Category Archives: design
planting details at the Reid garden
I went through my Reid garden photos again, looking for clear examples of the subtly layered plant communities that rose up around my feet as I followed the paths, scanning the garden like a hungry predator, looking down then quickly … Continue reading
Posted in books, climate, design, garden visit
Tagged "A Passionate Pursuit", American Conifer Society, Claudia West, dry garden planting, Leonotis leonurus, marthastewart.com, Mary and Lew Reid, Northern California, Pacific Horticulture, Planting in a Post-Wild World, Stipa gigantea, terraced gardens, Thomas Rainer, Tibouchina heteromala, Western Hills Nursery and Garden
9 Comments
DIY therapy
One of my boys is experiencing some painful romantic complications, which is frustrating for both of us because in grappling with the problem I necessarily have to accept the fact that my boys are now men. But he hurts, therefore … Continue reading
Posted in agaves, woody lilies, design, pots and containers, succulents
Tagged Agave bracteosa, Strobilanthes gossypinus
13 Comments
CMU bench/planter at Manaow
I finally found a moment when Manaow’s CMU bench/planter could be investigated minus the usual throngs of people. That window of quiet was around 7 a.m. in the morning, when the only activity at this east end of Broadway was … Continue reading
terraced Spanish Colonial Revival house & garden
For those of you who enjoy gawking at houses and their gardens as much as I do, here’s a look at the house that belongs with this post from September 2014. I don’t think I looked up much from the … Continue reading
traditional with a twist
Here’s another house nearby that warrants a second look and always brings a smile. It’s the traditional front lawn setup with a bit of a twist. All the supporting plants are exclusively dry garden plants, some rare like the cycads. … Continue reading
Posted in agaves, woody lilies, design, driveby gardens, Plant Portraits, pots and containers
Tagged cycads, dry gardens, lawns
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Pepper Tree courtyard
Spotted locally around dusk, a front-house courtyard with Pepper Tree (Schinus molle), stone paving “grouted” with Dymondia margaretae. Planting includes euphorbias, agaves, phormiums (or dianella) a small Cercis ‘Forest Pansy,’ and purple irises in bloom near the side gate. There … Continue reading
low and green
I’ve got to say it’s been a long time coming, but it’s still just a tiny bit surreal to wake up every day to more MSM coverage on lawns, and by extension, the plants that will have to replace lawns. … Continue reading
small garden, tough choices
“I reckon there are 5 seasons. There’s an early spring, which I call Sprinter…a Sprummer which comes after that for 2 months…There’s a long summer…a short autumn, a short winter – both just two months long, and then you’re back … Continue reading
Posted in agaves, woody lilies, clippings, design, journal, pots and containers, succulents
Tagged Acacia baileyana 'Purpurea', Agapanthus 'Gold Strike', Agave sisalana ‘Variegata’, Aristida purpurea, Ballota pseudodictamnus, Brachysema praemorsum 'Bronze Butterfly', Cistus 'Snowfire', Cordyline banksii 'Electric Star', Glaucium grandiflorum, Gomphrena 'Fireworks', Hymenolepis parviflora, Lavandula minutoli, Leucadendron 'Safari Goldstrike', Lomandra 'Breeze', Lomandra 'Lime Tuff', Marrubium bourgaei ‘All Hallows Green’, Nepeta ‘Purple Haze’, Pedilanthus bracteatus, Verbascum bombyciferum
4 Comments
orange and blue
I love garden surprises. Sure, there is some planning involved, but because the garden supports a collecting habit, the big picture is usually uncertain and often a mixed bag. What the collecting id of my psyche is up to all … Continue reading
Posted in agaves, woody lilies, design, Plant Portraits, succulents
Tagged Agapanthus 'Gold Strike', Agave 'Dragon Toes', Aloe cameronii, Aloe elgonica, Arctotis 'Opera', Australian Plants Nursery, Eucalyptus 'Moon Lagoon', Glaucium grandiflorum, Isoplexis isabelliana, Osteospermum 'Zion Orange', Phygelius 'Diablo', Plectranthus neochilus, Sphaeralcea 'Newleaze Coral', Stachys 'Bella Grigio'
6 Comments
notes on some spring plant sales
Is that a water pistol in your pocket or are you just happy to see me? I’ve been hearing from friends in the retail nursery business that the new water restrictions have them very worried. Indeed, I’ve been told retail … Continue reading
Posted in Bulbs, climate, design, garden travel, journal, pots and containers
Tagged botanical garden plant sales, Dierama pendulum var. robustum, Flora Grubb Gardens, Fullerton Arboretum Green Scene, Huntington Botanical Garden 2015 Plant Sale, Leucadendron argenteum, Leucadendron laxum, Plectranthus zuluensis, Protea neriifolia, Rudbeckia maxima, San Francisco Botanical Garden plant sale
11 Comments