Category Archives: succulents
tuesday clippings 4/23/19
The pitcher plant Sarracenia ‘Scarlet Belle’ is sending out more flowers than leaves this spring. I have no idea if this is usual, unusual, a sign of imminent demise, or what exactly. But at least the pitcher plants made it … Continue reading
Posted in agaves, woody lilies, clippings, journal, pots and containers, succulents
Tagged Ozothamnus diosmifolius
6 Comments
spring surge
In what’s become a spring ritual, I thinned out a whole bunch of poppies today (my go-to poppy, Papaver setigerum, which has been reseeding for years). And yanked handfuls of branches from the bulging honeywort, Cerinthe major purpurascens, too. When … Continue reading
Posted in agaves, woody lilies, shop talk, succulents
10 Comments
garden notes 3/20/19
Yesterday I removed the diseased carcass of Agave ovatifolia ‘Frosty Blue’ which lived its brief but spectacular life – until this rainy winter – under the acacia tree in the far southeast corner. You’d think having to battle for resources … Continue reading
scenes from Modernism Week garden tour
I’m going to leave you this Friday with a few images from the self-guided Modern Garden Tour put on by Modernism Week in Palm Springs this past Wednesday. Leaving Long Beach at 7:30 a.m., I arrived just before 10 a.m. … Continue reading
Posted in garden travel, garden visit, pots and containers, succulents
Tagged Modernism Week 2019
6 Comments
some good reads
Next time you’re visiting Joshua Tree National Park, take a moment from reveling in the restorative, otherworldly sights of the desert to give thanks to Minerva Hamilton Hoyt, “hailed as the first desert conservationist and called the Woman of the … Continue reading
Posted in agaves, woody lilies, books, succulents
4 Comments
you are here (think warmth)
On this very wet Valentine’s Day I’m sending a love letter to…cactus. Cactus may not be what horticultural traditionalists call lovable plants, but their sculpturally adaptive, sun-addicted ways make a landscape feel warm and inviting to me any time of … Continue reading
Posted in artists, garden visit, succulents
8 Comments
how to declutter your garden
Since the new year, I keep coming across the word “declutter.” I find the phenomenon of cultural obsessions fascinating, more so than the obsession du jour itself. How does everybody get on board with any one idea in such a … Continue reading
Posted in pots and containers, succulents
11 Comments
nerines for November
What is up with the lack of interest in nerines in the U.S.? They have long, cuttable stems, the blooms last much longer than tulips, as in weeks rather than days, and they flower at a time of year when … Continue reading
Posted in Bloom Day, Bulbs, pots and containers, succulents
Tagged fall planting, nerines, Pseudobombax ellipticum
6 Comments
the many and varied forms of Echeveria agavoides
‘Lipstick,’ ‘Red Edge,’ ‘Maria,’ ‘Romeo’ — browsing nurseries and plant sales I’ve come across lots of named forms of this most agave-like of echeverias. This page from the World of Succulents has descriptions and photos of these varieties and many … Continue reading
Posted in pots and containers, succulents
12 Comments
garden journal 11/3/18
The salvia order from Flowers by the Sea arrived early in the week in exceptional condition and has been potted up. Included in the order were the two above, Salvia discolor ‘Purple Bracts’ in the foreground, Salvia patens ‘Guanajuato’ in … Continue reading