Category Archives: pots and containers

the east fence

Posted on June 8, 2015 by Denise

In case I’ve left the impression my only collection of pots resides on that little table under the pergola, there are more. Lots more. This group of pots lines the east fence. Morning shade, afternoon sun. The topmost plant in … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged 2015, aeoniums, Agave 'Boutin's Blue', Asparagus retrofractus, Carex trifida 'Rekohu Sunrise, dry gardens, eucomis, Rancho Reubidoux Open House 6/20/15 | 8 Comments

just a few more plants

Posted on June 2, 2015 by Denise

“In living, we accumulate. We admire. We desire. We love. We collect. We display.” — “Let’s Celebrate the Art of Clutter,” Dominique Browning More recent acquisitions cluttering up the table under the pergola. There’s still room for a couple pair … Continue reading →

Posted in pots and containers, succulents | Tagged "Let's Celebrate the Art of Clutter" by Dominique Browning, Aeonium mascaense, Aeonium simsii x 'Zwartkop', Agave chazaroi, Echeveria secunda 'Compton Carousel', Echeveria subsessilis 'Variegata', Euphorbia esculenta, Kita’s Kactus & Succulents, Los Angeles Cactus & Succulent Society Annual Drought Tolerant Plant Festival, Mammilaria gracilis, Mammillaria duwei, Mammillaria sphacelata ssp. viperina, Matt Magio, Rain Shadow Succulents | 9 Comments

small garden, tough choices

Posted on May 25, 2015 by Denise

“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

another rainy day at the Huntington

Posted on May 22, 2015 by Denise

In a bizarre bit of repetition, two recent visits to the Huntington Botanical Garden have coincided with that rarest of occurrences, a rainy day in Los Angeles during our mega drought. April especially is late in the season for a … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, garden visit, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged Acacia 'Cousin Itt', Aloe camperii, Aloe peglerae, Buddleia marrubifolia, Echeveria 'Afterglow', Echeveria gibbiflora 'Metallica', Huntington Botanic Garden Desert Garden, Huntington Botanic Gardens Plant Sale, Melocactus matanzanus, Orthophytum gurkenii, Stenocereus beneckii | 7 Comments

repotting Cussonia spicata

Posted on May 18, 2015 by Denise

Cussonia spicata, June 2014. Cussonias are also known as Cabbage Trees, all from South Africa, and I want every one I’ve ever seen. In my zone 10 they can be grown outdoors, where they will fulfill their ultimate destiny as … Continue reading →

Posted in Plant Portraits, pots and containers | Tagged Cabbage Trees, Cussonia spicata, Flora Grubb Gardens, repotting plants | 7 Comments

notes on some spring plant sales

Posted on May 9, 2015 by Denise

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

friday clippings 4/24/15 (SoCal Spring Garden Show weekend)

Posted on April 25, 2015 by Denise

Southern California’s Spring Garden Show started yesterday, 4/23/15, and continues through Sunday, 4/26/15. It’s always held in the enclosed “Home Store Wing” of the South Coast Plaza. This wing includes, among many other stores, Anthropologie, West Elm, Z Gallerie, Crate … Continue reading →

Posted in clippings, design, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged Agave guiengola 'Striata', Aloe striata, Camille Beehler, Dustin Gimbel, Hesperaloe 'Pink Parade', Land Workshop, Senecio vitalis, South Coast Plaza, Southern California's Spring Garden Show 2015 | 9 Comments

Wednesday clippings 4/15/15 (water on the brain)

Posted on April 15, 2015 by Denise

Finally, a chance to spend some time with the blog again. There’s been lots of reading to catch up on, after the guv dropped that bombshell. (Pass the almonds.*) One of the best sources of information I’ve found was right … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, books, Bulbs, climate, clippings, Plant Portraits, pots and containers | Tagged Agave franzosinii, and Bart O’Brien, Australia, Berkheya purpurea, Beth Chatto's The Dry Garden, Bob Perry, Caesalpinia gilliesii, California drought, Carol Bornstein, Cistus Nursery, David Fross, dry garden, Dustin Gimbel Second Nature Garden Design, Emily Green Chance of Rain, Emily Green's After the Lawn, Hymenolepis parviflora, KCET In-Ground Gardens, Lambley Nursery, Landscape Plants for California Gardens, lawn rebate programs, Long Beach City College Dept of Horticulture, Mark Bittman, Pacific Horticulture, Reimagining the California Lawn, Sphaeralcea 'Newleaze Coral', Verbascum undulatum | 7 Comments

this week in plants

Posted on March 28, 2015 by Denise

My Portland friend Loree at Danger Garden collects impressions of favorite plants at the end of the month, so I put together a contribution of what’s catching my eye this week. I’m enjoying how the Verbascum bombyciferum echoes the rosette … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, Plant Portraits, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged Abutilon venosum, Agave 'Dragon Toes', Agave celsii var. albicans 'UCB', Albuca maxima, Canna indica, Cistus 'Snow Fire', Crambe maritima, dyckia, Echium simplex, Hymenolepis parviflora, Manihot grahamii, Phlomis lanata, Solanum pyracanthum, Sonchus congestus, Verbascum bombyciferum | 4 Comments

CSSA 2015 Biennial Convention, June 14-19, 2015

Posted on March 18, 2015 by Denise

agave at South Coast Botanic Garden, a former open pit mine for diatomite extraction, then landfill, now botanic garden I should probably split this glut of information into several posts, but if I don’t sit down right now and do … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, commerce, garden travel, garden visit, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Agave guiengola 'Moto Sierra', Agave isthmensis 'Rum Runner', Aloe 'Martha Layhew, aloes, Brian Kemble, Buck and Yvonne Hemenway, Cactus and Succulent Society of America, CSSA 2015 Biennial Convention, Huntington Botanical Garden, Karen Zimmerman's aloes, Kelly Griffin, Osa pulchra, Panayoti Kelaidis, Pitzer College, Schefflera 'Nova', Sedum dendroideum 'Colossus', South African plants | 7 Comments