Humble Beginnings
Initially, grasses seemed a natural choice for meeting the criteria I established for my new garden in Oakland. I deeply value the elan that grasses a…
Seasons: Summer
Gold Medallion Tree
Although we do have our tropical moments in Southern California, even our mildest climates are still too cool and dry most of the year to qualify as t…
Perennial Pleasures
When it comes to creating a California native garden, the most popular flowery perennials include monkey-flowers, irises, California poppy, California…
A Bevy Of Balsams
The time has come for new stars in the genus Impatiens, often called balsams and formerly regarded as filler for annual beds, to be illuminated on the…
Red Butte Garden
Although I have visited dozens, perhaps hundreds of public gardens in my day, none has struck me as having as spectacular a setting as Red Butte Garde…
Fuchsias Rise Again in the Bay Area
A fuchsia breeding program sponsored by the San Francisco Botanical Garden at Strybing Arboretum (SFBG) aims to create garden-worthy plants that are r…
A Mediterranean Garden in Seattle
In Seattle, two to three months of dry weather in the warmest season can be a challenge to gardeners who grow plants from summer-wet climates. Plants …
Mimulus ‘Burgundy’ and ‘Sunset’
Mimulus ‘Burgundy’ and M. ‘Sunset’ are two beautiful California native plants that surf that rich, distinctively mediterranean borderline betw…
African Tulip Tree
Extravagant in every way, the African tulip tree (Spathodea campanulata) is known throughout the world as one of the most beautiful of all flowering t…