Category Archives: journal
when color becomes controversial
My compact form of Senecio/Brachyglottis greyi is now shining forth in bloom. And this is after getting frequently trimmed for size to keep it off the manzanita. I love it in the nubby pearly bud stage, which lasts a while, … Continue reading
Posted in journal, Oregon garden, Plant Portraits
6 Comments
more from June
Isn’t June great? I’ve decided to hang out with June for as long as possible, so bear with me for yet another post on what’s possibly my favorite month. Looking at other June gardens is a great way to find … Continue reading
Posted in Bulbs, climate, journal, Oregon garden, plant nurseries, pots and containers, succulents
7 Comments
scenes from the garden June 25, 2026
The only way to keep up with June is weekly reports. Last week the biennial Verbascum phlomoides was in bud, and the four or so planted last fall have started to open this week. I’d forgotten but obviously I got … Continue reading
Posted in journal, Oregon garden
7 Comments
Euphorbia ‘Copton Ash’ in early June
I really like this bit of planting, and a lot of that has to do with the contributions of Euphorbia ‘Copton Ash,’ the dark eucomis, and the tawny leaves of the Arctostaphylos pajaroensis hybrid. The flowers of Euphorbia ‘Miner’s Merlot,’ … Continue reading
Posted in journal, Oregon garden, plant nurseries, Plant Portraits
9 Comments
clippings late March 2026
The Long Beach garden is throwing a low-key sendoff, mainly with the blooming of Geranium maderense ‘Alba.’ It is almost distracting enough to take my mind off the delayed cutback urgently needed right now in the Oregon garden — possibly … Continue reading
Posted in clippings, journal, Los Angeles garden post 2024
9 Comments
Sherman Gardens & Library under renovation March 2026
With the heat wave mostly over, yesterday I drove south to Newport Beach for some garden time. Bathed in the cool coastal conditions at the Pacific Ocean, the Sherman Gardens & Library are a genteel lunch and garden destination that … Continue reading
Posted in garden visit, journal, plant sales, pots and containers, succulents
4 Comments
notes on the March heatwave
Monday morning dawned fresh and cool with a minor epiphany. Stepping out the backdoor, the opening of the first poppy scrambles a sleepy brain with the sensation of a delicate jellyfish floating over the garden (upside down). This week’s West … Continue reading
another spiral aloe
Some plant failures just don’t let go. Three tries is generally considered reasonable, but after that? After that, reason doesn’t have much to do with it anymore. At my local nursery, coming upon a few gallons of the spiral aloe, … Continue reading
Posted in journal, Los Angeles garden post 2024, succulents
4 Comments
rain journal; Year of the Horse
Because so rare, rain is a big deal in Southern California and stirs up intense feelings. Will it be too much? Not enough? Will the roads flood? Will there be mudslides? Will it be more than we can handle or … Continue reading
Posted in journal, Los Angeles garden post 2024
5 Comments
Star of the dry garden, my awkward Grevillea ‘Moonlight’
Within a day or two before leaving the Long Beach garden last spring, Grevillea ‘Moonlight’ sheared off an enormous middle branch, violently bifurcating that luminous, stately canopy into goofy ears. The tear was rough and I assumed possibly fatal, but … Continue reading
Posted in journal, Los Angeles garden post 2024
10 Comments