Tag Archives: San Marcos Growers

Occasional Daily Photo 9/3/11

Asteeelia, you’re breaking my heart… But only because you’re so constantly, shimmeringly gorgeous. Ever-gorgeous is what you are. Allow me to sing your praises. This large pot of Astelia chathamica ‘Silver Spear’ has sat in the center of the back … Continue reading

Posted in Occasional Daily Photo, Plant Portraits, pots and containers | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

The Gospel According to San Marcos

The devoted gathered to hear Mr. Baldwin of the premiere West Coast nursery San Marcos Growers give a talk at Roger’s Gardens last Saturday on new plant introductions. Be warned that this post will be plant-wonkish in the extreme.

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

Agave franzosinii

This photo was taken by MB Maher during a visit he made to artists Sue Dadd and James Griffith’s amazing Folly Bowl last summer. Some agave, huh? I’m now fairly sure that this uber-undulating creature is Agave franzosinii, which develops … Continue reading

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, garden visit, MB Maher, Plant Portraits | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Kalanchoe luciae ‘Fantastic’

Yes, I finally succumbed to the newest incarnation of the paddle plant/flapjacks plant, Kalanchoe thyrsiflora, a flashy variegated variety that’s actually a cultivar of K. luciae. I first saw this succulent a few months ago, in January, at the Terra … Continue reading

Posted in Plant Portraits, succulents | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The Kashmir Cypress

A pre-dinner garden tour at Dustin’s. “What is it?” I asked. “You asked me that last time,” he answered patiently. “It’s psoralea.” “Oh, the Kool-Aid something or other?” (Strange, how memory works.) “Right,” he explained, “from Annie’s.” His psoralea is … Continue reading

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, garden visit, Plant Portraits, succulents | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

West Los Angeles Nursery Crawl

I don’t explore West Los Angeles and Santa Monica nearly enough, since getting there means battling some of the worst traffic in Southern California. But yesterday afternoon I had to work in the 1800 block of Sawtelle, roughly between Olympic … Continue reading

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

Kalanchoe grandiflora

All succulents can be described as fleshy to some degree, but this kalanchoe is positively indecent, a real fleshpot. A tall, upright succulent to 3 feet. How to describe the color? There actually exists a means to describe the complex … Continue reading

Posted in succulents | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

Some Agaves and Aloes

From a recent visit to the Huntington Desert Garden. I was quite excited to see the blue-leaved form of Agave attenuata. There’s some discussion on the nomenclature of this foxtail agave from San Marcos Growers, which indicates there’s varieties with … Continue reading

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, garden visit | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

One Smooth Agave

Not just one but a regiment of smooth agaves, A. desmettiana in bloom, a dynamic but also hauntingly melancholy sight. As we agavephiles know all too well, flowering heralds their death, the definition of monocarpic. I wonder if the Museum … Continue reading

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, MB Maher | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

San Marcos Growers Field Day

Around town, wedged into narrow strips of land under gigantic transmission towers emitting EMF radiation, can be seen rows and rows of plant stock being grown. But I’ve never seen local plant stock approach the desirability displayed in the photos … Continue reading

Posted in MB Maher | Tagged | 11 Comments