By Julie Chai, Sunset associate garden editor

At the recent Late Show garden show, we were thrilled by all the inventive displays. There were so many amazing creations that it's hard to narrow them down, but here are a few of our favorites. Above, garden designers Suzanne Biaggi and Patrick Picard created the Future Feast with edibles planted right into a tabletop. Produce doesn't get any fresher than that!

We also loved the way designer Beth Mullins turned tires inside out and used them as planters in her display:

By Sharon Cohoon, Sunset senior garden writer

Does this look like a fun setting for a garden class or what?

This is the sideyard of Marianne Taylor, an avid gardener living in the Los Rios Historic District in San Juan Capistrano.  (If you've ever strolled through this charming area--it's one of the oldest neighborhoods in the state of California--chances are you've walked by and admired this large, flower-filled, corner property.) Janet Crowther, another avid gardener and a friend of Marianne, often told her.  "People would pay to sit in your yard."  That gave the two women an idea.  They've started a garden seminar business called Goin Native.  The class emphasis is on hands-on experience and all sessions will be held in Taylor's backyard.

The next class -- "Holiday Gifts: Going Green" -- recycling old teapots, boots, or other fine items into decorative gift containers -- will be held on Saturday, December 5.  You can register for this and upcoming classes through the San Juan Capistrano Community Services Department.  Phone 949-493-5911.

Classes already scheduled for 2010: 

Lose the Lawn.  January 26 and February 20

How to Stretch a Costco Bouquet in Multiple Valentine Arrangements -- Feb. 9

Victory Gardens -- March 6 and March 23

Here's Marianne (on the left) and Janet (on the right).  Yes, they're a much fun as they look.  I had a great time with them in Los Rios and am looking forward to a return visit.

If you sign up for one of these classes, make a day of it.  Los Rios merits it.  My colleague Jim did a post about that very subject awhile back.

I highly recommend a bite at The Ramos House Cafe. The cafe is very casual but the menu is quite sophisticated.  Mac n' Cheese with Smoked Veggies and Lemon Gremolata.  Duck Cakes with Baby Spinach & Warm Mustard Dressing.

And I am going to have one of those sensible things some day instead of always opting for the desserts.  But I've got to tell you their Warm Berry and Banana Shortcake is heaven.

Also check out Ito Nursery while you're in the neighborhood.  It's the oldest nursery in San Juan Capistrano.  Doug Ito is the man with the peony advice I posted recently.

By Sharon Cohoon, Sunset senior garden writer

The transitory nature of beauty is a concept to be cherished, believe the Japanese.  They even have a term for it, "wabi-sabi".  Seasonal changes may not be dramatic in Southern California, but they can be found and should be embraced as Southern California writer Debra Baldwin suggested and demonstrated and we blogged about recently.

Want more drama?  How about these recent shots from the Anderson Japanese Gardens in Rockford, Illinois?

The photos were taken by Jean Warboy, a Sunset "alum."  Warboy used to be a book designer for Sunset.  And obviously she hasn't lost her great eye.  You can see more of her photos of this garden on Facebook.

The creator of the Anderson Japanese Gardens, Hoichi Kurisu, is well-known to Sunset's readers in the Pacific Northwest.  He was the director of landscaping of the Japanese Garden in Washington Park in Portland, Oregon between 1968-1972.  And later his firm, Kurisu International, spectacularly repaired and improved The Heavenly Waterfall in that garden when it was damaged in a severe ice storm ini 1997.

By Sharon Cohoon, Sunset senior garden writer

  Why pretend you live in Tuscany, when you reside in coastal California?  That's something Costa Mesa garden designer Molly Wood can't understand.

"You live close to the beach, where most of the world would like to be," she says.  "Why not celebrate that?"

Wood certainly does.  Everything about her design style is "beachy." 

Take her fountains. Nearly every fountain she does, I noticed browsing Wood's website, incorporates sea shells. 

Not all of the fountains are as detailed as this one, which is on display at Wood's shop in Costa Mesa, but there is some use of shells and/or connection to the ocean in all of them.

The idea came from watching her son play with an abalone shell, says Wood.  "Seeing the water trickle through the holes gave me the idea to incorporate that same movement in a fountain," she says. 

After visiting her store and and spending a morning seeing some of her projects, though, I see how the beach connection permeates everything Wood does.  Her firepits, for instance, look like more formal versions of the ones you huddle around when you're at a beach party right on the sand.  And, if you look closely, you'll notice there are often tiny sea shells in the grouting between her paving stones.

Back at the shop, I notice how the beach motif infuses everything Wood touches, from the casual styling of the furniture she prefers -- honed concrete table tops that look beach-polished; to her succulent plant combinations -- they look like coral formations; to her choice of pots -- lots of shell shapes and shell textures, like the beauty shown below. (More about this line of pots tomorrow.)

My visit with Wood has me rethinking my backyard.  I'm not exactly channeling Tuscany back there, but I'm not embracing my proximity to the beach as much as I could either.  At a minimum, I'd love to incorporate her sea-shell encrusting grouting idea.

