Tag Archives: Russelia equisetiformis

Dustin Gimbel’s garden in May

I’ve talked about Dustin’s ceramics a lot lately, but how’s his garden growing this very grey-skied May? Last week Shirley Watts was in town for talks on the next installment of Natural Discourse’s installation at the LA Arboretum in spring … Continue reading

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, artists, design, garden visit, MB Maher, pots and containers | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Bloom Day August 2015

There’s not much difference between July and August, or even June Bloom Day posts, but I suppose it’s useful to see what has survived, who’s stalwart and who’s a wimp. And I have been dropping some new stuff into the … Continue reading

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aftermath of a spring heat wave

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

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Bloom Day November 2013

By November my garden has turned into a curiosity shop of oddities and seedpods. Like the racks of antler-like blooms on tetrapanax, seemingly more blooms than leaves this years after I clipped away some of the sunburnt foliage. Limbing it … Continue reading

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Bloom Day September 2013

After an interminably hot August, I couldn’t wait to start some fall planting as soon as it cooled down a bit, which means there aren’t exactly buckets of blooms to share. There was a whisper campaign afoot that a local … Continue reading

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Bloom Day August 2013

Not too much of a change since July’s Bloom Day post, when I predicted the Persicaria amplexicaulis would own the garden in August, and the vibrant crimson spikes have done just that. This knotweed is the legacy of foolishly trialing … Continue reading

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Bloom Day July 2013

An extravagant display of blooms isn’t the overwhelming impression the garden is making this July, which is pretty typical. Though the Pennisetum ‘Skyrocket’ grasses are technically blooming. In the dimming twilight, the ferny leaves of Selinum wallichianum can just be … Continue reading

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Bloom Day June 2013

For a girl who couldn’t get an eryngium to bloom before, this is shaping up to be an exciting summer. Eryngium pandanifolium is supposedly the biggest eryngo of them all. I’ve been intently watching it develop this wicked candelabra of … Continue reading

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the disappearance of summer lawns

Lawns are vanishing all over town. The chief ringleader and instigator is the Long Beach Water Department, with their irresistible Lawn-to-Garden Turf Replacement Program. Quite a few of my neighbors have already taken advantage of this program the past couple … Continue reading

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Bloom Day September 2011

No use in dancing around the fact that my Bloom Day posts can be a bit repetitive. Seems it’s the same cast of characters every month. But if you’re in zone 10 and lack the space for big herbaceous drifts … Continue reading

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