If you are looking for a nice drought tolerant shrub that flowers almost year-round try Euryops. I planted these as a quick fix for a bare bed about four years ago. I knew they were fairly fast growing and flowered in winter. The plan was to get something started quick and fill in the blank Read More…
Author: Laura Z
Gardener in sunny SoCal
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…
#FloralFriday: Gollum Jade is Flowering and Looking Like Sea Coral
OK, this is the late night, almost full moon edition of Friday Floral. Here is a flowering Crassula Portulacea, commonly called Horseshoe or Spoon Jade. Or more lately Gollum Jade and now Shrek Fingers. I’m sure it will have a new nickname when another movie comes out. Anyway, this has typical crassula-type flowers, almost exactly Read More…
Free Trees and Discount Garden or Landscape Equipment for Los Angeles Gardeners
There are a few great deals and information out there for southern California gardeners if you know where to look. I’ve dug up a few cool deals for your garden right now. L.A. city and county both have great information about planting native or other drought tolerant plants, composting, and other ways to save water Read More…
Sprouting Amaryllis, Daffodils, Calla and Freesia, Happy New Year From theGardenPages
This New Year’s Day I have sprouting amaryllis, daffodils and freesia bulbs in the garden. We’ve had a bit of rain in Los Angeles, so there are a few bulbs that take this as their cue to get an early start on spring flowers. I am enchanted by the fragrance of freesias. I pick them Read More…
Where To Find Free Seed Starting Equipment For Your Garden
It’s easy to find seed starting containers for your vegetables, flowers and plant cuttings, without spending any extra money. Containers of every shape and size are all around. Here are a few I found in my kitchen: A clear plastic lettuce container with lid, it’s about a foot wide and good 8 inches across. This Read More…
FloralFriday; Flowering Aloe Vera And Pink Roses In December
I was going to do a picture of my hot pink flowering rose with a few ripening oranges in the background. But sometimes you find the best surprises in the garden when you least expect them… …like in December. As I was working on finding the best angle of the rose and the orange tree, Read More…
Toyon: Red and Green California Christmas Holly
This is Toyon, also called California Christmas Berry or Christmas Holly or Heteromeles arbutifolia. These beautiful shrubs are prized for their bright red berries and deep green leaves. This is a fan-tab-ulous alternative to regular Holly (Ilex) when you need something drought-tolerant for your garden AND a little something for the birds and the bees Read More…
Friday Floral; My Color Change Crassula Capitella Is Flowering
I just love this succulent plant. I found it in a little 2 inch pot with no tag in the ‘novelty succulent plant’ heap at the local big box home improvement store. Since then I have been able to spread this plant down around the garden and over the patio in pots. It is named Read More…
Friday Floral: Red Climbing Rose Flowers
I am happy to report that my climbing rose has forgiven me for last summer. It is on a south facing cinder-block wall. Normally it does fine in the heat, but this summer just got too hot. My poor climber has a few brown, sunburned canes. At one point it even lost all its leaves Read More…