California Native Ground Covers
This spring’s flowers – there are just so many of them — cannot be compared to those of any spring in recent memory. Perennial plants native to dry climates – and most of the woody and herbaceo...
Category Archives: Drought Tolerant
Red Monkey Flower
Red monkey flower (Diplacus puniceus) is an evergreen perennial that you ignore all year long for the sake of its arresting spring bloom, although it may flower on and off throughout the year. Water...
White Rockrose Shrub
This white rockrose (Cistus x hybridus) has a symmetrical, spherical growth habit. Once shrubs of this rockrose grow together, they make a nice 2-3 foot tall hedge. The only maintenance concern is ...
The Glorious Orchid Rockrose
Here’s a magnificent plant. Orchid rockrose (Cistus x purpureus). A Mediterranean plant. Water thrifty. Foliage fragrant when crushed. Needs no water other than winter rain. Ideally suite...
Bells of Ireland and other Delights
For years, I had seen bells of Ireland in seed and plant catalogues – at least before plant catalogues, much like daily newspapers, became an endangered species. Every time I saw its picture, I imagi...
Tequila Farmers
“Is the life of an Agave lengthened if its flower stalk is cut off early? I noticed that the blue tequila agave farmers in Mexico keep them trimmed off.” Tom Gearhart, Valley Village That’s an excel...
Bower Vine, Grevillea, Queen Victoria Agave
Every now and then I see a plant that I must photograph right then and there, come what may. It might mean climbing a tree and precariously straddling a branch, or parking on the shoulder of a freew...
‘Sticks on Fire’, Blue Chalksticks, and Termite Prevention...
While “familiarity breeds contempt” is a saying that, in truth, does not apply to most human relationships, it is a saying that often, and painfully, rings true when it comes to plants that dot the l...
California’s Perpetual Drought
Note: the following was written in February, 2018. Last April, California’s governor declared, “The drought emergency is over,” but already, less than a year later, in the middle of a warm, dry win...
Autumn Beauties & Chewing Gum Plant
The bristling heat of this past summer may have finally given way to cooler autumn days, yet two plants continue to make a determined display of blazing orange flowers, reminiscent of the sun. In fac...
