Author Archives: Denise

Free-Range Succulents

Posted on April 14, 2011 by Denise

At Lotusland (USDA zone 10), it was thrilling to see succulents set free from ceramic pots to creep and spill over rocks. Increasingly, even in frost-free gardens, succulents have become the darlings of container designs, but where they can overwinter … Continue reading →

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Occasional Daily Photos/Lotusland

Posted on April 13, 2011 by Denise

The clamshell beach at Lotusland Backed by a low retaining wall dripping with dudleyas and other succulents (Thank you, Kathy!)

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Changing Tastes

Posted on April 12, 2011 by Denise

I visited a couple nurseries today and was a bit horrified by the seemingly overnight invasion of flat after flat of “spring color,” a reaction which made me wonder if I’m growing snobbish. So am I a snob? I don’t … Continue reading →

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Riches of Rancho Reubidoux

Posted on April 11, 2011 by Denise

Faithful readers of Reuben Munoz’s blog, Rancho Reubidoux, will have followed Reuben’s decision to join the Riverside Flower Show and Garden Tour, cheering him on as he underwent the harrowing process of qualifying to be on the tour and then … Continue reading →

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Sage Vice

Posted on April 8, 2011 by Denise

Who can say at what number an enthusiasm or “keen interest” ends and a collection of plants begins? 20 hostas? 6 agaves? 114 daylilies? When the genus is as diverse in leaf and flower as salvia, a collection interspersed throughout … Continue reading →

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Orange Is A Color You Either Love or Hate

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Denise

The front gravel garden is aglow in orange. Dyckias, Spanish poppies. Personally, I’m on very good terms with orange. Some good plants refuse to come in any other color.

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Le Prince Jardinier

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Denise

Véritable chaise des jardins parisiens restaurée. Google translation: “Chair of the true Parisian gardens restored.” The Parisian shop Le Prince Jardinier is mentioned by Natalia Hill in her piece “Get Stuffed — The Animal Wonderland of Deyrolle,” found on the … Continue reading →

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The Bee Report

Posted on April 5, 2011 by Denise

Plenty of bees on these poppies. (You weren’t expecting hard science, I hope. ) But this is a subject too serious for flippancy. The short version is that bees are still in serious trouble (and by symbiotic association, so then … Continue reading →

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Some Plants to Forget

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Denise

You won’t be rushing home from work to check on how these plants are holding up on a hot, dry summer day. Just forget about them. Aeonium with a nice, snaky curve, ballota, sedum, golden sedge, and a little pelargonium … Continue reading →

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Man-Eating Corydalis

Posted on April 3, 2011 by Denise

There’s a man-eater loose in the neighborhood Image found here. Not a tawny blur of shadowy stripes, but a flutter of ferny glaucous leaf, 4X4 feet. Big enough for a tiger cub to hide behind. Corydalis heterocarpa, Corydalis heterocarpa var. … Continue reading →

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