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Hawaii: The perfect sunset to bid us goodbye
I know some people are quite happy to return to their normal lives at the end of their vacation. I’m not one of them. I could be on vacation forever. Or at least give it a valiant try.On our final...
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Hawaii: Mauna Kea silversword, the rarest plant I’ve ever seen
On one of the last days of our Hawaii vacation I got to see one of the rarest plants I’ll every lay my eyes on: the Mauna Kea silversword ( Argyroxiphium sandwicense ssp. sandwicense). Like its close...
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The garden after our summer vacation
Whenever I get back from vacation, I usually have a hard time getting back into the swing of things. It was no different this year. In fact it was worse, probably because I’d had such a great time on...
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The mysterious case of the prickly palo verde
My infatuation with the three palo verde trees in front of our house continues unabated. I love running my hands through the soft, delicate foliage.I did just a few days ago with the ‘Desert Museum’...
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#GBFling14: Portland Japanese Garden
One of the gardens we visited during the recent Garden Bloggers Fling was the Portland Japanese Garden, surely one of the most spectacular public gardens in the country. I’d visited it twice before...
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#GBFling14: Joy Creek Nursery, Scappoose, OR
Joy Creek Nursery, located outside the small town of Scappoose about 20 miles to the north of Portland, Oregon, is the kind of the nursery you dream about. Every plant looks pristine—better than it...
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Mangave ‘Bloodspot’ about to flower
One of the major surprises of this summer is this Mangave ‘Bloodspot’:It’s about to flower!I’m not quite sure whether to be excited or sad. Most agaves die after flowering while manfredas flower every...
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Zazzle dazzle and more new goodies
Inspired by a recent post on A Growing Obsession entitled Checking out the nurseries in August, I dropped by Green Acres Nursery in Sacramento to do some exploring. As Denise so eloquently said in her...
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Mexican poppy mystery
This spring we had a profusion of California poppies ( Eschscholzia californica) in the succulent bed along the driveway ( 12). I removed most of the regular orange poppies after they were done...
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What’s in bloom, August 2014 edition
For some reason, I always seem to miss the monthly Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day. On the 15th of every month, garden bloggers from around the world post photos of what’s in flower in their garden at that...
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Labor Day visit to Annie’s Annuals
Annie’s Annuals & Perennials in Richmond, CA, one the most iconic nurseries in Northern California, is having a big Labor Day sale. Until Labor Day (Monday, September 2) all plants are 20% off.I...
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#GBFling14: Cistus Nursery, Sauvie Island
Time to rewind a couple of months to the 2014 Garden Bloggers Fling in Portland, OR. One of my personal highlights was a visit to Cistus Nursery located on picturesque Sauvie Island, a 26,000 acre...
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Hawaii: Spectacular variegated banana
This summer we spent two weeks on the Big Island of Hawaii. On our last day we had extra time on our hands since our flight home didn’t leave until 9 p.m. We decided to drive up to the cloud forest...
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Update: Mangave ‘Bloodspot’ and Agave desmettiana ‘Variegata’
A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that one of my Mangave ‘Bloodspot’ ( Agave macroacantha × Manfreda maculosa) was starting to flower. Since then the flower stalk has grown exponentially. As of this...
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Heads up: Succulent Extravaganza at Succulent Gardens, September 26+27, 2014
The 4th annual Succulent Extravaganza at Succulent Gardens in Castroville, CA will take place on Friday, September 26 and Saturday, September 27. That’s in two weeks, folks! If you love succulents and...
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#GBFling2014: Rhone Street Gardens
As we’re pushing the 100°F mark down here in the Sacramento Valley, let’s return to Portland, OR—specifically a cool rainy morning in July when the Garden Bloggers Fling contingent visited Rhone Street...
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Marvelous Mendocino motel garden
Sorry for the alliteration, I couldn’t help myself. Blame it on the ongoing heat here in the Sacramento Valley. Speaking of which: We escaped the heat this past weekend by slipping off to Mendocino on...
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Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens, part 1
In my last post I showed you the impressive gardens of the Surf Motel in Fort Bragg, CA. Just a few miles south on Highway 1 is another very special place I didn’t even know existed: the Mendocino...
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Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens, part 2
In part 1 of this 3-part series on the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens (MCBG) I showed you the entrance plantings and the nursery. In this post we’ll take a look at the Perennial Garden in the large...
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Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens, part 3
In part 1 of my 3-part series on the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens (MCBG) I showed you the entrance plantings and the nursery. Part 2 was dedicated to the Perennial Garden. Part 3 covers the Heath...
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