Thank you .. ‘Dirt du Jour’

for the glowing review! "Go ask Alice ... where all the best vineyard gardens are. She's an erudite charmer; you'll have fun!"

California Wine Country

Kendall-Jackson Winery Gardens

Surely the winter season is apropos to conjuring up the scents and sounds of summer! Wine tasting, of course, is an activity enjoyed year-round at the Wine Center at Kendall-Jackson, in Fulton near Santa Rosa. [Photos Copyright: Alice Joyce]

Kendall-Jackson Fountain

Below: A long view of the Blooms of Bressingham borders on a summer’s day, with bees abuzz, flitting among the bountiful blooms at the Kendall-Jackson Winery gardens.

Shrubs and trees add year-round interest to the winery’s perennial borders, designed by British horticulturist Adrian Bloom: The son of famed plantsman, Alan Bloom, and the author of numerous gardening books featuring Foggy Bottom, Adrian Bloom’s personal garden in Norfolk.

To find the Bloom borders, amble from the formal parterre garden fronting the main chateau, and continue around the side of the building. A signpost heralds the Blooms of Bressingham garden, where drifts of plants meld together in what Bloom calls “macro and micro views.”

Kendall-Jackson Winery – Reflecting Bloom’s refined style, the garden plan revolves upon artful combinations of conifers, flowering perennials, ornamental grasses and shrubs. The tall, vertical shapes of evergreen Italian cypresses draw the eye, and as Bloom shared, “give you a bit of structure… whichever way you’re looking.. on either side of the pathway to take the eye through,” calling attention to the surrounding plant combinations.

Bressingham Borders Photo: Alice Joyce

K-J Pergola Photo: Alice Joyce

A 2 1/2 -acre culinary garden provides herbs & produce for Kendall-Jackson’s wine and food pairings.


You’ll want to stroll through the K-J International Cuisine gardens, and the Viticultural Demonstration plantings, too, which provide an informative look at arrays of grape varieties.

California Wine Country

di Rosa Center - Napa

di Rosa Landscape

A renowned collection of Bay Area art from the 1960s to the present is on view at di Rosa in the beautiful Carneros Appelation region of Napa Valley. A property taking in over 200 acres, di Rosa is sited on an inspiring landscape that showcases art in the Preserve’s outdoor Sculpture Meadow.

di Rosa outdoor vignette

di Rosa Palms – Vineyard View

The di Rosa collection represents over 2000 works in all media: Provocative contemporary art that often exemplifies Rene di Rosa’s early response to Bay Area artists and art movements that went on to be recognized on the national scene and worldwide.

Sheep Installation

di Rosa Gatehouse Gallery

di Rosa Gardens

 

 

 

di Rosa Historic Residence

Seasonal hikes and meadow walks are an inviting adjunct to tours of exhibits in di Rosa’s Gatehouse Gallery, Main Gallery, and the historic residence: Former home of Rene and Veronica di Rosa.

Walking the trail reveals works by artists such as Mark di Suvero, Viola Frey and Gordon Heuther. Nature lovers will appreciate the preservation work di Rosa engages in, where the natural habitat of native grassland and riparian areas are being restored and native wildflowers propagated.

Viola Frey sculpture

di Rosa Sculpture

“The property encompasses  .. a 35-acre lake, plus 162 acres of natural wildlife preserve, all under Napa County Land Trust open space protection. Holdings include Milliken Peak and a stunning variety of habitats such as oak woodland, native grasses, ferns, herbs and wildflowers.”

Glass Chapel North Lawn

Glass Chapel by Veronica di Rosa ~  Photos ~ Copyright Alice Joyce

Botanical Gardens

Valley of the Moon: Quarryhill Botanical Garden

Lilium leichtlinii var. maximowiczii (Photo: Christine Walker)

A botanical profusion of rare and endangered Asian species thrives in the naturalistic setting of Quarryhill Botanical Garden near Glen Ellen, in Northern California wine country. The lily pictured is but one among many: Continuing all through spring, summer and into the fall, collections of lilies from China and Japan offer colorful effects and scented displays.

Rain drops on lilly pads (Photo: Quarryhill Botanical Garden)


Originally the weekend home of benefactor and founder Jane Davenport Jansen, Quarryhill is located squarely within Sonoma County’s bucolic Valley of the Moon, where it spans some 60 acres. One-third of the terrain currently supports a unique woodland environment devoted to collections of plants from the temperate regions of China, Japan and the Himalayas. With more than 90 percent of the flora grown from wild-collected, scientifically documented seed, the collections have proven to be significant in North America.
Autumn at Quarryhill: Christine Walker Photo

A sturdy arbor partly encircled by a dry rock wall marks the gathering point for tours.

As the only formal element in the garden plan, the wooden structure stands out amid a rolling landscape of densely planted hillsides, large pools formed by a winter stream and smaller ponds created from old quarries that endow the property with its name.

Photo: Christine Walker – Valley of the Moon Vista

Though Quarryhill draws professionals from around the globe, it also invites the amateur naturalist, plant lover or keen gardener to come and learn about Asian plant life. Visitors who take part in a Quarryhill tour conclude their experience upon reaching the final high point of the garden, marked by a mound of rocks adorned with Tibetan Buddhist prayer flags.

Gazing out at the spectacular view from this overlook, the garden’s director, Bill McNamara offers a thoughtful comment: “Usually botanical gardens end up being on flat land as an afterthought, but here we have these wonderful contours … you get great vistas and textures.”

Link to Quarryhill ….should you like to visit or to become a member.