The Curse of Asparagus Fern

Two weeks ago, I suggested drought tolerant asparagus fern (Asparagus sprengeri) as a possible ground cover for somewhat shady slopes.  I cautioned that it is “an extremely aggressive plant” and that...

Planting on Slopes

Slopes.  All over the greater Los Angeles area, from Santa Clarita to the Anaheim Hills, from San Bernardino to Santa Barbara, you have them.  Slopes. I do not envy people with slopes.  Aside from th...

Slope Planting, Plumeria Pruning

We moved to a new house in Castaic twenty-seven years ago.  There is a steep slope in back.  It requires a combination of trees, bushes and ground cover to keep the soil in place. We have sprinklers ...

Cruel Plant & Slope Planting

Adjacent to the Veteran Affairs complex in West Los Angeles, there is a parrot sanctuary, and opposite this parrot sanctuary there is a vine, and upon this vine there are flowers, and these flowers a...

Planting A Slope

You can grow just about anything in our part of the world, and Helen Amritraj’s plantings on a quiet street in Calabasas provide a clear demonstration of this sublime horticultural truth. Up and down...

Purple Paradise

Q: We just bought a house at the base of a hillside. The back yard is one-third grassy lawn bordered by privacy bushes; beyond that is a hillside covered with shrubs and moderate-size trees. Steps le...

Silverberrry: Abe Lincoln of Plants

Imagine a plant that produces fragrant flowers and edible fruit, grows in sun or shade, tolerates heat, wind and ocean spray, requires a scant amount of water and never needs to be fertilized. As if ...