Category Archives: plant nurseries
Fall Planting Festival at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden 11/2/13
“California is defined by its Mediterranean climate. It is the smallest floristic province in North America, but has the greatest diversity of plants north of Mexico. It includes such characteristic vegetation as chaparral, coastal sage scrub, oak woodland and grassland. … Continue reading
Agave ‘Shira ito no Ohi’
Or, more specifically, Agave filifera ssp. schidigera ‘Shira ito no Ohi’ (Queen of White Thread Century Plant). No one seems to know the origin of the variegated form of this wee agave with the big name, whose queenly title was … Continue reading
this summer’s dahlias
I moved my one dahlia, the deep burgundy ‘Chat Noir,’ to my community garden plot this summer. Performance was…meh. By August the plant was finished. The soil at the CG still needs work if it’s to grow anything but zinnias … Continue reading
anatomy of a late-summer road trip
Is there a tinge of desperation in the road trips of late summer? By the end of summer are we stuffing itineraries with an absurd number of places to see in the dwindling opportunities to experience daylight until 8 p.m.? … Continue reading
Echeveria agavoides ‘Ebony’
Seen at the 2013 Inter-City Cactus & Succulent Show held at the Los Angeles County Arboretum over the weekend. Once again, on the show table, not the sales table. Echeveria agavoides ‘Ebony,’ intensely desirable and chronically unavailable. Is it going … Continue reading
InterCity Succulent Show and Sale August 17-18, 2013
Mr. Ripple and friends cordially invite you to that holy of holies in the world of desert plants, The InterCity Show and Sale next weekend, August 17 and 18, at the Los Angeles County Arboretum. Agave ‘Mr. Ripple’ Agave potatorum … Continue reading
gilding the jasmine
Plant Delight’s 2013 fall catalogue has just been released and offers this gold-leaved jasmine, Jasminum officinalis ‘Frojas’ (Fiona Sunrise Jasmine) that I’ve been tormenting for a couple years. Mr. Avent suggests pairing it with colorful shrubs like loropetalum or smoke … Continue reading
Occasional Daily Photo 7/25/13
I’m tying this ODP in with Loree’s favorite plant of the week thread at Danger Garden. Agave attenuata ‘Ray of Light’ I’ve noticed a theme to favorite plants. They’re the ones that beat zonal odds or some foolish mishandling on … Continue reading
suitcase plants
Any plant is potentially a suitcase plant as far as I’m concerned, but these agaves and the Euphorbia ammak would present especially prickly challenges. Though I suppose, like anything, where there’s a will, there’s a way. But TSA might be … Continue reading
scenes from the garden 7/6/13
There’s an unspoken Upstairs/Downstairs, front garden/back garden dynamic at home, as I suspect there is with most hands-on gardens. Most of the front garden isn’t tinkered with much anymore, needs little attention, more of just keeping an eye on sizes. … Continue reading