Carolyne Roehm Signing Books After Her Presentation

The Prado at Balboa Park was the perfect setting for a rare San Diego visit last week by one of America’s most important tastemakers, Carolyne Roehm.  Roehm has been a part of American design culture for decades with career chapters in fashion, gardening, entertaining, publishing, and decorative arts.

Currently traveling the country promoting her latest book, Carolyne Roehm at Home in the Garden, The Village Garden Club of La Jolla was pleased to present Carolyne Roehm as this year’s “Meet the Master” grand event.  

“Meet the Masters” was inspired by one of the club’s founders, Adrienne Green, and is held yearly in her honor. Each year The Village Garden Club of La Jolla brings world-class floral designers to San Diego to speak and demonstrate their master floral creations. This educational event is a gift to the club’s members, the greater San Diego Community, and beyond.

Beautiful, stunningly statuesque, and dressed in a bone-colored monochromatic pant suit, Roehm spoke to over 230 devoted luncheon attendees in a warm and charming manner about her 33 years of personally creating and refining the pastoral lands, gardens, and ponds on her historic 1765 property in Connecticut called Weatherstone.

Roehm shared her incredible life’s ups and downs, paralleling her Weatherstone property’s ups and downs, often using metaphors between life and a garden.  One common thread throughout her life has been her love affair with flowers, and “a garden is a canvas for making colors, textures, and shapes.” Her passion for flowers is what drives her garden philosophy. She carries her garden palette, what she is planting, tying it through to her table, dishes, and what works best with what.

Roehm ended her presentation with one of her favorite quotes from Frank Lloyd Wright, “Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature.  It will never fail you.”

A timely article from One King's Lane visits Carolyne Roehm at her Weatherstone home. For more information, visit Carolyne Roehm.

Entrance to The Prado, Balboa Park

Patricia Wells has a new cookbook out, The French Kitchen Cookbook: Recipes and Lessons from Paris and Provence. Last weekend, Owner and Founder, Susan McBeth's Adventures by the Book hosted culinary legend Patricia Wells at Torrey Pines Lodge. Check out Adventures by the Book, you'll never go to another regular book signing again. McBeth features what I call value-added creative author interactive book events, such as author-guided travel, fund raising, intimate dinners, receptions, and more.

Wells is delightful in person, very warm and friendly. She spoke briefly to local fans on some of her guidelines, principles, and tips she showers her students with during her week-long cooking classes in her Paris kitchen studio or her 18th century Provencal farmhouse. Wells has had a very storied culinary career with many accolades, four James Beard Awards amongst her many cookbooks to start, but what I cherish about her is her willingness to share all that she knows about Paris, Provence, and her food world. Who her favorite cheese monger is, her favorite chefs, her favorite wines from all regions, her favorite markets--I could go on and on. The French Kitchen Cookbook is filled with delightful recipes that urge you to make them now. Wells also shares many of her personal styling tips and kitchen suggestions that are fabulous.

I have been extremely delighted with her suggestions through her articles and books over the years, and have used her recommendations for the backbone of my Provence itineraries. One such adventure was eating at Le Bistro du Paradou Provence, Karma or Coincidence, and having a chance encounter with Princess Caroline of Monaco.

Ironically, after being a long time devotee of Wells, she and I are both coincidentally in the magical book, Lunch in Provence that was published fall 2012, by coauthors Jean-Andre Charial and Rachael McKenna. Wells wrote the engaging introduction, and I am serendipitously quoted in the book on the radiating beauty of Provence. This I know for sure, "like attracts like" and we both share passion for Paris, Provence, and delicious food.

If you love to grow and eat vegetables, you are going to love Deborah Madison's new vegetable bible called, Vegetable Literacy: Cooking and Gardening with Twelve Families from the Edible Plant Kingdom, with over 300 Deliciously Simple Recipes. On Sunday, October 6, 2013, the world famous Chino Farm right in our San Diego backyard, presented Deborah Madison as part of their ongoing Good Earth Great Chefs series. Look for Alice Waters and Kermit Lynch's event at Chino's on December 7, 2013, 11:00am to 1:00pm.

