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

Stone Edge Farm and Vineyards

Stone Edge Farm

Stone Edge Farm Landscape (Alice Joyce photo)

Stone Edge Farm Landscape

Stone Edge Borders (Alice Joyce photo)

Stone Edge Borders ~ Photo Copyright: Alice Joyce

Stone Edge Farm

Abundant organic gardens and vineyards grace the artful surroundings and stunning architecture at Stone Edge Farm in Sonoma, where fine artisanal wines are produced along with “extra virgin” olive oil. The beautifully designed private estate–featured widely in national and local publications–may be toured by appointment only by emailing Culinary Director, John McReynolds.    Photos Copyright: Alice Joyce

Stone Edge Farm Arbor  © Alice Joyce

Join the Mailing List to receive invitations to special events, and to learn of special offerings on Stone Edge wines. Having tasted the soon-to-be-released 2007 vintage of Stone Edge ‘Surround,’ I’m won over by the wine’s big, jammy, full-flavored blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Merlot, lingering delectably on the palate.

Stone Edge Farm Landscape – Copyright: Alice Joyce 

It’s clear the farm’s organic horticulture, cultivation of heirloom crops, sustainable practices, and biodiversity enhance the grapes produced by the small winery. Stroll the grounds and you’ll come upon a testament to the rocky, porous soil: a form constructed from stones gathered from the site.

Stone Edge Farm Pyramid  © Alice Joyce

The inaugural release of Stone Edge Farm Cabernet Sauvignon boasts a rich complexity, garnering a Gold Medal at the San Francisco International Wine Competition: This 2006 vintage is blended exclusively from the estate’s certified organic Stone Edge Farm and Mount Pisgah vineyard, in French oak barrels

Stone Edge: Scotch Moss Walkway ~ Photos © Alice Joyce  ~ Below: Ron Mann Sculpture

Harvest Season: Log onto the Stone Edge FARM BLOG to see what’s happening in the kitchen. A burst of activity includes canning, dehydrating, pickling and juicing. Look for recipes, too. And check the web site for Stone Edge Farm Olive Oil availability. Retail outlets include: We Olive — the Oxbow Market in Napa — & the Olive Press Tasting Room at Jacuzzi Winery.

Stone Edge Willow Fence Photo © Alice Joyce

Stone Edge Farm Roses Photo © Alice Joyce

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Landscape Architecture

The High Line - New York City

High Line – New York City (Photo: iwan)

The Standard Hotel at The High Line Copyright Alice Joyce

The High Line at Gansevoort and West 13th Street, straddled by The Standard Hotel.

High Line photo: stevenc_in_nyc

Link to another radiant New York City destination in Lower Manhattan, designed by Dutch plantsman,

Piet Ouldolf:  The Battery Gardens

Designer Piet Oudolf   Courtesy: The High Line

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Los Angeles

Art and Culture .. The Getty Villa East Garden

While the Getty Villa museum highlights a treasure trove of art from ancient Greece, Rome and Etruria, you’ll find the intimate East Garden within the Villa grounds to be a walled santuary space that invites visitors to linger.

Overview East Garden © Alice Joyce

Plantings reflect an array of species known from the ancient Mediterranean, with sycamore and laurel trees providing shade. The enchanting central wall fountain represents a replica of a mosaic and shell fountain from the House of the Large Fountain in Pompeii. In A.D. 79 Mt. Vesuvius erupted, burying Pompeii and Herculaneum.

East Garden Fountain  © Alice Joyce

Embellishments emerge at every turn. Mosaic work, enlivened by images of birds amid colorful patterning, is likened to wall paintings found inside Roman ruins.  It’s easy to get lost in the detailing of the intricate mosaic and shell work.

Fountains act as engaging focal points within the secluded setting.

Below: The heads of bronze civets, catlike creatures spout splashing streams of water into a marble basin, in the East Garden’s central fountain.

Getty Villa Fountain East Garden © Alice Joyce

Marble theatrical masks emerge as another adornment to the wall fountain, prevalent elements in Roman art of the first century A.D.

Getty Villa East Garden – Tragic Hero

Acanthus leaves are depicted again and again in ancient architectural elements, emerging in decorations carved in stone and in wood, in columns and friezes dating back to Greco-Roman times.

Read More… Getty Villa Main Peristyle Gardens

Acanthus – Getty Villa  © Alice Joyce

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