Category Archives: succulents

November garden dispatches

Posted on November 10, 2013 by Denise

We all have our favorite months in the garden. Our sentiments aside, the November garden continues sending out dispatches, oblivious to any seasonal bias. dispatches from plectranthus tillandsias and cryptbergias urgent communications from Echeveria gigantea Candy-corn-colored Morse code from Mina … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, garden visit, Plant Portraits, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

chasing muhly grass

Posted on October 21, 2013 by Denise

As far as seasons go, to me summer is rich, pungent, dense, where autumn is quicksilver, vaporous, light on its feet, with a tartness that is the perfect apertif to summer’s gluttony of sensation. The eaves are now dripping morning … Continue reading →

Posted in climate, Occasional Daily Weather Report, Plant Portraits, succulents | Tagged , | 4 Comments

elephant season

Posted on September 23, 2013 by Denise

A few tropicals in pots can be a fine sendoff to summer. Here about a mile from the ocean, the big-leaved tropicals like colocasia, the “elephant ears,” bide their time until the temperatures start to really feel uncomfortable. By the … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, design, journal, pots and containers, shop talk, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

hillside with Schwentker Watts Design

Posted on September 14, 2013 by Denise

I was in a wonderful garden the other night, but was caught flat-footed as far as having any photos to show for it. Although only 7:30ish, twilight doesn’t last long in this Los Angeles neighborhood but is quickly swallowed up … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, artists, climate, design, garden visit, MB Maher, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Yucca ‘Blue Boy’

Posted on September 3, 2013 by Denise

I’ve brought a couple home under the name Yucca aloifolia ‘Purpurea,’ but I’ve recently been seeing it tagged as Yucca desmetiana ‘Blue Boy,’ as it was here at Cornerstone Sonoma, in the Transcendence garden designed by Delmar McComb and Peter … Continue reading →

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anatomy of a late-summer road trip

Posted on August 28, 2013 by Denise

Is there a tinge of desperation in the road trips of late summer? By the end of summer are we stuffing itineraries with an absurd number of places to see in the dwindling opportunities to experience daylight until 8 p.m.? … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, artists, design, edibles, garden travel, garden visit, MB Maher, plant nurseries, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Echeveria agavoides ‘Ebony’

Posted on August 18, 2013 by Denise

Seen at the 2013 Inter-City Cactus & Succulent Show held at the Los Angeles County Arboretum over the weekend. Once again, on the show table, not the sales table. Echeveria agavoides ‘Ebony,’ intensely desirable and chronically unavailable. Is it going … Continue reading →

Posted in Bulbs, plant nurseries, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

driveby garden; LAPD headquarters, Downtown Los Angeles

Posted on August 16, 2013 by Denise

“The first five months of this year were the driest on record in California, with reservoirs in the state at 20 percent below normal levels.” – Arid Southwest Cities’ Plea: Lose the Lawn, The New York Times, August 11, 2013 … Continue reading →

Posted in design, driveby gardens, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

A Texas shoe story as told by Ronald Rael (Prada Marfa)

Posted on August 13, 2013 by Denise

rac·on·teur /ˌrakˌänˈtər/ Noun A person who tells anecdotes in a skillful and amusing way. Synonyms narrator – storyteller Way back in January I breezily announced “ambitious plans to produce transcripts of the lectures” given by the illustrious group of artists … Continue reading →

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InterCity Succulent Show and Sale August 17-18, 2013

Posted on August 11, 2013 by Denise

Mr. Ripple and friends cordially invite you to that holy of holies in the world of desert plants, The InterCity Show and Sale next weekend, August 17 and 18, at the Los Angeles County Arboretum. Agave ‘Mr. Ripple’ Agave potatorum … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, plant nurseries, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments