Most Wanted
It is late winter as I walk along a coastal trail in northernmost California. Spanish heath (Erica lusitanica) in all its glory is growing up against …
Plants: Foliage plants, grasses, and succulents
Don’t Just Stand There—Say Something
Many of us forget that we are saying something about ourselves when we embark on this journey called gardening. The best garden is made by someone who…
The Garden at Sparoza
Lying to the northeast of Athens, Greece, is the fertile plain of the Mesoghia, which, like the word mediterranean, literally means “the middle of t…
Victoria Avenue
Victoria Avenue in Riverside, California has been one of the city’s best-loved features for over one hundred years. In spite of encroaching urbaniza…
Santa Barbara Botanic Garden: Championing California Natives for 75 Years
Throughout 2001, the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden has been celebrating its seventy-fifth birthday. Since its inception in 1926, the garden has been de…
Tremaine Garden: A Mid-Century Modern Classic
Nestled within a seemingly natural landscape, the Tremaine house in Montecito (near Santa Barbara) was recognized the moment it was built in 1948 as a…
Foliage Favorites
Most of us yearn for wondrous floral displays in some part of our gardens. The true measure of a good garden, however, is its foliage. Foliage provide…
Some Silver-leafed Plants in California’s Central Valley
Silvery plants with a bright metallic sheen that are cold hardy, too, are few and far between. Though some plants may be white and show up well at nig…
A New Sage: ‘Amethyst Buff’
Riders (admirers, that is) of purple sage (Salvia leucophylla ), take note. Literary references aside, there’s a new cultivar called ‘Amethyst Blu…