Category Archives: pots and containers

back on the home front

Posted on July 30, 2014 by Denise

It’s finally happening. Miraculously, after a couple close calls resulting in an almost fatal wilt, Musschia wollastonii has survived and begun to hoist up that much-anticipated chartreuse candelabra of blooms. The Madeira Giant Bellflower must be an unforgettable sight in … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, clippings, garden travel, journal, plant nurseries, Plant Portraits, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged Aeonium 'Zwartkop', Agapanthus 'Gold Strike', Agave 'Tradewinds', Agave attenuata 'Boutin's Blue', Aristolochia fimbriata, Australian Native Plants, Calamintha nepeta 'Gottlieb Friedkund., Carex trifida 'Rekohu Sunrise, Cistus Nursery, Corokia virgata 'Sunsplash', Crambe maritima, Crassula pruinosa, Cupressus macrocarpa 'Citriodora', Cussonia gamtoosensis, Dan Hinkley, Digging Dog Nursery, Emilia javanica 'Irish Poet', Eryngium padanifolium, Eucalyptus 'Moon Lagoon', Euphorbia ammak, Far Reaches Farm, Gaillardia 'Oranges & Lemons', Garden Bloggers Fling 2014 Portland, Hayefield Seeds, Hibiscus trionum, Jo O'Connell, Leucadendron 'Ebony', Lotus jacobaeus, Mirabilis jalapa 'Limelight', Musschia wollastonii, Nan Onda, Olearia virgata v. lineata 'Dartonii, Pennisetum 'Sky Rocket', Prostranthera ovalifolia 'Variegata, Pseudobombax ellipticum, San Marcos Growers, Tagetes 'Cinnabar', Variegated Tataki Grass, Windcliff | 14 Comments

contain your enthusiasm

Posted on July 28, 2014 by Denise

Creating a small, plant-rich garden in zone 8 can be a brutal business. Faced with so many tempting choices in such an agreeable climate, a small garden runs the danger of sinking into visual chaos. Wielding the power of refusal, … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, design, garden ornament, garden travel, garden visit, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged Danger Garden, JJ Sousa Digs Inside and Out, Loree Bohl | 16 Comments

Saturday clippings 7/26/14

Posted on July 26, 2014 by Denise

Melocactus matanzanus The Orange County Cactus & Succulent Society sale is this weekend, where the buzz and gossip amongst the sales tables might very likely entice you into bringing home your first melocactus. It’s possible that the recent visit to … Continue reading →

Posted in clippings, plant nurseries, Plant Portraits, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged bromeliads, Danger Garden Favorite Plants, Dyckia 'Naked Lady', Eulophia petersii, Huntington Botanical Gardens, Huntington Desert Garden Conservatory, Melocactus matanzanus, Orange County Cactus and Succulent Society, Pachypodium namanquanum, Rainforest Flora, Solana Succulents Nursery, William Hertrich, Yucca aloifolia 'Purpurea' | 6 Comments

Portland Pots It Up

Posted on July 21, 2014 by Denise

There’s so many reasons for plants to spend some or even all of their lives in containers. Aside from the practical reasons — fine-tuning sunlight, better drainage, more moisture, less moisture, special soil mixes, protection from chewing and digging creatures, … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, design, garden ornament, garden travel, garden visit, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged Aloe plicatilis, Begonia boliviensis, Bella Madrona gardens, Cistus Nursery, Ernst/Fuller Gardens, Euphorbia ammak, garden designer Laura Crockett, garden designer Sean Hogan, Gomphrena 'Pink Zazzle', JJ Sousa Digs Inside and Out, John Kuzma's garden, Joy Creek Nursery, Oregon, Pomarius Nursery, Portland, Potted For Outdoor Living, Westwind Farm Studio | 12 Comments

impressions of Portland gardens (in the zone of filtered sunshine)

Posted on July 19, 2014 by Denise

Since returning from touring gardens and nurseries in Portland last week, I’ve been haphazardly researching what makes the Pacific Northwest so full of great gardens and nurseries. Not expecting any definitive answer, just scrounging around for clues. Portland’s enviably soft … Continue reading →

