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Pacific Horticulture Summit 2016, Sonoma County, CA, Oct 15-16, 2016
I don’t often promote third-party events but this one is so interesting (and a good value as well) that I want to bring it to the attention of all my readers. Sonoma County is one of the crown jewels...
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South African splendor at UC Santa Cruz Arboretum (summer 2016 edition)
Noël Coward once suggested than only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun. Something similar could be said for plant geeks who visit botanical gardens at the height of summer. I'm...
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Front yard succulents aglow at sunset
I haven’t done much actual gardening this summer. Instead, I’ve been enjoying the fruit of our previous labor. The fact that it’s been in the high 90s every day for more weeks than I care to count also...
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Book review: The Drought-Defying California Garden
The longer you garden, the more you learn. That goes without saying. But with that experience sometimes comes a certain arrogance. Usually you’re not even aware of it. It may express itself in rolling...
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Australian and Succulent Garden at UC Santa Cruz Arboretum (summer 2016 edition)
Two weeks ago I made a quick trip to the University of California Santa Cruz Arboretum. I’ve already posted about the beauties in the South African Garden. Now it’s time to take a look at what caught...
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Book review: A Botanist’s Vocabulary
If I had a I’m a Plant Geek t-shirt, I’d wear it proudly. But my geekery goes beyond the plants themselves. I also love the language that goes with it. Not necessarily the hardcore science of...
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Index: Victoria and Vancouver Island, BC, September 2016
This list contains all the posts from our September 2016 trip to Vancouver Island, British Columbia:Labour Day escapade to TofinoEvening in downtown VictoriaSucculents at Butchart Gardens—and bananas...
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Labour Day escapade to Tofino, Vancouver Island
In April, we visited Victoria, British Columbia because daughter #1 was interested in studying at the University of Victoria. Fast-forward five months. We’re back in Victoria, helping daughter #1...
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Evening in downtown Victoria, BC
It still hasn’t sunk in that daughter #1 is now a student at the University of Victoria (UVic) and will live here for at least four years. Out of all the places she could have picked to go to college,...
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Succulents at Butchart Gardens—and bananas and more
When we visited Butchart Gardens in July 2015 I was bemoaning the dearth of succulents. After revisiting the garden a couple of days ago, I’m happy to report that I found several beds right next to the...
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More Butchart Gardens flower power—and a dose of Japanese tranquility
My last post left off at the Sunken Garden. From there I continued counterclockwise, first to the Rose Carousel, then to the Japanese Garden via the Rose Garden and finally on to the Italian Garden....
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Meeting Ruth Bancroft just days before her 108th birthday
A couple of weeks ago I attended a media preview party held by Timber Press, the Portland-based publishing company, at the Ruth Bancroft Garden to celebrate the upcoming release of The Bold Dry Garden:...
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Wednesday Vignette: Victoria, BC tulip house in the summer
On our whirlwind trip to Victoria, British Columbia in April we happened to drive by a Dutch-style house surrounded by an ocean of tulips (see here and here). I don't think I had ever seen so many...
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Sansevieria flower surprise
I love houseplants.In other people’s houses.Myself, I’m terrible with them because I always seem to forget to water them. Plus, I hate dealing with the inevitable pests that houseplants attract.Having...
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The Bold Dry Garden: Lessons from the Ruth Bancroft Garden
I’ve read countless book on plants and gardens, and I’ve reviewed a few for this blog. Many of them struck a chord with me for one reason or another. But no book has even been as personal as the one...
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Nothing but California natives: Josh Williams’s garden
The third and final private garden we visited as part of Pacific Horticulture Society’s Summit 2016 belongs to Josh Williams, the manager of California Flora Nursery. According to the description in...
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Meanwhile, on the homefront…
From my recent posts, sparse as they have been, you might have gotten the impression that I haven’t been home much. Actually, I have been, but work has been unexpectedly busy, exacerbated by the forced...
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Succulents and more outside the front yard fence
In my last post I showed you the progress and recent changes happening in the front yard inside the fence. Now let’s venture outside the fence. The planting strip that runs along the sidewalk bakes in...
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Starting on backyard makeover
In the last few years we’ve focused on the front yard, largely ignoring the backyard. This is about to change. The first project is underway: removal of the bamboos outside the dining room. I didn’t...
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Wednesday Vignette: Life will go on
Shock. Disbelief. Anger. Frustration.There’s no panacea, but one thing I do know: Life will go on. Always has, always will.Right now, I’m choosing to focus on things that make me feel better. Like this...
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Ruth Bancroft Garden in early November (1 of 2)
In a typical year, I make it to the Ruth Bancroft Garden (RBG) three or four times if I’m lucky. This year has been anything but typical. Just since July, I’ve been to the RBG six times already!A...
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Ruth Bancroft Garden in early November (2 of 2)
Moving right along, here is part two about my recent Sunday outing to the Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek. If you missed part 1, click here to start at the beginning.Another favorite garden...
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×Mangave ‘Macho Mocha’ living the single life again
Two years ago I planted a × Mangave ‘Macho Mocha’ I had gotten from a friend. It was solitary (and beautiful) until this spring when it bloomed. I had expected the mother to die, like most agaves do,...
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More R&R in the front yard
Not rest & relaxation. The other R&R: removal & replacement.Before, there were two sprawling salvias: Salvia mexicana ‘Limelight’ and Salvia canariensis. I love both of them, and I wouldn’t...
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A little grevillea action to brighten your pre-Thanksgiving weekend
I love fall in Davis. The days are still warm, and many plants come into their own again after slowing down in the summer. Case in point: grevilleas. These Australian shrubs, members of the Proteaceae...
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What is this agave up to?
Take a look at this dwarf cowhorn agave ( Agave cupreata) near the front door. I’ve had it for just a little over a year, which isn’t much in the life of an agave. But something curious is happening....
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Rainy Saturday trip to Annie’s Annuals
Last Saturday started out gray and drizzly but I felt so stir-crazy I simply had to get away for a few hours. A trip to Annie’s Annuals was just what I needed. The forecast for Richmond, a little under...
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Listen to the trees
“Listen to the trees as they sway in the wind. Their leaves are telling secrets. Their bark sings songs of olden days as it grows around the trunks. And their roots give names to all things. Their...
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Superior California mountain magic
Superior California is the northernmost part of California. Its fiercely proud residents claim they’re superior in many ways to their fellow Californians further south. I won’t get involved in that...
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Sunday stroll through UC Davis Arboretum (part 1)
One of my resolutions for 2016 was to visit the UC Davis Arboretum more often. I did spend more time there but still not enough, considering all there is to explore ( 17 gardens/collections on 100...
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Sunday stroll through UC Davis Arboretum (part 2)
Let’s continue our stroll through the UC Davis Arboretum, which began here.Unlike other botanical gardens affiliated with a university, the UC Davis Arboretum is not in a separate location but fully...
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Sunday stroll through UC Davis Arboretum (part 3)
Time to wrap up last Sunday’s stroll through the UC Davis Arboretum before it’s Sunday again. The Australian Collection at the downtown end of the Arboretum is the section most people see when they...
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Garden visit: succulents—and rare fruit trees
I’m happy to report that I have a new gardening friend. Her name is Marta, and she lives not even ten minutes away. Marta contacted me after reading my post about ×Mangave ‘Macho Mocha’. Last week, I...
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Before and after: what a crew of professionals can do in 5 hours
Today the tree service came and removed two bamboos and an Artistocrat pear tree. Now I can continue with the overhaul of one of the side yards in the backyard and finally do some planting outside the...
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Aloes in our front yard getting ready to bloom
It’s that time of year when the days are short and the heat of summer nothing but a hazy memory. Some people love winter, others would rather skip it (me!), but many of the aloes in our front yard are...
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The storm door is wide open
Whatever you think of the weather people on local TV (I get my weather online, so that tells you something right there), they're often quite entertaining. One phrase I vividly remember from years past,...
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Freeze ahead—time to dig out the frost blankets
The inevitable is about to happen. Temperatures will drop down to freezing or even below tonight and again on Sunday and Monday. Although the weather folks can’t seem to agree on how cold it will...
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After the freeze
On Saturday, Sunday and Monday night our temperatures dropped below the dreaded 32°F mark. Readers in chillier climes, go ahead and mock us all you want. It doesn’t change the fact that freezing...
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Happy Holidays from Succulents and More!
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Joyous Kwanzaa, or whatever else you might be celebrating at this special time of year!Relax with friends and family, and forget about the turmoil in the real world for...
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No need to dream of a White Christmas, we’ve got one!
No need to dream of a White Christmas this year. We have one! Originally, we had planned to drive to my mother-in-law's house in Mount Shasta, in the mountains of far northern California, on Friday...
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