Category Archives: succulents

No. 24 on the Venice Garden & Home Tour

“Beautifully restored craftsman set in low maintenance and low water ‘Sonoma’ style gardens. Garden design by owner Craig Boelson” This bungalow, which the owner described as slated for demolition when he took over the property, had lots of things to … Continue reading

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, design, garden travel, garden visit, MB Maher, succulents | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Venice Garden & Home Tour 2012 (street view)

A little prelude to upcoming posts on this tour held last Saturday in Venice, California. None of these homes were on the tour. They just happened to be located in the neighborhoods we toured through. Venice oozes a love of … Continue reading

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, design, garden visit, MB Maher, succulents, The Hortorialist | Tagged , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

succulents in spring

Prowling around the garden yesterday with this or that new plant in one hand, spade in the other, looking for planting opportunities where I already knew none existed, it seemed more constructive to put the spade down and pick up … Continue reading

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

freeway wildflowers

Two Sundays ago, on Earth Day, in fact, I bounded out of bed early to head for a strip of wildflowers I’d been watching gain momentum for weeks and which looked to be approaching peak bloom. Instead of driving miles … Continue reading

Posted in garden visit, Plant Portraits, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Occasional Daily Photo 4/21/12

Some mornings the poppies do an especially fine job of arranging their blooms throughout the gravel garden. Orange notes from Papaver rupifragum and dyckia (I know I keep referring to this bit of garden as the “gravel garden,” which it … Continue reading

Posted in Occasional Daily Photo, Plant Portraits, succulents | Tagged , | 6 Comments

221 North Figueroa Street, Los Angeles

From the tenth floor looks like this: And at ground level. Aloes, furcraea, Kalanchoe thyrsiflora, Senecio mandraliscae, Dichondra argentea. One of the most successful public plantings of succulents I’ve seen around town. It’s been at least five years since I … Continue reading

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, design, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Foliage Followup April 2012

Grasses and agaves, yes, of course, solidity and movement, so why not grasses and aloes? A youngish Aloe marlothii and the evergreen cold blue steel blades of Blue Oat Grass, Helicotrichon sempervirens. I can’t imagine keeping a plant in the … Continue reading

Posted in Plant Portraits, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

a lull between rainstorms

Two storms this week, unusual for April. February is usually our wettest month. The first storm arrived around midnight Tuesday, the other is due later tonight. Just before the first storm, leaves were swept, tables and chairs straightened. Later that … Continue reading

Posted in Occasional Daily Weather Report, succulents | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

last day of March 2012

Posted in Occasional Daily Photo, Plant Portraits, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Bloom Day March 2012

A dead car battery after work has me skidding and sliding to make the Bloom Day deadline. Some of the new plants I ordered for spring became candidates for March Bloom Day literally right out of the box. Like this … Continue reading

Posted in Bloom Day, Plant Portraits, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments