Non-Stop Gardening Tips & Inspiration
There is always an opportunity to create a vignette in the garden, including a lovely winter vignette!
While the winter flowering plant list is slim compared to other seasons, there are lovely ways to enjoy a hint of color during the shortest, coldest, possibly wettest days. In this short post enjoy a few plants woven together to create a simple floor plane tapestry.
Here we go, enjoy! [Read more]
If you’re looking for some flowering filler ground covers that can take part shade to maybe even well I won’t say SHADE but hmm, yep, sometimes we want to push the envelope… and if you do, try the likes of Campanula poscharskyana (photo below) which is virtually pest and disease free.
Otherwise these 3 ground covers are lovely; each with their own merits! Let’s take a look…
Cupheas, otherwise known as firecracker plants or cigar plants constantly surprise me with their ease of care and unique gangbuster flowers. Their flowers are tiny, but so abundant you see bright, cheery color at a distance. I would say for the Mediterranean climate garden, Cupheas, with their tiny tubular hummingbird happy flowers, are an excellent addition to the garden or a container.
While the splash of color is wonderful, if you look closely at the flowers, especially some varieties, you might as well be looking at Mickey or Minnie Mouse: the adorable ears and face. Some refer to the flowers as bunny faced blooms. [Read more]
Hi there and Happy Fall to you! Hopefully, you’re still finding time to garden. Here in the San Francisco Bay Area gardening and planting is year round with mild winter temperatures making this possible. Today is October 12, 2020 and our business is off to plenty of planting especially in the next few months of Indian Summer, where particularly in SF, we get some of our warmest temps. In this post I hope you enjoy seven statement succulents from the iconic Agaves to the very sweet Aeoniums. With striped or marbled leaves, variegation gives you many options in plant design, foremost, is specimen action, which if you’re on a budget, highlighting a lovely plant (containers too) is like adding a beautiful garnish to a cooked dish. [Read more]
There are 700 – 1000 Salvias, the largest genus in the mint family. In this post we’re focusing on TEN amazing Salvia plants (Sages) for your garden or container. Blooming as we speak (late August) and flowering like gangbusters much of Spring – Fall, this genus of herbal and ornamental plants is one of my personal favorites. Why, do I love them so much?
Hmm… let’s see… [Read more]
The impact of a Crape Myrtle tree? In a recent post about Wisteria, blooms are the focus, but Wisteria blooms generally last only up to 30 days; not so with Crape Myrtle… This summer blooming tree stays in bloom 2 – 3 months, which is excellent as you’ll have long lasting color summer and fall. In addition, Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) is low maintenance and available in many size options for gardens, borders, street trees or containers. [Read more]
As you can see from the lead photo of this large hedge of variegated buckthorn (Rhamnus a. 'Variegata') variegated leaves can be a useful tool to add beautiful, easy contrast to your plant design. In this short post, take a look at the "hue … [Read more]
Lantana is a popular plant in the SF Bay area. Its staying power owes to its constant bloom, showy flowers, and the fact that this plant in all its forms is enjoyed by hummingbirds and butterflies for habitat gardens; and, is a drought tolerant, … [Read more]
Vine choices in the garden? Does it matter? Yes! And wisteria is a giant. A vine known to swallow landscapes and buildings (I saw this first hand just outside Buenos Aires, Argentina). But, what about wisteria's potential and place in a small … [Read more]
For a semi-arid touch we visited Sedona, Arizona. The plant palette going from Phoenix to Sedona included desert and high desert natives and was a good representation of iconic desert flora. I found myself back from the trip looking at my Arizona … [Read more]