and 'sustainable' ad naseum, but who is really implementing these types of things on a daily basis? Who is really caring about these things on a deeper level where they aren't jumping on board for financial gain, but they are jumping on board because it is THE RIGHT THING TO DO?

No need to get on my high horse or anything, but one of the problems [one of the problems] with society today is that we [and sorry to clump everyone into the same category, but for the sake of being too 'correct'] LACK WORK ETHIC. We lack passion. We lack determination. We lack ambition. We lack endurance. At the first sign of hard work we shudder with fear. There are a handful of people out there that are really willing to do the footwork and build their homes brick-by-brick and all the rest, well...

Allow me to Introduce myself...

Would I be oversimplifying if I said I don't like to stay inside the box?

I'm attracted to friction, reinventing the wheel, organized chaos and random acts of kindness. I prefer things that are structured, yet completely unorganized; time lines that are set in stone, yet flexible. I like things that are imaginative, yet functional and logical.

I've been described as a bit of a conundrum, an oxymoron, and indecisive.
I guess that happens when both sides of your brain operate at the same speed.

Here is a quick little description from similar minds:

Left brain dominant individuals are more orderly, literal, articulate, and to the point. They are good at understanding directions and anything that is explicit and logical. They can have trouble comprehending emotions and abstract concepts, they can feel lost when things are not clear, doubting anything that is not stated and proven.

Right brain dominant individuals are more visual and intuitive. They are better at summarizing multiple points, picking up on what's not said, visualizing things, and making things up. They can lack attention to detail, directness, organization, and the ability to explain their ideas verbally, leaving them unable to communicate effectively.

I lean heavy to the left...
But my heart is planted firmly on the right...

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I really don't know who or what I am. But I have a lot of fun trying to figure this out (and trying to figure others out as well). And in the big scheme of things, does it really even matter. I am what I am.

In case if you're wondering...

I moved the previous blog here. It made more sense.
I mean... the title implies that I would be talking about more big picture thoughts/ideas, not my obsession with crafting.

The new blog will focus on that fun, lighthearted stuff.
And this blog will be more serious, focused on my work/projects, my education, the things I like to research and read, etc. You know, all the boring stuff.

Great...
Now I get to start ALL over.

Getting started...

is half the battle.

Who knew that there would be SOOO much effort required to start blogging.
It feels like myspace revisited all over again; coordinating colors, finding the right profile image that represents my personality, thinking of quirky things to say without revealing too much... this is turning out to be a bit of a chore.

I should be up and running soon...but for now, enjoy the blank space.