Tag Archives: Ricinus communis ‘New Zealand Purple’

Bloom Day October 2016

This October the garden has already turned its back on summer, and all but the grasses have been cut back. I’m curious to find out how long the summer grasses can be supporting players to the winter-blooming aloes before the … Continue reading

Posted in Bloom Day, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Bloom Day November 2015

A blustery day for a change, this November Bloom Day. I hope it finds you safe and warm. Daytime temperatures dropping out of the 80s have forced the realization that summer is truly over. Yesterday we cleaned the house top … Continue reading

Posted in succulents | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Bloom Day July 2014

It fell from midnight skies. It drummed on the galvanized – Joni Mitchell, Paprika Plains Marty’s been reciting those song lyrics ever since the rain came and fell in exactly that manner Monday night. We all raced out the kitchen … Continue reading

Posted in Bloom Day | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

planting notes 2014

Every year brings a new crop of preoccupations in the garden, such as: Will the beschorneria choose this spring for their first bloom? How about the puya in the gravel garden? Feel like blooming this year? Some plants really do … Continue reading

Posted in clippings, garden travel, journal, plant nurseries, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Bloom Day September 2013

After an interminably hot August, I couldn’t wait to start some fall planting as soon as it cooled down a bit, which means there aren’t exactly buckets of blooms to share. There was a whisper campaign afoot that a local … Continue reading

Posted in Bloom Day | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

the controversial castor bean plant

Ricinus communis, the castor bean/oil plant, is the freshest sight in this late-summer garden. Unlike the rest of us, the swampy heat of late August only improves its looks. The tree-like mother plant, a ‘New Zealand Purple,’ lived through our … Continue reading

Posted in Plant Portraits | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

friday flower studies

Is it Friday already? Coreopsis tinctoria ‘Mahogany’ Large furry leaves of Plectranthus argentatus, spiky red orbs are Ricinus communis ‘New Zealand Purple, lacy gray leaves from Senecio viravira Tiny, almost-black flowers on tall stems of Pelargonium sidoides All together now, … Continue reading

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

Bloom Day April 2013

Spring is moving fast here in Southern California. I’ve already checked out some of the gardens on our host’s site for Bloom Day, Carol at May Dreams Gardens, and saw lots of traditional spring shrubs and bulbs and perennials like … Continue reading

Posted in Bloom Day, MB Maher, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

snapshot of August 2012

August is always a truth-telling time in the life of a garden and a good month to take a snapshot of it. The hoses have been deployed this week to deep water the trees and soak the now bone-dry soil. … Continue reading

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, creatures, garden visit, journal, Plant Portraits, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

saturday’s clippings 5/12/12

Quote of the week: “I can’t believe I burned down a tree older than Jesus,” philosophized a 26-year-old woman who torched a 3,500-year-old bald cypress known as The Senator last January, one of the 10 oldest trees on earth, while … Continue reading

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, Bulbs, clippings, journal, Plant Portraits, shop talk, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments