Category Archives: Plant Portraits
Shocking Pink
Sometime during the night, the buds of Pelargonium echinatum unfolded their cerise petals. The next morning, the intensity of the color was a shock to eyes grown accustomed to the restrained colors of winter. Which is about the time I … Continue reading
For A Good Time, Ask For ‘Angelina’
Sedum rupestre ‘Angelina’ is almost unforgivably easy. But when something fast and aggressive is needed for experimenting with planting some concrete columns, there’s no better choice. Besides, three big handfuls could be taken from the mother plant without the garden … Continue reading
Storm Damage/The Politics of Eucalyptus
The recent heavy rains in Southern California brought down a half dozen or so eucalyptus at a local park. A spectacular sight but not all that unusual. The gum trees are notorious for dropping branches and sometimes heaving out of … Continue reading
Posted in Plant Portraits, The Hortorialist
Tagged Acacia cultriformis, alleopathy, eucalyptus, Eucalyptus gunnii, Eucalyptus pauciflora subsp. debeuzeville, Gardens Illustrated, knife-leaf acacia, Palmengarten Frankfurt, Robert Santos "The Eucalpytus of California", tree damage, Ursula McHardy
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Under Oxalis
Sweeping up this morning’s clippings, the crimson reverse of Oxalis vulcanicola’s leaves released a startling infusion of color into the silver dustpan. This frost-tender “Volcanic sorrel” retreats almost to its crown in the heat and relative dryness of summer, just … Continue reading
Is It Too Late?
Too late to depose the poinsettia and install the leucadendron as the preferred bracts and leaves of Christmas? Please? Poinsettia has had a great run. Time for some fresh sap. (A sap that’s not caustic.) If the polls are still … Continue reading
Foliage Follow-Up December 2010
When asked only for a show of leaves, my zone 10 garden in December can give a much less angst-ridden performance than, for example, yesterday’s post, which was drawing solely on flower output. Today I realized I forgot to include … Continue reading
Posted in agaves, woody lilies, Plant Portraits, succulents
Tagged angelica pachycarpa, Annies Annuals, Begonia luxurians, Canna 'Bengal Tiger', Canna 'Intrigue', Coprosma 'County Park Red', Euphorbia characias, Foliage Follow-up, Helleborus argutifolius, Mangave 'Bloodspot', Rachel Warne, Tibouchina heteromalla
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Bloom Day December 2010
(Actor Slim Pickens riding the bomb in Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove.) A December Bloom Day post begs for a little goofiness. No other word describes prowling a drizzly garden for photos in non-existent light searching for non-existent blooms. The roster for … Continue reading
Phlomis
Phlomis can be such fine plants year-round, with many kinds suited for gardens colder than my zone 10 garden. The familiar Jerusalem sage, Phlomis russeliana, is hardy to 0-10F. Mine came labeled as P. aurea, but it’s not showing much … Continue reading
Grace’s Technicolor Coat
I’ve been eagerly anticipating the moment when the smoke tree Grace drops her leaves, at which time we have a pruning date scheduled to rein in her exuberance. Planted as 4-inch rooted cutting in the northeast southeast corner, she’s now … Continue reading
Winter Whites
The gift of Solanum marginatum from Dustin opened a chilly-looking bloom yesterday. For a solanum from Abyssinia, the White-Edged Nightshade really knows how to dress for winter. (Labeled from the grower as S. marginata, but my trusty Hortus Third says … Continue reading
Posted in Plant Portraits
Tagged Dustin Gimbel, nightshade, noxious weed, Second Nature Garden Design, Solanum marginatum
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