MMQC Publishers

"I wanted to be the mother of a bougainvillea" ---Hortense Miller, when asked why she moved to California The essays in this book give one a glimpse into the mind of a truly original thinker, artist, and thoughtful gardener. Hidden at the end of a private road in Laguna Beach, the Hortense Miller Garden encompasses two and one half steep acres on the side of Boat Canyon. Visitors come from around the world to see this unique artistic garden designed and planted by one woman who started the task when she was fifty years old. She was active in her garden until her early 90s. The Friends of the Hortense Miller Garden was founded in 1976 to help maintain the garden and train docents to lead tours. For most visitors, the highlight of the garden tour was time spent talking to Hortense. No matter what subject came up, she had something original and humorous to say. If she happened to be reading about fractal geometry she would talk about that, or alternately about Mark Twain, Calvin and Hobbes, or the habits of beetles. When visitors remarked on her informal style of gardening she would say "This is my garden, not Louis XIV's. I don't boss this garden. I merely put plants in the ground and let them do as they wish. They know how to grow better than I do, and far more beautifully."