Wow! You been holding out on us, Spectre old boy. I want to see that article.

Ugggggh, Cady:

I have been holding out. Susi happens to be the President of the San Diego Hort Society and I called her after I saw her first post on Tropicals. Outside the general statements I've made here and there about appearing in "generic magazines", I didn't want people to know about it, fearing I'd be perceived as one the egotistical self-promoting braggarts that I recently expressed my feelings about and so disdain.

Susi is a dear friend who felt that I'm being overly shy and furtive, so she gave me the same treatment a proverbial first-time skydiver gets when sitting on the edge of a plane for an hour . . . she gave me a shove. Fortunately for me, the DW, family and friends, there are a few more lined up this year and Susi and most others don't know when they'll be out. Unfortunately for me on GW, Susi and most others read those magazines too. Thanks Susi.

spectre

But Spectre, you're entirely entitled to be an egotistical self-promoting braggart! At least, every now and then. Now is a good time. From the photos we've seen of your tropical gardens, you have plenty to be proud of.

Now, share the wealth! We wanna read about it and see more photos.

WANNNNNAAAAA SEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

melanie

Well Cady:

I mentioned it deep in a thread a month ago when I thought it would come out in April and knew people would forget about it. Almost got away with it.

It's not online, and I can't scan and post it without the magazine's permission. Outside of mailing a copy out or finding an overly well stocked newsstand in Boston, I don't know how I'd get it to you. So, golly jeez, I guess I can't put it out there. Shucks, I'm sooooo disappointed!!!

spectre

Humph.
My issue hasn't arrived yet. I shall accost my mail carrier tomorrow. Can't wait to see! Thanks for the heads-up, Susi. Congrats, Spectre!
Tessa

Spectre-
Can you post some pictures of your garden that are not exactly those that are in the article? Would love to see more pics of your lagoon garden - "lagoon" sounds so tropical, lanquid, intriguing.
G.

I wonder if Borders can special order a copy of the magazine for me...anyone got the ISBN number? hehehehehehe

melanie

Great idea, Melanie. heh heh.

I have the right to remain silent. Anything I say can and will be used against me.

spectre

Lurker here...opening my mouth to say...Woohoo, Spectre!

I remember you alluding to an article coming out (in a previous post) & curiosity got me to thinking how I would figure out which publication it might be! Glad Susi shared the good news with us!

Your backyard paradise is what people dream of having! It's absolutely beautiful! Great job you & your wife have done. I'm sure those coming to tour your garden soon will LOVE it! It was nice to see a photo of you & your lovely wife too.

I made a trip to the store just to find the mag, & at the checkout, the girl asked me if I was remodeling. I answered, "Yes, for 7 years now, but the reason I'm getting this is because I know the person that article is about." (pointing to the title on the cover) I laughed at myself immediately, because I don't know you personally, but feel I "know" you from your posts on these forums. LOL!

Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about your garden. Six pages of pix wasn't enough...but it was nice drooling while it lasted! Ha ha!

I've also seen Susi's Mediterranean garden in the Gardens of the Year (Sep 2000) issue (of SDH&G magazine) as the "Wildly Eclectic" Editor's Choice. Beautiful garden, Susi!

~Rosemarie

Wow Rosemarie:

Your effusive praise, props, and compliments made me blush eventhough I'm typing this after a 14 hour day on the East Coast. The effort you made to get the magazine based on the post makes me . . . well, for once I'm speechless. I hope that our garden gives you ideas and you can finish your 7 year remodeling job!

As I tell all my friends, you are welcome to visit (e-mail me). In the mean time, please come in more because 1) we need more contributors than lurkers here 2) your writing and humor are awesome and 3) I can use more fans like you.

spectre

Was it a three hour tour?

A three hour tour?

mdvaden

{{gwi:1186427}}

ROSEMARIE~ Thanks! I sold the house & garden last fall and will soon start building another wildly ecclectic garden in Vista. Wish me luck! *grin*

Susi

Congrats seem to be going around.
Both to Susi and Spectre.
Here spectre, for your accomplishments:

Nice garden, spectre. As usual, the magazine actually names very few plants. I'd like to know more about the palms pictured, as well as the colorful foliage plants in the understory. Fabulous use of bromeliads, truly.

Well, Spectre, I finally got back here...& you made ME blush! And, I can't imagine YOU speechless! :P

I do like getting ideas for our garden when I see other people's creations. That 7-yr. remodel I spoke about was inside the house, though. The gardens are forever a work in progress, it seems. :D

It was nice to see Judy Wigand write your story & her husband, Bob, as the photographer. I like their work.

Hee haw on the "three hour tour"!

Susi, it was very nice to meet you at the Del Mar Home & Garden Show yesterday! Good luck on your wildly eclectic garden at your new place in Vista. What fun!

As we're having a bit of a heat wave today (Santa Ana bringing about 85° by me)...I think I'll take a gander at Spectre's pix again...to COOL off! :D

I'll stop in again whenever I have a chance!
~Rosemarie

Thanks again, Rosemarie. And B&B's, clever use of cool Trek images, but I must say that after the exchange we had here a few weeks back, I'm dialing down the humorous rants, lest someone complain again. Live long and prosper.

And Catkim, let me know if there's anything in particular you'd like to know about.

spectre

I'm reviving this thread because Spectre's garden is ON THE COVER of Sunset Magazine June edition!! There are several tropical gardens inside, but Spectre's was chosen for the cover. Awesome!

Wonderful photos and nice - tho' short - article on Spectre and garden.

He says that the cushions on the chaise are actually teal, but the magazine editors altered the photo so the cushions were that ochre-y yellow. Guess the teal clashed with the ochre-y yellow "Sunset" title on the mag cover, so they made a little change to make it more compatible. heh heh. Gotta love PhotoShop.

Clearly I must dash off to Barnes & Noble. Woohoo Spectre!

melanie

I saw the Sunset mag while in the checkout lane & thought "There can't be ANOTHER garden paradise looking like Spectre's!" I knew my mag would be in the mail soon & sure enough I found out it was true! I was wondering about the seat cushions, because I remembered them being teal in the other article. I just thought his DW decided to change the decor! Hee hee! Congrats again, Spectre!

Hey, how'd your "three hour tour" go ~ back on the 1st? I would've gone if I didn't have so many other social events on my calendar. I'll bet everyone loved your garden tour!

~Rosemarie

The article was much too short on information in regards to the amount of inspiration that this garden exudes.
The foggy atmospherics added to the tropical rain forest ambiance but I would have enjoyed seeing some high definition color shots of all the colorful textural foliage interplay .
Gotta say though... it sparked that old familiar wander lust feeling for traveling to far off exotic places.... even if it is in So. Cal !

Nice digs.
Pass the Pina Coladas.

Hello All:

A GR regular tipped me off at my new hideout to let me know that this thread was revived and people discovered the Sunset cover that my garden is on.

I just want to a take a quick moment to thank those of you who responded either here or offline for your kind words of support, congrats, and props. Your enthusiasm about the article mean a great deal to the DW and myself, and while it's an understatement to say that we're just a 'little' proud (and our egos haven't been hurt either), we're also a bit "golly-gee, shucks, twern't nuthin" about it as well.

Thanks again for your props. I hope you enjoyed the article. Off to the garden . . . .

spectre

P.S.: Special shout-out and thanks to Catkim for taking the time to bring it up again and Mich for her wonderful post above. It's very appreciated.