Author Archives: Denise
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
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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
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Happy New Year
The buses run free of charge tonight, there’s street music and food downtown, so we’re going to bundle up, step out, and see what the city has to offer this New Year’s Eve. Reflecting on my first year in “narcissistic … Continue reading
Red Pig Tools
Under a spreading chestnut tree, the village smithy stands. The smith, a mighty man is he, with large and sinewy hands. And the muscles of his brawny arms are as strong as iron bands. The Village Blacksmith by Henry Wadsworth … Continue reading
Under Oxalis
Sweeping up this morning’s clippings, the crimson reverse of Oxalis vulcanicola’s leaves released a startling infusion of color into the silver dustpan. This frost-tender “Volcanic sorrel” retreats almost to its crown in the heat and relative dryness of summer, just … Continue reading
Season’s Greetings From AGO
I was sent these images by MB Maher, who seems quite taken with this jaunty robot. But why the fish? Maybe it’s really Captain Nemo out on a scouting mission from the Nautilus, tangled in bioluminescent seaweed. (Jules Verne meets … Continue reading
Is It Too Late?
Too late to depose the poinsettia and install the leucadendron as the preferred bracts and leaves of Christmas? Please? Poinsettia has had a great run. Time for some fresh sap. (A sap that’s not caustic.) If the polls are still … Continue reading
Memories of Rain
I didn’t get around to re-watching Blade Runner for the zillionth time the other night, that gorgeous cinematic meditation on memory. (“All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.”) But these record-breaking rainstorms are doing a … Continue reading
Posted in Ephemera, Occasional Daily Weather Report
Tagged Blade Runner, Los Angeles County rainfall
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