Monthly Archives: January 2011
Shocking Pink
Sometime during the night, the buds of Pelargonium echinatum unfolded their cerise petals. The next morning, the intensity of the color was a shock to eyes grown accustomed to the restrained colors of winter. Which is about the time I … Continue reading
Los Angeles in January
This was the scene from the 25th floor conference room I worked in today. Temps were in the mid 70′s. That might as well be Janus doing the back stroke on this balmy day in the month of January, the … Continue reading
Posted in Ephemera, Occasional Daily Weather Report
Tagged January, Janus, Los Angeles, Roman god
3 Comments
Rediscovering Agave guadalajarana
My memory of the name of this agave planted years ago in the front garden went as far as guada-something. Easy enough to plug in a partial search string, right? Yet searches always narrowed down to the most likely suspect, … Continue reading
Temperatures to Chill a Damselfly
The damselfly holding on tight, waiting for the morning sun to reinvent stained glass with its wings. Seems like every pool of sunshine is spoken for these days. Cats are the undisputed champs at this, swiveling like satellite dishes as … Continue reading
Posted in creatures
Tagged damselfly, Pelargonium echinatum, Salvia cacaliifolia, winter temperatures
4 Comments
The View From The Kitchen Window
The New York Times has an ongoing series entitled “Windows on the World, a series in which writers from around the world describe the view from their windows.” They haven’t asked anonymous gardeners to contribute, just famous writers, but I’m … Continue reading
Bold Succulents at the Seashore
Out for a walk at the beach with the corgi today, these imposingly tall jars of succulents on a porch caught my eye across four lanes of traffic. (There’s always ample opportunity to survey the surrounding area when walking Ein, … Continue reading
Posted in garden ornament, succulents, The Hortorialist
Tagged aeonium, Echeveria, Portulacaria afra, Senecio radicans, succulent containers
2 Comments
For A Good Time, Ask For ‘Angelina’
Sedum rupestre ‘Angelina’ is almost unforgivably easy. But when something fast and aggressive is needed for experimenting with planting some concrete columns, there’s no better choice. Besides, three big handfuls could be taken from the mother plant without the garden … Continue reading
Must I Eat My Vegetables?
Three leeks isn’t many. All will be grilled and consumed in one night. Realistically, I’ll probably end up watching them flower and set seed. (The flower color may not be as fine as Allium ‘Globemaster,’ but the leeks are a … Continue reading
Posted in shop talk
Tagged climbing summer squash, leeks, mizuna, Renee's Garden, Trombetta di Albenga
7 Comments
Storm Damage/The Politics of Eucalyptus
The recent heavy rains in Southern California brought down a half dozen or so eucalyptus at a local park. A spectacular sight but not all that unusual. The gum trees are notorious for dropping branches and sometimes heaving out of … Continue reading
Posted in Plant Portraits, The Hortorialist
Tagged Acacia cultriformis, alleopathy, eucalyptus, Eucalyptus gunnii, Eucalyptus pauciflora subsp. debeuzeville, Gardens Illustrated, knife-leaf acacia, Palmengarten Frankfurt, Robert Santos "The Eucalpytus of California", tree damage, Ursula McHardy
7 Comments