Monthly Archives: February 2011

Second Look (Erodium pelargoniflorum)

Little plants like this erodium, that wouldn’t rate a second look in summer, for a brief time have the field to themselves in early spring. So many modest spring bloomers like this erodium are described as “charming,” which sounds like … Continue reading

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Bromeliads in Winter

Bromeliads like this Vriesea gigantea are wintering outdoors in this frostless garden. Maybe this bizarro winter I should knock wood and say this historically frostless garden. This fast-growing vriesea from southeastern Brazil is temporarily kept in a small pot to … Continue reading

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Tulips Can Be Had Cheap

It takes a flower of infinite grace to withstand being turned into a potted ubiquity at every neighborhood nursery, grocery store, and florist shop, which is where I’m bumping into tulips this month. Growing them for myself is an intensely … Continue reading

Posted in Bulbs | 8 Comments

Eryngiums, House & Garden

Sometimes the house quietly slips into a “Grey Gardens” mode, such as when a vase full of eryngiums turn spidery and dessicated, and I still can’t bear to throw them away. These were bought at Christmas, when I splurged on … Continue reading

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That Corsican Hellebore

I hope I’m not becoming too tiresome about this hellebore… I may have mentioned it four times in the past two months, but I just cannot say enough good things about Helleborus argutifolius, zoned 7-10. Some resources zone it even … Continue reading

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Yuccas Do

And how. Then keep on doing some more. Agaves get all the love, while yuccas just quietly get the job done. Yucca filamentosa, probably ‘Golden Sword,’ name tag lost long ago. Hardy to zone 5.

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Habituation

Every so often I come across a word that tunnels straight into the murky recesses, boring into that dank station in the brain where rusty thoughts rumble around and bang like aimless cars in a railyard. Thoughts with otherwise no … Continue reading

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Plants That Bear Watching

Every garden probably has a few. Not exactly weeds, but tending toward the weedy, yet something about them holds you in thrall. Keeping these plants in the garden is flirting with disaster, but still you just can’t break it off. … Continue reading

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A Smausian Water Garden

Looking into the future of newspapers, there’s nothing but thick fog concealing possible total shipwreck. Looking to the past can seem like a golden age, especially for garden writers. In Los Angeles, we’re lucky to have the amazing Emily Green … Continue reading

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Vacuuming the Sotols

Elsewhere February seems determined to be one for the record books. Added to worries for family and friends all over the country, there’s now anxiety for the gardens and their owners all over the world I’ve come to know through … Continue reading

Posted in agaves, woody lilies | Tagged | 4 Comments