Martha Stewart Living features homeboy Lee Clippard of The Grackle

February 10, 2012


I love to see a friend get well-deserved recognition. Right now I can barely contain my excitement because two of my blogging friends are featured in a story in Martha Stewart Living about garden bloggers and their gardens. Plus, the cover story is about Lotusland, a Santa Barbara garden I’m dying to visit, and a scene from its blue garden shines on the cover. What more can you ask for?


Lee Clippard, who blogs in Austin at The Grackle, is very good at keeping secrets. I didn’t hear a peep about the photo shoot until yesterday, when he announced it on his blog. Check out Lee’s post for behind-the-scenes images of garden editor Stephen Orr organizing the shoot in his garden. Lee and his partner, John, served up lemon verbena champagne cocktails afterward. Hey, guys, where’s the recipe? Update: Lee pointed out that his cocktail recipe is on the Martha Stewart blog At Home in the Garden, along with those of the other featured bloggers. Thanks, Lee!


But wait, there’s more! My friend and fellow Garden Designers Roundtable member Ivette Soler of The Germinatrix, in Los Angeles, shares the Martha spotlight—and serves up tomato-water martinis. (Clearly I need to develop a signature cocktail for my own garden.) Ivette is looking decidedly non-Goth in a pink shirt and jeans. I’d only ever seen her in black before, so this was a shock.

Congratulations to both Lee and Ivette for making garden blogging look so good for Martha Stewart’s vast audience! You are rock stars! Now excuse me while I go curl up with the magazine to read their stories in more detail and crush on the cover-story images of Lotusland.

All material © 2006-2012 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

11 responses to “Martha Stewart Living features homeboy Lee Clippard of The Grackle”

  1. jenny says:

    and I just gave up my subscription to MS as I was disappointed in recent issues. Looks like I will have to go out and get this one. Congratulations to Lee and Ivette. We’ll have to prevail upon Lee for another visit to the Grackle. He has done so much since we visited a couple of years ago.

  2. I noticed both bloggers in this issue. How exciting for them!
    And, the story about Lotusland makes me want to see it all in person.

    Most of the MS issues are about things I’m just not that interested in. The garden issue is the exception. I’m glad they’ve featured garden bloggers. There are so many good ones out there.

    Me too, Linda. The great thing about featuring a blogger is that the interested reader can find out more on that person’s blog, and it’s all about keeping it real—so unlike many magazine-featured gardens. —Pam

  3. Ally says:

    This is very cool to be surrounded by so much garden inspiration. I love your idea for a signature garden cocktail. I already have some fun ideas swizzling around in my brain.

  4. Lee says:

    Hey Pam. Thanks for the shout out! It was really hard to keep secret, but Stephen assured me that I would live a long tortuous life in a dark dungeon somewhere if I did. Kidding of course. Mr. Orr is wonderful.

    You can find our cocktail recipe here:
    http://inthegarden.marthastewart.com/2012/01/26/cocktails-in-the-garden/

    Extremely refreshing!

    This entire issue of MSL is very good. An East Austin feature, Barbara Damrosch, great recipes, etc. There’s also a great essay in the back about letting go in the garden…

    Thanks for the link to the recipe, Lee! I forgot to mention in this post that East Austin and Big Red Sun also got some coverage in this issue. I’m still working my way through it but have especially enjoyed the pieces with a local connection. Congrats again on your appearance in the magazine! —Pam

  5. David says:

    It’s nice to see local talent featured in a national magazine. I too don’t usually pick up a copy of MS, but I’ll have to check it out this time.
    David/:0)

  6. I have a subscription, so I’ll have to make sure I read/view it carefully this month. Very nice! Congrats to the featured bloggers!

  7. I had the good fortune to hear Stephen Orr talk about the making of his book and this issue yesterday. What a great speaker and a fun talk. Can’t wait to pick up this issue of MSL!

    That’s great, Loree. I heard Stephen speak at a Garden Conservancy-sponsored conference here in Austin a couple of years ago. He is an entertaining speaker. —Pam

  8. meemsnyc says:

    Their gardens are beautiful!

  9. Lisa at Greenbow says:

    Wow. What fun knowing these celebs.

  10. AngryRedhead says:

    Ha! I picked up this magazine a few days ago and was VERY surprised to see so many things I recognized like BIG RED SUN and the bloggers. And I, too, want to visit Lotusland now. It looks absolutely dreamy.