Fire and Ice in a Southern California Garden
The year 2007 was an odd one for Southern California: a severe freeze in January, extreme heat in late summer, and fierce fires in October. Just a few…
Seasons: Summer
Up on the Roof
Plant a rooftop; change your life. That’s Pamela Berstler’s mission. By converting conventional heat-generating roofs into energy- saving ecosyste…
Sweet Meadows
I stepped off the road into the meadows. Quickly knee-deep in a green sea, I was bathed in a sweet fragrance that rose not from individual flowers but…
From Forest to Bluff, Shade to Sun: Heronswood to Windcliff
Dan Hinkley left behind a shady woodland garden, not well suited to sun-loving plants, when he moved to the sun-baked bluff at Windcliff and created a…
The Native Gardener’s Paintbox: Green
Gardeners can benefit from a technique used by florists, who add greenery to complement both exotic and pedestrian blossoms. An assortment of bold- to…
Thistle Lovers All: The Cobwebby Thistle as Habitat
The beautiful cobwebby thistle (Cirsium occidentale) is nearing the end of its life cycle in my Novato garden. It’s almost June, and I watch as the …
Clematis for Small Spaces
The subtitle of Raymond Evison’s latest book, “150 High-performance Plants for Patios, Decks, Balconies and Borders,” will no doubt lure those relatively uninitiated to clematis…
Santa Clara University’s Wall of Climbing Roses
Today, some 250 kinds of climbing roses cover a half-mile-long wrought iron fence along the eastern border of Santa Clara University, effectively prov…
Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens: A Tribute to Rhododendron Lovers
The Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden collection includes nearly one hundred species of Rhododendron, including representatives from most of the subgen…