This event was more than a book signing. Deborah had personally selected a recipe from her book, "Corn Simmered in Coconut Milk with Basil, served with Coconut Basmati Rice," for lucky attendees to sample. An additional unexpected surprise was lightly grilled shishito peppers and sweet potato leaf as garnish. San Marcos Stumblefoot Brewing Company provided the perfect beverage accompaniment.

Madison's book is as beautiful as it is massive. Instead of presenting her vegetables by season, she has grouped them by families. She shows us how vegetables by family have remarkable similarities, and can be interchanged in recipes. She also explains how the pairing of similar family vegetables, also share the same culinary characteristics, too. I love how she explains vegetables, first hand from her own gardening experience.

Madison is the author of eleven cookbooks, and is considered an authority on vegetables. In the few minutes I shared with Deborah Maidson, I sensed a peaceful spirituality about her, yet strong-mindedness to pursue issues of biodiversity and sustainable agriculture. It was a pleasure to meet her in person.

Please don't forget about my own upcoming book signing, Gardening with Free-Range Chickens for Dummies. RSVP and more details at  San Diego Botanic Garden, 230 Quail Drive, Encinitas, this Saturday, October 12, at 10:00am- 11:30am.

If you are looking for help attracting more beautiful birds and butterflies into your garden, take a look at George Adams' new book, Gardening for the Birds: How to Create a Bird-Friendly Backyard George Adams is not only the author, he is an artist including his pen and ink drawings, and contributing colorful photography, too.

This book is well-organized into four sections that systematically provide you incredible amounts of information to help you create a bird-friendly garden, plants with purpose for birds, and regional bird directories.

I particularly liked the detailed calendar for seasonal fruiting by region. I have never seen anything like this before. Adams stresses that planting native plants and trees for your region is key in attracting birds. This is a great guide for studying and reflecting over in a comfortable chair.  I wouldn't necessarily want to carry it around with me in my garden. It is visually attractive and superbly detailed  with charts and listings with keys such as nesting plants, shelter plants, nectar for butterfly plants, host plant for butterflies, fall color, showy flowers, and more.

My only disappointment in this book, is that I absolutely love it when a covey of quail venture onto my property and into my garden. I consider it a magical day, and simply love their presence, sounds, and their quirky behavior. I would like to attract more quail, more frequently, and Adams briefly mentioned quail only once in the book, and that they are ground dwellers.

I would recommend George Adams' book, Gardening for the Birds (Timber Press), for all of you who would like a more bird-friendly garden.

Pat Leuchtman is one of my garden writing friends and blogs at Common Weeder . She lives in the country down a dirt road in Heath, Massachusetts. This is a gardening region vary different from mine here in Southern California.

I have enjoyed her book, as it is a lively memoir of her life, family, and gardening. Although her book has distinct chapters, this book is a beautiful read about "a life well lived."

I always knew Pat loved her roses, but now I know how this came to be, and how her Annual Rose Viewing was born. A delightful read for those that love roses and especially for me, since I know Pat and her kindness. You can purchase her book, The Roses at the End of the Road at Common Weeder.

Hot off the press! My new book, Gardening with Free-Range Chickens For Dummies (For Dummies (Home & Garden)) with coauthor, Rob Ludlow of www.BackYardChickens.com, is now available on amazon and in bookstores. You can order the book now from my right side bar below. Please tell all of your chicken-loving friends! Gardening with chickens is a great way to create sustainability in your garden, enhance your soil, eliminate pests and weeds, produce a delicious home-grown protein source, and all the while--be amused by these little "garden warriors." We give you basic animal husbandry elements needed to provide a healthy environment for chickens, what you and your family should expect if you are new to chickens, and how your garden will be enhanced with the addition of chickens. We focus on garden basics, and how to create a beneficial garden where chickens will be happy, healthy, and thrive. We help you understand garden structure, layering, and how to create an ornamental garden as well as an edible garden for you and your chickens.

