Table of contents for The Garden Issue 2021 in Sunset

1 HANG UP Does your golden pothos habitat have you scrambling for counter space? Go vertical with this terracotta hanging funnel planter, which doubles as a suspended sculpture. $128; HOLISTICHABITATCLT.COM 2 TRIM DOWN Growing bonsai from seed is not for the impatient. But the payoff of having this miniature redwood forest on your desk or windowsill may be worth the effort. $50; UNCOMMONGOODS.COM 3 KIT OUT Online plant store Horti connects humans with the right plants for their needs. Order a hard-to-kill single pot, a curated kit, or cutting vases, like these. $18; HEYHORTI.COM a shout out to the bees! HONEY DO In addition to excelling at all things culinary and saline, Oregon’s Jacobsen Salt Co. also sells top flight (pun intended) collections of single-origin nectar harvested in Oregon, Washington,…

IN a world of Instagram plantfluencers and pandemic plant parenthood newbies and trending Monstera and famous florists, the Cactus Store in Los Angeles stands out for its lovingly obsessive, time-tested engagement with all things hardy and spiked. While most folks know founders Carlos Morera and Max Martin and crew from their little shop in Echo Park, the majority of their time is spent at a semi-secret HQ studio in Atwater. Housed in an old brick warehouse with an adjacent 2,000-square-foot greenhouse, their private collection of cacti lives and is tended by, as Martin calls him, “resident plant whisperer” Billy Ramirez. This appointment-only space has never been photographed, and we’re thrilled to share an exclusive peek inside this indoor garden of xeric wonders. Everywhere there are spikes; in some spots there…

1 DESERT WAVE “Stayner Architects commissioned us to design a garden for the Miles C. Bates house, a nearly lost 1955 masterpiece that Stayner had undertaken to lovingly restore in Palm Desert. The project was led by Marinna Wagner, our head designer (frankly, the best designer of botanical spaces we know of); 80 percent of the plants Marinna selected were local species, half of which were grown by the amazing folks at the Mojave Desert Land Trust, where Marinna spent a number of years working in conservation, restoration, and research.” 2 JOHN MAYER GARDEN “The space he gave us to work with was an old putting green built by the previous owner. We imagined a cartoonishly dense desert landscape rising up out of the turf, as if nature were reclaiming…

Blue sky peeks through the morning fog in Carneros and the kids are getting their hands dirty in the very best way. Una, age 4, and her cousin Oliver, age 2, pick radishes and strawberries from the culinary garden at Scribe, the Sonoma winery that has made a name for itself as the standard bearer of next-wave wine country vibes. Those vegetables plucked from the same soil that produces crisp Sylvaner and earthy Pinot Noir will play supporting roles in a langorous lunch in the vineyard—that is, if the kids don’t eat them first. Over the years the children’s fathers, Andrew and Adam, the vintners, along with their sister, Kelly, the chef, have transformed a neglected turkey farm into a thriving winery that’s now a must-stop for southern Sonoma daytrippers…

“Most good gardeners don’t wear gloves.” That’s Sunset staff photographer Tom Story making the case for a photograph to be included in this issue’s feature about L.A. urban farm fantasia Flamingo Estate. In it, horticulturist Jeff Hutchison holds a backlit amber jar of essential oils extracted from the resinous leaves of black sage, his fingernails dirty in the way only someone who’s spent the day gardening can—and should—be. Tom would know what a gardener’s hands look like, seeing as he’s photographed every garden issue we’ve published since he joined the magazine 21 years ago. Typically you don’t show dirty nails in a lifestyle magazine. That is unless you’re Sunset, where gardens are in our DNA and dirt is under our fingernails if we’re doing our jobs right. Feeling the warmth…

IT’S been twelve years since Justina Blakeney started her design blog, Jungalow, the platform she used to spin her devotion to eclectic maximalism into a beloved brand. Today, her name and “New Bohemian” trademark are synonymous with global boho style, and an outsize appreciation for houseplants (she has over 50 in her own Los Angeles home). Blakeney has been generous about sharing what inspires her from the beginning, offering up countless ideas and how-to’s to her half-million social media followers. But it wasn’t until she started writing her third design book, Jungalow: Decorate Wild, that she started digging even deeper into the genesis of her aesthetic, the why that drives the what. Blakeney uses the book as an opportunity to unpack her personal history, and her travelogues, to explain the…

