Category Archives: agaves, woody lilies

winter walkabout

Les of A Tidewater Gardener frequently posts some of the most beautiful landscape photography to be found on garden blogs. On his blog you may be introduced, as I was, to John Irving-esque names of natural phenomena like The Great … Continue reading

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blue/yellow/green

Where were we? I’ve been working at the day job like a navvy, trying to clear some time for spring garden visits, shows and whatnot. But the garden in March initiates a measured sequence of distractions, which can really mess … Continue reading

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Hazel White: Aesthetics of Inundation

UC Berkeley Botanical Garden’s symposium “Natural Discourse” held February 10, 2012, has been constantly in my thoughts this past week, whether riding the train, driving freeways, staring at the garden. I’d never visited UCBG before and found the physical location … Continue reading

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mid-week garden jaunt

There is a beloved, family-owned nursery in Pasadena that, over the past couple years, has become breathtakingly expensive. My now-20-foot Chinese fringe tree was bought here as a sapling they raised from seed. Many of my agaves were found here, … Continue reading

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phoenix plants

First bloom on little Pelargonium echinatum, which I wrote about last January here. That its gnarled, dessicated branches somehow put on this performance every January is like getting a sneak preview of spring in a 6-inch pot. And oh, happy … Continue reading

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percolating

The garden continues to percolate along in a quiet January fashion. Poppies, lunaria, Orlaya grandiflora, and Geranium maderense seem to be what’s on the menu for spring — their seedlings are everywhere. A nice problem to have and easy to … Continue reading

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here’s to 2012

The usual quiet of my little garden was broken by lots of chatter and laughter in 2011. Thank you! I’ve been entertained, educated, enthralled, and enchanted by our garden blogging community in 2011 and can’t wait to read what you’re … Continue reading

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, creatures, Occasional Daily Photo, Plant Portraits, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

Occasional Daily Weather Report: Hailstorm damage

There’s really nothing else I can think of that could cause this mysterious pitting: Last week a very local weather system kicked up, causing a tremendous downpour and hail. The rainfall was that rare, torrential, deafening kind that always makes … Continue reading

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Foliage Followup December 2011

400 South Hope Street, Los Angeles Mellon Bank Center An enormous agave (A. weberi?) in a sea of Senecio mandraliscae, ribboning out into massed plantings of dwarf phormium, then masses of a smaller agave, replaced by blocks of feather grass. … Continue reading

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walkies

We’ve been pushing ourselves to take long walks, sometimes early morning, sometimes early evening, as much as 4 miles, mostly through Long Beach’s old downtown, which has seen many of its older buildings become frozen mid loft conversion. (Probably too … Continue reading

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