Garden Metaphor
“Your garden, it’s so . . . colorful and exuberant, like it’s on steroids. Then look at Dad’s: it’s so different.” My son’s recent comme…
Topics: Gardens & Design
Podophyllums: The Mayapples of Asia and America
Podophyllum is an odd genus of herbs in the barberry family (Berberidaceae), with one species from North America and five species from China to India.…
Reaching Far for the Best Plants
Many nurseries rely on plants available to them as tissue-cultured plugs, which come with built-in marketing programs and wide public recognition. Kel…
Aeonium in Habitat and Cultivation
I’ve had numerous sorts of Aeonium in my garden for many years; most were gifts from fellow gardeners that arrived without pedigree or identification; some…
Back-yard Birding
The cover of the January 2007 issue of Pacific Horticulture featured a female Anna’s hummingbird, in flight, feeding on nectar deep inside a flower …
The Green Roof Manual: A Professional Guide to Design, Installation, and Maintenance
Creating a green, living roof is not for the faint of heart, the weak of back, or those financially or technologically challenged. This is serious…
Great Plant Picks 2011: A Few for Sunny, Dry Gardens
The Great Plant Picks list includes almost 800 trees, shrubs, perennials, bulbs, and vines, many of which withstand the dry conditions of maritime Pac…
Garden Allies: Birds That Feed in Flight
Feeding on the Wing One of the pleasures of the Sonoma State University campus is a colony of cliff swallows that nest high on the…
Orchard Trees of Rancho Los Cerritos: Cherimoya
Cherimoya (Annona cherimola) is a subtropical fruit, found primarily in the mountain valleys and plateaus of Ecuador and Peru. Cherimoya’s sweet fru…