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 […]
3 Small Trailers Great for Containers and Gardens with Spring and Summer Blooms
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,
25 Best in Plants for Part Shade and Shade!
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.
Winter Flowers Combine a Simple Tapestry of Color and Fragrance
There is always an opportunity to create a vignette in the garden including a lovely winter vignette in our mild Mediterranean climate. 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!
7 Variegated Succulents for your Garden!
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 Aeonioums. With stripped or marbled leaves variegation gives you many options in plant design,
Variegated Foliage – A Simple Way to Add Contrast in Planting Design
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 effect” variegated leaves play in visual contrast to different leaf color […]
Wisteria Vine: Rethinking Its Place in Small Home Garden Design
Vine choices in the garden, does it matter? 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 space or garden? (Lots of photos below.)
Sedona, Arizona: How Home Landscaping Reflects the Natural Environment
We’re just back from a week-long trip to Sedona, Arizona where arresting views of red rock canyons is a feast for the eyes and provides an incredible and unique backdrop for home owners. (Lots of photos below!!!) If you haven’t been to Sedona, this high desert paradise is a 2-hour drive from Phoenix (an easy […]
Awesome Conifer-Like Plants to Know!
I’m always obsessed with conifers (see link at bottom page for recent post on conifers) so today, I want to share with you more info about them -but not really -them – instead, conifer like plants!Now I know what you’re thinking… What’s this about?! But in your garden, the textural element of chosen plants (by way of foliage) can create a wonderful effect and these foliage effects can in turn create drama, tranquility, and an artistry left only to your creative imagination!
Garden Safe! Best Repellents For Those Disease Carrying Mosquitoes
Are you going to take a wait and see approach – let the mosquitoes have their way and just accept some bites??
No way! Not me! This year (new for me) I’m coming up with a proactive approach to dealing with mosquitoes, I have to, I’m a mosquito magnet. I used to be pretty casual about mosquitoes…