Category Archives: succulents

the Glatstein garden by Dustin Gimbel

Posted on April 18, 2020 by Denise

I knew for the past year or so that the Los Angeles Times would eventually publish an article on the Glatstein family’s Long Beach garden designed by ceramicist Dustin Gimbel a few years back. Even so, the March 31, 2020 … Continue reading →

Posted in artists, design, garden visit, MB Maher, pots and containers, succulents | 9 Comments

front garden retrospective

Posted on March 28, 2020 by Denise

Since I greedily planted the long, narrow front garden smack up against the fence that separates us from legions of parked cars and noisy, fast-moving traffic, it’s difficult to maneuver around for photos (and maintenance). Also, a lot of toothy … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, succulents | 5 Comments

monday’s plants 3/23/20

Posted on March 23, 2020 by Denise

Leaving the bizarro world aside for the moment, and desperately clinging to the bright side, at least this unusual March has been a good month for rain in Los Angeles. We’re just about an inch below average, which is great … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, Occasional Daily Weather Report, Plant Portraits, succulents | 3 Comments

what’s new…and what isn’t

Posted on March 14, 2020 by Denise

Burrowing into plant and seed catalogues isn’t a bad idea at the moment. Mail ordering plants and seeds is eminently doable even in a pandemic crisis, and if you’re hanging out a lot at home, so much the better for … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, Plant Portraits, pots and containers, succulents | 4 Comments

(in anticipation of spring) cleanup

Posted on February 19, 2020 by Denise

I asked Marty to drill drainage holes in this metal cart yesterday. Without drainage it was fairly useless, accumulating water and leaves and making a slimy brew of them all winter. When I returned home late in the afternoon, Marty … Continue reading →

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

sweat it out

Posted on November 4, 2019 by Denise

It’s great to see the garden “sweat” again. Whether glistening from morning dew or transpiration, it’s a sight for sore (dry) eyes. The leaves of the tree aloe ‘Goliath’ were a grimy, sooty mess just a few days ago. Hosespray … Continue reading →

Posted in climate, Occasional Daily Weather Report, science, succulents | 4 Comments

Huntington’s Fall Plant Sale 10/25/19

Posted on October 22, 2019 by Denise

One of those quirky associations that happens when looking for the perfect autumn light for an increasingly lanky potted euphorbia. Passiflora ‘Flying V’ handles its own light needs by threading itself through a grevillea, and so an improbable relationship is … Continue reading →

Posted in Occasional Daily Photo, plant sales, pots and containers, succulents | 2 Comments

the garden stories we tell

Posted on September 25, 2019 by Denise

It always amazes me how what was just hours before a scene of mayhem in the garden can look so calm and serene just a few moments after the mulch settles. Right where those little Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Beach Ball’ now … Continue reading →

Posted in design, garden visit, journal, Plant Portraits, pots and containers, succulents | 5 Comments

plants and rocks; the basics

Posted on August 31, 2019 by Denise

If your idea of a good life means being surrounded by plants, chances are you love having a few rocks around too, even if only in a haphazard, barely intentional way. Perhaps small rock mementos from travels naturally seem to … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, climate, creatures, design, essay, MB Maher, succulents | 5 Comments

revisiting the class of July 2014; (where are they now?)

Posted on July 30, 2019 by Denise

I love massing one kind of echeveria in pots and letting them multiply like crazy. Echeveria lilacina has completely filled in at the base of the shaving brush tree, Pseudobombax ellipticum. One E. liliacina in bloom is a novelty; over … Continue reading →