Category Archives: journal
infrastructure week in the SoCal zone 10 garden
Now that the back garden has been (mostly) cleared and sorted, it’s a little weird to find that some of the remaining plants have now turned into nameless strangers. Especially the aloes. The one pictured, with the elegant scroll-worked leaves, … Continue reading
Posted in journal, Los Angeles garden post 2024, succulents
9 Comments
Bilbergia ‘Violetta’ (my how you’ve grown!)
In November 2020 I moved a couple pups of Bilbergia ‘Violetta’ under Grevillea ‘Moonlight,’ along with a large astelia and other odds and ends. Only the bromeliads and Callisia fragrans survived. (The callisia aka Basket Plant or False Bromeliad, also … Continue reading
Posted in journal, Los Angeles garden post 2024
10 Comments
caudiciform plants for the win
I confess the loss of Beaucarnea ‘Gold Star’ was one I dreaded the most during our extended absence. It was one of the first plants I rushed to check upon return. Survival of caudiciform plants was a theme. Right up … Continue reading
Posted in agaves, woody lilies, journal, pots and containers, succulents
10 Comments
taking stock of the runaway garden
I know “runaway garden” is an oxymoron, but even so the SoCal garden (zone 10) seems to have been on a journey without me, cycling through various caretakers, some benign, some less so. The last few days have been the … Continue reading
Posted in agaves, woody lilies, journal, pots and containers, succulents
11 Comments
soaking it all in
Even though I’m the main instigator, this late-season crescendo of growth astonishes me. While the garden has morphed into a late-season mosh pit, there has been one summer-long standout that still rises above and coolly surveys the garden’s autumnal slugfest: … Continue reading
Posted in journal, Oregon garden, Plant Portraits
7 Comments
September surprises
I’m not referring to surprises in the sense of predicted late-season arrivals, but just the generic, built-in unpredictability of plants we choose for our gardens. A plant’s performance can be dramatically different just down the street, not to mention spanning … Continue reading
Posted in journal, Oregon garden
9 Comments
long summer days
After three years, these long summer days still amaze me. These photos were taken at 9 p.m. last night! On the 4th fireworks were useless until well after 10 p.m. — but that didn’t stop the neighbors. Loud booms are … Continue reading
Posted in journal, Oregon garden
7 Comments
Three years in a zone 8 garden (toddler phase)
I broke my shovel yesterday, the trusty decades’ old one I brought up north. There’s a metaphor there somewhere. It’s seen a lot of action, especially this spring/early summer. The back garden has left behind that deliciously expectant phase, like … Continue reading
Posted in journal, Oregon garden
6 Comments
June 13, 2024, Oregon Coast
Even without much heat, it feels as though we’ve reached that turning point when spring finally retreats and summer growth gains the upper hand, if only by virtue of sheer day length. It’s light out til 9:30 p.m. now! In … Continue reading
Posted in journal, Oregon garden
10 Comments
mid-May 2024 Oregon Coast
Morning is always my favorite time in the garden, with the plants softly exhaling into the warming air while the sun slowly traces its way through tree canopies and clouds. The surrounding town is quiet while I study the garden … Continue reading
Posted in cut flowers, journal, Oregon garden
10 Comments