Monthly Archives: March 2013

tuesday clippings 3/26/13

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Denise

Nothing too thematic, just some odds and ends. To prove I left the plant sale tables briefly and did a lap in the show room at the recent Orange County CSSA show, here’s a Dyckia ‘Brittle Star’ hybrid that won … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, clippings, Occasional Daily Photo, plant crushes, Plant Portraits | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

it’s show time

Posted on March 23, 2013 by Denise

Last week I planted out in the garden the remaining plants I brought home from last summer’s travels. All winter I eyed these purchases nervously, as though they were exhibits in a trial of my weak character. I knew they … Continue reading →

Posted in garden travel, plant nurseries, Plant Portraits, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

what Dustin Gimbel does with gazanias

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Denise

The humble gazania, that kaleidoscopic daisy from South Africa overused in years past as the go-to municipal ground cover, is undergoing a minor local revival. I included a few for this summer in my full-sun back garden, the LA Times … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, driveby gardens, MB Maher, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

hello, poppy

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Denise

The first poppy opened this morning, Papaver setigerum. (Not that I was hovering nearby, waiting for the event or anything.) Of all the annual poppies I’ve grown, including the many varieties of the — shhh, ixnay — “opium” poppy, aka … Continue reading →

Posted in Plant Portraits | Tagged , | 7 Comments

ranunculus

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Denise

I took this photo of ranunculus at the 2011 San Francisco Flower and Garden Show (which is coming up again this week, March 20-24.) Who knew ranuncs came tissue-petaled in cinnamon brown and pale peach? Last fall I tried like … Continue reading →

Posted in Bulbs | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

day trip to Phoenix’s Desert Botanical Garden

Posted on March 17, 2013 by Denise

It’s pushing the concept of a day trip to its limit when it takes five hours each way, there and back, but the DBG was having their spring plant sale and, dammit, I needed to go. So the math worked … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, garden travel, garden visit, succulents | Tagged , , , , | 11 Comments

Bloom Day March 2013

Posted on March 16, 2013 by Denise

If it weren’t for the few stems of Scilla peruviana in bloom I’d feel completely out of step this March Bloom Day, when so many participating gardens are sending forth crocus and iris and so many other traditional spring bulbs … Continue reading →

Posted in Bloom Day, plant crushes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

passionflower progress

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Denise

The garlic passionflower, P. loefgrenii, is supposedly one of the smaller, less-rampant species, described as a 10-footer, but that’s the size it’s reached in just its first year in my garden. The vine is planted against the eastern boundary fence, … Continue reading →

Posted in Plant Portraits | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Echeveria ‘Opal Moon’

Posted on March 12, 2013 by Denise

I always check the succulent tables at plant nurseries for something new and/or bizarre, but the offerings have been much the same so far this year. Once the eye has been well-trained on the familiar, whenever something unfamiliar pops up, … Continue reading →

Posted in succulents | Tagged , | 3 Comments

be afraid: Frankenstein Petunia

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Denise

OK, I find an old paperback of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein in the house a few days ago and haven’t been able to put it down. So maybe I’m sensitized to the book’s themes, but I really didn’t expect to find … Continue reading →

Posted in science | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments