theGardenPages Gardening Blog

A Green Bean Garden Bonanza? Garden Fresh Recipes, Lore and Labels

When my son was about 6 years old he used to pick green beans right off the vine and eat them in the garden.  As a mom I was thrilled he was getting his organic vegetables fresh as a gardener I was happy to overlook the occasional damage caused by his harvesting technique. If you Read More…

Spring Flowers In Southern California

Warm weather is bringing flower blossoms and sprouting bulbs here in Los Angeles. Here are a few pretty baubles blessing my garden right now: Lavender is blooming all over. We’ve has a few bouts of rain lately and the lavender is putting on an extra fragrant show. This one is in my ‘back 40’; an Read More…

Hot Pink Bromeliad Flowers of Aechmea or Urn Plant

I’m late for my Friday Floral, so I’m making this weeks floral photo a doozy. This is an Aechmea, or Urn Plant or Pitcher Plant.  It is happily growing at my mother’s house and she reports that these flowers have been blooming since the summer! Unique Aechmea Urn Plant pink bromeliad flower These are native 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…

Blue Flowering Sage Herb Plants for #FloralFriday

The sage is blooming now, it is so pretty I just had to share it with you.This is regular culinary sage. I must say I am very impressed with how drought tolerant it is! It is growing with some lavender and artemis plants. Both plants are known to be drought tolerant bloomers, but I was Read More…

Yellow Flowering Cactus Pear Blooming

My cactus pear is flowering! I can’t wait for the pears. Here’s a little piece I wrote for my main garden website: Prickly pear cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica) are useful in the landscape for dramatic impact, adding a southwestern feel to any landscape. Opuntia cactus also have edible pads and provide the red cactus pears of Read More…

Plant Profile: Crassula Tetragona Easy Succulent Plants for Dry Gardens

Crassula tetragona are drought tolerant succulent plants that look like pine branches with fat needles sticking out the sides, or perhaps a green bottle brush flower. These unique crassula are often used in bonsai containers to look like pine trees. In the ground, they grow up to 4 feet tall. The plants will branch at Read More…