how to coax some napa into your garden

so even four days after a long return from the Bay area to Washington, my mind is still drifting in a hammock under the Napa sun in a fabulously outfitted garden.  if you're like me (an East coaster living on West coast time and dreaming of a Bay area climate), then rest assured you too can create your own idyllic garden with just a few cheap plants and materials.


1. for cryin' out loud, get yourself some bougainvillea.  this stuff grows amazingly fast, needs little water, and looks spectacular in small gardens and especially climbing walls and trellises.  I've never actually seen it in the Mid-Atlantic region, but I hear you can use it in planters and bring it inside in the winter.  eye candy.





2. lavender.  this herby, delicious plant does grow in DC and likes sunny spots.  it grows best in clusters, so multiples planted along a garden wall or fence will be intensely gorgeous and aromatic.  it smells even better when you have a glass of Napa-grown JC Cellars shiraz in your hand.





3. citrus. for valentine's day, Andy gave me a lime tree instead of roses.  we kept it inside until late may, and we got one glorious lime to sprout, which is still holding on for dear life. we're not really sure when it will ripen (if ever), but the plants flowers have a wonderfully happy scent and now provide fragrance to our garden, which competes with some climbing petunias.  in napa, we saw citrus trees just about everywhere. are you craving a 'lemon and mint' julep yet?





4. cafe chairs.  see my post from last time.  i found these glorious Pointoux cafe chairs at Bouchon in Yountville.

5. it wouldn't be napa without vegetable and herb gardens.  The French Laundry in Yountville, a famous  and pricey restaurant with a three-month waiting list, is a perfect example.  they even 'grow' their own chickens (complete with feathery feet) in a luxury coop.  you can get the same effect with potted varieties of basil, parsley, and rosemary.

(that's the luxurious coop on the left.)