Non-Stop Gardening Tips & Inspiration
If you live in a climate where Bougainvillea will grow to be a flowering skyscraper vine, don’t hesitate to consider another form: SHRUB BOUGAINVILLEA.
If you’re not sure what that looks like, let me introduce you to a beautiful Berkeley, California garden which delivers 100% curb appeal! Using Bougainvillea in a variety of ways in your garden can reap electrifying rewards as you will see in this post… [Read more]
Bougainvillea is considered to be one of the most beautiful flowering vines of all! Pretty much every home owner asks about the possibility of growing one. Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, these tropical thorny plants, native to South America, do great, year round, especially if planted in a sunny, warm spot like a south or west facing wall. Keep them consistently watered until they’re fully established, and you could be looking at a drought tolerant bloom machine for years to come! Want to see how Bougainvillea vines do 12 months of the year? If so, enjoy the Bougainvillea bloom calendar photos below. [Read more]
Looking for some flowering trailers for hanging baskets, containers or the garden? It’s hard to get tired of all the blooms! Take a look a these 3 below. This is a short post but timely as it’s a perfect time to get shopping and planting to get the look you want this season!! This lead photo is repeated below. Though it shows blooming Roses, and Lantana don’t miss the Geranium incanum, (purple flowering ground cover trailer to the the right.) This took a few seasons to colonize the space, but now it’s loving life and is a stable bloomer in this Pacific Heights, San Francisco garden. [Read more]
One of the best ways to get privacy from your neighbors, or to screen unwanted views is to plant a hedge. But which shrubs make the best screens? If you have a small garden, I’d like to steer you in a direction that cuts down your overwhelm:
Oh no, hundreds of plant to choose from!
No, not really. Especially when you’re looking for the best choice for a small space. [Read more]
It’s early spring (April 2nd) and one of the beautiful flowering trees in the garden now is Cercis Occidentalis (aka: California redbud or Western redbud). This California native tree, and also a native to South Western states like Utah and Arizona makes life colorful!
What’s so striking about this tree is that it bears flowers and fruits on bare branches: (botanically speaking this is known as ramiflorous.) So, what happens is that gangbuster flower clusters in magenta do a solo act of showcasing! When the flowers fade in spring, apple green leaves emerge and darken to blue green and will hold court until they turn pale yellow to a brilliant scarlet in autumn.
Some of the most beautiful gardens are shade gardens, or gardens that receive dappled light filtered through the canopy of trees. Urban gardens, like San Francisco home gardens are often surrounded by homes and buildings, creating shadows, and shade, which changes throughout the day and seasons. If this is your experience, and you live in a mild winter climate, the 25 Best in Plants for Shade and Part Shade has a number of goodies for you to consider. [Read more]
What to do with your indoor houseplants when you're gone for more than a week? That was the question we had to answer while planning a recent month long trip. Reluctant to bother our neighbors or friends, we opted for an automatic watering system to … [Read more]
This may be just the vine you're looking for. It's rare, so not the easiest to get your hands on, but worth a try. Canary Bellflower vine (aka: Canarina canariensis) is from the cloud forest of the Canary Islands. Mild climates serve this … [Read more]
If you're looking for some trailing plant choices to add greenery - maybe even a splash of flower color to your wall, here are 7 excellent options! These evergreen options will give all season coverage, providing interest, character and clothing … [Read more]
A plant that should be way more popular in our San Francisco Bay Area gardens is the Cymbidium orchid. Why? Take a look at the flowers... Take a look at the thin strappy, evergreen leaves. (Ok, forget the leaves, just take a look at the … [Read more]