We provide all different plant lists and purposes which are helpful for chickens free-ranging in your garden. We help you understand what is good to feed your chickens, and what is potentially harmful. We also help you with deterring predators with common sense management, innovative products, and specialty fencing.

We're excited to share our new book with all of you, whether you are new to chickens, new to gardening, or already experienced in both. Stay tuned as we launch the book!

If you haven't heard already, the San Diego Master Gardener's Seminar is around the corner on Saturday, May 4, 2013. Check out their website, Master Gardener Spring Seminar . There is still time to sign up for classes.

My hens are eggcited, because I am going to be speaking at the 8:30am session, on "Companion Gardening with Backyard Chickens", something very near and dear to my hens, who love to be out with me in the garden. Learn how to have a beautiful, thriving garden, along with a healthy happy flock of chickens. This speaking engagement kicks off the celebration of my new book, Gardening with Free-Range Chickens For Dummies (For Dummies (Home & Garden)) with co-author Rob Ludlow from www.backyardchickens.com. Stay tuned, as we launch our "eggciting" new book!

Do you know who Claudia Alta Taylor Johnson was? It was the real name of one of our beloved First Ladies, better known as Lady Bird Johnson. This month, and actually December 22, 2012 marked the 100 year anniversary of the birth of Lady Bird. This is a charming children's book geared for ages 7-10. Published in 2005, Kathy Appelt is the author, and Joy Fisher Hein illustrates the book beautifully in vivid impressionistic colors.

Through this book, readers are reminded of this country's very important chapter in our history. Readers also learn wildflower names guided by color illustrations mentioned in the book. It also leaves us with Miss Lady Bird's Legacy, and what we can be grateful to her for creating generations later.

Miss Lady Bird's Wildflowers: How a First Lady Changed America beautifully illustrates the poignant life story of Lady Bird from her earliest Texas memories finding solace in Texas bluebonnet flowers, to her exciting life in the White House married to Lyndon B. Johnson, and back to her beloved Texas. Her love of flowers was a theme throughout her lifetime, and is a catalyst for her environmental vision of beautifying America's highways with wildflowers.

Go to author Kathi Appelt's website, for lots more for children to actively participate in celebrating Lady Bird's centennial birth.

If you have been following VintageGardenGal for a while, you know how smitten I am on Provence. I even have a Provence category on my left side bar with posts about my trips to Provence. There is something magical about Provence. The geographical setting, the people you meet, the markets, the food, the wine, the beauty. I could go on and on. I am not sure if it is just the best of "simple country life" personified or the timelessness of this garden spot and the sharing presence of past civilizations who once appreciated it, too.

Regardless, I urge all of you to visit Provence one day, and experience if for yourself. If you have had the good fortune to spend time in Provence, you most certainly know what I am talking about.

About a year and half ago, New Zealand publisher PQ Blackwell contacted me requesting literary permission for a quote of mine highlighted in green on the post, Encore Provence . I remember vividly writing this particular sentence, and its words must ring true for others as well. My contribution is but one small quote, but I'm so honored to be a part of this beautiful book.

This special book is part coffeetable book with Rachael McKenna's vivid photography, part cookbook with Michelin-starred chef Jean-Andre Charial's 35 Provencal recipes, and an introduction by none other than one of my favorite Provence authors, Patricia Wells . Lunch in Provence  has a running theme of beautiful quotes. The quotes are beautiful and poignant about Provence, and that is where I fit in. This is a great gift for gardeners, cooks, and world travelers.

With the anticipated release of Lunch in Provence, the Laguna Beach Garden Club has asked me to be their November speaker and give a talk on "Bringing the Magic of Provence to Your Home and Garden." Program is Friday, November 9, 2012, at 9:30am. Guests are welcome. Books will be available for sale. For more information, please visit Laguna Beach Garden Club.

For more information on speaking engagements and topics, please got to Great Garden Speakers--Bonnie Jo Manion .

Please share if you have been to Provence, and what draws you there. Please share your stories on Provence.