Shade Gardens – The Smarter Gardener

From Profusion Zinnias to Golden Xanadu Philodendrons

August 10, 2014 no comments

At West Valley Nursery in Tarzana, you will find unfamiliar versions of familiar plants, also known as cultivars. The word “cultivar” is a combination of two words, CULTIvated and VARiety. A cultivat...

Non-Stop Color

August 3, 2014 no comments

One of the questions I am most frequently asked is what plant will bloom for a long time in low light. In Los Angeles, the plant that blooms longer in less light than any other is Begonia x Richmonde...

Bear’s Breeches & Dragon’s Wings

July 21, 2014 no comments

I’ve often noticed that if a plant is commonly seen or easily grown, experienced gardeners tend to ignore it. As a whole, gardeners are a fairly mellow group, yet they have a strong iconoclasti...

Shade Tolerant Vines

July 3, 2014 no comments

We want a plant for a terra-cotta pot that will grow fairly wide and not more than 5 feet tall. It could flower, fruit or just produce pretty foliage. It will face north and not get much sun. >Claire...

Acid Loving Plants

July 3, 2014 no comments

Q: I have a garden bed to which I added lots of peat moss and gypsum to make the clay soil better. However, I never realized how acidic this would make the resulting soil. I tested it, and it’s...

Marveling at Begonias

July 2, 2014 no comments

Lately I have been marveling at a certain wax begonia (Begonia x semperflorens-cultorum), used ubiquitously as a bedding plant. Actually, there are at least six different popular versions of this bed...

Selecting Plants for a Shade Garden

July 2, 2014 no comments

There is nothing I welcome more than the challenge of selecting plants for a shade garden. Perhaps this is because no two shade gardens are alike. That is, all shade gardens receive different amounts...

Clivia Anchors Late Winter-Early Spring Shade Garden

March 16, 2014 no comments

Q: Last fall, I separated and transplanted three Clivia miniata that a friend gave me. I planted them in front of a pine tree. They get morning sun, and are in the shade by about 11 a.m. But they are...

Create a Shady Parasdise with Xanadu Philodendron

March 16, 2014 no comments

Xanadu was the legendary Mongolian summer capital and bucolic retreat of the conqueror and emperor known as Kublai Khan, who ruled over China in the 13th century. Xanadu is also the name of a relativ...

Daffodils and Paper Whites

December 4, 2013 no comments

At this time of year, the classic golden yellow flowers of daffodils, looking like elegant, if topless, top hats, are crowned upon distinctive blue-green stems, offset more often than not by the crim...

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There is a certain plant that has remarkable strength. I always think of an ox when reading about it or hearing its name and for an obvious reason: it’s called oxalis. Yet the etymology of oxalis has nothing to do with an ox. The word is derived f...

A Living Fence of Pyracantha

I’m looking for some kind of bush or shrub or vine that will help to create a security barrier over a 3 foot high chain link fence, that will grow to around 5 or 6 feet or so, will look decent maybe with some nice blooms and if I’m lucky I can get aw...

A Living Fence of Pyracantha

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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 it more than once a month — even in fast-dra...