Nina Kincaid is the person behind Coco Rose Design, a floral design company specializing in elegant and charming weddings. Her Instagram account is a constant feed of beautiful floral arrangements from pretty and sweet bouquets to bold and bright centerpieces. Based in Santa Barbara but also drawing from her Hawaiian roots, Nina’s work is marked by flowers and plants that are both romantic and environmentally conscious. Her floral design for a wedding at El Encanto in the foothills of Santa Barbara illustrates this aesthetic. From centerpieces in the couple’s color palette to combining Classic French Anduze pottery in a simple antiqued grey with a striking arrangement of smoke bush and liquid amber. Nina graciously answered some of our questions.

Eye of the Day: Tell me a little about yourself and how you decided to pursue a career in floral and event design.

Nina Kincaid: I have always had a passion for plants and flowers as well as a great love of art, I discovered floral design as a way to express my art while working with a medium I feel deeply connected to. I was born and raised on the Big Island and then attended UCSB. My parents had a flower farm growing bird of paradise, anthuriums and tropical foliage, so from an early age I was always around flowers. At UCSB I studied Art History and Italian Studies while working in nurseries and flower shops which eventually led to discovering the wedding and event floral business. I was immediately hooked- it was exciting, challenging, creative and I dove in.

EOTD: How does your upbringing influence your design approach? Any rules you live by in your work?

Nina Kincaid: I try not to restrict my designs to any steadfast rules, but there are patterns that I seem to follow. Color is really important to me in my work. My background in studying art influences my designs in many ways- composition, balance, depth, color theory, etc.

EOTD: Tell me about the wedding you recently worked with at El Encanto in Santa Barbara?

Nina Kincaid: This wedding was for a couple from San Francisco. The bride and I really clicked over the phone and via email. She and her (now) husband have great style and I was so happy to work with a couple that was open and excited to use bright vivid colors. We came up with this color palette that was perfect for the end of spring/start of summer- watermelon and corals with hints of peach and burgundy for drama and dimension. They were a dream to work with and not to mention the photographer they hired is one of my favorite people in the business, Mike Radford.

EOTD: Did your clients have a specific idea for the flowers and how much does your own personal aesthetic come into play?

Nina Kincaid:The client did have a specific idea for the flowers. They love loose, organic, gardenesque, seasonal floral design which plays very well to my aesthetic.

EOTD: What was it about the French Anduze vases that made you choose them? 

Nina Kincaid: I am in LOVE with the Anduze line of vessels. I think I have 3 pairs in my collection now, and use them almost weekly. The proportion of the urn, the terracotta, the glaze, the ornamental swag, everything about them calls to me. They have an understated earthy elegance that really pairs well with my designs as well as the beautiful Santa Barbara venues were my events are hosted.

EOTD: What was your favorite part about designing for this event?

Nina Kincaid: My favorite part about designing for this event was the use of bold color and the smoke bush that I got to work with which is featured in the grey Anduze urns. It is such a magical branch. It’s a beautiful deep rich burgundy plum leaf that bursts into these clouds of fluffy wine colored puffs. The season is fleeting, just a few short weeks and I was over the moon that I got the opportunity to design with them. It was super fun!

To see more of Nina’s work: Coco Rose Design, and follow her on Instagram!
Photo Credits: Mike Radford Photography

Garden Design’s Spring Issue Now Shipping – Get Yours!

Subscribe before April 15th, 2017 and get this issue free when you subscribe! Go to

If you haven’t seen Garden Design magazine yet, the current issue is a great one to start off with!

• There are no ads in Garden Design. Yes, you read that right—no ads.  Just 148 pages of beautiful gardens and plants delivered to you each quarter. These are more like books.
• Many of the stories unfold over 8 to 20 pages. So you get the behind-the-scenes look at topics you care about most—designing with plants, landscape design, container gardens, kitchen gardens, houseplants, and more.
• Each magazine is collectible and coffee table worthy. It’s filled with large, bold photography so you can appreciate the details of gardens that make them great.

Plant lovers will love this issue:

• Daffodils: Here’s what you need to know about planting, growing, and enjoying daffodils. Wait until you see the photos!
• Learn how Annie’s Annuals become one of the most trusted gardeners in America.
• Flowering branches: The parade of blossoms from flowering branches starts in February and continues through May and beyond. Get tips for growing, arranging, and harvesting them

There is so much more in this issue! Here is what a recent subscriber said:

“I saw a copy of Garden Design magazine late last year and was absolutely impressed with the in-depth articles and the beautiful photography. This past spring I became a subscriber and love every single page. It is beautifully presented and I love that there are no ads. I don’t subscribe to too many magazines, but Garden Design is worth every single penny. I highly recommend it.”

Subscribe before April 15th, 2017 and get this issue free when you subscribe!

Go to: 

Photo Credits:

Daffodils- Georgianna Lane
Annie (Nursery display garden)- Meg Smith
Flowering branches’ Ngoc Minh Ngo​

Garden Recipes | Bye Bye Seasonal Citrus Salad

Here’s a recipe for a last hurrah of the citrus season.  But, no tears now…spring fruit is on the horizon!

Citrus Salad with Some Spice

¼ cup sugar
½ tsp red pepper flakes
¼ cup (packed) cilantro, plus more for serving
4 blood oranges
4 clementines
2 navel oranges
2 tangerines

Combine sugar, cilantro, red pepper flakes and ¼ cup water in a small saucepan.  Heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved.  Strain cilantro syrup through a sieve into a clean jar and set aside.

