A walk in the park, and through the shop

Last Sunday I decided to take advantage of LA's gorgeous January weather and signed up for a morning garden tour of my neighborhood. It was organized by horticulturalist and landscape designer Mike Brown, though Urban Landscape and Garden Walks of Greater Los Angeles.

I'm not usually a joiner, but I'm so happy that I did this. We all met at Shaky Alibi (a new Belgian waffle shop) and from there headed out through the neighborhood and Pan Pacific Park. It had rained the night before, so everything was particularly fresh and pretty. Mike focused his talk mainly on trees, but touched on broader landscaping issues, too. (Admittedly, trees aren't much on my radar since I don't have a yard, but it was interesting information to learn—the architecture of pruning, so to speak.) 

The hour-long walk ended at Rolling Greens, my favorite spot for houseplants and fun gifts. The shop is just starting to bud with new spring items, so I couldn't resist taking a few snaps after the tour. It's a gorgeous place, and allows even apartment dwellers like me the chance to feel like full-fledged gardeners.

A triumvirate of blooms, books, and candles. The blossoms may be faux but they could fool a bee.

Vintage furnishings sourced from... wait, it was whispered to me... maybe I'll just tell you that they make several trips a year to the state that was 28th to join the union.

That pink-and-green throw almost came home with me.

While landscaping plants are kept to the outdoor area of the shop, the interior is filled with houseplants of all types. I found the perfect bird's nest fern for my office in the back room just a few months ago. 

And a special note for pet-owners: the staff at Rolling Greens is terrific about looking up information on whether or not plants are toxic. I learned the hard way a few years ago with a hydrangea from a grocery store. Kitty ended up OK—after a frightening and expensive trip to the vet—but it's a risk I'll never take again. It pays to shop where people know and care.