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Category Archives: Special Plants

Hardy, water-thrifty plants for sunny spots

May 13, 2013 no comments
Q: Could you please suggest what to plant along my driveway? There is sun all day and everything I plant burns up. The driveway planter is 20 feet long by 4 feet wide. There is no water supply there ...

Rosemary, bougainvillea among reliable plants for full sun exposure

May 13, 2013 no comments
Could you please suggest what to plant along my driveway? There is sun all day and everything I plant burns up. The driveway is 20 feet long by 4 feet wide. There is no water supply there so I have t...

Thin-bark trees offer beautiful flowers but care is needed to protect ...

May 13, 2013 no comments
Many people consider redbuds, although more pink than red, to be the most brilliant of all spring flowering trees. In full bloom, they appear as blinding flashes of magenta-pink against a background ...

Several species of iris would do well in our gardens

May 13, 2013 no comments
Irises are not as popular as they should be. The beauty of their flowers is unparalleled and most types can grow in either sun or shade with little water. Yet they are not seen in gardens nearly as o...

Finding new plants at Gardens of the World in Thousand Oaks

May 13, 2013 no comments
I had never been to Gardens of the World in Thousand Oaks but was glad, last Sunday, that I visited. It doesn’t take much to make a garden columnist happy. A glimpse of a plant previously unsee...

Cactus Center shares passion for exotic plants

May 13, 2013 no comments
Last Sunday, I was fortunate to spend a most enjoyable hour at the California Cactus Center in Pasadena, courtesy of Molly Thongthiraj. She and her five sisters operate the center, a cactus and succu...

Pink yarrow stands test of time in evolving garden

May 13, 2013 no comments
Choosing the right plant for the right place is part art, part science, part experience and part luck. As someone once said, you are always a beginner in the garden and, no matter how many years you ...

Growing in courtyards requires special plants

May 13, 2013 no comments
Interior courtyard planters, commonly designated as horticultural respites within bleak apartment complexes, or situated between more architecturally minded townhome or condominium units, are a chall...
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About The Author

Welcome to The Smarter Gardener. I'm Joshua Siskin and I've been writing about plants and trees for the Los Angeles Daily News for over 20 years. If you have any questions or comments, please send them along. I have published more than 1,000 articles on plants and I am currently in the process of loading them onto this site. My goal is to make it possible for you to learn about any of the plants in your garden by doing a search of this site.

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