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Huntington Desert Garden: aloes and other Old World succulents
On December 27, 2014 I finally had the opportunity to visit the Huntington in San Marino, CA, one of California’s great estates. Established by businessman Henry Huntington in the early 1900s on what...
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Huntington Desert Garden: agaves, cacti and other New World succulents
In my previous post I covered the Old World section of the Huntington Desert Garden. It’s located near the top of a rise, adjacent to the Desert Garden Conservatory. From here the land gently slopes...
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Agaves will help you clean your house
Everybody knows tequila, and agave syrup has become a mainstream alternative to sugar or corn syrup-based sweeteners. Still, since agaves are my favorite plants, I’m always on the lookout for new ways...
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Wednesday Vignette: avenue of trees
My wife and mother-in-law just got back from a trip to Savannah, Georgia and Beaufort, South Carolina. One of the most stunning sights were the avenues of oaks at antebellum plantations. Here is the...
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Huntington Desert Garden Conservatory
After exploring the Huntington Desert Garden with its Old World and New World sections, I made a brief stop at the Desert Garden Conservatory. For some inexplicable reason, I didn’t take a photo of the...
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Palo blanco: in love with another desert tree
Many of you are familiar with the palo verde, not least because of my obsession with it a few years ago (I did plant three in the front yard). Now I have another “palo” on my mind, this time palo...
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Wednesday Vignette: Smart Plants
Will buying a “Smart Plant” make me smart, too?The Wednesday Vignette meme is hosted by Anna Kullgren over atFlutter and Hum. You can read her current Wednesday Vignette posthere. Be sure to check out...
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UC Davis parking lot plantings done right
On Sunday I took advantage of a break in the rain (“showers” would be more correct) to check out the fall color at the UC Davis Arboretum. That particular mission wasn’t particularly successful (we’re...
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I’ve glimpsed paradise… and it’s a front yard in Walnut Creek
A few months ago somebody at the Ruth Bancroft Garden told me about a fabulous front yard in Walnut Creek. It took me a while, but I finally checked it out yesterday when I had meeting in the East Bay...
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Painful palo verde amputation
Out of the three palo verde trees ( Parkinsonia) we planted in the last couple of years, the hybrid called ‘Sonoran Emerald’ in the desert bed along the street has grown the fastest and the largest. In...
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Wednesday Vignette: coffee shop bouquet
On Saturday we found ourselves in an eclectic coffee shop in San Francisco. While the rest of the gang was ordering at the counter, I claimed one of the wooden tables on the sidewalk. Each table had a...
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Recommendations for Phoenix and Tucson area destinations?
In what has become something of a tradition, I’m planning another trip to Arizona this December. While I never get tired of revisiting favorite haunts, like the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix and...
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Front yard bamboo transformation
California is in year 4 of the drought. and the state is subject to mandatory water conservation. This summer I switched to a once-a-week watering regime. I knew the succulents and perennials would be...
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Fall color around town
Our part of California isn’t exactly known for stunning fall color. Most of the trees native to the Sacramento Valley simply turn a non-descript brown. Fortunately, there are plenty of non-native trees...
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Wednesday Vignette: en route to Thanksgiving
Like many of you, we’re traveling to spend Thanksgiving with family. Today, while my wife was driving, I took pictures of the clouds that seemed to be following us. My favorite was this cloud that...
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White Thanksgiving in Mount Shasta, CA
In yesterday’s post I mentioned that it was trying to snow as we were arriving at my mother-in-law’s house in Mount Shasta in the mountains of far northern California. As I went to bed last night, I...
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Arizona dreamin’
All the leaves are brown and the sky is gray I've been for a walk on a winter's day I'd be safe and warm if I was in Tucson today Arizona dreamin' on such a winter's dayWith apologies to The Mamas...
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@%$& mealybugs on barrel cactus
I’m fond of this barrel cactus. I brought it home from Mariscal Cactus & Succulents in Desert Hot Springs on our February 2011 trip to the Southern California desert. The guy at the nursery said it...
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’Tis the season: aloes about to bloom in my garden
Leaves are falling from the trees and many plants are getting ready for a long winter’s nap. Many aloes, on the other hand, are doing the opposite: They’re gearing up to bloom. Here’s a quick look at...
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Wednesday Vignette: ginkgo yellow
Move over, mellow yellow. Ginkgo yellow is the new kid in town. At least for a few more days.How we see color, and respond to it, is highly subjective. For me, the yellow of ginkgo leaves at their...
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