Posted in climate, garden travel, garden visit, Plant Portraits, pots and containers | Tagged 2014 Portland Garden Bloggers Fling, Cistus Nursery, Fatsia japonica 'Spider's Web', Joy Creek Nursery, Modern Jackass/This American Life, Oregon, Pomarius Nursery, Portland, Rhus typhina Tiger Eye Sumac, Solanum pyracanthum, Willamette Valley | 12 Comments

sunday clippings 7/6/14

Posted on July 6, 2014 by Denise

I think the conversation left off with brillantaisia, the salvia look-alike I stumbled upon at the local city college. Except it’s not really a salvia but a member of the acanthaceae family. I did go back for photos and also … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, artists, clippings, Plant Portraits, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged "Botany's New Boys" by Michael Tortorello, "Sowing a Garden One Knit Flower at a Time, Agave celsii var. albicans 'UCB', Agave x leopoldii, Aloe cameronii, artist Tatyana Yanishevsky, Brillantaisia subulugurica, Garden Designer Carolyn Mullet, Lavandula multifida, Melianthus 'Purple Haze', Paul Stamet's 6 ways mushrooms can save the world, Salvia 'Amistad', Tanacetum vulgare 'Isla Gold', TED talk, ” | 7 Comments

notes from the CSSA plant sale at the Huntington June 28-29, 2014

Posted on June 29, 2014 by Denise

Aloe cameronii from the Cactus & Succulent Society of America show and sale at the Huntington this weekend. An aloe famous for the deep coloring of is leaves, which requires harsh treatment to maintain, full sun and minimal water. I … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, clippings, garden visit, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged 29th Annual Intercity Show at LA County Arboretum, Agave bracteosa, Aloe cameronii, Cactus and Succulent Society of America, Cephalocereus urbanianus, Huntington Botanical Gardens, Notocactus magnificus | 4 Comments

sunday clippings 6/22/14

Posted on June 22, 2014 by Denise

Future shock for me has arrived in the guise of an orange wristband. “Congratulations! You moved 24,995 steps, 12.07 miles, 249% of goal!” Jawbone’s UP pedometer calculates all that aimless garden puttering and tallies up some surprising stats. My orange … Continue reading →

Posted in clippings, plant nurseries, Plant Portraits, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged "Green is Good" by D. T. Max, 2014, Annie's Annuals & Perennials, Brillantaisia subulugurica, Cissus discolor, Commelina coelestis, Dypsis decaryi Triangle Palm, Edyn garden system, Ganna Walska, Garden Bloggers Fling 2014 Portland, Hellstrip Gardening by Evelyn Hadden, Huntington Botanical Garden plant sale June 28-29, Jawbone UP wristband, Lotusland, Musschia wollastonii, Oregon, Philodendron melanochrysum, Senecio scaposus v. addoensis, Tanacetum vulgare 'Isla Gold', The Nature Conservancy, The New Yorker May 12, Timber Press | 4 Comments

summer in Judy Horton’s garden

Posted on June 20, 2014 by Denise

A couple weekends ago, the Southern California Horticultural Society hosted another “Coffee in the Garden,” and included was a garden that I had been advised not to miss should it come up for tour. (Thank you, Shirley Watts!) For her … Continue reading →

Posted in artists, design, garden visit, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged Acacia boormanii, Aloe plicatilis, Beechwood Canyon, begonias, Blechnum brasiliense, CA, Echeveria agavoides, garden designer Judy Horton, Hollywood, Kalanchoe thyrsiflora, Southern California Horticultural Society, Teucrium fruticans | 8 Comments

Aeonium ‘ Copper Penny’

Posted on June 9, 2014 by Denise

The potted manihot doesn’t seem to need great gulps of water so works well with these succulents sharing container space. The main stalk became two when a nearby Euphorbia cotinifolia tree snapped, crashed, and sprawled over the garden last summer. I think … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged Aeonium 'Copper Penny', Agave titanota 'Lanky Wanky', Manihot grahamii, Mexican stonecrop, Sedum confusum | 6 Comments