A Garden in Laguna

Rating:
Summary: A Gardener's Garden
Review: Did you know that Julius Caesar brought the bedbug to Britain? And that the pilgrims in turn brought it to the Native Americans? Were you aware that permanent boarders called mitochondria - which you couldn't lift a hand without- are half your dry weight? Or that the French poet Rimbaud used to smoke his pipe upside down? And would you expect to learn any of this in a book about a garden?

If not, you haven't encountered Hortense Miller. With artist-botanist Miller, always expect the unexpected. Possessing an intelligence as broad in scope as her garden, she has turned an aware eye and an open mind on the life around her. The resulting A Garden in Laguna, like her 2.5 acre garden at the top of Boat Canyon, has a viewpoint all its own.

If you want a book on what to plant, when to plant it and how to make it survive in an alien environment, this book isn't it. Hortense thinks plants know best. Not only that, but that they will do as they please when they please no matter what you may have had in mind. There are no "high maintenance" citizens in her garden. The more than 1,200 species of plants are almost exclusively native to Mediterranean climates and grouped by shade needs and watering schedule: once a week, once a month and by nature only.

Exceptions have been made for two Northern California natives, one now well-established and entwined with Hortnse's beloved vines, and a relative less than 3 feet tall sitting by her porch. "Do you know what this is?" asks 93-year-old Hortense? "A Sequoia." With a quick sidelong glance to see if the botanical name has been recognized, she adds," I'm taking my time planting it since it has some growth left in it." The tree is a California Redwood and could well grow for the next 3,000 years, reaching a diameter large enough to drive a car through. It's a big decision.

Learn how plants sulk and how the Laguna Beach fires both destroyed and rebirthed the garden. Meet the survivor plants and discover what is happening to our native animals and insects. Learn how age helps a garden. (Hortense asserts it hasn't done much for her, so next time she wants to come back as a daisy.)

After experiencing 40 years of this internationally famous garden through the book, you will be delighted to know that you can also visit in person. To arrange a tour, call the offices of the City of Laguna Beach, CA. And be sure not to miss either the gardener or her exquisite artwork.