Category Archives: agaves, woody lilies

garden mysteries and dilemmas

Posted on July 6, 2020 by Denise

Some minor drama and quandaries in the garden recently. The very large but unidentified tillandsia brought home from a sale at the private garden of the late Bill Baker (of Aloe ‘Hercules’ fame), organized by his wife Donna Baker and … Continue reading →

6/28/20 garden progress report

Posted on June 28, 2020 by Denise

That’s gotta be a record for the fastest repurposing of a bird bath from water to plants, considering the bird bath just arrived in May. Filling it with plants is not a total admission of failure, just temporary frustration with … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, clippings, journal, pots and containers, succulents | 6 Comments

clippings 6/22/20

Posted on June 22, 2020 by Denise

Hope you find lots of interesting and diverting things to do this week. I’m tending new seedlings and waiting for another seed order to arrive — there’s got to be more empty pots around here somewhere…

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, Bulbs, climate, clippings, Plant Portraits, pots and containers | 6 Comments

bloom day June 2020

Posted on June 15, 2020 by Denise

Typical of my small zone 10 Southern California garden, the month of June is as much subtractive as additive. Gone are the winter-growing annuals like poppies, nicotiana, and umbellifer Orlaya grandiflora, and as the hot dry summer bears down, the … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, Bloom Day, pots and containers, succulents | 12 Comments

the dappled life

Posted on May 5, 2020 by Denise

So you’re planting and planting your little garden and having the best time, but because your undisciplined and eclectic taste runs to every kind and type of green life, from ground hugging to tree size, inevitably you wake up one … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, design, journal, pots and containers | 4 Comments

still plant shopping

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Denise

With demoralizing chaos at the federal level continuing unabated, it’s incredibly reassuring to experience the pragmatic approaches deployed locally. Let’s just take for an example, oh, I dunno — shopping for plants, for instance. I’ve been shopping every couple weeks … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, plant nurseries, pots and containers | 6 Comments

front garden retrospective

Posted on March 28, 2020 by Denise

Since I greedily planted the long, narrow front garden smack up against the fence that separates us from legions of parked cars and noisy, fast-moving traffic, it’s difficult to maneuver around for photos (and maintenance). Also, a lot of toothy … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, succulents | 5 Comments

monday’s plants 3/23/20

Posted on March 23, 2020 by Denise

Leaving the bizarro world aside for the moment, and desperately clinging to the bright side, at least this unusual March has been a good month for rain in Los Angeles. We’re just about an inch below average, which is great … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, Occasional Daily Weather Report, Plant Portraits, succulents | 3 Comments

what’s new…and what isn’t

Posted on March 14, 2020 by Denise

Burrowing into plant and seed catalogues isn’t a bad idea at the moment. Mail ordering plants and seeds is eminently doable even in a pandemic crisis, and if you’re hanging out a lot at home, so much the better for … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, Plant Portraits, pots and containers, succulents | 4 Comments