Monthly Archives: May 2014

Schefflera actinophylla ‘Soleil’

Posted on May 8, 2014 by Denise

I’ve recently added the houseplant section to my itinerary when visiting plant nurseries, a group of plants I’ve mostly been ignoring, so there’s basically no category of plants now that goes uninvestigated. Let me just say that this is an … Continue reading →

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

shop chair plant stands

Posted on May 7, 2014 by Denise

Marty grabbed these two tall, slim shop chairs from a salvage yard in Gardena for cheap today, as a future sand-and-paint project. In the meantime, I think I’ve found two new plant stands.

Posted in pots and containers | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

on the tour; Passiflora vitifolia

Posted on May 7, 2014 by Denise

The self-guided Mary Lou Heard Memorial Garden Tour stretches from my hometown in Long Beach to about 50 miles south, as far as San Clemete and Mission Viejo. For much too short a span of time, but long enough for … Continue reading →

Posted in garden visit, Plant Portraits | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Cinema Botanica; 2014’s best garden in a supporting role

Posted on May 6, 2014 by Denise

The Great Beauty, awarded the Oscar for best foreign film in 2014, is mysterious and ravishing, like the formal garden Jep’s balcony overlooks, where a nun and children play hide and seek, with the battered hulk of Rome’s Coliseum looming … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema Botanica, design | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

aftermath of a spring heat wave

Posted on May 5, 2014 by Denise

Unseasonal, sudden onset heat, like cold, is similarly not in a plant’s best interests. The pristine good looks of Agave ‘Blue Flame’ took a hit last week. Poor thing didn’t have time to develop a base coat and suffered a … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, Occasional Daily Weather Report, Plant Portraits | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

a succulent table (filed under fun but useless things)

Posted on May 1, 2014 by Denise

If I wake up to a day that has a few extra hours rattling around like loose change in the pockets of Marty’s jeans that I always borrow, clinking against paper clips and last night’s Peroni bottle cap, it’s pretty … Continue reading →

Posted in garden ornament, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments