Category Archives: plant crushes

dwarf statice and what else is new in June

The dwarf statice, Limonium minutum, are new this June. Planted along the spine of rocks laid down last November, their tight cushions send out slender stems that branch upward to hold aloft sparkling clouds of everlasting blooms, creating a gauzy … Continue reading

Posted in journal, plant crushes, plant nurseries, pots and containers, succulents | 11 Comments

new planting progress report

In November 2020 the east side of the garden saw some major renovations. The size of the lemon cypresses on the east boundary, Cupressus macrocarpa ‘Citriodora,’ had dictated the character of the planting in its root and shade shadow. After … Continue reading

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, journal, plant crushes, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged | 8 Comments

making the most of it

Emotionally, this summer feels like summers when I was 12 or 13 — when I stuck close to home because I wasn’t allowed yet to get in trouble with friends with cars. I’m regressing to the point that I’ve even … Continue reading

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, clippings, cut flowers, design, journal, plant crushes, plant nurseries, pots and containers, succulents | 5 Comments

this week in the garden; more silver leaves

Silver plants have sneakily become a new obsession. I should qualify that as unfamiliar silver plants, ones I haven’t grown before, and I’ve grown a lot. (Last year’s silver crush was the Afghan fig ‘Silver Lyre,’ mail-ordered from Cistus, a … Continue reading

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, journal, plant crushes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

a faithful February friend

The Cactus Geranium, Pelargonium echinatum, has been brightening my February for over a decade. And it just might be one of the most well-documented plants on the blog. This photo from February 12, 2013, is one of many over the … Continue reading

Posted in plant crushes, Plant Portraits | Tagged | 2 Comments

new and semi-new plants

perky pilocereus at OC Succulents What plants have grabbed your attention lately? Last week I was chasing down a hard-to-find compact form of one of California’s native buckwheats, Eriogonum giganteum var. compactum. The Grow Native nursery at Rancho Santa Ana … Continue reading

Posted in plant crushes, plant nurseries, Plant Portraits | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

midsummer tuneup

July is usually the month my garden needs a tuneup, a jolt of the unfamiliar to keep me inspired all summer long. Checking out July Bloom Day posts back to 2013, this July has a lot of the same characters … Continue reading

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, journal, plant crushes | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

end of month fav’s

Plants and pottery, the twin joys of life. These are the cantaloupe bowls I’ve been coveting off Dustin Gimbel’s Instagram feed for some time. He’s selling them today at the Artistic License show held at Estancia Park, 1900 Adams Ave., … Continue reading

Posted in artists, plant crushes, Plant Portraits, pots and containers | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

at the Inter-City CSSA Show August 2016

The funny thing about hard-core succulent shows is there’s often non-succulent treasures on the sales tables too. On arrival, I made a quick circuit around the tables and immediately became fixated on these decidedly non-succulent leaves. And the mottling on … Continue reading

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, plant crushes, Plant Portraits, plant sales, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

the exacting requirements of pitcher plants

Growing sarracenia in a sink, as seen at Flora Grubb Gardens, is a not-too-subtle reminder of the one thing you must never forget to grow them successfully. Water, of course. These are bog plants after all. But there’s something else… … Continue reading

Posted in plant crushes | Tagged , | 5 Comments