By Sharon Cohoon , Sunset senior garden writer

Since I've already confessed to having limited success with plants in containers--(See Hard Truths)--you'd think I'd shy away from buying pots.  That would be logical.  But the truth is I love them.   So it is probably only a matter of time before I succumb to something from Flat Earth Designs, a line of goregous pots I saw recently at Molly Wood Garden Design's shop in Costa Mesa. 

Here's a sample:

The pots are cast concrete, and their English designer is obviously enamored with all things textured. 

And that, I'm afraid, is about all the info I have.  Not surprisingly, Wood is reluctant to share much info about her source.  And I haven't been able to find anything about Flat Earth Designs -- the name stamped on the pots -- through a web search.

All I know is I am already regretting not buying the small, ribbed pot directly above on the left.  It wouldn't have hurt my budget that much--the bigger ones can be a bit pricey--and I could keep it restocked with inexpensive supermarket houseplants and it would still look cute.  Heck, even a plastic plant would look good.

Or maybe I'll just buy that separate ring thing it is dropped into and set it on my desk.  It looks like a mermaid's tiara.  Maybe I'll even wear it.

By Julie Chai, Sunset associate garden editor

Photos by Alicia Martin

We can't wait to check out the Late Show Gardens, a brand new garden show at Cornerstone in Sonoma, California focusing on design and sustainability. We've been looking forward to it for months since the contributors are some of the biggest names in horticulture—essentially the who's who of the garden scene—from the Bay Area and beyond.

As you can imagine, pulling together a garden show is a major undertaking. It involves endless planning and organizing, and the week before the show, when designers actually start building the display gardens, is especially intense. Tons of soil are hauled in, along with large trees, landscape art, and accessories—the photo above is a behind-the-scenes look at two displays, Growth Melt and Overgrowth, in progress. We can't wait to see what they look like when they're done!

The show kicks off this Thursday 9/17 with an evening preview party, and runs through Sunday 9/20. I'll be there Friday—hope to see you there!

For info and tickets, go to thelateshowgardens.org or call 415/721-1550.

By Sharon Cohoon, Sunset senior garden writer

This beautiful stacked wall with its amusing broken pot inserts was shot at Cambria Nursery in Cambria.  The idea came about when garden designer Shana McCormick of Great Gardens and artisan Gustavo Mora put their heads together to figure out a way to use some of the cracked pottery that was accumulating at the nursery.

Because these inserts have no drainage holes and aren't easy to water, succulents are the best things to plant in them, says nursery manager Becki Smith.  She also recommends not using pots that are too large.  "Don't go over 12 inch," she says. "If they're too large it takes away from the beauty of the wall."

You can see more of Mora's beautifully constructed walls at the Cambria Pines Lodge next door to the nursery.  Mora also conducts classes on how to build stacked walls at the nursery occasionally.  If you live in the area and are interested in attempting this yourself, you might want to get on the nursery's mailing list or check in regularly on their website.

Container lovers might also like our story on 24 Great One-Pot Gardens.

By Sharon Cohoon, Sunset senior garden writer

What does it say about me that I'm attracted to these seriously mean shoes?  Oops, maybe I'm sorry I said that.  Please don't tell me.  At any rate I was. 

I picked up these three note cards, which are based on acrylic paintings done by Prescott, Arizona artist Carolyn Schmitz, at the Big Red Sun in Venice, thinking they would be fun additions to my inspiration board.

But then I noticed on the artist's website that these paintings and others along the same theme are also available as prints.  And I love the thought of having a big version of one of these on my office walls.  Should convince people I'm not as sweet as I look, wouldn't you think?  Now I just have to decide which one.

San Rafael Spikes, depicting agave leaves, San Rafael poppies, and yucca fiber

Scorpion Country, agave and sotol leaves, datura pods, scorpion tails

Agave Country, agave, sotol, datura, mesquite, globemallow, scorpion tails

If these are all too evil for your taste, you might like Schmitz's "Sunset Wedgies" or "Chilean Roses" mules. 

Me, I'm leaning towards "Scorpion Country."  They're just evil enough.

By Sharon Cohoon, Sunset senior garden writer

  I've said it before, and I'll say it again.  Writing about landscape designer Brent Green--shown opposite with our garden photography editor Linda Peters--was one of the most satisfying stories I've written for Sunset.

Brent's transformation of his own landscaping was pretty amazing, as you can see from the reprint of the story, which ran last April, linked to below.

But it was the fact Green didn't stop there that impressed us so much.  Green set out to improve his whole Mid-City neighborhood, planting street trees, making landscaping suggestions, getting speed bumps installed, lobbying city hall, and so forth.

So we were thrilled to see Green has gotten more press for his good work.  ABC 7 News did a segment about him last week.  If you missed it, you can see it here.  If you missed our story on Brent which ran last April, click on the link below.

Download Gsc0309g_BrentGreen