Fall is just around the corner and for gardeners in the southwestern US, it is a great time to think about planting perennial, flowering shrubs. This is also a great time to plan out your landscape for next year, including preparing for more drought! Benefits of planting in autumn is a little extra free water Read More…
Category: gardening
Don’t hate me because it’s 90 degrees
Yes, it’s hot in So Cal today. We’ve been having a bit of a Santa Ana condition so it’s been pretty warm. I felt sorry for my drought tolerant plants in the back yard so I gave them a good soak yesterday. It’s a little early in the season to be this hot. Nobody’s drooping Read More…
Newest addition to the family a variegated portulacaria succulent plant
Here’s my new baby, a variegated portulacaria, also called baby jade, or elephant food. Normally these succulent plants are lime green with brown stems. This little cutie has has white edges with a little red here and there. I’m working on a new portulacaria succulent plant page for main website so I just HAD to Read More…
Amazing Aechmea; Unique Urn Plant Pink Prickly Posies
Can you identify this photo? No, these are not the tendrils of a sci-fi monster, or the top of a giant pink bug. Anticipation has been crackling in the air over here since this aechmea flower was discovered emerging from one of the urns in my silver urn plant. It was a few years ago Read More…
Growing Kalanchoe for Drought Tolerant Gardens or as House Plants
You may not think of kalanchoes as succulent plants, but they are. Kalanchoes are another member of the Crassulaceae or Stonecrop family. They are reliable dry garden bloomers known for their bright flowers. Most varieties are perennial and evergreen, making them perfect candidates for my hot, dry landscape. Their flowers bloom in small bouquets of Read More…
Acacia Tree Flowering Update
Here are a few photos of the Acacia after the flowers had fully opened up. They are so beautiful! Big, bright yellow flowers, and they smell heavenly! Bees like the blooms too, I’m glad to have them around. We like bees – they pollinate our crops. Read more about the disturbing loss of bees here… Read More…
Color Changing Succulent Plant Aeonium
I love my succulent plants. They change color with the seasons too! Here’s my aeonium. Normally it’s green with a little bit of red on the tips. In winter the centers get creamy white. I have cuttings of this plant sprinkled around the garden – but I can’t remember which ones they are until they Read More…
Daffodil Flowers in Sparkling Waterford Crystal: Friday Floral
Yes, it is January, but I already have daffodils flowering in my garden. I planted these bulbs years ago. We’ve had a little rain here in southern California so they’ve taken that as their big chance to flower. I know we’re still in the dead of winter, but they seem to have their own schedule. Read More…
Brush Cherry; Drought Tolerant Screen Plant Profile
Brush Cherry, or Carolina Laurel is a pretty, dependable garden shrub that grows quickly into screens or hedges. These shrubs can grow up to 30 feet tall and 10 – 12 feet wide. I have seen mature stands of Carolina Laurel grow even taller. Carolina Laurel is versatile too, growing in full sun to part Read More…
The Gall On Some Plants, My Orange Tree Specifically
I have a nice sized gall growing on my orange tree. It forms where the rootstock was grafted to the top of the tree. Every year it sends out growth. It has to be removed but there’s a trick to doing it. Here’s my orange tree with a bunch of branches starting on the base Read More…