Black Plants
Paul Bonine’s first book, Black Plants: 75 striking choices for the garden, does not claim to be encyclopedic, but it is a fun read. More…
Plants: Flowering plants, vines, and bulbs
A Bounty of (Hardier) Begonias
Lately, I've been experimenting with some of the newer, hardier selections of begonia in my Sacramento garden (USDA zone 9, Sunset zone 14). The group…
The American Meadow Garden: Creating a Natural Alternative to the Traditional Lawn
John Greenlee’s newest book is a labor of love. And, as he informs us in the preface, his love is not entirely cerebral: “Grasses are…
The Collector: David Douglas and the Natural History of the Northwest
In my career as executive director of the Bloedel Reserve, I had a number of opportunities to present programs about Northwest plant collectors, including Archibald…
Casa Dos Rios Gardens: Mainly for Wildlife
Our gardens, near Gilroy, California, were designed by Michael Thilgen of Four Dimensions Landscaping in Oakland, California. The concept was a semifo…
California Plant Families: West of the Sierran Crest and Deserts
Glenn Keator, a knowledgeable advocate for the use of California natives in gardens, has written several books of value on the subject. In his latest,…
Kinzey Faire Revisited
The garden of Kinzy Faire, in Estacada, Oregon, now extends to three acres, and Penny tends it herself. She has given up the delusion that she can sto…
The Begonia in California, Part 2: The Begoniacs
Continuing the story of California’s begonia industry is this series of brief biographical sketches of some incomparable people in the begonia worl…
Garden Allies: Tachinid Flies
Tachinids are the most diverse family of Diptera (true flies), and help control many pests; of the parasitic insects, only parasitoid wasps are of gre…