Category Archives: succulents

pandemic garden project

My latest time sink and a great antidote to the pandemic fidgets. It’s a little rough and a lot rustic, part of the perpetual quest to get plants massed in one area for ease of care, especially now that warm … Continue reading

Posted in journal, pots and containers, succulents | 7 Comments

swept away

Busy week, weather-wise, democracy-wise. There was a sweet piney scent to the air the morning of the 19th, which meant the wind had shifted and was coming from the east. I smelled it before checking the weather vane, which confirmed … Continue reading

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, climate, design, journal, Occasional Daily Weather Report, succulents | 5 Comments

there’s a lot to love about aloes

I doubt I’ll ever be able to get my arms entirely around this name-changing, shape-shifting succulent genus. Its riches of flower and leaf can make winnowing out selections for a small garden woefully dependent on serendipity — on what’s available … Continue reading

Posted in succulents | 6 Comments

Bloom Day January 2021

I may miss these reports throughout the year, but no way I’m going to skip the inaugural Bloom Day of 2021! If you’re looking for something to stream to get through this next week, I just finished and can recommend … Continue reading

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, Bloom Day, Bulbs, pots and containers, succulents | 3 Comments

holiday shopping at The Huntington

I just got my renewed Huntington membership card in the mail. Woohoo! It’s always a relief to have that in my pocket for impromptu visits — or reserved visits, as is the case during the pandemic. (Which is an infectious … Continue reading

Posted in commerce, plant nurseries, plant sales, pots and containers, succulents | 3 Comments

reshuffling some garden standbys

I edit, thin, and prune the steady accumulation of curbside and flea market finds constantly, but there’s a few stalwarts that consistently defy the purges. This Los Angeles street lamp shade has been kicking around the garden for years and … Continue reading

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, journal, plant nurseries, pots and containers, succulents | 5 Comments

late for Bloom Day 11/15/20

Mina lobata is late too. The Spanish Flag vine was sown at least by June — okay, I just checked the seed packet and it was sown 6/25/20. So what’s up with waiting to bloom until November? The questions never … Continue reading

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, Bloom Day, journal, pots and containers, succulents | 8 Comments

privacy issues (or what kept me busy Election Week 2020)

And so the lemon cypresses (Cupressus macrocarpa ‘Citriodora’ or Golden Monterey Cypress) came down last Sunday, November 1st. I couldn’t bear to watch the removal of the last two and hid out in the office. They were excellent privacy screens … Continue reading

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, journal, pots and containers, succulents | 10 Comments

Celosia argentea ‘Cramer’s Amazon’

There’s been a couple of standout plants new to my garden this year, and this vibrant celosia is emphatically one of them. From Annie’s Annuals & Perennials, it was planted from 4-inch pots in August and grew steadily, like it … Continue reading

Posted in journal, Plant Portraits, succulents | 6 Comments

refocusing on succulents

More notes on micro-moves in my small back garden, mostly having to do with a succulent-forward mindset for fall/winter here in zone 10. If you scroll down to the previous post, where I mention having to move an aloe because … Continue reading

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, journal, pots and containers, succulents | 9 Comments