Tag Archives: Ricinus communis

still life with castor bean plant

The inspiration to include some seed pods from the castor bean plant in leftover Thanksgiving vases already filled with chamomile and hypericum came from this photo from thequintessentialmagazine. Nice touch with the alocasia leaf too. Like a bloody echinops, the … Continue reading

Posted in Plant Portraits, science | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Journal July 6, 2011

The garden saw some frenetic activity over the long holiday weekend. Over the long, extremely hot holiday weekend. Not since Nixon has a face dripped such copious amounts of sweat. Under these sticky, squalid conditions, one reverts to a feral … Continue reading

Posted in journal, Plant Portraits | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Warming Up

Edging into the high 80’s the next couple days here at the coast, about a mile from the Pacific, in the 90’s for the inland cities like Pasadena. The castor bean plant and Salvia canariensis are reveling in the heat, … Continue reading

Posted in Plant Portraits | Tagged , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Plants That Bear Watching

Every garden probably has a few. Not exactly weeds, but tending toward the weedy, yet something about them holds you in thrall. Keeping these plants in the garden is flirting with disaster, but still you just can’t break it off. … Continue reading

Posted in Plant Portraits | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments