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Estate in March 2020. Back in Australia, his mother grew long rows of camellias in a narrow strip between the family's house and garage, and while other boys played football, he was arranging camellias on the kitchen table. "My head was in the flowers," he writes. His early attempts to grow them at Flamingo failed. As he writes, "Los Angeles is not made for camellias." Then the January 2025 Eaton Fire damaged Nuccio's Nurseries, the 90-year-old Altadena camellia specialist, and when the nursery announced it was closing, Christiansen took in 170 of its plants. They now grow under the oaks and pines on the neighboring lot. The flower also inspired the estate's Blooming Camellia candle, launched with Monica Lewinsky; all proceeds go to anti-bullying charities. For all its 12 months of planting guides and seasonal rituals, the book's argument is a simple one. "You don't need an estate or acres of land," Christiansen writes. "You can start with a windowsill. A single pot of basil." flamingoestate.com. Richard Christiansen will be in Dallas during Texas Design Week, signing his new book, Pleasure Principles, Saturday, November 7, 1 to 3 pm, at the new KD Biel emporium, 3212 Knox Street. Texas Design Week Dallas schedule at texasdesignweek.com. Above: The Goat Shed, as painted by John Reagan, who created 28 oil paintings for the book. Top: Beehives tucked among the estate's rare cycads, ancient palm-like plants that predate the dinosaurs. HUGH DAVISON CHRISTIAN HÖGSTEDT HUGH DAVISON A pear is grown inside its own bottle, then steeped in brandy: the French poire prisonnière, which Christiansen makes at the estate for Christmas. 117