PROTECTION Whenever you are handling cactus that have spines, protect your hands by wearing thick leather gloves. Some gardeners recommend wearing two pairs of gloves—leather work gloves inside rose gloves. PLANT WISELY Cacti and other succulents can be planted similarly to any other plant. Dig a hole that’s about as deep as the root ball and 1.5 times its width. Remove plants from the container (wearing protective gloves and safety glasses). Place your plant in the hole. You can sprinkle granulated succulent and cactus plant food into the hole and mix it with the backfill soil if needed. Fill in around the plant with amended soil that drains well. Tamp soil down lightly and water. The best time to plant is spring or late summer (if your climate experiences freezes)…

KETCHIKAN, ALASKA SALMON FALLS RESORT Just a 90-minute flight from Seattle, Salmon Falls Resort is an unpretentious rustic luxe all-inclusive fishing lodge nestled between the forest and the ocean. It boasts cozy rooms, a vaulted timber-clad dining room with views of the bay, and access to stunning scenery and abundant wildlife. World-class fishing is a boat ride away, and ethical bear watching is available for the brave. salmonfallsresort.com NEW CUYAMA, CALIFORNIA CUYAMA BUCKHORN On the east side of Santa Barbara County, this revitalized 1952 inn is a stylish Western-themed retreat for city dwellers looking for stargazing, wildflower-spotting, and hiking in the nearby parks. With a new pool, bocce court, and tri-tip on site, you’ll want to stay awhile. cuyamabuckhorn.com LOS CABOS, MEXICO FOUR SEASONS RESORT The serene waters of the…

PORTLAND, OR PISTILS NURSERY This Portland institution sells urban garden necessities like staghorn ferns, stylish tools, and even bantam chicks from its “mothership” location, pictured here (a second location is in Slabtown). PISTILSNURSERY.COM VASHON, WA THE COUNTRY STORE AND FARM For over 50 years this well-curated shop, plant nursery, and you-pick farm has served its community of 10,000. Here you can also pick up a Patagonia fleece and local coffee. COUNTRYSTOREANDFARM.COM LOS ANGELES, CA PLANT MATERIAL California natives, succulents, and cacti abound at this gallery-like Eagle Rock nursery that also sells its own brand of garden apparel, cool Japanese tools, and raw honey harvested nearby. PLANT-MATERIAL.COM FARMHOUSE STYLE Former Sunset senior home editor Daniel P. Gregory chronicles the world’s sleekest and most stunning rural architecture in this beautiful coffee table…

1.MAMMILLARIA “We acquired this old grizzled Mammillaria from a collector in Italy, of all places. We’re everywhere.” 2. EPITHELANTHA MICROMERIS “Our counterpart in Japan used a two-foot-tall grafting stalk for growing this Epithelantha. When we asked him why, he said, ‘For more power.’ ” 3. CLEISTOCACTUS STRAUSII “Not your grandmother’s Cleistocactus, this remarkable specimen boasts a super-fat stem with a shock of extra-long white fur.” 4. EUPHORBIA OBESA “Gosh, what’s not to love?” 5. ALOE ERINACEA “This Namibian aloe is pollinated by sugar birds and insects, who seek it out for its sweet nectar.” 6. DORSTENI A LAVRANI “Named for our friend, the late Greek botanist John Jacob Lavranos, this little Dorstenia is quite lovely, but a bit more sensitive to rot than its similar counterpart, Dorstenia foetida.” 7. MYRTILLOCACTUS…

Valerie Rice has long celebrated the graceful pleasures of the garden and the table from her beautiful Spanish Revival house in Santa Barbara. The University of California–educated master gardener and prolific cook has chronicled her botanical and culinary evolution in an extremely photogenic but always approachable fashion, first on a popular blog (remember those!), then on Instagram (for a serious case of raised-bed envy, go to @ eatdrinkgarden), and now in her cookbook, Lush Life: Food & Drinks From the Garden (Prospect Park Books; $35). Here she’s gathered a collection of recipes, arranged by season, with notes on what to plant now to better harvest your dinner just around the corner. So when you’re cooking, say, the blistered asparagus in this story, there’s a chart in the spring chapter that…