Dusty Miller
In the lexicon of a gardener, dusty miller means lacy, silvery, fuzzy leaves. No, Dusty Miller wasn’t a prospector or cowboy with a fine garden. Rather, dusty millers are so-called because thei...
Category Archives: Perennials
Peruvian Lily
Imagine a plant that blooms most of the year in red, pink, rose, orchid, purple, maroon, burgundy, orange and yellow, yet needs little attention. Imag...
Fish Geraniums
If you are looking for perennial color accents for the spring, the summer and beyond, there are three plants that you should consider for your garden. One blooms red, orange, pink and violet, the sec...
Rockrose
If there’s one plant that behaves in every way like a California native, but isn’t one, it’s the rockrose. For years, I assumed rockrose (Cistus spp.) was a native because I had see...
Michael Kappel’s Paradise
From an upper story bedroom window, Michael Kappel looks down on his sumptuous garden in Westwood. It is a soothing sight for someone who lives in constant and excruciating pain, the result of a spin...
Los Angeles’ Official Flower & Tree
You may not know that the city of Los Angeles has an official flower and an official tree. See if you can guess what they are: • Both are native to South Africa. • Both are in full bloom at this time...
Kangaroo Paws
When browsing nursery perennials and studying their labels, I have noticed there is one vital piece of information that is never included: life expectancy. I do not know if this tidbit of data would ...
Popcorn jasmine and other Perennial Spring Bloomers
One of the joys of plant watching is the reappearance of old flowering friends as winter turns to spring. A number of late winter plants that are hard to miss include the following. Popcorn Jasmine. ...
Trailing Princess Flower
If you can coax a single flower from a plant that has been flowerless for several years, you may experience a greater sense of accomplishment than you get from observing a reliable bloomer, su...
Hellebores — heavenly and far from boring
The best part about writing a garden column is the opportunity it provides for spreading the word about wonderful plants that most people know nothing about. Indeed, it should come as no surprise if ...