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My favorite plant this week: Anigozanthos hybrids
I tried growing Anigozanthos, better known as Kangaroo Paw, in my former garden and, as I recall, it was a miserable failure that put me off these plants until recently when I added one, purchased on...
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Bloom Day - February 2014
Our weather in southern California couldn't be more different than the winter conditions affecting so much of the US this year. After a couple of long-awaited rain events last week, our temperatures...
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Foliage Follow-up: February Focus on Phormium
Okay, I couldn't stop myself with the title of this post - I like alliteration. However, the Phormium in my garden do deserve attention. I seem to accumulate more each year we live here. They do...
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I was tempted...
I was seduced. And I succumbed. Yet again.You may recall that I mentioned that I was thinking of getting a Japanese maple to replace the Mountain Pepper (Driyms lanceolata) I'd planted at the site of...
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My favorite plant this week: Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold'
It's already spring in this area of southern California. Plants are putting on new foliage and many are beginning to pump out flowers. Soon they'll all be vying for attention and it will become...
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The crows are back in town...
Around the same period last year, I kept finding long branches of our California pepper trees (Schinus molle) dropped all over our property. At first, I assumed that the gardener had trimmed some of...
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Preparations for Planting
In my post on January 1st, I mentioned that I wanted to extend the small bed that encircles the backyard fountain along an existing pathway, linking it to the side yard border we created last year. By...
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My favorite plant this week: Phlomis fruticosa
Phlomis fruticosa has begun its spring bloom cycle and, while the flower power of this evergreen shrub is likely to increase over the coming weeks, its bright yellow blooms are already hard to ignore...
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Wide shots: March 2014
We finally got some real rain! My rain gauge shows 2.5 inches (6.35 cm) thus far with more rain predicted through today. There were worries about the soil's ability to absorb so much rain at one time...
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Droopy Daffodils and Floppy Freesia
Why is it the daffodils can't hold their heads up? Are they shy? Don't they know how pretty they are? I've been trying to get a good picture of mine but, short of holding their heads up to face the...
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My favorite plant this week: Uncinia uncinata 'Rubra'
For a relatively small plant, Uncinia uncinata 'Rubra,' has definite presence in the garden. I'm currently on the hunt for more to add to my new garden bed but the only variety I've found available so...
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Busy, busy, busy...
Since we finished taking out a large swath of lawn, most of my free time has been devoted to filling the space. During our all too brief rainy spell, I spent my time drawing up plans and researching...
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Bright Colors at South Coast Botanic Garden
I recently spent a couple of hours at South Coast Botanic Garden with a friend. She had a rare day off and we met to stroll the garden and have lunch. The sun was already high in the sky when we...
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My favorite plant of the week: Ageratum corymbosum
I'm tempted to call my favorite plant of the week the plant of many names. Frankly, even after doing some on-line research, I'm still not sure what its proper botanical name is. I purchased the plant...
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Bloom Day - March 2014
Everything's coming up roses this March Bloom Day in Southern California. Well, that's actually a gross exaggeration. I don't have many roses and only a portion of those I do have are blooming but,...
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Foliage Follow-up: New Spring Growth
What's impressing me most in terms of foliage right now is the fresh spring growth on some of my deciduous plants. The Japanese maples, in particular, can't be ignored. I acquired 2 new Acer palmatum...
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Ming Moves On
My cat, Ming, featured in prior posts (here, here and here) during what became a regular routine of daily walks through the garden last December, passed away yesterday. I like to think he's joined his...
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Garden Therapy
At one time, when I was stressed or upset, I'd engage in retail therapy. These days I can hardly stand to go shopping (unless it's for plants, of course). Gardening is my preferred therapeutic...
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Decisions, decisions, decisions
A very good friend and I were finally able to take an often-discussed and long-awaited trip north to nursery shop in Carpinteria and Calabasas this weekend. I took my shopping list but I wasn't able...
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My favorite plant this week: Xylosma congestum
In a mid-February favorite plant post, I predicted that my favorite choices were going to get more difficult as spring progressed. That was indeed the problem this week as I flitted from plant to...
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