Using a sharp knife, remove peel and white pith from all of the fruit and slice crosswise into ¼” thick rounds.  Arrange on a platter, drizzle with the cilantro syrup and top with additional cilantro leaves.

Photo Credit: Image in Public Domain, CC0 Public Domain

Garden Cocktails: Blood Orange – The Midwick Sally

Blood Oranges are nearing the end of their season, but don’t forsake our favorite citrus yet, use them with gusto!  They are called Blood Oranges for their deep red flesh and rosy blush on the skin, and are the perfect blend of juicy, sweet and tart. Traditionally grown in Italy, Blood Oranges are popular with chefs for use in creating amazing sauces, sorbets and desserts and cocktails.

These sunny citrus gems should be firm and heavy for their size and might have red/orange skin or just look like a plain old orange.  They should have a sweet, clean scent and may temporarily stain your fingers when you squeeze enough juice to make…

THE MIDWICK SALLY

1 oz. Blood Orange juice
1 oz. Rye Whiskey
½ oz. lime juice
½ oz. Aperol

Shake with ice in a cocktail shaker and serve it over ice in a rocks glass.  Garnish it with a Blood Orange slice frosted with sea salt perched on the rim.  Make one for your friend, too. Or your sister.

In a Glazed Daze in Italy: Glazed terracotta pottery

From concrete planters to Italian terracotta pots, custom glazing has been one of Eye of the Day’s strengths for over fifteen years. We are sometimes amazed by the wild colors envisioned by one designer after another for special colors or finishes, but always try to provide what each designer or client requests. Either the beauty, quality and history of the colorful kiln-fired glazes produced by our most treasured American manufacturer, Gladding McBean, or hand painted and stained Greek pots made the same way for millennia will fulfill most requests.

As the largest distributors in the USA of the famed French Provencal pottery known as Vase Anduze, we have a wide selection of colors and sizes. We ship them from New York to San Diego and Washington state to Florida. Colorful pottery is the finishing touch:  the eyeliner, pearls and earrings for your home and garden.

Last month my son had his winter break and was able to go to the Terrecotte San Rocco factory in Italy with me to see the glazes they have started to produce. Part of preparing our children for the world and possibly to follow in our footsteps is to share our day to day labors. I wanted to take Ben to the factory so he could see it and be part of the process as well as to show him where this historic tradition of terracotta pottery comes from. We Segwayed our way around Rome seeing sites with historic statues, fountains, and pots from past millennia. The context was not lost on him and when we got to the Rocco factory, he was as dazzled with the new colors as I was.

For more than five years our largest factory, Terrecotte San Rocco has been experimenting and testing glazes to add to their impressive line of fine, frost proof terracotta pottery and their range of colors is magnificent and beautiful. Now we can offer all the great shapes in colors, including custom colors, to our clients. Don’t be afraid to dream up impossible colors for all of Rocco’s fabulous shapes.

We’ll dazzle you!

Brent

Eric Nagelmann* was once somewhat of a shy violet. One of nine children raised a stone’s throw from Lotusland, he spent time quietly tending his family’s garden as a child. He is rarely described as shy today, as he is not afraid to lend his voice as a champion for things close to his heart. Lotusland is grateful to be among Eric’s passions. He has gifted us his design work pro-bono, as well as supporting many other local organizations including the Carpinteria Bluffs, the Carpinteria Arts Center, Santa Barbara High School’s Green Academy, Elings Park and Planned Parenthood.

A preeminent landscape designer whose international work and reputation are unparalleled, Eric’s generosity, energy and impact at Lotusland are immeasurable. Current professional projects include the Goldstein residence in Los Angeles, which was recently bequeathed to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Eric is leading a Lotusland field trip to the residence on February 10, 2017. Another of Eric’s recent projects is Cuixmala, a glamorous bohemian resort in Careyes, Mexico.

Eric was first introduced to Lotusland by a friend in the 1970s. He recalls a meeting with Madame Walska, who greeted him warmly and invited him to enjoy the property, long before it became open to the public. That visit left an impression that led to Eric’s deep involvement as a long-time donor and designer at Lotusland. He has gifted his talents on three significant gardens. First was the creation of the Dunlap cactus garden in 2003, which he fondly refers to as “Salvador Dali goes to the desert.”

In 2015, Eric created the Palmetum, by reimagining the central garden and walkway between the water garden and the front of the historic Reginald Johnson-designed home and opening up an important 514′-long architectural axis reaching south to the wishing well. Most recently, Eric renovated our insectary garden, now a humming haven for beneficial insects and a valuable teaching tool for our Sustainable Horticulture Program. While the cactus garden is arguably Eric’s biggest achievement at Lotusland, the insectary represents Eric’s deep connection to the garden. It is a garden that, like Eric, warmly draws you in, creates a buzz of positive activity and has a far-reaching benefit for the entire property and our community.

In spring of 2017, when the insectary is in full bloom, Lotusland will celebrate with a ribbon-cutting and reception. We hope you will join us to help recognize Eric, and please say thank you when you see him in the garden!

By Rebecca Anderson

*This profile was originally printed in the Winter 2017 Lotusland bulletin. Text and profile photo courtesy of Lotusland.

Photo Credits:
Creative Commons, Cacti and euphorbia garden, Lotusland,by brewbooks, is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0