Category Archives: Plant Portraits

summer stock: Agapanthus ‘Indigo Frost’

Posted on June 25, 2019 by Denise

I have even less impulse control when plant shopping now because…summer. Of the four seasons, summer seems to be the one that we’re constantly admonished to savor to its fullest or risk being filled with inconsolable regret.  And you won’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Plant Portraits, pots and containers | 7 Comments

the giant fennel

Posted on April 4, 2019 by Denise

Mitch has been sending photos from his wanderings in Greece this week while I watch his cat. I don’t mean to always be a supergeek botanical nuisance, but there’s been a tall umbellifer cropping up in the background in those … Continue reading →

Posted in garden travel, MB Maher, Plant Portraits | 11 Comments

garden notes 3/20/19

Posted on March 20, 2019 by Denise

Yesterday I removed the diseased carcass of Agave ovatifolia ‘Frosty Blue’ which lived its brief but spectacular life – until this rainy winter – under the acacia tree in the far southeast corner. You’d think having to battle for resources … Continue reading →

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

APLD + Arboretum Plant Fair 2018

Posted on October 7, 2018 by Denise

Leave it to the landscape designers to build one of the best plant fairs I’ve attended — relaxed, convivial, informative, great flow, pacing, and easy accessibility to the plant vendors, multiple ongoing activities seamlessly integrated — all qualities found in … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, plant nurseries, Plant Portraits, plant sales | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

summer plant report 2018

Posted on September 14, 2018 by Denise

Imposing title for a modest report on a handful of new plants, right? Regardless of the size limitations of a small garden, I’m always trialing new plants, but I’m hesitant to report on results that might give a false impression … Continue reading →

Posted in plant nurseries, Plant Portraits, plant sales | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

a faithful February friend

Posted on February 6, 2018 by Denise

The Cactus Geranium, Pelargonium echinatum, has been brightening my February for over a decade. And it just might be one of the most well-documented plants on the blog. This photo from February 12, 2013, is one of many over the … Continue reading →

Posted in plant crushes, Plant Portraits | Tagged | 2 Comments

new and semi-new plants

Posted on November 14, 2017 by Denise

perky pilocereus at OC Succulents What plants have grabbed your attention lately? Last week I was chasing down a hard-to-find compact form of one of California’s native buckwheats, Eriogonum giganteum var. compactum. The Grow Native nursery at Rancho Santa Ana … Continue reading →

Posted in plant crushes, plant nurseries, Plant Portraits | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

fall planting: what happened to my phlomis?

Posted on September 29, 2017 by Denise

It’s fall planting time in Southern California, and I’m planting phlomis. And it’s deja vu all over again. I like to think that the blog functions at least as a personal resource, a planting reference that at a minimum chronicles … Continue reading →

Posted in plant nurseries, Plant Portraits | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

golden gardens

Posted on September 13, 2017 by Denise

Doing some blog research for fall planting, I was surprised to find what a luminous phase the garden entered briefly around 2014. I’ve always been drawn to bright-colored leaves, but in this period the garden glowed as if irradiated. Chief … Continue reading →

Posted in design, journal, Plant Portraits, pots and containers | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

friday clippings 7/28/17

Posted on July 28, 2017 by Denise

I’ve been in an insatiable mood for plant shopping lately. I found this variegated form of Salvia ‘Berggarten’ yesterday at Roger’s Gardens and am putting up its portrait immediately because it may be its last. This salvia and my soil … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, clippings, plant nurseries, Plant Portraits, plant sales, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments