Chamelaucium uncinatum – The Smarter Gardener

The Price of Bringing Nature Close to Home

January 20, 2019 no comments

I wondered if you could give me your opinion about our deodar cedar tree and whether it is safe to keep it. I love the tree. It’s beautiful, but it is very close to the house/roof so I feel l...

From Geraldton Waxflower to Peppermint Tree

July 23, 2015 no comments

Not far from Van Nuys Airport on Sherman Way Boulevard, west of Rubio Avenue, one of the most brilliantly flowering plants for Valley gardens, although inexplicably absent from most of them, is thriv...

Geraldton Waxflower

November 27, 2013 4 comments

Imagine a six-foot shrub that blooms six months of the year in near-drought conditions. Its wiry stems, studded with white, pink or violet flowers, may be cut for mixed bouquets and vase arrangements...

Recent Posts

A Glimpse of Paradise

Visitng Sherman Gardens is like spending time in a great museum. After an hour or so, you reach a saturation point and sigh, “There are just too many treasures to absorb in a single visit. I’ll just have to come back again to fully appreciat...

Why not to Plant Magnolias and Jacarandas

Peruvian Lilies

Japanese Garden in Los Angeles

California Native Ground Covers

Dragon Trees

Oxalis: Strong as an Ox, Sour as a Lemon

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

Larkspur/Annual Delphinium

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...