Category Archives: agaves, woody lilies

small garden, tough choices

Posted on May 25, 2015 by Denise

“I reckon there are 5 seasons. There’s an early spring, which I call Sprinter…a Sprummer which comes after that for 2 months…There’s a long summer…a short autumn, a short winter – both just two months long, and then you’re back … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, clippings, design, journal, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged Acacia baileyana 'Purpurea', Agapanthus 'Gold Strike', Agave sisalana ‘Variegata’, Aristida purpurea, Ballota pseudodictamnus, Brachysema praemorsum 'Bronze Butterfly', Cistus 'Snowfire', Cordyline banksii 'Electric Star', Glaucium grandiflorum, Gomphrena 'Fireworks', Hymenolepis parviflora, Lavandula minutoli, Leucadendron 'Safari Goldstrike', Lomandra 'Breeze', Lomandra 'Lime Tuff', Marrubium bourgaei ‘All Hallows Green’, Nepeta ‘Purple Haze’, Pedilanthus bracteatus, Verbascum bombyciferum | 4 Comments

another rainy day at the Huntington

Posted on May 22, 2015 by Denise

In a bizarre bit of repetition, two recent visits to the Huntington Botanical Garden have coincided with that rarest of occurrences, a rainy day in Los Angeles during our mega drought. April especially is late in the season for a … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, garden visit, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged Acacia 'Cousin Itt', Aloe camperii, Aloe peglerae, Buddleia marrubifolia, Echeveria 'Afterglow', Echeveria gibbiflora 'Metallica', Huntington Botanic Garden Desert Garden, Huntington Botanic Gardens Plant Sale, Melocactus matanzanus, Orthophytum gurkenii, Stenocereus beneckii | 7 Comments

Agave ovatifolia

Posted on May 13, 2015 by Denise

Treasured for being on the short list of agaves hardy to zone 7, this imposing agave is no less desirable in warmer zones. My recently planted ‘Frosty Blue’ has a ways to go before it looks like this: Photos of … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, MB Maher, Occasional Daily Photo | Tagged Agave ovatifolia, MB Maher | 8 Comments

the short but productive life of Agave mitis ‘Multicolor’

Posted on May 12, 2015 by Denise

There’s something about an agave bloom that’s crazy-making. Emotions are as variegated as the leaves of this nomenclature-challenged agave. (Bought as Agave celsii ‘Multicolor,’ it might even be chiapensis*.) I’m thrilled, sad, awestruck, and a little dumbstruck, too, at having … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies | Tagged Agave celsii var. albicans 'UCB', Agave mitis 'Multicolor', UC Berkeley Botanical Garden | 14 Comments

orange and blue

Posted on May 11, 2015 by Denise

I love garden surprises. Sure, there is some planning involved, but because the garden supports a collecting habit, the big picture is usually uncertain and often a mixed bag. What the collecting id of my psyche is up to all … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, design, Plant Portraits, succulents | Tagged Agapanthus 'Gold Strike', Agave 'Dragon Toes', Aloe cameronii, Aloe elgonica, Arctotis 'Opera', Australian Plants Nursery, Eucalyptus 'Moon Lagoon', Glaucium grandiflorum, Isoplexis isabelliana, Osteospermum 'Zion Orange', Phygelius 'Diablo', Plectranthus neochilus, Sphaeralcea 'Newleaze Coral', Stachys 'Bella Grigio' | 6 Comments

Wednesday clippings 4/15/15 (water on the brain)

Posted on April 15, 2015 by Denise

Finally, a chance to spend some time with the blog again. There’s been lots of reading to catch up on, after the guv dropped that bombshell. (Pass the almonds.*) One of the best sources of information I’ve found was right … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, books, Bulbs, climate, clippings, Plant Portraits, pots and containers | Tagged Agave franzosinii, and Bart O’Brien, Australia, Berkheya purpurea, Beth Chatto's The Dry Garden, Bob Perry, Caesalpinia gilliesii, California drought, Carol Bornstein, Cistus Nursery, David Fross, dry garden, Dustin Gimbel Second Nature Garden Design, Emily Green Chance of Rain, Emily Green's After the Lawn, Hymenolepis parviflora, KCET In-Ground Gardens, Lambley Nursery, Landscape Plants for California Gardens, lawn rebate programs, Long Beach City College Dept of Horticulture, Mark Bittman, Pacific Horticulture, Reimagining the California Lawn, Sphaeralcea 'Newleaze Coral', Verbascum undulatum | 7 Comments

this week in plants

Posted on March 28, 2015 by Denise

My Portland friend Loree at Danger Garden collects impressions of favorite plants at the end of the month, so I put together a contribution of what’s catching my eye this week. I’m enjoying how the Verbascum bombyciferum echoes the rosette … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, Plant Portraits, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged Abutilon venosum, Agave 'Dragon Toes', Agave celsii var. albicans 'UCB', Albuca maxima, Canna indica, Cistus 'Snow Fire', Crambe maritima, dyckia, Echium simplex, Hymenolepis parviflora, Manihot grahamii, Phlomis lanata, Solanum pyracanthum, Sonchus congestus, Verbascum bombyciferum | 4 Comments

Monday clippings 3/23/15

Posted on March 23, 2015 by Denise

March is certainly a fast-moving month, isn’t it? Some incidents from the garden: Protected under the pergola, the ‘Stained Glass’ octopus agave came through an early March hailstorm without a mark. Agaves tucked against the house, under the eaves, like … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, clippings | Tagged Abutilon venosum, Agave gypsophila 'Ivory Curls', Agave vilmoriniana 'Stained Glass', Banksia ericifolia, Echium simplex, fasciation, Gastrolobium praemorsum 'Bronze Butterfly', Papaver rupifragum, Papaver setigerum, Salvia 'Amistad' | 8 Comments

CSSA 2015 Biennial Convention, June 14-19, 2015

Posted on March 18, 2015 by Denise

agave at South Coast Botanic Garden, a former open pit mine for diatomite extraction, then landfill, now botanic garden I should probably split this glut of information into several posts, but if I don’t sit down right now and do … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, commerce, garden travel, garden visit, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Agave guiengola 'Moto Sierra', Agave isthmensis 'Rum Runner', Aloe 'Martha Layhew, aloes, Brian Kemble, Buck and Yvonne Hemenway, Cactus and Succulent Society of America, CSSA 2015 Biennial Convention, Huntington Botanical Garden, Karen Zimmerman's aloes, Kelly Griffin, Osa pulchra, Panayoti Kelaidis, Pitzer College, Schefflera 'Nova', Sedum dendroideum 'Colossus', South African plants | 7 Comments

streetside; rainy day house & gardens

Posted on March 3, 2015 by Denise

(alluding to Joni Mitchell’s Rainy Night House) I recently read that Taylor Swift wanted the part in a movie on Mitchell. I see Swift’s photo all over the Internet, but it wasn’t until Sunday that I finally heard one of … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, Bulbs, design, driveby gardens, garden ornament, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged Acacia iteaphylla, Aloe marlothii, Aloe striata, Annie's Annuals & Perennials Nursery, Asphodeline lutea, Big Daddy's Antiques, Big Red Sun, Brahea armata, Dymondia margaretae, International Garden Center, Joni Mitchell's Rainy Night House, Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase, Merwilla plumbea, Mexican Blue Palm, Pedilanthus bracteatus, Scilla natalensis dwarf, Scilla peruviana, Venice | 13 Comments