Category Archives: pots and containers
June Leans In
Look away briefly, and June overwhelms winter’s carefully laid plans. Since spring in Southern California really gets going in March, by June plant growth is at full throttle. The agaves, succulents, and Mediterranean evergreen shrubs have presented a sedate, enchanting … Continue reading
The Kitchen Garden Contained
Is it possible for a vegetable to reach celebrity status? Tuscan kale has seemingly reached a kind of stardom with both ornamental and vegetable gardeners. Brassica oleracea var. acephala, aka Italian lacinato, Nero Toscano, black kale, dinosaur kale. I grow … Continue reading
Manly Plants
I’m a lumberjack, and I’m okay. I sleep all night and I work all day. (Manly chorus: He’s a lumberjack and he’s okay He sleeps all night and he works all day) I cut down trees. I eat my lunch. … Continue reading
Occasional Daily Photos 6/6/11
San Diego Cactus & Succulent Society Plant Show and Sale at Balboa Park (San Diego), California. First-time visit to this amazing show in an open-air courtyard at the Casa Del Prado of Balboa Park. I’ll stick with photos of some … Continue reading
Occasional Daily Photo 6/3/11
The garage was cleaned out yesterday, and I was offered four leftover glass doorknobs. Yes, of course, I need them. I absent-mindedly stuck them in the closest thing to hand, a pot of succulents. Kinda startled me this morning, the … Continue reading
Santolina ‘Lemon Fizz’
There’s no space in the garden for this wonderful santolina currently, so pots it is. Rationale No. 1: Best to be prepared in case a plant in the garden should…die… (and open up a spot for one or both). Rationale … Continue reading
Occasional Daily Photo 5/25/11
In a few weeks, the leaf margins of this flapjacks kalanchoe have flared a deep red. Which composes quite a picture with Pelargonium ‘Splendide.’
Laurus nobilis ‘Aureus’
A potted bay tree is one of those timeless mediterranean garden features, like boxwood hedging, crunchy gravel underfoot, or urns planted with agaves. Image found here. Its leaves are useful for cooking just about anything that simmers. Laurus nobilis becomes … Continue reading
Summer Containers Aren’t Just For Annuals
I would’ve never been able to get this angelica to bloom in the garden. Trust me, I’ve tried. Rich soil, consistent moisture, strategic sun exposure, these crucial conditions could only be offered in a container. Angelica stricta ‘Purpurea’ was planted … Continue reading
Asarina
Asarina scandens. What a kewpie-doll mouth. I love watching how the blooms trace along the ropey stems, scrolling intriguing outlines. See the letter “E”? A trove of inspiration for a jewelry designer. A galloping vine, wending its way this summer … Continue reading