Category Archives: succulents
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
touring gardens in Newport Beach
The Southern California Branch of the Mediterranean Garden Society led a tour of some Newport Beach, Calif. gardens last weekend. My assumption that there would be large succulent gardens in the Fallbrook style was no doubt due to my ignorance … Continue reading
good riddance to July, you hot and sultry thing
And hello August! (what fresh hell do you have in store?) Unlike me, pedilanthus loves it when the heat and humidity are matchy-matchy numbers. I’ve been so worried that Yucca linearifolia would reject this container, which has already killed a … Continue reading
Posted in agaves, woody lilies, clippings, journal, pots and containers, succulents
Tagged Aechmea recurvata var. benrathrii, Agave 'Kissho Kan', Agave kershovei ‘Huajuapan Red', Agave xylonacantha, Aloe betsileensis, Aloe spicata, Calocephalus 'Silver Sand', Crassula 'Garnet Lotus', Ferocactus gracilis, Furcraea foetida 'Mediopicta', Nan Sterman, Pacific Horticulture spring 2018, Pennisetum 'Cherry Sparkler', Potted For Outdoor Living, Saxon Holt
6 Comments
sunday clippings 7/1/18 (it’s a small world after all)
I bought this Echinopsis ‘Arizona Sunset’ at a San Diego garden visit a couple weeks ago sponsored by the San Diego Horticultural Society. The echinopsis was among plants for sale at the entrance to the private home and garden, all … Continue reading
prepare yourself for summer plant sales
Dyckia ‘Uncle Ray,’ Exhibitor Bryan Chan, (San Fernando Valley Bromeliad Society) won best in its class at the recent World Bromeliad Conference in San Diego, or so I was told by a docent at the Los Angeles Cactus & Succulent … Continue reading