Category Archives: agaves, woody lilies

what’s on the table

In the garden, the development of this little silene has been incredibly exciting, however much it underwhelms the camera. My normally sober-as-a-judge succulent garden is having a deliriously frothy moment this first week of May.

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, journal, pots and containers, succulents | 5 Comments

Worldwide Exotics Nursery

It was that article in the Los Angeles Times sometime in the ’90s, accompanied by a photo of Gary Hammer crouched in a rock crevice or slot canyon with a curtain of waterfall flowing behind him. The article that christened … Continue reading

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, plant nurseries, pots and containers, succulents | 8 Comments

Yucca ‘Magenta Magic’

Seems like only yesterday we were all very excited about Yucca aloifolia ‘Blue Boy,’ with enticing photos whizzing by with some regularity on blogs and public garden websites. So much exciting potential for dry gardens! In my garden, they never … Continue reading

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, succulents | 8 Comments

the White Agave is in bloom again

Agave celsii var. albicans ‘UCB’? Agave mitis var. albidior? The nomenclature continues to be shifty with this agave, so let’s just call it the White Agave. I can’t think of another agave that can also claim that common name, but … Continue reading

Posted in agaves, woody lilies | 7 Comments

recent garden distractions

Does the world distract me from my garden or the garden distract me from the world? The balance has been different at various times in my life, so I like that the relationship is flexible. Spending most of my days … Continue reading

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, journal, Plant Portraits, pots and containers, succulents | 9 Comments

the agave’s gambit

 What sets them apart is that they are monocarpic, they die after flowering once, and, they can take up to 30 years or better, depending on species and growing conditions, to flower…The demand for carbohydrate is high during this period.  … Continue reading

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, cut flowers, journal | Tagged | 11 Comments

swept away

Busy week, weather-wise, democracy-wise. There was a sweet piney scent to the air the morning of the 19th, which meant the wind had shifted and was coming from the east. I smelled it before checking the weather vane, which confirmed … Continue reading

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, climate, design, journal, Occasional Daily Weather Report, succulents | 5 Comments

Bloom Day January 2021

I may miss these reports throughout the year, but no way I’m going to skip the inaugural Bloom Day of 2021! If you’re looking for something to stream to get through this next week, I just finished and can recommend … Continue reading

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, Bloom Day, Bulbs, pots and containers, succulents | 3 Comments

January scrapbook

Starting with January 2010, what I’ve seen, what I’ve grown, what I’m still growing… (In making a January scrapbook, I realized there are no photos of the garden from January 2020, since I spent that month at my mom’s house.)

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, blog | 3 Comments

reshuffling some garden standbys

I edit, thin, and prune the steady accumulation of curbside and flea market finds constantly, but there’s a few stalwarts that consistently defy the purges. This Los Angeles street lamp shade has been kicking around the garden for years and … Continue reading

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, journal, plant nurseries, pots and containers, succulents | 5 Comments