The Enchanted Hacienda: An Island of Biodiversity
I was a neophyte gardener on a cramped San Diego corner lot when a heartbroken widower offered me his thirty-year-old glass-house and a collection of …
Seasons: Spring
Filoli’s Daffodil Collection
No other flower says spring like the daffodil. The pleasure of seeing a whole field of bright yellow trumpets, planted en masse, is a heart-warming an…
Great Plant Picks 2012: Made in the Shade
Shade is a shifty character, with a number of elusive and subjective descriptors, most commonly: light, partial, full, dappled, open, and deep. But wh…
Relict Gold: The Long Journey of the Chinese Narcissus
A variety of flowers are intimately associated with Chinese New Year, but the landscapes of the Far Western frontier provided none of those early-bloo…
Pacific Plant Promotions: Adiantum xmairisii
The delicate foliage of a fern adds a softness and grace to any garden. Maidenhair ferns (Adiantum species), in particular, are known for the beauty o…
A Currant Affair
Decidedly underused, the genus Ribes is available in a dizzying number of ornamental species and cultivars for the West Coast gardener. Whether you ar…
Striving for Diversity: Persian Ironwood
Persian ironwood (Parrotia persica) seems exotic yet familiar, all at the same time. With many worthy ornamental traits and an adaptability to a range…
An Introduction to the Geography, Climate, and Flora of Chile
Nearly 4,300 species of vascular plants occur in Chile’s diverse habitats, of which forty-five percent are endemic, a rate that can be attributed to…
Grevilleas for the Maritime Pacific Northwest
Native shrubs from Down Under, grevilleas are proving to be cold hardy and adaptable to the maritime Pacific Northwest. Drought-tolerant and carefree,…